A detailed analysis of almost 2,400 reviews from safari-goers and African travel experts was carried out to determine the 50 best safari parks on the continent.
And while the winner was Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, South Africa had a very strong showing with 14 parks in the top 50 (more than 25% of the top 50 were South African parks).
SafariBookings.com, an online marketplace for African safaris, conducted its annual study to unequivocally determine the 50 best African Safari parks of 2019. Not only did South Africa feature strongly in the top 50, it also had two parks – Mala Mala game Reserve and Sabi Sand Game Reserve – in the top 10.
The following shows the 14 South African safari parks that feature in our top 50 and the place they hold: Mala Mala Game Reserve (3), Sabi Sand Game Reserve (9), Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (13), Kruger National Park (18), Madikwe Game Reserve (19), Phinda Game Reserve (20), Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve (27), Shamwari Game Reserve (28), Timbavati Nature Reserve (29), Pilanesberg Game Reserve (37), Addo Elephant National Park (38), Augrabies Falls National Park (45), Mountain Zebra National Park (46) and Karoo National Park (50).
The reason South Africa has a lot of parks in the top 50 is probably because of the sheer number of protected areas in the country, and the high visitor numbers they receive. The number of parks creates a high level of competition and this means that the wildlife watching experience is generally of a high standard. Currently the country has 2 parks in the top 10 and it will be interesting to see if they can better this result in coming years.
A total of 1,363 reviews were contributed by safari tourists from 72 countries. The remaining 1,010 park reviews were written by renowned industry experts, including guidebook authors working with Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Frommer’s, Bradt and Footprint.
Karoo National Park
The Karoo National Park is a wildlife reserve in the Great Karoo area, near Beaufort West. Most of the wildlife that once roamed this area has been eradicated, but Karoo National Park is a relatively small area where the habitat is protected, and you can stop to appreciate this subtle environment.
Karoo National Park is primarily a wilderness destination, although it is also home to many animal species. Two of the Big Five have been re-introduced: lion and black rhino, but they are only occasionally seen. Large herbivores to look out for are red hartebeest, black wildebeest, eland, the two zebra species, kudu and springbok.
Animals can be seen year-round at the Karoo National Park. The timing of your trip should, instead, depend on the weather. The heat of the so-called Wet season (October to April) may dissuade you from visiting then, although it’s the best time to see migrating birds.
The milder Dry season (May to September) is a more attractive option, assuming you don’t mind warding off the cold when the sun goes down.
