Hippos are among the most fearsome creatures in all of Africa, seriously.  The only animals more deadly than hippos in Africa are the human and the mosquito, hippos are responsible for more deaths annually than crocodiles.  Part of the reason for this is that they are nocturnal and when they emerge from the water at the end of the day…they’re hungry and will chomp on anything that comes across their path.

This guy here is actually asleep.  The skin of the hippo lacks any kind of natural sun protection and so they spend the day sleeping underwater.  Somehow they manage to float up to the surface every few minutes to take a breath before submerging again.  This guy was sleeping with this face pointed at a bridge and I simple parked the car and took a few pictures every time he came up for air.

IF YOU GO:  You can literally see wildlife/game all through Africa.  South Africa has a host of game parks and safaris you can go on just like Tanzania and Kenya.  The nice thing about South Africa is that you can drive your own safari through the parks, no guide necessary.

To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.