Top 10 Best African Safari Parks & Destinations of 2024 – SafariBookings (2024)

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• Serengeti Rated Africa’s Best Safari Park
• 12 Kenyan Parks in Africa’s Top 50
• 10 South African Parks in Africa’s Top 50
• How We Created This List
• Demographics of the Reviewers (All Parks)

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  #1 Serengeti National Park Tanzania

  4.85/5
  Classic safaris, Big Five (rhino very rare), big cats, wildebeest migration
  Ranks #1 in Africa’s Top 50 Safari Parks

  3,536 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

  103 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

  67 South Luangwa Tours

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  #4 Ruaha National Park Tanzania

  4.70/5
  Classic and walking safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino), cheetah and wild dog
  Ranks #4 in Africa’s Top 50 Safari Parks

  77 Ruaha Tours

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  #5 Okavango Delta Botswana

  4.70/5
  Classic and canoe safaris, exclusive camps, wetlands, Big Five (rhino in Moremi GR)
  Ranks #5 in Africa’s Top 50 Safari Parks

  253 Okavango Tours

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  #6 Chobe National Park Botswana

  4.63/5
  Boat and classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino), abundant elephant
  Ranks #6 in Africa’s Top 50 Safari Parks

  256 Chobe Tours

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  #7 Moremi Game Reserve Botswana

  4.62/5
  Classic and canoe safaris, stunning scenery, Big Five present (rhino very rare)
  Ranks #7 in Africa’s Top 50 Safari Parks

  117 Moremi Tours

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  #8 Masai Mara National Reserve Kenya

  4.61/5
  Classic safaris, Big Five present (rhino rare), many big cats, wildebeest migration
  Ranks #8 in Africa’s Top 50 Safari Parks

  1,385 Masai Mara Tours

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  #9 Ngorongoro Crater Tanzania

  4.59/5
  Classic safaris, abundant wildlife including the Big Five
  Ranks #9 in Africa’s Top 50 Safari Parks

  4,222 Ngorongoro Tours

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  #10 Katavi National Park Tanzania

  4.50/5
  Classic and walking safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino), many hippo in the Dry season
  Ranks #10 in Africa’s Top 50 Safari Parks

  Katavi Tours

Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park has been voted Africa’s best safari park for 2024. One of four Tanzanian parks in the Top 10, Serengeti was the clear winner, beating competition from other parks on the continent.

Every year we survey safari travelers and experts from across the planet to find the best safari destinations, and in 2024 we considered nearly 2,400 of their reviews. The results should come as no surprise: this is the fifth year in a row that Serengeti National Park has come first, and its score of 4.85 out of 5 is one of our highest ever.

Why the Serengeti? For a start, this is where the annual 2-million-strong wildebeest migration spends a significant part of the year. Whenever the migration passes through, it truly is one of the greatest natural spectacles on the planet. But at any time of year, the dance for survival between predator and prey takes place against the backdrop of classic safari landscapes. Elephants, big cats and vast herds of other wildlife interact on East Africa’s most extensive savannah grasslands, alongside great piles of boulders known as koppies, and within sight of perfectly formed umbrella thorn trees silhouetted against the rising and setting sun. No wonder everyone loves this place.

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  Mary Fitzpatrick US - Mary has authored the Lonely Planet guide to Tanzania.

  Rating:

  See Also

  The 9 Best Countries in Africa for a Safari in 2024The 9 Best Countries for Safari Vacations Around the WorldThe Best Safari Destinations in the World (Updated 2024) - Days to Come7 of the best safari destinations in the world for spotting the Big 5

  5/5 stars

  “Serengeti is Tanzania’s most visited park, and with good reason. Almost from the moment you enter the gates, wildlife surrounds you in astounding numbers and variety, together with an incomparable sense of space. The headline event is the annual wildebeest migration...” Full review

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  Philip Briggs ZA - Philip has authored the Bradt guide to Tanzania.

