News

Botswana voted Africa’s best safari country of 2024

Chobe National Park is the oldest national park in Botswana. Watering in the Okavango Delta. Herd of elephants adults and cubs crossing a river in shallow water
 
Chobe National Park is the oldest national park in Botswana. Watering in the Okavango Delta. Herd of elephants adults and cubs crossing a river in shallow water

This is the fourth time Botswana has won, consolidating its prized number one position among African safari countries. Following close behind Botswana was Tanzania at second place and Namibia taking up the third spot. Uganda, being host to more than 1, 000 bird species, won the important birding category. The grading was done by The Netherlands-based SafariBookings.com, which is the largest online market for African safari tours. The organisation undertook a detailed study of almost 3, 600 reviews, completed by both safari-goers and African travel experts.

The annual survey looks at a range of categories, from wildlife viewing and birding to bush atmosphere and scenic value. In a statement, SafariBookings.com noted that “Botswana does safari travel very well indeed. Much of the country is genuine wilderness. It incorporates the Okavango Delta, a massive waterway packed with wildlife including African’s largest elephant population, and the Kalahari Desert, where black-maned lions rule over enormous sand plains. Whether you are driving out into the wilderness or flying into a luxury camp, Botswana is the best place for safari travel.” It further explained that the reviews used in the analysis consisted of 2, 419 user review gathered by SafariBookings.com between January 1, 2002 and April 10, 2024 and 1, 174 reviews written by 26 reputable guidebook authors who work for a variety of publishers including Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Frommer’s, Bradt Guides and Footprint.

The rating could have not come at the opportune time for the local tourism sector given the recovery from the devastation of COVID-19 and that the tourism peak season is only two months on, even for those planning next year’s tours. SafariBookings.com is the largest online marketplace for specialised safari tours in Africa. More than 1, 500 specialised safari operators from around the world offer their safari tours on the SafariBookings platform. Every year, more than four million people visit SafariBookings.com to find their perfect safari.