Top 10 Best African Safari Parks and Destinations of 2023

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• Top 10 African Safari Parks and Destinations
• Top 11 to 50 African Safari Parks and Destinations
• How We Created This List
• Interesting Insights
• Demographics of the Reviewers (All Parks)

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  #1 Serengeti National Park    Tanzania

  4.87/5
  Walking and classic safaris, Big Five present (rhino rare), many big cats, wildebeest migration
  Ranks #1 in Africa's Top 50 Safari Parks

  2,662 Serengeti Tours
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  #2 Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve    South Africa

  4.71/5
  Area consisting of multiple private reserves, excellent Big Five wildlife viewing
  Ranks #2 in Africa's Top 50 Safari Parks

  96 Sabi Sands Tours
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  #3 South Luangwa National Park    Zambia

  4.71/5
  Walking and classic safaris, giraffe, four of the Big Five (no rhino), abundant wildlife
  Ranks #3 in Africa's Top 50 Safari Parks

  72 South Luangwa Tours
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  #4 Okavango Delta    Botswana

  4.70/5
  Canoe, boat and classic safaris, waterway paradise, Big Five
  Ranks #4 in Africa's Top 50 Safari Parks

  198 Okavango Tours
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  #5 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park    South Africa Botswana

  4.67/5
  Classic safaris, park shared between South Africa and Botswana, all big cats present
  Ranks #5 in Africa's Top 50 Safari Parks

  Kgalagadi Tours
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  #6 Masai Mara National Reserve    Kenya

  4.63/5
  Classic safaris, Big Five present (rhino rare), many big cats, wildebeest migration
  Ranks #6 in Africa's Top 50 Safari Parks

  1,850 Masai Mara Tours
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  #7 Moremi Game Reserve    Botswana

  4.62/5
  Classic safaris, Big Five present (rhino rare), partly located in the Okavango Delta
  Ranks #7 in Africa's Top 50 Safari Parks

  90 Moremi Tours
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  #8 Ngorongoro Crater    Tanzania

  4.59/5
  Classic safaris, abundant wildlife including the Big Five
  Ranks #8 in Africa's Top 50 Safari Parks

  3,084 Ngorongoro Tours
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  #9 Ruaha National Park    Tanzania

  4.53/5
  Walking and classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino), cheetah and wild dog
  Ranks #9 in Africa's Top 50 Safari Parks

  83 Ruaha Tours
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  #10 Hwange National Park    Zimbabwe

  4.52/5
  Classic safaris, abundance of all major safari animals including the Big Five
  Ranks #10 in Africa's Top 50 Safari Parks

  83 Hwange Tours

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  #11 Kidepo Valley National Park    Uganda

  4.52/5
  Classic safaris, giraffe, cheetah, antelope species, four of the Big Five (no rhino)
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  #12 Chobe National Park    Botswana

  4.51/5
  Boat and classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino), abundant elephant
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  #13 Samburu National Reserve    Kenya

  4.50/5
  Classic dry-country safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino), adjoins Buffalo Springs National Reserve
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  #14 Timbavati Private Nature Reserve    South Africa

  4.50/5
  Classic safaris, private reserve, Big Five present
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  #15 Ol Pejeta Conservancy    Kenya

  4.49/5
  Classic safaris, private reserve, Big Five present, chimpanzee refuge, stunning scenery
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  #16 Lower Zambezi National Park    Zambia

  4.48/5
  Canoe, boat, walking and classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino)
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  #17 Kruger National Park    South Africa

  4.47/5
  Classic safaris, great abundance of all major safari animals including the Big Five
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  #18 Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park    Zambia

  4.45/5
  Walking and classic safaris, Victoria Falls and small wildlife park, white rhino, elephant and giraffe, no big cats
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  #19 Nyerere (Selous) National Park    Tanzania

  4.44/5
  Walking, boat and classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino), healthy population of wild dog
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  #20 Liwonde National Park    Malawi

  4.43/5
  Boat safaris, sublime scenery, wonderful birding, rhino tracking
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  #21 Etosha National Park    Namibia

  4.37/5
  Classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no buffalo), abundant wildlife during the Dry season
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  #22 Murchison Falls National Park    Uganda

  4.36/5
  Boat and classic safaris, waterfall, abundant wildlife, four of the Big Five (no rhino)
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  #23 Amboseli National Park    Kenya

  4.36/5
  Classic safaris, great elephant viewing, famous for its views of Mt Kilimanjaro
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  #24 Makgadikgadi Pans National Park    Botswana

  4.32/5
  Classic safaris, zebra migration in the Wet season, all big cats present
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  #25 Tsavo East National Park    Kenya

  4.29/5
  Classic safaris, adjoins Tsavo West National Park, good for elephants and big cats
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  #26 Queen Elizabeth National Park    Uganda

  4.28/5
  Boat and classic safaris, abundant wildlife, four of the Big Five (no rhino)
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  #27 Mana Pools National Park    Zimbabwe

  4.27/5
  Walking, canoe and classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino) and wild dog present
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  #28 Tarangire National Park    Tanzania

  4.23/5
  Walking and classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino), lots of elephants in the Dry season
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  #29 Tsavo West National Park    Kenya

  4.22/5
  Classic safaris, adjoins Tsavo East National Park, Big Five present, low wildlife density, varied scenery
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  #30 Balule Private Nature Reserve    South Africa

  4.17/5
  Classic safaris, private reserve, Big Five present
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  #31 Matobo National Park    Zimbabwe

