In a study of more than 3,000 reviews from safari adventurists and industry experts, four South African parks were declared amongst the top 10 best safari parks of Africa. SafariBookings.com, an online marketplace for African safaris, published a definitive ranking of the best safari parks in Africa. South Africa’s MalaMala, Sabi Sands, Phinda, and Kgalagadi all ranked within the Top 10. No other country had more parks ranked so highly, which is excellent for South Africa.
A total of 2,234 reviews were contributed by safari tourists from 63 countries. The remaining 774 park reviews were written by renowned experts, including guidebook authors associated with Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Frommer’s, Bradt and Footprint.
The study found MalaMala Game Reserve ranked second of all African parks, with an average rating of 4.81 out of 5, while the famous Kruger National Park was ranked 20th. This came as a surprise to the Safaribookings team as Kruger is South Africa's most popular park. It has less wilderness appeal because it's fenced, has a network of tarred roads, large scale accommodations and can get crowded with self-drive visitors, but the abundance and variety of wildlife should make up for that.
When examining why the four best South African parks hold such high positions, it’s apparent each have their own special features. MalaMala, Sabi Sands and Phinda are top-grade private game reserves offering luxury accommodation and almost guaranteed sightings of the Big Five, in addition to other wildlife. MalaMala and Sabi Sands share an unfenced border with Kruger National Park and thus both have access to this enormous ecosystem. Kgalagadi is one of the most rewarding parks for adventurous self-drives, as it is off-the-beaten-track, has a real wilderness vibe and great wildlife viewing.
