Have you been watching the Discovery Channel or the Africa series on the BBC and longed to see all of those amazing sights for yourself? Then plan a trip to Africa! Here are my favorite places and spots along with the best times of the year to make the most out of your African safari.

1. Baby Cheetah in the Masai Mara

The Masai Mara is world famous for its migration. Every September/October thousands of wildebeest migrate from the Serengeti to the north to find food. To get to the lush plains in the north, they have to cross the Mara River. At that time of the year, you will find 40 minivans and jeeps lined up with tourists waiting for their photo-of-a-lifetime: a crocodile killing a wildebeest. The rest of the year the Masai Mara is slightly quieter in terms of tourism but still exciting! In January I found a cheetah with her cub playing next to one of the park tracks! I watched them for a while before they made their way through the bush.

2.Lions Feeding on Buffalo in the Masai Mara

You can imagine how excited I was when I found a pride of lions feeding on their buffalo kill, but the scene got even better when the hyenas waiting for their chance began howling in the background. Once the male lions had eaten their fill, a pregnant lioness took her turn. But as the big male lions were lying in the shade further away, the hyenas seized their opportunity and managed to chase the lioness away – just for a couple of minutes we listened to the laughter of these ugly fellows. But soon the male lion returned majestically; the hyenas were running in no time!

3. Wildebeest Birthed in the Serengeti

February is the time of the year when you can witness thousands and thousands of wildebeest in the southern part of the Serengeti. They cover the Serengeti plains in dark spots as far as you can see! As if this were not enough, wildebeests only give birth once a year (as that time of year has proven to give their little ones the best chance at survival), and you can witness the miraculous event.

4. Lion Cubs in a Tree in the Serengeti

Lions in trees are not that easy to find, but the Serengeti offers a good chance! Most of the time lion families lie around in the shade relaxing in the daytime . But, especially when they have cubs, the lionesses have to hide them from male lions and other predators. A big tree on a rock giving shade and shelter is the perfect place!

5. A Leopard with a Kill in the Serengeti

It is not easy to spot leopards. Most of the time they’ll be in the acacia trees lazily relaxing in the heat of the day. But the dense leaves make them tough to spot. We were exceptionally lucky to find a leopard with a fresh kill still sucking the blood out of the gazelle’s neck. You could see the leopard’s excitement in its eyes, exhausted and full of adrenalin after her kill. We witnessed how the leopard tried to maneuver its kill up the tree – what a rare spectacle!