Spot Black Rhino – Top spots today include the Laikipia Plateau (Kenya), Ngorongoro Crater (Tanzania), KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) and Namibia’s Etosha and Damaraland. Where and When to Spot Black Rhinos
Black rhino live in game reserves throughout southern and eastern Africa, and you’ll have the chance to encounter them at most classic safari destinations. You’ll optimize those chances, though, by seeking them out where their numbers are most concentrated—like Kruger National Park, in South Africa; the Laikipia Plateau, in Kenya; the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, in Tanzania; and Etosha National Park, in Namibia.
Old hunters’ stories have saddled this species with a reputation for aggression. In reality, it is a shy animal that prefers to retreat – although you should never be complacent, especially when on foot. Both black and white rhinos are grey in appearance. It’s the black subspecies that is most critically endangered and there are less than 2,000 of them left in the wild. This is the rhino you’ll mostly see in East Africa, although a few are dotted about the parks of Southern Africa. Black rhinos have a distinguishing hooked lip and are browsers, feeding off bushes and shrubbery.
Although sightings are rare, if guests do spot black rhino in this area, they are looking at some of the most expensive animals in the world, just standing in the open. Black rhinos are generally most active during the night-time when they forage and drink, making them harder to spot than other animals. They are also solitary, and are known for being shyer and more aggressive than white rhinos.
The waterholes of Etosha National Park in Namibia are excellent for black rhino sightings, especially after dark. Damaraland is a remote but terrific alternative. Hluhluwe, a beautiful reserve in the Zululand hills, is home to all of the big five, including a large number of white rhinos. If you’re very lucky, you may even spot a rare black rhino as well.
