Top 50 Best African Safari Parks and Destinations of 2015

By Jeroen Beekwilder

SafariBookings.com conducted an in-depth analysis of 3,008 reviews to put to rest the question of which park was best for African safaris. With an overall rating of 4.89 out of 5, Serengeti National Park in Tanzania came out as the clear winner. Rounding up the top 3 were MalaMala Game Reserve in South Africa, and Okavango Delta in Botswana.

In total, 138 parks of the 8 major safari countries were in consideration for a place in the top 50. The analysis was based on 3,008 park reviews collected through the SafariBookings website. Of them, 2,234 reviews were contributed by safari tourists from 63 countries around the world. The remaining 774 reviews were written by renowned industry experts, most of whom are guidebook authors working for Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Frommer's, Bradt and Footprint.

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Top 50 List Best Safari Parks
How we created this list
Notable Insights
Demographics of the reviewers (all parks)

The top 50 safari parks

Serengeti National Park Tanzania

4.89/5
Classic safari, Big 5 present (rhino rare), many big cats, wildebeest migration
Ranks #1 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

1,526 Serengeti Tours
Mala Mala Game Reserve South Africa

4.81/5
Classic safari, private reserve, abundant wildlife- including the Big 5
Ranks #2 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

5 Mala Mala Tours
Okavango Delta Botswana

4.75/5
Canoe, boat and classic safari, waterway paradise, Big 5 (rhino in Moremi)
Ranks #3 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

162 Okavango Tours
Mana Pools National Park Zimbabwe

4.75/5
Walking, canoe and classic safaris, 4 of the Big 5 and wild dogs present, no rhino
Ranks #4 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

25 Mana Pools Tours
Moremi Game Reserve Botswana

4.66/5
Classic safari, Big 5 present (rhino rare), partly located in the Okavango Delta
Ranks #5 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

112 Moremi Tours
Sabi Sand Game Reserve South Africa

4.64/5
Area consisting of multiple private reserves, excellent Big 5 wildlife viewing
Ranks #6 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

52 Sabi Sand Tours
Phinda Game Reserve South Africa

4.63/5
Classic safari, private reserve, abundant wildlife- including the Big 5
Ranks #7 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

1 Phinda Tours
Masai Mara National Reserve Kenya

4.60/5
Classic safari, Big 5 present (rhino rare), many big cats, wildebeest migration
Ranks #8 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

1,080 Masai Mara Tours
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park South Africa

4.59/5
Classic safari, transfrontier park with Botswana, all big cats present
Ranks #9 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

5 Kgalagadi Tours
Ruaha National Park Tanzania

4.56/5
Walking and classic safari, 4 of the Big 5 (no rhino), cheetah and wild dogs
Ranks #10 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

72 Ruaha Tours
South Luangwa National Park Zambia

4.56/5
Walking and classic safari, giraffe, 4 of the Big 5 (no rhino), abundant wildlife
Ranks #11 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Ngorongoro Crater Tanzania

4.52/5
Classic safari, abundant wildlife in the volcanic crater includes the Big 5
Ranks #12 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Selous Game Reserve Tanzania

4.48/5
Walking, boat and classic safari, Big 5 present, healthy population of wild dogs
Ranks #13 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Kidepo Valley National Park Uganda

4.45/5
Classic safari, giraffe, cheetah, antelope species, 4 of the Big 5 (no rhino)
Ranks #14 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Chobe National Park Botswana

4.45/5
Boat and classic safari, Big 5 present (rhino very rare), abundant elephants
Ranks #15 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Ol Pejeta Conservancy Kenya

4.45/5
Classic safari, private reserve, Big 5 and chimpanzee sanctuary present
Ranks #16 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Etosha National Park Namibia

4.45/5
Classic safari, 4 of the Big 5 (no buffalos), excellent wildlife viewing during the dry season
Ranks #17 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Linyanti Concession Botswana

4.44/5
Classic safari, private reserve, 4 of the Big 5 (no rhino)
Ranks #18 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Hwange National Park Zimbabwe

4.44/5
Classic safari, abundance of all major safari animals- including the Big 5
Ranks #19 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Kruger National Park South Africa

4.43/5
Classic safari, great abundance of all major safari animals- including the Big 5
Ranks #20 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Lower Zambezi National Park Zambia

4.40/5
Canoe and classic safari, 4 of the Big 5 (no rhino), no giraffe
Ranks #21 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Katavi National Park Tanzania

4.35/5
Classic safari, 4 of the Big 5 (no rhino), abundant wildlife in the dry season
Ranks #22 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Matusadona National Park Zimbabwe

4.35/5
Walking, boat and classic safari, Big 5 present, many elephant, no giraffe
Ranks #23 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Timbavati Nature Reserve South Africa

4.33/5
Classic safari, private reserve, Big 5 present
Ranks #24 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Samburu National Reserve Kenya

4.33/5
Classic safari, 4 of Big 5 (no rhino), adjoining Buffalo Springs without fences
Ranks #25 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Tsavo West National Park Kenya

4.31/5
Classic safari, adjacent to Tsavo East, Big 5 present, low wildlife density
Ranks #26 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Madikwe Game Reserve South Africa