  Rating:

  5/5 stars

  “This world-famous reserve is probably my favourite safari destination anywhere in Africa. Although it is not scenic in the conventional manner of, say, the nearby Ngorongoro Crater, the flat grassy plains of the Serengeti – studded with isolated granite inselbergs – possess an uplifting sense of vastness and space. The game viewing is reliably superb...” Full review

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  Anthony Ham AU - Anthony has authored the Lonely Planet guide to Kenya.

  Rating:

  5/5 stars

  “In the Masai Mara, the annual wildebeest migration, usually from July to October, is surely the greatest wildlife show on earth, an astonishing spectacle on an astonishing scale and the like of which you’ll see nowhere else on the planet...” Full review

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  Lizzie Williams ZA - Lizzie has authored the Footprint guide to Kenya.

  Rating:

  4/5 stars

  “Kenya offers the classic quintessential image of a safari in Africa, and rightly so; the rolling hills and grassy plains really are stocked full of all the African animals people expect to see, including high concentrations of the crowd-pulling Big Five...” Full review

Coming in a close second behind Kenya was South Africa, which had 10 safari parks ranked within the Top 50. Like Kenya, South Africa has first-rate parks all across the country, taking in an astonishing and varied portfolio of wildlife and wild landscapes. The results also reflect the fact that South African safaris are in very capable hands, with an experienced safari industry overseeing a good mix of national parks and private reserves.

South Africa’s two top-ranked safari parks show this perfectly. For those who have been lucky enough to visit, it will come as no surprise that exclusive Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve was the second-most popular safari park in Africa; only the Serengeti ranked higher. Kruger National Park also appeared just outside the Top 10: safari-goers and experts alike love how this vast park is a symbol of what South Africa has to offer, with lots of big cats, the Big Five, and almost-guaranteed sightings of elephants and rhinos. Best of all, like so many South African parks, Kruger is extremely accessible, whether you’re on a self-drive or guided safari.

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  James Bainbridge UK - James has authored Lonely Planet’s ‘South Africa’ guide.

  Rating:

  4/5 stars

  “South Africa's main drawcard is the accessibility and convenience of its wildlife-watching opportunities. Not only are the Big Five here, in environments from Kruger's bushveld to Pilanesberg's extinct volcano crater, but you can see them from a hire car on tarred roads...” Full review

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  Ariadne van Zandbergen ZA - Ariadne is a renowned African wildlife photographer.

  Rating:

  4/5 stars

  “South Africa is my home and I love it. I’ve been traveling the highways and byways of this diverse country for almost 30 years, and I never tire of it. As a tourist destination, I can’t think of a more diverse country. From white sandy beaches, rugged mountains, stark deserts and fairy forests to vibrant cities and, most excitingly, wildlife-rich parks – South Africa has it all...” Full review

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  #11 Mana Pools National Park Zimbabwe

  4.50/5
  Walking, canoe and classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino) and wild dog present

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  #12 Kruger National Park South Africa

  4.50/5
  Classic safaris, great abundance of all major safari animals including the Big Five

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  #13 Hwange National Park Zimbabwe

  4.48/5
  Classic safaris, abundance of all major safari animals including the Big Five

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  #14 Samburu National Reserve Kenya

  4.48/5
  Classic dry-country safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino), adjoins Buffalo Springs National Reserve

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  #15 Lower Zambezi National Park Zambia

  4.48/5
  Canoe, boat, walking and classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino), no giraffe

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  #16 Central Kalahari Game Reserve Botswana

  4.45/5
  Stirring desert scenery, excellent dry-country safaris, all big cats present

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  #17 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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  See Also

  Amazing African Safaris

  #18 Akagera National Park Rwanda

  4.44/5
  Big Five, lovely scenery, top birding, night drives and boat trips

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  #19 Tsavo West National Park Kenya

  4.39/5
  Classic safaris, adjoins Tsavo East National Park, Big Five present, low wildlife densities

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  #20 Amboseli National Park Kenya

  4.39/5
  Classic safaris, great elephant viewing, famous for its Mt Kilimanjaro views

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  #21 Queen Elizabeth National Park Uganda

  4.38/5
  Boat and classic safaris, abundant wildlife, four of the Big Five (no rhino), no giraffe

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  #22 Murchison Falls National Park Uganda

