Featured:
- A detailed analysis of 2,665 reviews written by safari-goers and international safari experts has determined the 50 best safari parks on the continent
- Other safari parks that reach the top ten include Lower Zambezi National Park, Ruaha National Park and Chobe National Park
- South Africa is named the best country to visit with 12 of the top 50 parks residing in South Africa
Worldwide searches for safaris hit their highest point in five years, as of August 2025, with searches increasing by 34% above the five year average, highlighting the growing trend and appeal that safaris have to offer.
However, for those behind the searches, that are looking for the best safari trip, it may seem like a daunting task to pick the best park to visit, especially when there are so many fantastic options to consider.
But now, a brand new survey has named Serengeti National Park as the best safari park to visit in Africa, according to visitor reviews and safari experts alike.
The survey, carried out by SafariBookings.com, the largest online marketplace for African safaris, set out to determine the 50 best African safari parks to visit in 2026. Safari tourists contributed 1,492 reviews of 204 parks in total, to the study.
The remaining 1,173 park reviews were written by renowned international safari industry experts, including guidebook authors who regularly work with Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Frommer’s, Bradt Travel Guides and Footprint.
Serengeti National Park – Tanzania
Yet again, Serengeti National Park in Tanzania was the clear winner. The Serengeti received an overall rating of 4.86 out of 5, which was significantly higher than every other park and a slight improvement on its already amazing results for 2025.
The Serengeti is the pinnacle of the East African safari. This vast park, one of Africa’s largest, has incredible populations of wildlife, including big cats and other major predators, as well as elephants, rhinos and more.
These appear against a superb backdrop of classic East African landscapes of savannah, acacia trees and rocky outcrops known as koppies.
The annual migration of approximately 2.5 million wildebeest, zebras and gazelles through the park captures much attention, and rightly so, as one of nature’s grandest spectacles. But the Serengeti is a remarkable destination year-round, even when the herds move on.
The Serengeti’s victory as Africa’s best safari park is a remarkable and thoroughly deserved achievement. This is especially the case given the high standard of competition in Tanzania and farther afield.
Lower Zambezi National Park – Zambia
With an overall rating of 4.73 out of 5, Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia is the second highest rated safari park in the survey. This comes as a result of the park having four of the Big Five, and many different types of safari trips, such as boats and walking safaris.
Okavango Delta – Botswana
Being one of the most sustainable safari parks, and climbing from fifth place in last year’s survey to third place this year, Okovango Delta offers visitors the chance to see the Big Five and experience multiple ways to enjoy a safari trip, leading to its high rating of 4.71 out of 5.
South Africa is home to the most safari parks that feature in the top 50 ranking at 12, followed by Kenya which has 11 and Tanzania which has 9 safari parks that rank in the top 50.
Just 16 of the top 50 list have the Big Five, but access to these animals and the chance to see these magnificent animals in their natural habitat certainly helps safari parks rank higher on the list overall.
The study was conducted by SafariBookings who are the largest online marketplace for specialized safari tours in Africa.
More than 3,100 specialized safari operators from around the world offer their safari tours on the SafariBookings platform. Every year more than 4 million people visit SafariBookings.com to find the perfect safari.
