Africa's Best Safari Country of 2023

Safari travelers are at the heart of everything we do at SafariBookings.com, and every year their reviews help us to decide which country should wear the crown as Africa’s best safari country. We are passionate about highlighting excellence in the safari industry, and the race is always tight, with a number of countries in the running to take the title.

The results for 2023 are in! And the winner as the continent’s number one country for safaris is... A country that comes close to safari paradise, from its parched and ancient deserts to its vast, water-drenched landscapes. It is, of course, Botswana! Congratulations Botswana!

Safari-goers and experts from all over the planet were at the heart of these results. More than 4,000 of their reviews were analyzed in this detailed and comprehensive study. The analysis included reviews from expert travel journalists who have extensive safari experience across all of the countries covered by this survey. These experts are mainly guidebook writers who contribute regularly to Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Frommer’s, Bradt and Footprint. These industry professionals also populate the SafariBookings expert panel.

Botswana Rated the Best Safari Country

If you were to design the perfect safari country, it would look something like Botswana. Home to vast tracts of wilderness, Botswana is a world of deserts and delta, of elemental earth colors of the deepest red and blue. Botswana is where you find the sand-drowned Kalahari Desert and its black-maned lions, but also the water-drowned landscapes of the Okavango Delta with its big cats, very big elephants and superb mix of islands, woodlands, channels and rivers.

Coming in second, not far behind, was Tanzania, followed by Zambia and Kenya. And a close analysis of the results reveals some fascinating surprises: industry experts rated Botswana the best overall safari country, but safari-goers voted for Uganda as the best, while Tanzania just pipped Botswana among experts and travelers when the survey was restricted to wildlife alone.

Ratings for the Major African Safari Countries

Botswana Retains the Number One Title

Tanzania was the winner in 2013 when SafariBookings conducted the first study to determine the best safari country in Africa. It held onto first place in our second study in 2017. But that changed in 2018 when Botswana narrowly defeated Tanzania. Botswana again took first place in 2019.

In this first survey since travelers returned to the safari trails following the pandemic, Botswana reasserted its position in the number one spot, although Tanzania remains very close behind. Both are incredible safari countries.

But who could argue with Botswana’s astonishing breadth of landscapes and wildlife, home as it is to iconic wilderness and wildlife destinations such as the Kalahari, Okavango and Chobe National Park?

Or Botswana’s commitment to low-density tourism and opportunities for wild and exclusive safaris? It should come as little surprise, therefore, that Botswana’s legend as a destination for safari excellence just keeps getting stronger, a fact reinforced by this year’s results.

It’s why going on safari in Botswana remains an utterly unforgettable experience.

What the experts say about Botswana

• All Botswana Expert Reviews

Want to do a safari in Botswana?

• Botswana Safari Tours
• Botswana Safari Operators
• Best Time To Visit Botswana

Beautiful & Wildlife-rich, Tanzania Is Best for Wildlife & Scenic Value

It may have come in second place overall, but Tanzania came in first on a number of key indicators. The combined tally from both our experts and safari-goers ranked Tanzania as the best safari country for both wildlife and scenic beauty. In this case, it was our experts who tipped the balance: based on their vast experience, they narrowly voted Tanzania as the best safari country for wildlife. And it’s not difficult to understand why.

Tanzania is home to the great migration, as well as the scenic wonders that are Ngorongoro Crater and the savannah grasslands and kopjes of Serengeti National Park. Spanning Indian Ocean coastline, the classic savannah grasslands of the north, the continent’s highest mountains, and dense rainforests out west, Tanzania is one beautiful country. And when it comes to safaris, these soul-stirring landscapes provide habitat for wildlife on an epic and incredibly diverse scale.

What the experts say about Tanzania

• All Tanzania Expert Reviews

Want to do a safari in Tanzania?

• Tanzania Safari Tours
• Tanzania Safari Operators
• Best Time To Visit Tanzania

Zambia Wins Hearts & Minds for Wildlife & Birding

Having come third in 2019, Zambia cemented its place among the safari elite in this year’s survey. Zambia has always flown a little under the radar, getting less publicity than better-known safari countries, but safari travelers and our experts know better.

South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi National Parks are world-class wildlife destinations, while Kafue and Liuwa Plain National Parks add a touch of wilderness to their impressive wildlife portfolios. Liuwa Plain, for example, hosts Africa’s second-largest wildebeest migration, while South Luangwa and Kafue are two of the best places in Africa to see lions and leopards.

It should come as no surprise that Zambia is the strongest possible contender for any people’s choice award, based on two of the most important reasons why travelers go on safari: safari-goers voted Zambia as number one for both wildlife and birding. There can be no higher recognition among our knowledgeable audience.

What the experts say about Zambia

• All Zambia Expert Reviews

Want to do a safari in Zambia?

• Zambia Safari Tours
• Zambia Safari Operators
• Best Time To Visit Zambia

Uganda Voted as Best Safari Country by Travelers

Uganda may not have come in first overall, but look a little closer and it takes first place, just ahead of Botswana, in one of the most important criteria: the best safari country as voted by safari travelers.

This remarkable performance takes into account a whole range of categories, from wildlife and scenic beauty to birding and bush credentials. Uganda was also the clear winner when it comes to Africa’s best birding-safari country, as voted by the experts.

And when you take a closer look at Uganda’s parks, from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and its gorillas to Kibale, Murchison Falls and Queen Elizabeth National Parks, Uganda clearly has reason to be optimistic about future surveys, as they’re hot on the heels of the current top three.

Watch this space...

What the experts say about Uganda

• All Uganda Expert Reviews

Want to do a safari in Uganda?

• Uganda Safari Tours
• Uganda Safari Operators
• Best Time To Visit Uganda

Demographics of the Reviewers (Interactive Charts)

User reviews: 2,898
Expert reviews: 1,266
Nationalities: 110

By Jeroen Beekwilder

NL

Jeroen is co-owner of SafariBookings.com. His desire to feel connected powers his love of travel. He has traveled all over the world with his wife and two children.

Share Article: