Big cats film to inspire travel to Africa?

A new film documenting the lives of big cats could provide the perfect inspiration to take trips to Africa and see the incredible animals in the wild.

This week saw the London premiere of African Cats, which tells the story of a pride of lions and a family of cheetahs living in the Kenyan savannah.

Stars of the nature documentary include a young lion cub named Mara, a mother cheetah named Sita who is raising five newborns, and Fang, the leader of Mara's pride who must defend his family from a banished lion.

And the film definitely made a lasting impression on one audience member - the Duke of Cambridge Prince William.

The prince and his wife the Duchess of Cambridge both attended the London premiere, with William delivering a speech after the screening.

"Wow - that was amazing. I'm emotionally exhausted. There's more drama in that than EastEnders," he commented.

Of course, as good as the film may be, it is no substitute for the real thing and one of the best ways to see lions, cheetahs and a huge variety of other fascinating animals in their natural environment is by taking Africa overland trips.

Africa is home to a number of spectacular national parks which provide a paradise for wildlife lovers - from the Maasai Mara in Kenya, to Kruger National Park in South Africa and the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana.

Meanwhile, Prince William used his speech at the African Cats premiere to call for more to be done to protect African wildlife.

"Films like African Cats remind us of the dramatic beauty, and the harshness, of the natural world - and there is nowhere more awe-inspiring or beautiful than the vast plains of Kenya's Maasai Mara," he said.

"Africa's natural heritage is the world's natural heritage. We have to preserve places like this - not just for us, but for future generations."