NATGEOTRAVEL.COMRONAN DONOVAN/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION (GIRAFFE); MATTHEW TWOMBLY (ILLUSTRATION)An alert
Nubian giraffe
stands tall in
Murchison
Falls National
Park, Uganda.GIRAFFES
EXPLORER’S GUIDE
1
Uganda
Well known for its
gorillas and chim-
panzees, Uganda is a
wonderland for other
wildlife, too. Around
1,500 Nubian giraffes
roam the country’s
biggest nature reserve,
the “stunningly beau-
tiful” Murchison Falls
National Park, Muneza
says. Giraffes convene
along the banks of
the Nile River, which
squeezes through a
narrow gorge before
plummeting into the
Devil’s Cauldron.The world’s tallest
mammal turned heads
three years ago after
being classified as
“vulnerable” for the
first time. Now the U.S.
is considering protect-
ing giraffes under the
Endangered Species
Act. Travelers can lend
a hand, says Arthur
Muneza, a National
Geographic grantee
and the East Africa
coordinator for the
Giraffe Conservation
Foundation. “You can
help scientists refine
population counts,” he
says, by posting photos
with location details
on giraffespotter.org,
which identifies unique
coat patterns. Here are
three of his favorite
places to see the
graceful ungulates.
—Katie KnorovskyHigh Life
Meet more National
Geographic–funded
explorers at national
geographic.org/
explorers.3
Tanzania
Thousands of Masai
giraffes crisscross
Ruaha, East Africa’s
largest national park.
“Probably one of the
last truly wild areas,
Ruaha is remarkable,”
Muneza says. The
pristine habitats range
from savanna, wood-
lands, and wetlands
to semiarid areas.
“Giraffes are found at
almost every corner.”2
Kenya
Head to the lush
Lambwe Valley of
Ruma National Park to
track Kenya’s largest
wild population of
Nubian giraffes. “On
my first visit, I encoun-
tered a herd of more
than 75,” Muneza says.
Framed by the dra-
matic Mathews Range,
the Namunyak Wildlife
Conservancy harbors
an abundance of
animals, including the
reticulated giraffe, with
its distinctive coat of
orange-brown patches
and white lines.