We are often asked about the difference between Eastern and Southern Africa. While they are both savannah countries filled with big game, they are both very different. In a general way Eastern Africa is great plains country. The savannahs have more open areas, with expansive short-grass plains and fewer trees compared to Southern Africa. It’s more volcanic with soda lakes and volcanoes dotting grand landscapes and the Great Rift Valley, and the scenes imposed by huge extinct volcanoes such as Kilimanjaro Ngorongoro Crater are impressive. It is tropical, being on the equator, with two rainy seasons. Montane forests are home to mountain gorillas. Dry country lies in the north of Kenya and is home to desert species such as the beisa oryx. The great plains of the Serengeti service hundreds of thousands of migrating wildebeest and zebra, and southern Tanzania is a transition zone that looks more like Southern Africa. The national parks of East Africa are also quite busy and host mainly game drives, but other activities such as night drives and walking safaris are available but only within the private reserves.