Get The Very Best African Safari Guide And Company For Your Trip
Soon after becoming involved in the safari industry more than 20 years ago, I realised that all prospective safari travellers encountered a problem when planning their trip....
Too many options!
Too many African national parks (more than 250), too many lodges and tented camps (400 plus), and too many safari companies to choose from (over 1000 and counting).
So in 2008, I developed the 'Top Three Safari Operator' list and in 2016 this Top Guides website, which has helped thousands of safari travellers over the years make the right choices between the mountain of options available.
And then to improve and help even more, I created the three-step decision-making system and made it available in my Top Safari Guide App. The three-step decision process works as follows...
Step 1 - Where And When To Go
Seven national parks in Africa provide such a wonderful safari experience that your destination choices list can safely be restricted to only them.
They are the top safari destination located in each of seven African countries namely Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Then to find the best one for your trip, learn about the reasons to safari there, the animals you can see, the activities available and the best time to go.
Find out moreStep 2 - Where To Stay
- The rate they charge per person per night
- Type of accommodation - lodge or tented camp
Dividing places to stay into rate categories has the effect of immediately whittling down all the options to more manageable levels, as you only need to take the ones into account that fall into the rate category that matches your safari budget.
So that's what I did by creating a map of each safari destination and adding the location and rates of all the accommodation establishments available there (474 in total). Your choice of where to stay just got a lot easier.
Get Started HereStep 3 - Which Safari Company
- Should you book with a safari operator or travel agent
- The quality and experience of their safari guides
- Reviews by past travellers
- Industry affiliations
- Answers to specific questions
To make your choice of which company a little easier, I created a Top Six Tour Operators List and a Top Two Travel Agents List that takes all the considerations and factors discussed above into account.
Get The ListsAdvantages Of Using This Three-Step Decision-Making Process
Saves You Time
I've done all the legwork to determine the finest destinations, places to stay, guides and companies so you don't have to.
Cuts down on your safari planning time considerably.
Make The Right Choice
This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip so you need to make sure to get all the relevant decisions and choices spot on.
This process can help you with that, as it takes into account many years of safari industry experience and extensive operator and guide vetting through this website.
Peace Of Mind
Sleep soundly knowing that these are the the best choices you can make for your safari.
No last-minute booking remorse here.
Avoid The Scammers
As in many industries, safaris do attract their fair share of swindlers.
Use this process to avoid falling victim to the cowboy and fly-by-night safari companies.
Why Getting A Good Safari Guide Is So Important
The Safari Guide Can Make or Break Your Trip
They are the linchpin of your journey because you spend so much of your time on an African safari in their company, and if they are not up to the task, the whole experience is in jeopardy.
A great majority of complaints by safari travellers on African travel review websites revolve around the guide in some way.
If these travellers had a recommendation and got to know their guide before going on safari, these problems could have been avoided.
So when planning your Africa adventure, make sure you get this critical decision correct from the start, secure in the knowledge that you will have an exceptional guide on your safari.
The Top Safari Guide App helps you to do this very successfully...
The Top Guides Are Represented In The AppThe Safari Company Is Pivotal Too
The Company And Guide Need To Work Effectively In Tandem
The field guide can't provide a successful safari trip for you on their own, they don't work in a vacuum.
They need efficient logistical and infrastructure support and backup from their safari company.
What happens in the background while you are out in the field is also very important to your trip's success.
The safari companies that get these synergies right are the ones that offer the best safaris at the end of the day.
And those are the ones I recommend for your trip...
Get The Top Safari Company List In The App
I Only Recommend The Best Safari Guides And Companies
I search for and unearth the very best guides in Africa, by making sure they have the relevant qualifications and experience to pass the Top Safari Guides eligibility criterion with flying colours.
And because the field guide is so influential to a successful safari, by finding the top guides you automatically discover the best companies and operators too.
I apply exacting standards when deciding who makes it onto the recommendation lists, no shortcuts allowed.
The result is a collection of field guides and companies of the highest quality, the cream of the crop in the safari industry.
And here is a collection of some of the amazing things these exceptional guides have seen during their careers...