  4.37/5
  Boat and classic safaris, waterfall, abundant wildlife, four of the Big Five (no rhino)

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  #23 Timbavati Private Nature Reserve South Africa

  4.36/5
  Classic safaris, private reserve, Big Five present

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  #24 Balule Private Nature Reserve South Africa

  4.35/5
  Classic safaris, private reserve, Big Five present

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  #25 Madikwe Game Reserve South Africa

  4.35/5
  Classic safaris, Big Five present

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  #26 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park South AfricaBotswana

  4.33/5
  Classic safaris, transfrontier park shared between South Africa and Botswana, all big cats present

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  #27 Nyerere National Park Tanzania

  4.32/5
  Classic, walking and boat safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino), wild dog

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  #28 Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve South Africa

  4.30/5
  Classic safaris, private reserve, Big Five present

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  #29 Ol Pejeta Conservancy Kenya

  4.27/5
  Classic safaris, private reserve, Big Five present, chimpanzee sanctuary

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  #30 Etosha National Park Namibia

  4.25/5
  Classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no buffalo), abundant wildlife in the Dry season

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  #31 Kafue National Park Zambia

  4.25/5
  Walking, boat and classic safaris, cheetah, four of the Big Five (no rhino), no giraffe

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  #32 Addo Elephant National Park South Africa

  4.23/5
  Classic safaris, Big Five present but only elephant are regularly seen

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  #33 Tsavo East National Park Kenya

  4.23/5
  Classic safaris, adjoins Tsavo West National Park, good for elephants and big cats

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  #34 Tarangire National Park Tanzania

  4.20/5
  Classic and walking safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino), lots of elephants

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  #35 Makgadikgadi Pans National Park Botswana

  4.07/5
  Guided and self-drive safaris, varied river and salt-pan scenery, zebra migration

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  #36 Zambezi National Park Zimbabwe

  4.06/5
  Walking, boat and classic safaris, near Victoria Falls, four of the Big Five (no rhino)

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  #37 Arusha National Park Tanzania

  4.05/5
  Classic safaris, hiking, mainly antelope species, buffalo, giraffe and Kilimanjaro colobus

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  #38 Lake Nakuru National Park Kenya

  4.04/5
  Classic safaris, black and white rhino, lion and leopard, no elephant, family-friendly

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  #39 Lewa Wildlife Conservancy Kenya

  4.00/5
  Classic safaris, private reserve, Big Five present

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  #40 Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve South Africa

  3.95/5
  Classic safaris, Big Five present, famous for its rhino population

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  #41 Nairobi National Park Kenya

  3.89/5
  Classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no elephant), city skyscrapers as backdrop

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  #42 Pilanesberg Game Reserve South Africa

  3.88/5
  Classic safaris, Big Five present

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  #43 Aberdare National Park Kenya

  3.83/5
  Walking safaris, forest elephants and tree hotels

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  #44 Lake Mburo National Park Uganda

  3.81/5
  Boat, walking and classic safaris, mainly antelope species, regular leopard sightings

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  #45 Hell’s Gate National Park Kenya

  3.76/5
  Cycling, walking and climbing, with mainly buffalo and antelope species

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  #46 Mikumi National Park Tanzania

  3.72/5
  Walking and classic safaris, four of the Big Five (no rhino)

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  #47 Shimba Hills National Reserve Kenya

  3.58/5
  Classic safaris, abundant elephant

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  #48 Lake Manyara National Park Tanzania

  3.58/5
  Classic, walking and canoe safaris, treetop walkway, four of the Big Five (no rhino)

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  #49 Nxai Pan National Park Botswana

  3.31/5
  Dry-country safaris, salt-pan and baobab scenery, all big cats present

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  #50 Matobo National Park Zimbabwe

  3.20/5
  Exceptional granite landscapes, prehistoric rock art, limited wildlife includes rhino

We analyzed 2,384 park reviews on the SafariBookings.com website, which included 1,239 contributions by safari travelers from 74 countries, as well as 1,145 reviews written by our international team of safari experts.

Parks with less than nine reviews were excluded from the Top 50.

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