4.28/5
Classic safari, private reserve, Big 5 present
Ranks #27 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Amboseli National Park Kenya

4.26/5
Classic safari, Big 5 present, famous for its views of Mount Kilimanjaro
Ranks #28 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Kafue National Park Zambia

4.26/5
Walking, boat and classic safari, cheetah, 4 of the Big 5 (no rhino), no giraffe
Ranks #29 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Tembe Elephant Park South Africa

4.25/5
Classic safari, the Big 5 is present, famous for its big tuskers
Ranks #30 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Tsavo East National Park Kenya

4.25/5
Classic safari, adjacent to Tsavo West, Big 5 present, low wildlife density
Ranks #31 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
North Luangwa National Park Zambia

4.21/5
Walking safari only, Big 5 present (rhino in protected zone), no giraffe
Ranks #32 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Central Kalahari Game Reserve Botswana

4.20/5
Classic safari, wildlife scarce except after summer rains, all big cats present
Ranks #33 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda

4.19/5
Boat and classic safari, abundant wildlife, 4 of the Big 5 (no rhino), no giraffe
Ranks #34 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Shamwari Game Reserve South Africa

4.17/5
Classic safari, private reserve, Big 5 present
Ranks #35 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve South Africa

4.16/5
Classic safari, Big 5 present, famous for its rhino population
Ranks #36 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Lewa Wildlife Conservancy Kenya

4.15/5
Classic safari, private reserve, Big 5 present
Ranks #37 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Meru National Park Kenya

4.15/5
Classic safari, 4 of the Big 5 present (rhino in fenced sanctuary)
Ranks #38 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Murchison Falls National Park Uganda

4.11/5
Boat and classic safari, waterfall, abundant wildlife, 4 of the Big 5 (no rhino)
Ranks #39 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Kapama Game Reserve South Africa

4.08/5
Classic safari, private reserve, Big 5 present
Ranks #40 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Gonarezhou National Park Zimbabwe

4.08/5
Classic safari, Big 5 and cheetah present, rhino rare and animals are skittish
Ranks #41 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Tarangire National Park Tanzania

4.05/5
Classic safari, 4 of the Big 5 (no rhino), abundant wildlife in the dry season
Ranks #42 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Makgadikgadi Pans National Park Botswana

4.04/5
Classic safari, wildlife scarce outside wet season, Big 5 present (rhino rare)
Ranks #43 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Nxai Pan National Park Botswana

4.00/5
Classic safari, wildlife scarce outside wet season, Big 5 present (rhino rare)
Ranks #44 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Mkhuze Game Reserve South Africa

3.92/5
Classic safari, Big 5 present, wild dog present but rare
Ranks #45 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Lake Nakuru National Park Kenya

3.90/5
Classic safari, Big 5 present, famous for its flamingos
Ranks #46 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Pilanesberg Game Reserve South Africa

3.87/5
Classic safari, Big 5 present
Ranks #47 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Addo Elephant National Park South Africa

3.86/5
Classic safari, Big 5 present, but only elephants are regularly seen
Ranks #48 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Mapungubwe National Park South Africa

3.85/5
Classic safari, 4 of the Big 5 and cheetah, no buffalo, lion and rhino are rare
Ranks #49 of Africa's top 50 safari parks
Matobo National Park Zimbabwe

3.85/5
Classic safari, rhino, leopard, cheetah, giraffe and antelope species present
Ranks #50 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

How we created this list

In total, 138 parks of 8 major safari countries were included in the study (Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe).
Only parks known for classic wildlife viewing safaris were considered. Parks mostly known for scenery or typical gorilla/chimp tracking parks were not included.
Parks with less than 10 reviews were excluded from the top 50.
The overall review score of a park consists of 50% expert reviews and 50% user reviews.
The reviews of individual Sabi Sands reserves were merged into one overall Sabi Sands rating because those reserves collectively brand themselves as the Sabi Sand Game Reserve.

Notable Insights

Serengeti National Park in Tanzania was rated Africa's best safari park. The sheer variety of wildlife, abundance of predators and spectacular wildebeest migration are valid reasons why this park deserves this ranking.
Second is the privately owned Mala Mala Game Reserve in South Africa. Renowned for its excellent wildlife viewing, luxurious accommodation, and top-class guiding. Mala Mala is one of South Africa's 4 parks in the Top 10
The annual flooding of the Okavango Delta transforms this vast area into a true wildlife paradise. Anyone who had the privilege of navigating the tranquil waterways in a Mokoro canoe knows the Delta deserves a spot in the top 3.
It is remarkable that Kenya, although having 8 parks in the top 50, has only Masai Mara National Reserve ranking in the top 10.
Kruger National Park in South Africa ranked 20th, which came as a surprise to the SafariBookings team. They expected this top-class park to rank higher.
Zimbabwe did very well, with Mana Pools National Park ranking 4th.

Demographics of the reviewers (all parks)

User reviews: 2,234
Expert reviews: 774
Nationalities: 63

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

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Parks & Reserves Places To Visit in Africa

By Jeroen Beekwilder

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.