Top 10 Best African Safari Parks and Destinations of 2024
Anita is a data researcher and content manager at SafariBookings with a background in editing and translation.
Africa has some incredible places to go looking for animals, but which safari park do travelers rate the highest? After an exhaustive analysis of 2,494 reviews written by safari travelers and experts, we are pleased to announce that, for the fourth consecutive time, Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park has won top spot in our list of the Top 10 Best African Safari Parks and Destinations of 2024.
Its overall rating of 4.87 out of 5 put this world-renowned wildlife park out in front of 199 other parks and reserves across East and southern Africa, as well as Ethiopia and Madagascar. Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve in South Africa continued its rise through the rankings this year, reaching second place, with Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park coming in third.
Jump to:
Top 10 African Safari Parks and Destinations
-
#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 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 -
#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 -
#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 -
#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 -
#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 -
#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 -
#8 Ngorongoro Crater Tanzania
4.59/5
Classic safaris, abundant wildlife including the Big Five
Ranks #8 in Africa's Top 50 Safari Parks -
#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 -
#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
Top 11 to 50 African Safari Parks and Destinations
-
#11 Kidepo Valley National Park Uganda
4.52/5
Classic safaris, giraffe, cheetah, antelope species, four of the Big Five (no rhino) -
#12 Chobe National Park Botswana
4.51/5
Boat and classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino), abundant elephant -
#13 Samburu National Reserve Kenya
4.50/5
Classic dry-country safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino), adjoins Buffalo Springs National Reserve -
#14 Timbavati Private Nature Reserve South Africa
4.50/5
Classic safaris, private reserve, Big Five present -
#15 Ol Pejeta Conservancy Kenya
4.49/5
Classic safaris, private reserve, Big Five present, chimpanzee refuge, stunning scenery -
#16 Lower Zambezi National Park Zambia
4.48/5
Canoe, boat, walking and classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino) -
#17 Kruger National Park South Africa
4.47/5
Classic safaris, great abundance of all major safari animals including the Big Five -
#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 -
#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 -
#20 Liwonde National Park Malawi
4.43/5
Boat safaris, sublime scenery, wonderful birding, rhino tracking -
#21 Etosha National Park Namibia
4.37/5
Classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no buffalo), abundant wildlife during the Dry season -
#22 Murchison Falls National Park Uganda
4.36/5
Boat and classic safaris, waterfall, abundant wildlife, four of the Big Five (no rhino) -
#23 Amboseli National Park Kenya
4.36/5
Classic safaris, great elephant viewing, famous for its views of Mt Kilimanjaro -
#24 Makgadikgadi Pans National Park Botswana
4.32/5
Classic safaris, zebra migration in the Wet season, all big cats present -
#25 Tsavo East National Park Kenya
4.29/5
Classic safaris, adjoins Tsavo West National Park, good for elephants and big cats -
#26 Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda
4.28/5
Boat and classic safaris, abundant wildlife, four of the Big Five (no rhino) -
#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 -
#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 -
#29 Tsavo West National Park Kenya
4.22/5
Classic safaris, adjoins Tsavo East National Park, Big Five present, low wildlife density, varied scenery -
#30 Balule Private Nature Reserve South Africa
4.17/5
Classic safaris, private reserve, Big Five present -
#31 Matobo National Park Zimbabwe
4.15/5
Exceptional granite landscapes, prehistoric rock art, limited wildlife includes rhino -
#32 Madikwe Game Reserve South Africa
4.12/5
Classic safaris, private reserve, Big Five present -
#33 Akagera National Park Rwanda
4.05/5
Big Five, lovely scenery, top birding, night drives and boat trips -
#34 Lake Nakuru National Park Kenya
4.05/5
Classic safaris, black and white rhino, lion and leopard, no elephant, family-friendly -
#35 Nxai Pan National Park Botswana
3.98/5
Classic safaris, zebra migration in the Wet season, all big cats present -
#36 Kakamega Forest National Reserve Kenya
3.96/5
Hiking, small antelope species and primates, birding hot spot -
#37 Pilanesberg Game Reserve South Africa
3.96/5
Classic safaris, Big Five present -
#38 Aberdare National Park Kenya
3.88/5
Walking safaris, forest elephants and tree hotels -
#39 Lewa Wildlife Conservancy Kenya
3.88/5
Classic safaris, private reserve, Big Five present -
#40 Hell's Gate National Park Kenya
3.87/5
Cycling, walking and climbing, with mainly buffalo and antelope species -
#41 Lake Mburo National Park Uganda
3.81/5
Boat, walking and classic safaris, mainly antelope species, lion present but rare -
#42 Nairobi National Park Kenya
3.79/5
Classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no elephant), city skyscrapers as backdrop -
#43 Lake Manyara National Park Tanzania
3.72/5
Classic, walking and canoe safaris, treetop walkway, four of the Big Five (no rhino) -
#44 Arusha National Park Tanzania
3.70/5
Classic safaris, hiking, mainly antelope species, buffalo, giraffe and Kilimanjaro colobus -
#45 Mikumi National Park Tanzania
3.65/5
Walking and classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino) -
#46 Mountain Zebra National Park South Africa
3.56/5
Classic safaris, Cape mountain zebra, cheetah, lion, black rhino and antelope -
#47 Addo Elephant National Park South Africa
3.45/5
Classic safaris, Big Five present, but only elephant are regularly seen -
#48 Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve South Africa
3.44/5
Classic safaris, Big Five present, famous for its rhino population -
#49 Golden Gate Highlands National Park South Africa
2.84/5
Scenery, hiking, animals scarce, mainly antelope species, none of the Big Five -
#50 Central Kalahari Game Reserve Botswana
1.95/5
Classic safaris, wildlife scarce except after summer rains, all big cats present
How We Created This List
- 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.
Interesting Insights
- 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 2024, 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.
Demographics of the Reviewers (All Parks)
User reviews: 1,380
Expert reviews: 1,114
Nationalities: 107
Percentage of Reviews by Country
All user reviews. Move your cursor over a country to get the number.
Age and Gender (Percentage)
All people who wrote user reviews. Move your cursor over the chart for more details.
Safari Experience Level (Percentage)
All people who wrote user reviews. Move your cursor over the chart for more details.
Want To Visit Serengeti?
Have a Question About This Article?
Anita is a data researcher and content manager at SafariBookings with a background in editing and translation.
African Safari Tours
-
10-Day Safari (Including Serengeti) & Zanzibar Extension
$3,760 to $4,800 pp (USD)
Tanzania: Private tour
Mid-range Lodge & Tented CampYou Visit: Arusha (Start), Lake Manyara NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Central Serengeti, Serengeti NP, Zanzibar (End)
Unlimited Expeditions: The Soul of Tanzania
4.9/5 – 440 Reviews
-
5-Day Uganda Gorilla, Chimpanzee Tracking and Wildlife
$1,906 pp (USD)
Uganda: Private tourBudgetLodge & Guest House
You Visit: Entebbe (Start), Bwindi NP (Gorillas), Queen Elizabeth NP, Kibale NP (Chimps), Entebbe (End)
Moroka Expeditions
4.8/5 – 11 Reviews
-
5-Day Awesome Kenya - High End
$2,210 to $2,990 pp (USD)
Kenya: Private tourLuxury+Tented Camp & Resort
You Visit: Nairobi (Start), Masai Mara NR, Lake Nakuru NP, Lake Naivasha (Naivasha), Nairobi (End)
Spirit of Kenya
4.9/5 – 485 Reviews