Most people who travel to Africa think solely of big mammal game viewing, with the focus often on seeing the Big Five, and forget all the other animal-viewings possibilities. When you speak to someone about Africa, you rarely speak about the phenomenal marine life that is on offer.
Sub-Saharan Africa offers very good ‘Marine Big Five’ game viewing – whales, sharks, dolphins, seals and penguins – and although specific areas are better suited for certain animals of the Big Five, it offers some of the best viewing in the whole world.
I was lucky enough to finish my last trip to Africa with some time with whale sharks off the Tanzanian coastline. Whale sharks are the largest known extant fish species and grow up to 13m in length (there are unconfirmed reports that even larger whale sharks exist). Now, I have travelled to Africa extensively, and I have been able to see the majority of animals you see on safari – but none of them compares with viewing five of these giants in just one morning. The experience for me matches that of seeing the gorillas in Rwanda – and anyone who has been lucky enough to do either, will not be able to explain just how special it is!