Luxury safari holidays are not about gold taps in the bush. What sets the best safari holidays apart, and makes the finest African safari holidays worth planning carefully, is space: a small camp on a private concession, a guide who reads tracks like a newspaper, a leopard sighting you share with nobody, and a hot shower and a glass of something cold when you get back. Get those right and Africa gives you the best travel experience there is.
This guide sets out where to go, country by country, what genuinely makes a safari luxurious, the lodges and camps our Travel Designers rate most highly, and when to travel to each country. If you also want time on a beach, we cover that briefly and point you to our dedicated guide.
The quick answer
- First safari: Kenya’s Maasai Mara or South Africa’s private reserves next to Kruger.
- The Great Migration: the Mara from about July to October; the southern Serengeti for calving in January and February.
- Pure wilderness: Botswana’s Okavango Delta, ideally June to October.
- Walking safaris: Zambia’s South Luangwa and Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools.
- Gorillas: Rwanda, best in the drier months from June to September.
- What makes it luxury: private concessions, few vehicles, top guides and small camps.
What makes a safari luxury?
A beautiful suite matters less than you might think. You spend most of the day out on game drives or walks, so the real luxury is the quality of those hours. These are the things we look for.
Private concessions and conservancies
The best camps sit on land leased or owned for safari use: private concessions in Botswana, conservancies around the Maasai Mara, private reserves such as the Sabi Sand next to Kruger. Visitor numbers are controlled, so you might share a lion sighting with one or two other vehicles rather than twenty. In many national parks, including the main Maasai Mara reserve and Moremi in Botswana, off-road driving and night drives are restricted. On private land they are often allowed, which means following a leopard into the bush or looking for porcupine, genet and aardvark after dark.
Guiding
A great guide turns a game drive into a lesson in ecology, behaviour and tracking. In South Africa the best lodges pair each guide with a tracker who sits on the front of the vehicle. In Botswana and Zambia many guides hold walking qualifications that take years to earn. A private vehicle and guide, available at most top camps, lets you set your own pace: stay with a sighting for an hour, head out before sunrise or skip lunch at camp entirely.
Small camps and fly-in access
Most of our favourite camps have between six and fifteen tents or suites. In Botswana, Zambia and much of Kenya and Tanzania you move between them by light aircraft, which saves long drives and gives you an extraordinary view of the landscape on the way. Soft-sided luggage with a weight limit is the rule on these flights, and your Travel Designer will give you the details.
Game drives, walks and water
Game drives in open vehicles are the core of almost every safari, usually one at dawn and one in the late afternoon. But variety is what makes a trip memorable: a walk with an armed guide to look at tracks and dung beetles, a mokoro (dugout canoe) through the Okavango’s channels, a boat on the Chobe or Zambezi, a hot-air balloon over the Mara or Serengeti. We plan a mix of camps so each brings something different.
Where to go: the best safari in Africa, country by country
There is no single best safari in Africa. The right country depends on the wildlife you want to see, the month you can travel and how you like to explore. This is how the main safari countries compare.
| Country | Best for | Classic areas | Pairs with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | The Great Migration, big cats, open plains | Maasai Mara and its conservancies, Samburu, Laikipia, Amboseli | The Kenyan coast |
| Tanzania | Scale: the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater | Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, Grumeti | Zanzibar |
| Botswana | Wilderness, water safaris, low visitor numbers | Okavango Delta, Moremi, Chobe, Linyanti | Victoria Falls, Cape Town |
| South Africa | Leopards, polished lodges, easy logistics | Sabi Sand and the private reserves of Greater Kruger | Cape Town, the Winelands, Mauritius |
| Zambia | Walking safaris and remote bush camps | South Luangwa, Lower Zambezi | Victoria Falls |
| Zimbabwe | Walking, canoeing and big river scenery | Mana Pools, Hwange, Malilangwe | Victoria Falls |
| Namibia | Desert landscapes, desert-adapted wildlife, Etosha | Etosha National Park, Damaraland, Sossusvlei | Cape Town, Victoria Falls |
| Rwanda | Mountain gorillas | Volcanoes National Park | A Kenya or Tanzania safari |
Kenya and the Masai Mara
Safari is the Swahili word for a journey, and Kenya’s Masai Mara (officially the Maasai Mara) is still one of the best places in Africa to see big cats on open grassland. For a luxury stay we steer clients towards the private conservancies that border the reserve, such as Olare Motorogi and Naboisho, where camps are small and vehicle numbers are limited, or to the Mara Triangle on the western side. Add Samburu or Laikipia in the north for different species, such as Grevy’s zebra and reticulated giraffe, and mountain views. Our Kenya holidays page has more ideas.
Tanzania and the Serengeti
Tanzania works on a bigger scale. The Serengeti is vast, and the wildebeest herds move around it through the year, so the right camp depends on the month. The Ngorongoro Crater is a natural amphitheatre packed with game, and Tarangire is known for its elephants and baobabs. For the most exclusive experience, look at the private Grumeti concession on the Serengeti’s western side, or mobile camps that follow the migration. See our Tanzania holidays page.
