Top 10 Must-Visit African Safari Destinations

Safaris have undergone a transformation through the decades. As they used to be primarily about hunting and “roughing it” in the wilderness. But nowadays they are primarily focused on watching and photographing wildlife and come to every level of luxury and budget, especially on a safari in Africa.

There is not much doubt left that wildlife adventure have become the best way for nature and wildlife lovers. They can explore the best continents the world has to offer but if it is Africa, hands-down, it is among the best ones.

According to Future Market Insights’ most recent research, nature tourism in Africa is predicted to generate US$18,014.3 million by the end of 2023. In 2033, tourism is projected to reach approximately US$34,564.9 million.

Let’s explore the best safari in Africa, specifically, from world famous east African countries like Kenya and Tanzania to upcoming ecotourism hotspots like Malawi, Namibia, and Rwanda.

1). KENYA

When it comes to Safari of Africa, it doesn’t get much better than a tour through the national parks and conservancies of Kenya. Even if you’re not going during Africa’s Great Migration, the incredible natural beauty and staggering variety of wildlife exceeds words. The migration happens when millions of wildebeests, zebras and other herbivores head north to follow the rain from Tanzania’s Serengeti.

National Parks, Reserves, and Features

Some of Kenya’s busiest national parks are 151-square mile Amboseli, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It exists near the Tanzanian border famous for its massive elephant population, 400+ species of birds, and views of Mount Kilimanjaro. It covers 900-square-mile Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks, which together create the world’s largest wildlife reserve. And, of course, as the northern endpoint of the Great Migration route, the Masai Mara National Reserve needs no introduction.

Wildlife Highlights

But the 583-square-mile is only a piece of the Greater Mara Ecosystem. This includes private wildlife conservancies on land owned by the Maasai and conservation areas. The Greater Mara area includes approximately 25% of Kenya’s wildlife, including an outstanding population of Big Cats (Cheetahs, East African lions, and Leopards) and their prey.

2). TANZANIA

Because it’s the starting point of the famous wildebeest migration, Tanzania is the second most popular safari destination in Africa, after Kenya. The 16 national parks, three game reserves and two marine reserves of Tanzania possess an extraordinary wealth of wildlife and other natural wonders.

National Parks, Reserves, and Features

Arguably Tanzania’s most interesting, protected area is the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO world heritage site. It is built around the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera. It’s 100 square miles home to about 25,000 large animals at a time. Serengeti National Park, the starting point of the Great Migration, might be Tanzania’s most celebrated.

Wildlife Highlights

Many would not consider Tanzania a birdwatching place. However, the country harbors huge number of bird species. They include 43 rarities, 36 threatened with extinction, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and 23 that are endemic.

3). MALAWI

Most people would be hard-pressed to find Malawi on a map (hint: it’s south of Tanzania and Zambia, north of Mozambique). Let alone it provides an account of the reasons the country has emerged as an up-and-coming ecotourism destination. The country is small (45,747 square miles), not particularly developed, with much of its population living in rural, poor conditions.

National Parks, Reserves, and Features

So why visit? Lake Malawi National Park (representing approximately one third of the country as a whole) is the number one reason for this.

Wildlife Highlights

But Malawi is home to four other national parks (Kasungu, Lengwe, Liwonde and Nyika), four wildlife reserves (Majete, Mwabvi, Nkhotakota and Vwaza Marsh) and two biosphere reserves (the Lake Chilwa and Mulanje Mountain Forest Reserve). Some of these are gaining a reputation as off-the-beaten-path havens for birdwatching.

4). NAMIBIA

Namibia, with a southwest coast on the Atlantic Ocean, is unlike any other country on the continent. At two million people and more than 300,000 square miles, it’s one of the least populated countries on earth. The area in between the cities, with the majority being covered by the Kalahari and Namib Deserts. It is wild and relatively untouched by any kind of development.

National Parks, Reserves, and Features

But don’t be fooled by the stark landscapes of the ghost trees of the Deadvlei and the striking red dunes of Sossusvlei. Namibia is positively bursting with life. The country has plenty of wildlife-rich areas to explore, with 12 national parks as well as many other reserves and protected areas.