  4.15/5
  Exceptional granite landscapes, prehistoric rock art, limited wildlife includes rhino
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  #32 Madikwe Game Reserve    South Africa

  4.12/5
  Classic safaris, private reserve, Big Five present
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  #33 Akagera National Park    Rwanda

  4.05/5
  Big Five, lovely scenery, top birding, night drives and boat trips
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  #34 Lake Nakuru National Park    Kenya

  4.05/5
  Classic safaris, black and white rhino, lion and leopard, no elephant, family-friendly
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  #35 Nxai Pan National Park    Botswana

  3.98/5
  Classic safaris, zebra migration in the Wet season, all big cats present
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  #36 Kakamega Forest National Reserve    Kenya

  3.96/5
  Hiking, small antelope species and primates, birding hot spot
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  #37 Pilanesberg Game Reserve    South Africa

  3.96/5
  Classic safaris, Big Five present
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  #38 Aberdare National Park    Kenya

  3.88/5
  Walking safaris, forest elephants and tree hotels
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  #39 Lewa Wildlife Conservancy    Kenya

  3.88/5
  Classic safaris, private reserve, Big Five present
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  #40 Hell's Gate National Park    Kenya

  3.87/5
  Cycling, walking and climbing, with mainly buffalo and antelope species
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  #41 Lake Mburo National Park    Uganda

  3.81/5
  Boat, walking and classic safaris, mainly antelope species, lion present but rare
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  #42 Nairobi National Park    Kenya

  3.79/5
  Classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no elephant), city skyscrapers as backdrop
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  #43 Lake Manyara National Park    Tanzania

  3.72/5
  Classic, walking and canoe safaris, treetop walkway, four of the Big Five (no rhino)
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  #44 Arusha National Park    Tanzania

  3.70/5
  Classic safaris, hiking, mainly antelope species, buffalo, giraffe and Kilimanjaro colobus
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  #45 Mikumi National Park    Tanzania

  3.65/5
  Walking and classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino)
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  #46 Mountain Zebra National Park    South Africa

  3.56/5
  Classic safaris, Cape mountain zebra, cheetah, lion, black rhino and antelope
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  #47 Addo Elephant National Park    South Africa

  3.45/5
  Classic safaris, Big Five present, but only elephant are regularly seen
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  #48 Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve    South Africa

  3.44/5
  Classic safaris, Big Five present, famous for its rhino population
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  #49 Golden Gate Highlands National Park    South Africa

  2.84/5
  Scenery, hiking, animals scarce, mainly antelope species, none of the Big Five
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  #50 Central Kalahari Game Reserve    Botswana

  1.95/5
  Classic safaris, wildlife scarce except after summer rains, all big cats present

• We analyzed 2,494 park reviews on the SafariBookings.com website, which included 1,380 contributions by safari tourists from 107 countries, as well as 1,114 reviews written by our international team of safari experts.
• In total 200 parks from 15 countries, consisting of Botswana, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, were included in the study.
• Only parks recognized for classic wildlife-viewing safaris were considered. Parks mostly known for scenery or gorilla/chimp tracking (and not other wildlife) were not included.
• Parks with less than 10 reviews were excluded from the Top 50.

• Serengeti National Park in Tanzania was the clear winner with a 4.87 overall rating. This was the fourth time running that the Serengeti has come out on top, after placing first in 2015, 2018 and 2019. Driving the Serengeti’s popularity is the park’s spectacular wildlife (including the abundance of predators and the wildebeest migration), for which it was ranked highly by travelers and experts alike.
• South Africa’s Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve came in second with an overall rating of 4.71 out of 5. Ranked ninth in 2019, it jumped all the way to second place this year, roaring into the top three. Confirmation that Sabi Sands belongs in such elite company comes from the fact that both travelers and experts gave it 5 out of 5 for wildlife, and a higher overall ranking than they did in the previous survey.
• Coming in third was South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, rising from a respectable seventh last time around. It may receive fewer visitors than other, better-known parks, but it gets top marks from both travelers and safari experts.
• Tanzania had the highest number of entries in the Top 10, with three parks: Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Ruaha National Park. Botswana was close behind with two and a half parks: Okavango Delta, Moremi Game Reserve and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (which Botswana shares with South Africa).
• Kenya may have only one entry, Masai Mara National Reserve, in the Top 10, but it had more parks and reserves in the Top 50 (12) than any other country. South Africa had the second most entries with 11, down from 14 in the last survey. Tanzania (eight), Botswana (six) and Uganda (four) were next. For the first time in 2023, Malawi had an entry in the Top 50 with Liwonde National Park at number 20.
• Birders have clearly taken a liking to Kenya’s Kakamega Forest National Reserve: both safari travelers and experts ranked Kakamega in first place for bird watching.
• One of the biggest surprises was Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe. Ranked second in 2019, it fell dramatically to 27th. But safari travelers have remained loyal to the park, giving it the maximum score of 5 out of 5 in the categories of wildlife, bush vibe and birding.
• Travelers aged between 20 and 35 decided that their favorite park was Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve, followed closely by Tanzania’s Serengeti. For more mature age groups, the top ranking went to Namibia’s Etosha National Park (ages 35 to 50) and South Africa’s Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve (ages 50 to 65).
• Botswana’s Chobe National Park and Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park ranked highly for safari travelers who have been on more than one safari. And when it comes to wilderness, Botswana’s Okavango Delta deservedly came out on top in the bush vibe category for those who have been on five or more safaris.