Destinations in Africa
Southern Africa or East Africa, first safari or fifth – finding the right fit is everything.
Luxury Safari Destinations in Africa: Where to Go and What to Expect
Some guests know exactly where they want to visit on their African Safari. And some clients are really not sure where to start or even when they should travel. Choosing where to go on safari is genuinely one of the hardest parts of planning your trip. Africa is vast, and every region is different – not just in terms of landscapes and wildlife, but in the whole feel of the experience. The pace, the activities, the number of other vehicles you will encounter, the style of the camps all shape whether a safari will work for you and getting it right makes an enormous difference to what you come home with.
Understanding these differences is what turns a good safari into an unforgettable one. This is where we come in, helping you match the right destination to your travel style, expectations, and budget.
How to Choose the Right Safari Destination
The right destination depends on what matters most to you. For reliable Big Five sightings and a well-organised first safari experience, South Africa is consistently our top recommendation. For something more remote and exclusive, with fewer vehicles and outstanding guiding, Botswana stands apart. If Victoria Falls is high on your list, Zimbabwe and Zambia give you the best of both worlds. For dramatic, open landscape rather than dense bush, Namibia is in a category of its own. For a first East Africa safari, Kenya and Tanzania are the natural choice, and the timing of your trip can often be built around the migration if that is a priority. And if gorilla trekking is something you have always wanted to do, we would always encourage working it into the itinerary. It genuinely is as remarkable as people say.
Combining Safari Destinations
One of the great pleasures of planning an African itinerary is how well different destinations work together. South Africa pairs effortlessly with Victoria Falls or Botswana. Many of our favourite trips combine a few nights in a Kruger private reserve with time in Cape Town at the end. In East Africa, Kenya or Tanzania alongside Rwanda or Uganda creates a journey that moves between big plains game and primate trekking in a way that feels genuinely varied and deeply rewarding. Namibia alongside Victoria Falls and Botswana gives you wildlife and scenery in equal measure. The most important thing to get right with combination trips is the pace. Too many stops and the magic gets diluted. A minimum of three nights in each location is the baseline, and four or five nights is almost always better.
Plan Your Africa Safari
Choosing the right destination is the foundation, but it is just the beginning. The timing, the specific camps, and how the itinerary flows all matter just as much. Get in touch with our team at Explore and Travel Africa and we will work out exactly what is right for you.
What is the difference between an East Africa and Southern Africa safari?
They feel quite different. Southern Africa tends to be more intimate, with smaller camps, private game drives, and denser bush. East Africa is more open and expansive, with a cinematic sense of scale that is unlike anything in the south. Both are exceptional – the right choice comes down to the kind of experience you are looking for.
What is the best time of year to go on safari in Africa?
It varies by destination, which is one of the reasons timing is such an important part of the planning conversation. In South Africa, the dry winter months from May to September tend to offer the best game viewing. In Botswana, the same period coincides with the Okavango flood, which transforms the experience entirely. In East Africa, the Mara river crossings typically happen between July and October. We are always happy to work through the timing in detail once we know where you want to go. The Green and Shoulder seasons in all countries should be considered with lower pricing, exciting wildlife viewing and fewer tourists.
Safari Destinations in Southern Africa
Southern Africa is where most safari travellers start, and with good reason. The infrastructure is excellent, the wildlife viewing is world-class, and there is enormous variety within the region. You can move between a Big Five reserve and a desert landscape, add on Victoria Falls or a few days in Cape Town, and cover it all within a single trip without ever feeling rushed. Johannesburg is a major hub for the area with many international carriers arriving daily.