Devoid of the Cape buffalo, Etosha national park is so dry that animals are generally easy to find by its watering holes. Bwabwata National Park, in the narrow area of land near Zambia and Zimbabwe, has wetlands. Which makes it an ideal area for seeing elephants and birds. The park’s remote wilderness is teeming with lions, cheetahs, hyenas, roan antelope and elephant herds.

Wildlife Highlights

But the most unique protected area of the country might be the Cape Cross Seal Reserve. And it hosts one of the largest Cape fur seal colonies in the world – with some estimates putting the population at over 500,000!

5). RWANDA

Mention this landlocked East African nation and most people’s minds default to Hotel Rwanda and the mass slaughter of nearly a million people in 1994. But those previous 25 years have seen interjection of a lot of infrastructure investment in Rwanda to foster tourism. And the result is one of the best and impressive jungle trek in Africa which is (and fastest growing) ecotourism destination.

National Parks, Reserves, and Features

Most people have heard of Rwanda’s mountain gorillas, whose struggle for survival was made famous by National Geographic and the late Dian Fossey in the 1970s and 80s. Thanks to conservation programs developed by Fossey and still implemented today by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. The population in the Virunga Mountains has continued to increase, according to the latest census. Their cumulative number passed 1,000 recently for the first time in decades.

Wildlife Highlights

In Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, there are 10 habituated gorilla families, and groups of 8 trekkers are permitted to visit them for one hour per day. Cohabitation with these gentle giants sits easily within the upper echelons of African safari experiences. But it’s hardly the only awesome activity for nature enthusiasts in Rwanda.

From trekking to visit habituated chimpanzees and many other primate species in southern Rwanda’s Nyungwe Forest National Park to a more classic Big 5 safari in eastern Rwanda’s Akagera National Park, this country is still an under-the-radar delight for wildlife enthusiasts.

6). SOUTH AFRICA

Apartheid ended in 1994 and in the 24 years since, South Africa has become one of the most popular choices for safari. Its location means that it is easier and cheaper for U.S. residents to fly into.

Approximately, 300 flights a day from all over the world make the hop into Southern tip of the African continent. Its westernized major cities – Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, have a well-developed infrastructure. Which makes it an ideal destination for planning your luxury travel, where travelers can easily find the comforts they love.

National Parks, Reserves, and Features

Kruger National Park, the largest attraction in the country for nature/wildlife lovers, pulling in close to one million annual visitors. It is a part of a UNESCO-protected biosphere reserve, known as the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve. It covers about 7,500 square miles across the northeastern Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces.

On the plus side, Kruger has remarkable biodiversity and is one of the few national parks where visitors can take self-drives and still enjoy a great nature tour. A few days with the outfit there and you’re almost assured of seeing the South Africa’s Big 5 including African wild dogs and cheetah. As an upside, the park is so popular that over tourism is an issue. Monumental sightings during peak season will find dozens of vehicles jockeying for a look, and not everyone complies with the rules.

Wildlife Highlights

You might have more luxurious and intimate safaris at one of the larger private game reserves in the Greater Kruger area. In southeastern South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal also has some wonderful wildlife tours. Specifically, in places like Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park and the wetlands in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (a UNESCO site) and many of the private reserves.

7). BOTSWANA

When we say that Botswana is one of the top safari destinations in Africa on our bucket list for African safaris, people seem surprised. But the country’s refreshingly progressive take on wildlife conservation and its wide spectrum of national parks and game reserves offers a haven for nature lovers.

National Parks, Reserves, and Features

The country’s methods for combating poaching are among the strictest of all Africa. Botswana outlawed commercial hunting altogether in 2014, and an unofficial shoot-to-kill policy for poachers was introduced by the environmental minister, Tshekedi Khama.

Instead, anti-poaching units (APUs) fall under the watch of the government-funded Botswana Defense Force (BDF). They receive more training, weapons and other resources than APUs do in other countries. And because wildlife management is mostly left in the hands of local communities, poachers are generally regarded as the enemies of the people.

