The Pendjari National Park, an amazing wildlife park. The landscape consists of an extensive peneplain with flat terrain, flanked to the north and east by the Pendjari river.
This rich wildlife reserve is part of a wide set of protected parks, spanning three neighboring countries (Benin, Niger and Burkina-Faso – Niamey and Ouagadougou are closer to Pendjari than Cotonou) with the W National Park and the Arly National Park in Burkina Faso.
Built in 1961, the Pendjari National Park was added in 1886 by Unesco to the list of the World Biosphere Reserves. This can appear paradoxical but this reserve includes both the hunting zones of Pendjari and Konkombri and the national park itself, which covers an area of 275,000 ha because hunting zones are protected areas against poaching and transhumance. Moreover, they are separated by a single lane but rest assured that hunting is highly regulated and the National Center of Management of Fauna Reserves (CENAGREF) lays down quotas for tour operators offering safaris.
Tourists who want to see lots of scenery need to know that March and April are the best time to see animals because it is the dry season and the Harmattan (which brings a dust storm) has subsided, but it is also the time of year when it is hot.
