Johannesburg - South Africa’s Mala Mala, Sabi Sands, Phinda and Kgalagadi all ranked within the Top 10 best safari parks in Africa, according to SafariBookings.com, an online marketplace for African safaris.
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 experts, including guidebook authors associated with Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Frommer’s, Bradt and Footprint.
The study found Mala Mala Game Reserve ranked second of all African parks, with an average rating of 4.81 out of 5, while the Kruger National Park was 20th.
This came as a surprise to the Safaribookings team as Kruger is South Africa’s most popular park.
The four best South African parks each have their own special features. Mala Mala, 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.
Mala Mala and Sabi Sands share an unfenced border with Kruger.
Kgalagadi is off the beaten track, has a real wilderness vibe and great wildlife viewing.
In total, 138 parks of all eight major safari countries were included in the study (Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe).
Only parks known for classic wildlife viewing safaris were considered.
l The full top 50 list is available at https://www.safaribookings.com/blog/258/
Saturday Star