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Kenya tops global wildlife photography destinations list

Lions are seen hunting a buffalo ahead of 'World Wildlife Day' in the Maasai Mara on February 2, 2023. (Photo: Anadolu Agency via AFP)

By Bashir Mohammed | Thursday, March 14, 2024

According to the study, 20.69 per cent of the photos analysed and tagged 'wildlife' originated from Kenya, earning Nairobi the top position on the list.

Kenya is the premiere global destination for wildlife spotting and photography, a recent study by Africa-based safari firm Go2Africa has revealed.

The study, which analyzed 70 million images on the photo-sharing website Flickr, involved searching for each location alongside the keyword ‘wildlife.’

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By calculating the proportion of wildlife photos relative to all images of the location, the study identified the most sought-after destinations for animal photography.

According to the study, 20.69 per cent of the photos analysed and tagged 'wildlife' originated from Kenya, earning Nairobi the top position on the list.

Canada, Singapore, Australia, and Botswana rounded off the top-five list of the most appealing counties for wildlife spotting and photography, with 20.42 per cent, 19.19 per cent, 17.43 per cent and 16.53 per cent of the analysed and tagged photos captured in the countries.

"Kenya has many expansive parks and landscapes that are home to its diverse population of wildlife. The Maasai Mara is the country’s most popular reserve and holds one of Africa’s richest concentrations of wildlife," the Go2Africa website reads in part.

"At the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, Amboseli is renowned for its large herds of free-ranging African elephants and its majestic backdrop, which makes photography in the region especially breathtaking. Samburu National Reserve is famous for its abundance of unique species such as the Grevy Zebra– the largest of the three zebra species."

Tanzania secured the sixth spot with 15.98 per cent, followed by Lithuania at 15.68 per cent, Namibia at 14.32 per cent, India at 13.27 per cent, and South Africa at 12.16 per cent, rounding out positions six to ten on the list, respectively.

The study revealed that Canada led with the highest number of wildlife photos, totaling 156,420, followed by Australia with 128,995.

Kenya documented 120,814 wildlife photos, while Singapore contributed 117,702 to the collection. Tanzania and India accounted for 87,492 and 82,063 wildlife photos, respectively.

57,882, 55,737, 56,674 and 53,789 wildlife photos were captured in Lithuania, Namibia, South Africa and Botswana, respectively, according to the study.

The study also ranked South Africa’s Kruger National Park as the best national park to spot wildlife, According to Go2Africa almost half of photographs of the park (42.54%) are of the location’s incredible wildlife, accounting for over 40,965 unique images.

Maasai Mara National Reserve came in second place with 33.53% of photos of the park featuring wildlife while Tanzania's Serengeti National Park coming in third place with 23.37% of its photos showcasing the park’s unique wildlife.

"The Serengeti, along with the Masai Mara, are both renowned for The Great Wildebeest Migration which sees more than 2 million animals traverse through both national parks throughout the year," said Go2Africa.