There are a total of 402 National Parks in Africa spread out over 54 different countries.

The Virungu National Park in the Democratic Republic Of Congo is Africa's oldest having been established in 1925. It was then called the Albert National Park but the name was changed to Virungu in 1969.

There are game reserves and protectorates that are older, but this was the first National Park.

This can be a subjective list but it's generally accepted in the safari industry that some of the best places to go on a safari are: Serengeti National Park, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kruger National Park, Etosha National Park and Chobe National Park.

National Parks are mostly owned by the state and run by the government in each respective country so they tend to have basic accommodation and services. Many also contain privately owned and managed lodges and camps that provide more luxurious amenities.

The top three by area in square kilometres (sq miles) are the Namib-Naukluft National Park in Namibia - 49 768 ㎢ (30 924 ㎡), the Gilf Kebir National Park in Egypt - 48 533 ㎢ (30 157 ㎡) and the Longa-Mavinga National Park in Angola - 46 076 ㎢ (28 630 ㎡).

The Kruger National Park in South Africa takes the top spot for most visitors registering an astonishing 1.8 million in 2017. Of that total approximately 80% were South African citizens.

The top five African countries with the most national parks are Kenya - 24, Ethiopia - 22, South Africa - 21, Zambia - 20 and Madagascar - 20.

They have an incredibly important conservation function, not only preserving and protecting the ecosystem, landscape and wildlife in the area as best they can, but also providing a livelihood for some of the local residents.