SafariBookings

A Marketplace for African Safaris Across 13 Countries

SafariBookings is an online marketplace for African safari holidays. It does not run safaris itself: its about page says the marketplace "enables you to compare safari offers from top-rated tour operators", and every tour on the site is listed under the name of the local operator that runs it. The site covers 13 countries, and its menu gives a tour count for each: Tanzania (7,729), Kenya (3,338), Uganda (1,675), South Africa (1,077), Ethiopia (1,074), Rwanda (688), Botswana (615), Zimbabwe (384), Madagascar (196), Namibia (195), Zambia (163), Malawi (72) and Mozambique (12), for 16,518 safari tours in all. The homepage adds 227 parks and reserves and 180,597 reviews. The company itself is based in the Netherlands, with a contact address in 's-Hertogenbosch, and its team page lists staff in the Netherlands, Australia, South Africa and elsewhere. Tanzania and Kenya dominate the catalog, which is worth knowing before searching a smaller destination such as Mozambique or Malawi. Separately, the homepage's top-rated safari countries list puts Tanzania first, followed by Botswana, Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Namibia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Range of Tours and Safaris

The catalog is organized by country, park, safari type and trip length. The type filters include fly-in safaris, family safaris, beach time, honeymoon, gorilla trekking, photographic safaris, mountain climbing, walking safaris, self-drive, guided self-drive, chimp trekking, overland tours, cycling safaris, canoe safaris, horseback safaris, birding tours and accessible safaris. Each tour card shows the length, whether the tour is private or shared, the comfort level (budget, mid-range or luxury), the accommodation type, the route with its start and end points, and the operator's rating, with a per-person price range set on each listing.

The homepage's popular tours give a sense of the listings. A 6-Day Private Big 5 Mid Range Tour in Tanzania runs from Arusha through Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater to Kilimanjaro Airport, offered by Meru Slopes Tours & Safaris, rated 5.0 from 962 reviews. A 5-Day Fly in Wild Encounters Safari starts and ends in Zanzibar and visits Central Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire, offered by Go Makini Tanzania Expedition, rated 4.9 from 169 reviews. A 7-Day Memorable Adventure in Tanzania adds Lake Manyara, offered by Go Serengeti African Tours, rated 4.9 from 671 reviews.

The Kenya page, with 3,338 packages and a 4.6 average from 1,753 Kenya safari reviews, runs from a 3-Day The Famous Mara trip by Spirit of Kenya (5.0 from 684 reviews) to an 11-Day Classic Kenya Safari and Beach Holiday Combo ending on Diani Beach, and a 5-Day Amboseli and Tsavo trip that ends in Mombasa. The group safaris page lists 3,884 African group safaris offered by 416 tour operators, including a 15-Day Botswana Simba Group Camping Safari and a 10-Day gorilla, chimp trekking and Big 5 small group tour.

How the Listings Help on the Day

Shared tours state their vehicle cap on the card, and the numbers vary: many Kenya group trips show "max 7 people per vehicle", others 6 or 8, the Botswana camping trip shows a maximum of 12 and one luxury lodge trip shows 14. Private tours are just the traveler's own party. The search form asks for the number of adults and children, the age of each child at the end of the tour, and whether dates are somewhat flexible. The Kenya page carries 8 expert questions answered by Anthony Ham, whom the page describes as a co-writer of Lonely Planet's guide to Kenya. He writes that June to October is an excellent time for Kenya tours, that prices run from about US$200 per person per day at the budget end to US$1,000 for luxury, and that most Kenya packages include transport, accommodation, all meals and activities including game drives. He also advises contacting any tour company before booking to ask about transport, meals, the daily schedule, the guide's languages and how many other travelers will share the vehicle. On lodgings, his answer notes that lodge rooms and tents of this kind usually have proper beds and a private bathroom, and that in tented camps devices are often charged at a power station in the main area rather than in the room. The group safari page, for its part, suggests special-interest group trips such as bird watching or big cats for travelers who want like-minded company and an expert guide. The accessible safaris filter exists, but what each accessible trip offers is set out by the operator on its own listing.

Booking, Trust and Rankings

The about page says all safaris are offered under a "Best Price Guarantee", that SafariBookings checks the registration papers of all tour operators, and that a separate Commitment to Trust page explains more. Operators can be filtered by rating and by the country they come from. The homepage ranks top-rated operators, with MoAfrika Tours shown as "#1 of all tour operators" with 5,301 reviews, Suricata Safaris second with 4,079 reviews, and Axis Africa Expedition & Safaris third. One line on the listings deserves attention: "Rankings are based on performance, relevance and payment." So the order of results reflects payment as well as performance, and the site says so openly. Operators join through a partner program that the about page pitches as reaching over 4 million potential clients per year. Content comes from a panel of travel writers that the site describes as award-winning Africa specialists, alongside an in-house editorial and customer support team.

Terms and Unanswered Details

Cancellation, deposits and refunds are set by each operator rather than by SafariBookings. The group safari page says it plainly: "Every company will have its own terms and conditions." That page also explains what usually happens when a group departure does not fill: reputable companies may merge two small groups, ask for a surcharge to run the trip as advertised, offer other dates, or cancel with a full reimbursement that does not cover flights already bought. The marketplace pages do not show a deposit amount or payment schedule; those come from the chosen operator. SafariBookings suits travelers comparing many African safaris across countries, budgets and operators in one place, with reviews and vehicle caps visible before any contact. Travelers who want a single company to take responsibility for the whole trip should remember that the terms come from the operator, and read them before paying.