Why ‘the Big-5’?

Hi. My name is Adam - I’m a habitual dabbler, an amateur photographer and a lapsed biologist. I’ve had the immense privilege of spending decades experiencing safaris, private and otherwise, in and around Africa. I’ve also had countless conversations with tourists about their expectations, experiences, highlights and disappointments. The mismatch between guest expectations and experiences was the basis for Alexis and I to start BestSafari.africa.

A recurrent theme pervades almost all these conversations - and that is the overriding drive to see ‘The Big-5’. You’ll be surprised to learn that not only is it badly misplaced, but commonly misunderstood.

Rather than summarize these many conversations, I’ll quote a recent one from August 2026. I was visiting Tangala in Thornybush Nature Reserve and we were joined by a lovely German family: parents that were travelling with their teenage son and pre-teen daughter. They were first time visitors to Africa. The conversation with Rafaella (mom) follows verbatim (and to the best of my recollection):

Adam: Have you enjoyed your first visit to Africa? Anything that you have seen that has been particularly special to you and the family?

Rafaella: Yes, it’s been wonderful. We have finally seen the Big-5 with the lion sighting on this morning’s drive. The two males were fast asleep in the grass, so that was not very exciting. We really enjoyed seeing a giraffe for the first time, it’s such a crazy-looking animal. The elephant sightings have been great - they are magical. And we really loved the wild-dog pups this morning.

Adam: I love giraffe. There is nothing quite like them elsewhere in the world. We have elephants in Asia, and lions, leopards, rhinos and buffalo elsewhere in the world - but the giraffe is the quintessential African icon.

Rafaella: Yes, I was wondering why the Big-5 did not include giraffes. The Big-5 are obviously the best five animals to see on safari.

Adam: Actually, and you might not believe it, but the Big-5 is originally a hunting term from the colonial era.  These were the five animals big-game hunters regarded as the most dangerous and difficult to hunt on foot. All are amazing animals, but no less than say, a giraffe. The industry marketing safari follows the demand - and the demand is for this antiquated Big-5 terminology. It’s become performative.  And the obsession to see Big-5 is often distracting to the richness and rewards of being on safari. 

Rafaella: I did not know that. Why is that?

Adam: Guests to private game reserves almost always arrive with high expectations to see the Big-5.  They then go through a tick-box exercise, and only consider the safari a ‘success’ once this is completed.  Or they leave bitterly disappointed at not seeing the Big-5. This is an Open System not a zoo. There is nothing stopping lions, or rhinos, or any other animals moving out of our area. But as you experienced, lions spend most of their time sleeping – and are most-often boring encounters. Leopards are strikingly beautiful – but you also need to be lucky to see them on the move.  From the vehicle, buffalo look and behave like wild cattle. Elephant are the encounters that are most often spoken about, and guests often return to Africa to spend more time with the elephants. And the real joy of safari is often from the other non Big-5 animals, and other parts of the experience. For example, that beautiful call you are hearing from the dam area over there - that’s a fiery-necked nightjar.  A stunning nocturnal bird.

Rafaella: Wow, that’s so interesting - and I had no idea.  Everyone tells you in Germany to go and see the Big-5. Our agent did too. But you are right! The kids wanted to sit longer with the zebra yesterday, and the hippopotamus pod we saw was very special. The fish eagle crying from its perch was probably the highlight for me - and I was able to photograph it in flight. I’d also love to see a Cheetah, but the guide said they are very rare in this area.

Adam: Exactly right. Much of the unique African biodiversity is lost in the ‘hunt’ for Big-5. There is so much more to see and experience.      

Rafaella:  And the birds are so beautiful and colourful. I’d really like to learn more about them.

Adam: Yes they are - and once you take an interest in birds, it can become all encompassing. Did you know that as spectacular as the birdlife is in winter, you are missing just over a third of the rest of the species - they are migrants that have not yet returned. And many are particularly striking, like the Carmine bee-eater, and some of the kingfishers and rollers, storks, falcons and kites. They return in the summer months - and if you like birds, you might want to plan a return visit then.

…

You get the idea.

I just want to clarify that none of this is to diminish the Big-5, nor the terms usage in the safari industry. But to simply raise awareness and acknowledgement of its origin and that there is so much more to the safari experience than the Big-5 alone. They are extraordinary animals, and encounters with them can be among the great privileges of an African safari. But they are not Africa’s five ‘best’ animals, nor were they ever intended to be: they are the legacy of an old hunting classification that has strangely turned into an obsessive and unquestioned safari checklist.  

We often find that it is return guests to Africa that want to forget the Big-5 checklist - and enjoy the rewards of time with giraffe and zebra, impala and hippos, trees and butterflies, baboons and lizards, birds and beetles, behaviour, sounds, smells, landscapes and the unexpected. That, ultimately, is what we are trying to achieve at BestSafari.africa. We can and do assist you prioritize the Big-5 if that is your preference.  We have the supporting evidence of the probability of encountering the Big-5 from across reserves in Southern Africa, and update it regularly. This is one of our differentiating USPs. But we can also help you find a different safari that will be most suitable and rewarding to you.