What are the most popular safari destinations?
It’s long been agreed that going on a safari is the epitome of a luxury holiday. It’s the go-to for celebrities, royals and the high class society, and it’s one of the most popular types of holiday for a honeymoon.
Deciding where to go can often be the most difficult starting decision, with such a variety of experiences and accommodation on offer. To help make things a bit easier, we have collated some of our favour safari destinations to help get you started.
Our team of Africa Specialists are on hand to provide as much guidance as you need to start planning your tailor-made safari experience in Africa.
Amboseli National Park is located in Loitoktok District, Rift Valley Province of Kenya.The park is 39,206 hectares (392 km2; 151 sq.
Undoubtedly one of Africa’s most beautiful rivers, the Chobe supports a diversity and concentration of wildlife unparalled anywhere else in the country. Established in 1968, the park covers approximately 11,700 sq kms, encompassing floodplains, swamps and woodland.
The largest game reserve in South Africa, the Kruger National Park is larger than Israel. Nearly 2 million hectares of land that stretch for 352 kilometres (20 000 square kilometres) from north to south along the Mozambique border, is given over to an almost indescribable wildlife experience.
Boasting exceptional year round wildlife, the Masai Mara is a must visit for anyone on safari in Kenya for the first time. A Masai Mara holiday rarely disappoints, this is especially the case from July to October during the Great Wildebeest Migration.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area spans vast expanses of highland plains, savanna, savanna woodlands and forests. Established in 1959 as a multiple land use area, with wildlife coexisting with semi-nomadic Maasai pastoralists practicing traditional livestock grazing, it includes the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest caldera.
It’s believed to be one of Africa’s oldest forests, staying green even through the Ice Age, which explains its diversity. Home to habituated chimpanzees and 12 other primates species (including a 400-strong troop of habituated Ruwenzori Black & White Colobus), it’s also a birder’s paradise with over 300 species, including 16 endemics, and is home to 75 different species of mammal.
There are few things in the world more exhilarating than witnessing wild animals in their natural habitats, making a safari trip a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A lot of people go to see the “Big Five”: lions, leopards, buffalo, elephants, and rhinos.
As going on a safari holiday is one of life’s greatest adventures, we decided to find out which safari destinations are the most popular – according to Instagram – by turning to the widely used photo sharing platform to analyse the number of times every traditional African safari destination was geo-tagged by users, sharing a photo in that location.
Safari is a Swahili word meaning ‘long journey’, and because of this, we decided to focus on the traditional African safari, looking at National Parks including the Serengeti and Masai Mara. With an entire continent to choose from, it can seem overwhelming; would you rather see the endless plains of the Serengeti or the magical waterfall at Victoria Falls? That’s where our new study will help you, with accurate data ranking exactly the best places to visit for some ‘out of this world’ picture opportunities – and of course a fantastic spectacle for your own eyes too.
Read on below to find out the full results.
The coveted number one spot was awarded to the famous Victoria Falls, with a remarkable 215,513 photos tagged here. Given its status as the largest waterfall in the world, standing at an impressive 108 metres high, this isn’t surprising.
The top 10 locations were fairly evenly split between South Africa, Tanzania, and Kenya. All three of these countries are home to some of the most incredible wildlife and natural views in the world, including the Serengeti, Masai Mara and Sabi Sands National Parks.
Other notable safari spots included Livingstone National Park, which came in at number 22 with 13,674 tags, as well as Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, with 10,338 tags. Home to the breath-taking Mount Kilimanjaro, the Park has over 50,000 visitors each year, most of whom are international tourists.
Following Victoria Falls, the top 10 most Instagrammed safari destinations are:
As you can see, the top 10 was almost exclusively dominated by locations in the top three safari spots in Africa: Tanzania, South Africa, and Kenya. One of only two outliers was Chobe National Park in Botswana. Chobe was Botswana’s first National Park, and it’s also the most biologically diverse, with a large population of lions that often prey on the African elephants that can also be found in this area.
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