Top Three Safari Operators

Your choice of safari operators largely determines the success or failure of your safari trip.

Safari companies are unfortunately not all created equal. Choosing the wrong one for your once in a lifetime safari trip can have disastrous consequences.

Take Dale & Dana as an example. They booked a trip with one of the many budget safari operators available in Tanzania. The result was a lesson in caution...

Don't Let This Happen To You On Your Safari

"The trip starts out strangely; our guide likes to stop along at various places along the way and leaves us alone in the car without any explanation, as he goes and talks to friends or has a cup of tea. After a few hours, our 4-wheel drive Land Rover breaks down. Again, without a word, the driver/guide stops the car and gets out and starts fixing it."

"Our saga with our verbally-challenged guide continues -- he never says a word the entire time (although he does speak decent enough English), and if we ask a question about the wildlife we are graced at best with a one-word response, though often ignored entirely."

"At one point, a few baby goats were crossing the road. Our driver chose to not apply his brakes and only swerve slightly and as Dana gasped loudly, we ran directly over one of the baby goats, obviously killing it. The guide didn’t flinch, say anything, or slow down even a tad"

BEWARE- Although this particular safari company has fortunately since closed down, there are still safari operators like this out there.

How To Avoid The Safari Scam Artists

So what can you do to avoid these "cowboy" companies and still get value for your safari money?

Get advice and recommendations from someone who has been on safari with the company you are interested in already.

Book with reputable safari operators to avoid the "fly-by-nighters".

Don't skimp on price. Generally, most of the risky safari companies are to be found in the below budget category because they need to cut corners to maintain the extremely low prices. Stick to the rates categories and you should be ok.

I've set up a list of the Top Three Safari Operators in several African countries that conforms closely to the criteria above.

I have an advantage being the founder of African Safari Journals as I get to read all the safari trip reports that Africa travellers send through when they get back home from their journey.

It quickly becomes clear who the good safari operators are and who the ones are that you should rather avoid.

What Does the Top Three Safari Operators List Contain?

The list ranks the Top Three Safari Companies in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Uganda, Rwanda and for climbing Kilimanjaro.

It's based on the recommendations and experiences of former safari travellers and reputations built up in the travel industry and compiled by yours truly, Bruce Whittaker ( more about me and the safari operators list), the founder of African Safari Journals.

You can use the list to very effectively and quickly sift through the large amount of safari operators that exist in each country to find the cream of the crop.

The safari companies are grouped into three categories on the list:

Deluxe safaris (the operator goes that extra mile)
mid range (no frills comfort)
budget safaris (you are there to see the wildlife as cost effectively as possible and you don't mind camping to do it).

The list is broken down into four instalments over four days and in addition to the safari company ranking includes:

A Free Safari Photography e-Book - Get your copy of the 41 page "Better Safari Photography" e-book at no charge which pinpoints exactly what you need to know and do before, during and after your safari trip to improve your safari photography results whether you are a novice, intermediate or advanced photographer.

Safari Packing List - Detailed list covering exactly what you need to pack for a safari to make sure you stay within reasonable weight limits and not leave anything important behind.

Valuable Safari Tips - What you must know before you go. Obtained from thousands of trip reviews and years of personal experience.

Win a Safari - The opportunity to win a walking safari for two in the Kruger National Park in South Africa.

A Wildlife Ticklist - A list of the animals you are most likely to see on your safari. Tick them off as the sightings happen.

All this is available for free, so to have the Top Three Safari Operators List e-mailed to you simply complete the form alongside...

You will also automatically be making a rates and availability enquiry to the top three companies in your chosen rates category and destination, which saves you from having to contact them yourself individually after getting the list.

The Rates Category bands per person, per night spent on safari are as follows (please choose one and fill in the Rates Category box):

Deluxe: US$650 and upwards
Mid Range: Between US$300 and US$650
Budget: Up to US$300

If you aren't yet sure when you are going to go and for how long, just make a rough estimate. You aren't under any obligation to travel so you may amend the dates later if you want.

The first instalment of the list will appear in your inbox within minutes...