Botswana and the Okavango Delta
Botswana has built its tourism on low volume and high quality, and it shows. The Okavango Delta is a vast inland delta in the Kalahari, and its private concessions offer some of the most remote safari camps in Africa. The flood water arrives from the Angolan highlands during the dry season, so the Delta is at its fullest when the rest of the country is at its driest. Combine the Delta with Chobe or the Linyanti for huge elephant herds. Our Botswana holidays page has sample routes.
South Africa, Kruger and Sabi Sands
South Africa is the easiest country for a first safari: good flights, no visa for British passport holders on a short holiday, and malaria-free reserves if you need them (the Kruger area is a malaria-risk zone, so ask your GP or travel clinic). The private reserves along Kruger’s western boundary, such as the Sabi Sand (often called the Sabi Sands) and Thornybush, have no fences with the national park, and are known above all for leopard sightings. It also pairs perfectly with Cape Town and the Winelands. Explore our South Africa holidays.
Zambia
Zambia’s South Luangwa is widely seen as the birthplace of the walking safari, pioneered there by the conservationist Norman Carr in the 1950s, and the Lower Zambezi offers canoeing and boating among elephants and hippos. Camps are small and remote, and the guiding is some of the best in Africa. See our Zambia holidays page.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe has Mana Pools, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Zambezi famous for walking among elephants, and Hwange, its largest park. Zimbabwe and Zambia share Victoria Falls, so both combine naturally with a night or two at the falls. Our Zimbabwe holidays page has ideas.
Namibia
Namibia is a different kind of safari: huge desert landscapes, the red dunes of Sossusvlei and, in Etosha National Park, waterholes where elephants, lions and black rhino come to drink in the dry season. In Damaraland you can track desert-adapted elephants and rhino with specialist guides. Distances are long, so many of our clients fly between lodges by light aircraft. See our Namibia holidays page.
Rwanda gorilla trekking
Rwanda is not a classic game-drive destination, but it offers something no other country on this list can: a morning with mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. Trekking permits are limited and sell out early for the drier months, so plan well ahead. Two or three nights here make a remarkable start or end to a Kenya or Tanzania safari. Our Rwanda holidays page explains how a trek works.
The best luxury safari lodges and camps
These are lodges and camps our Travel Designers recommend again and again. All were operating at the time of writing.
| Lodge or camp | Country | Setting | Why we like it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angama Mara | Kenya | On the Oloololo Escarpment, high above the Mara Triangle | Two small camps of glass-fronted tented suites with one of the great views in Africa |
| Mahali Mzuri | Kenya | Olare Motorogi Conservancy, bordering the Maasai Mara | Twelve tents in a private conservancy with few other vehicles |
| Singita Grumeti (Sasakwa, Faru Faru, Sabora) | Tanzania | A private concession in the western Serengeti ecosystem | Huge private area, very few vehicles, lodges in three distinct styles |
| &Beyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge | Tanzania | On the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater | Theatrical interiors and views straight down into the crater |
| Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti | Tanzania | Central Serengeti, beside a waterhole | Big-hotel comfort; elephants drink below the infinity pool |
| Wilderness Mombo | Botswana | Chief’s Island, Moremi Game Reserve, Okavango Delta | Legendary year-round game on the floodplains, reached by light aircraft |
| Wilderness Jao | Botswana | The private Jao Reserve, Okavango Delta | Land and water safaris, including mokoro trips when the flood allows |
| Londolozi | South Africa | Sabi Sand, Greater Kruger | Five camps run by the Varty family; famous for leopards |
| Singita Boulders, Ebony and Lebombo | South Africa | Sabi Sand and a private concession inside Kruger | Some of the finest lodges and guiding on the continent |
| Royal Malewane | South Africa | Thornybush, open to Greater Kruger | Exceptional tracking team and a strong focus on service |
| Time + Tide Chinzombo | Zambia | On the Luangwa River, South Luangwa | Walking safaris in the valley where they began |
| Singita Pamushana | Zimbabwe | Malilangwe, south-east Zimbabwe | A private reserve with very few other guests |
| Wilderness Bisate and Singita Kwitonda | Rwanda | Beside Volcanoes National Park | Two of the most comfortable bases for gorilla trekking |
There are many more superb camps than we can list here, including smaller, owner-run places that offer real value for the experience. Tell us what matters most to you, whether that is privacy, children’s facilities, walking or photography, and we will shortlist the right ones.