South Africa
South Africa is the most accessible starting point, and consistently our top recommendation for first-time safari travellers. The Greater Kruger National Park and its surrounding private reserves sit at the heart of it – the Sabi Sand, Timbavati, Klaserie, and Thornybush all share unfenced boundaries with Kruger, which means wildlife moves freely across enormous territories. Game viewing is exceptional, the lodges are beautifully designed, and the whole experience is well-organised without ever feeling sanitised. A wide range of budgets can be catered for in South Africa. For those visiting Africa for the first time, South Africa hits a sweet spot between comfort, authenticity, and reliability that is difficult to match anywhere on the continent.Â
Botswana
Botswana is in a different league when it comes to exclusivity. Visitor numbers are deliberately kept low, the bush feels genuinely remote, and it is rare to share a sighting with more than one other vehicle. The Okavango Delta is the centrepiece, and it really is unlike anywhere else – when the floodwaters arrive during the dry season, the landscape transforms completely, and activities like mokoro excursions and boat safaris give the experience a dimension that purely land-based destinations simply cannot offer. Botswana costs more than most destinations, but for those who value space, exceptional guiding, and a real sense of wilderness, it consistently delivers.
Zimbabwe and Zambia
Zimbabwe and Zambia are most commonly anchored around Victoria Falls, and that is a perfectly good reason to visit. But both countries offer outstanding safari experiences in their own right. Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe holds one of Africa’s largest elephant populations, and Mana Pools – with its ancient riverine forest and extraordinary walking safari tradition – is one of the finest safari areas anywhere on the continent. Zambia’s South Luangwa Valley is widely regarded as the birthplace of the walking safari, and the guiding culture across both countries is exceptional. These are destinations that reward travellers who are happy to go a little off the well-worn path.
Namibia
Namibia is unlike any other safari destination in Africa. The towering dunes of Sossusvlei, the haunting Skeleton Coast, the vast silence of the NamibRand reserve – wildlife is present but more spread out than in a classic Big Five area, and that is not really the point. Namibia is about wide open landscapes, dramatic vistas, bright night skies, and an almost otherworldly sense of scale. It pairs beautifully with South Africa and suits travellers who want something visually dramatic and genuinely unlike anything they have experienced before.
AFRICA Safari Ideas
From premier fly-in camps to mobile safari adventures – browse our recommended itineraries and find your perfect match.
Safari Destinations in East Africa
East Africa has a different feel to it altogether. The landscapes are more open, the skies enormous, and at its best there is a sense of scale and abundance that is hard to find anywhere else in the world. It is in Kenya and Tanzania that the huge Wildebeest Migration is seen where huge herds of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle do an annual circular trek through the plains of the Serengeti and Masai Mara.
Kenya
Kenya is East Africa safari travel at its most iconic. The Masai Mara is the centrepiece – home to the Great Wildebeest Migration and the famous river crossings, where crocodiles wait and vast herds of wildebeest and zebra launch themselves into the current in scenes that are genuinely impossible to describe to someone who has not witnessed them. Beyond the migration, the Masai Mara offers outstanding year-round game viewing, and the northern conservancies – less visited and increasingly celebrated – deliver an equally compelling experience with far fewer vehicles. Kenya rewards those who look beyond the obvious, and it rarely disappoints those who do not.
Tanzania
Tanzania shares the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem with Kenya, and with it a portion of the Great Wildebeest Migration – one of the most extraordinary natural events on earth. But Tanzania’s safari credentials extend well beyond the Serengeti. The Ngorongoro Crater, a collapsed volcanic caldera teeming with wildlife, is one of the most remarkable game-viewing environments in Africa. Selous, Ruaha, and the northern circuit offer variety and depth that could fill several trips. Tanzania is a country that consistently exceeds expectations, and one that experienced safari travellers return to again and again.
Rwanda and Uganda
Rwanda and Uganda offer something genuinely different. Gorilla trekking in the rainforests of the Virungas or Bwindi Forest is not a conventional safari experience – it is quieter, more intimate, and in many ways more powerful than anything you will encounter on the open plains. Sitting with a habituated mountain gorilla family deep in the forest is one of the most extraordinary wildlife encounters in Africa, full stop. Chimpanzee trekking is available in both countries, a more exiting fast pace experience. While these destinations work beautifully as part of a broader itinerary, combined with a safari in East Africa for variety and contrast, there is more than enough to see and visit and experience in both countries.
Plan Your Africa Safari
Choosing the right destination is the foundation, but it is just the beginning. The timing, the specific camps, and how the itinerary flows all matter just as much. Get in touch with our team at Explore and Travel Africa and we will work out exactly what is right for you.
