Park W: Nature's bounty five hours from Europe.

Straddling three countries in West Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger), Park W takes its name from the twists and turns of the awesome Niger River, and is the largest internationally shared protected biosphere in the world. Wild animals and breathtaking bird watching are readily available. Unlike the "mass safaris" offered in many other parks of the continent, where the experience of observing mating lions or elephants bathing their young is shared with multiple other cars, the intimacy of visits to Park W portrays African wildlife as it should be viewed.

The region offers a singularly authentic experience of African wilderness. With hundreds of square kilometres of untamed bush, the park provides one of the last opportunities to see wildlife in West Africa. With over 10.000 square kilometres to explore, visiting the park is an opportunity to experience a preserved corner of Africa only five hours from major European cities.

Four of the Big Five mammals roam the Park: the elephant, buffalo, lion and leopard. Some of the great mammals that have vanished elsewhere, including the wild dog, the cheetah and topi still thrive in Park W. Roan antelope, various species of kob, hartbeest, bush buck, oribi and gazelles are also common.

The Park is home to over 450 species of birds, one of the largest varieties anywhere on earth.

By choosing to visit the Park W you are supporting a developing country's extraordinary investment in the future. A large percentage of park revenues is used to assist community development initiatives, such as schools, health clinics, water schemes and roads.

Members of the local population are encouraged to develop cultural tourism projects to cultivate their own financial returns from park visitors.