Wildlife Highlights

In recent years, Botswana has thus become one of the best safari destinations in Africa. Chobe National Park’s vast elephant herds and canoe-based wildlife tours in Okavango Delta are two of the country’s world-class tourist draws.

However, there are also traditional Big 5 safaris at Moremi Nature Reserve (Botswana’s first protected area), less crowded gems like Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Nxai Pan National Park and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

8). UGANDA

Uganda, a renowned safari in Africa is where Winston Churchill described as “the Pearl of Africa” and the country natural attractions. It defines the steadily rising ranks of the best safari destinations in the past few years.

Uganda is also home to Africa’s highest mountain range. It’s the world’s largest free-standing volcano, second-largest freshwater lake (Lake Victoria is the biggest), and the headwaters of the world’s longest river.

National Parks, Reserves, and Features

Uganda’s most famous protected area is the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, a UNESCO heritage site is home to nearly half of the world’s remaining mountain gorilla population. But the 93,065-square-mile country is also home to nearly 30 other national parks, wildlife reserves and sanctuaries. That are just as worthy of a visit for lovers of nature and wildlife.

Wildlife Highlights

Visitors to Queen Elizabeth National Park can track chimpanzees in Kyambura Gorge, for the chance to find the rare tree-climbing lions of the Ishasha sector. Murchison Falls National Park offers visitors a chance to enjoy a wildlife-watching cruise on the Nile River.

9). ZAMBIA

While not nearly as established as the classic safari destinations in Africa (Kenya and Tanzania), Zambia – like Botswana – is long touted as the continent’s next big thing. President Edgar Lungu is an enthusiastic conservationist, the country’s economy and infrastructure are developing rapidly. There are 20 national parks in its 290,587-square mile territory.

National Parks, Reserves, and Features

The best known of these is Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, literally named after the Lozi language phrase for the legendary Victoria Falls, “The Smoke Which Thunders.” On one side, the park dips down to the Zambezi River, which is mirrored on the other side by Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls National Park, a UNESCO heritage site. This region of the park has wildlife like African elephants, Angolan giraffe, Burchell’s zebra, Cape buffalo, crocodiles, hippos, impala, sable antelope, and others.

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However, there are plenty of other great national parks in Zambia. The Lower Zambezi National Park, on the banks of the Zambezi River, provides a rare chance to safari. You might get to do nature trek by canoe, with hyena, leopards and lions sometimes spotted stalking impala, waterbuck and other ungulates near the water’s edge.

Wildlife Highlights

South Luangwa National Park, 3,400 square miles of world-class wildlife expedition nation, where Thornicraft’s giraffe is a rare find and some 14,000 elephants roam. And Kasanka National Park, a privately managed reserve along the Lake Bangweulu basin, is one of the best places to visit in Africa, with more than 400 species of birds.

10). ZIMBABWE

In recent years, Zimbabwe’s reputation has been sullied somewhat because of the iron-fisted leadership of dictator Robert Mugabe. But it’s also hyped because of the controversial slaying of the famed Cecil the Lion. Zimbabwe’s tourism authority and local tourism industry appear committed to establishing the country as a premiere safari destination in the continent of Africa.

National Parks, Reserves, and Features

A few months after Mugabe’s departure, inbound tourism to Zimbabwe hit record highs. Interest in the country is increasing rapidly as the new administration develops the infrastructure to satisfy consumer demand and expectations.

Its most popular attraction, the 354-foot-tall Victoria Falls, attracts more than 1,000 visitors a day. Among the many activities available in the area are white-water rafting, bungee jumping and wildlife adventure in the neighboring (and much larger) Zambezi National Park. But irresponsible tourism practices, like walking with lions and elephant riding tours, are pervasive.

Wildlife Highlights

The country has other fantastic safari opportunities. Hwangwe National Park is the biggest and best known as this is where Cecil was shot in 2015.

Closing Notes

Africa is an incredible safari destination with unparalleled variety and various habitats. It suits all interests, budgets, and levels of adventures for travel enthusiasts. Every traveler can expect something extraordinary no matter which wildlife expedition they go to.

So, if you admire these natural beauties, preserve them for future generations while also having some of the most unforgettable experiences the world has to offer.