Which is the best safari country? (not the question you should be asking)
Elephants in Namibia
Despite what each safari destination would tell you, there is no such thing as the Best Safari country. Why? Well, because it would be to suggest that one place appealed to all people and in my decades of working in travel, I have yet to see that happen!
It’s more important to ask yourself questions such as: Do I want to stay in the vehicle or go on bush walks? Do I want to enjoy a ride in a mokoro through the Okavango Delta? Or do I dream of a photography safari where I can take some of the wild home.
Mokoro in Botswana
All of these questions and many more are far more important places to start rather than what the best safari country is, because it is your answers that will determine which safari destination is best for you.
It’s also important to consider what animals are most important for you to see. Whereas many places will say they have all the safari animals, them having them and you actually seeing them are two different things.
And then of course there are places where certain animals aren’t part of the ecosystem. For example, seeing white rhinos is infinitely easier in, say, South Africa than most other safari destinations because it has such a huge population of them. And if you were interested in seeing giraffes, you would avoid the Lower Zambezi and Mana Pools area or you would combine them with another destination, as there aren’t any giraffes there.
I realised, after many years of going on safaris for work, checking out the lodges, meeting suppliers and listening to the guides, that most of the time we don’t know the questions to ask.
Crane in Zimbabwe
It’s also true that we have an idea of Africa in our heads. We see it as one big Lion King or David Attenborough documentary. But for your safari trip, there are far more factors to take into account rather than choosing what someone tells you is the best safari country.
Leopard in Zambia
So before you decide that you are off to Kenya because your friend Dave went there and said it was great, or off to Botswana because you heard it’s the very best, sit down, consider what you want to see, how you want to experience the trip and we’ll help you plan the safari destination that’s right for you.
Cheetah in South Africa