When to go: the best time by country
Broadly, the dry season is the best time for game viewing across Africa: the grass is short, the bush is thin and animals gather near water. But each country has its own rhythm, and the “green” or shoulder seasons can be excellent, with fewer visitors, newborn animals and dramatic skies.
| Country | Best months | Also good | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | July to October (migration in the Mara) | January to February | The long rains, roughly April to May |
| Tanzania | June to October (dry season) | January to February (calving in the southern Serengeti) | April and May, the wettest months |
| Botswana | June to October (dry season; the Delta flood is high mid-year) | November to April for birds, babies and lush colour | Heat in October and November; summer storms December to March |
| South Africa (Kruger) | May to September (dry winter) | October, before the rains | Hot, humid summers with afternoon storms |
| Zambia | June to September | October, when game gathers by the rivers (very hot) | The rainy season, roughly December to March |
| Zimbabwe | June to October | May and November | The rains, roughly December to March |
| Namibia | June to October (dry season; game gathers at Etosha’s waterholes) | May and November | Summer heat and rain, mainly in the north, roughly December to March |
| Rwanda | June to September | Mid-December to February | The rainy seasons, March to May and November |
Weather varies from year to year, so treat the table as a guide to the odds. School holidays, especially July and August, are the busiest months at the best camps; for those dates we suggest booking a year or more in advance.
Following the Great Migration
The wildebeest migration is a year-round cycle between Tanzania’s Serengeti and Kenya’s Maasai Mara. The herds calve in the southern Serengeti in January and February, move north and west through the middle of the year, and usually arrive in the Mara around July, staying until about October. The famous Mara River crossings happen in this period, but they are never guaranteed and depend on rainfall. A good guide and a well-placed camp make all the difference.
Family safari holidays
A safari is one of the best family holidays there is, as long as it is planned around the children. South Africa is the easiest choice for younger children: short transfers, family-friendly lodges and malaria-free reserves in the Eastern Cape and in Madikwe, so you can avoid malaria tablets altogether. Many camps set a minimum age for game drives, and a higher one for walking safaris, and some welcome children only with a private vehicle, which is often the best option for families anyway. Teenagers are ready for almost anything, from mokoro trips in the Okavango to gorilla trekking in Rwanda, which has a minimum age of 15. Your Travel Designer will check each camp’s rules before suggesting it.
Adding a beach
A few days by the sea after an early-start safari is a classic finish. Kenya pairs with its own coast, Tanzania with Zanzibar, and South Africa with Mauritius. We have written a separate guide to the best combinations, safari and beach holidays, and our ready-made routes include Kenya safari and coast, Tanzania safari and Zanzibar and Kruger and Mauritius. If you prefer a city to a beach, Cape Town and Kruger is hard to beat.
Planning tips from our Travel Designers
- Two or three camps, not five. Three nights per camp lets you settle in and get to know your guide. Moving every night wastes the best hours of the day.
- Mix habitats. Pair open plains with water or forest, for example the Okavango Delta with Chobe, or the Mara with Samburu.
- Think about a private vehicle. For photographers, families with young children and anyone who hates being rushed, it is the single best upgrade.
- Check the age rules. Many camps set minimum ages for children, particularly for walking safaris, and some welcome families only with a private vehicle.
- Pack light and neutral. Soft bags for light aircraft, layers for cold early mornings, and khaki or green rather than white or bright colours.
- Health and entry. Check malaria advice with your GP or a travel clinic, and the latest entry requirements on GOV.UK before you book.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best safari in Africa?
It depends on what you want to see and when you can travel. For the Great Migration, Kenya’s Masai Mara from July to October or Tanzania’s Serengeti for most of the year; for wilderness and water safaris, Botswana’s Okavango Delta; for leopards and an easy first trip, the private reserves around Kruger in South Africa; and for gorillas, Rwanda.
Which country is best for a first luxury safari?
Kenya or South Africa. Kenya’s Maasai Mara has superb open-plains game viewing and is an easy first flight from London, while South Africa’s private reserves bordering Kruger combine excellent leopard sightings with polished lodges and no long bush flights. Tanzania and Botswana are wonderful but suit a slightly longer trip.
When is the best time to go on safari?
For most of Africa, the dry season, roughly June to October, is the best time for game viewing, because animals gather near water and the bush is thinner. Kenya and Tanzania also have a good dry spell from January to February, when the wildebeest calve in the southern Serengeti.
What makes a safari luxury?
Mostly space and guiding: small camps on private concessions or conservancies, few vehicles at each sighting, experienced guides and trackers, and the freedom to walk, drive off-road or go out after dark where the rules allow. The suites, food and service follow from that.
How long should a luxury safari be?
We suggest at least six nights on safari, split between two or three camps in different habitats. Add a beach stay at the end and two weeks is ideal.
Are safari holidays suitable for children?
Yes, with the right choice of country and camp. Malaria-free reserves in South Africa’s Eastern Cape and Madikwe suit younger children, and many camps run family programmes. Most camps set minimum ages for game drives and walking safaris, so we check the rules for every camp before we suggest it.
Can you combine a safari with a beach holiday?
Yes, easily. Kenya pairs with its own coast, Tanzania with Zanzibar, and South Africa with Mauritius or Mozambique. Our safari and beach holidays guide compares the best combinations.
Plan your trip with us
Our Travel Designers will match the right country, season and camps to the wildlife you want to see, and handle every light-aircraft connection in between. Tell us what you have in mind.
Keep planning
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- Kenya holidays
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- Botswana holidays
- Make an enquiry
Updated November 2026. Lodge details were checked with the operators’ own sites and seasons follow national tourism and park guidance; camps, rules and seasons can change, and your Travel Designer will confirm everything for your dates.
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