Skip to content

Top Navigation

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Trip Inspiration
  • Plan Your Trip
  • World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises
  • Travel Tips
  • News
  • Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Explore

    Explore

    • World's Best

      The greatest islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports, and more — as voted by you. Read More Next
    • The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2020

      Whether you're traveling solo or planning a family vacation, here are the 50 best places to visit in 2020. Read More Next
    • Let's Go Together Podcast

      Start listening to T+L's brand new podcast, Let's Go Together! Hosted by Kellee Edwards. Read More Next
  • Trip Inspiration

    Trip Inspiration

    • Trip Ideas
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Spring Travel
    • Summer Travel
    • Fall Travel
    • Winter Travel
    • Solo Travel
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Luxury Travel
    • Beach Vacations
    • Adventure Travel
    • Road Trips
    • Family Travel
    • National Parks
    • Holiday Travel
    • Travel Photography
    • Photo of the Day
    • Culture and Design
  • Plan Your Trip

    Plan Your Trip

    • Travel Guides
    • Flight Deals
    • Travel Deals
    • Ways to Save
    • Hotels + Resorts
    • Attractions
    • Amusement Parks
    • Disney Vacations
    • Festivals + Events
    • Airlines + Airports
    • Buses + Trains
    • Ground Transportation
  • World's Best

    World's Best

    • Top Hotels
    • Top Cities
    • Top Islands
    • Domestic Airlines
    • International Airlines
    • Tours
    • Safaris
    • All World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises

    Cruises

    • Find A Cruise
    • Caribbean Cruises
    • River Cruises
    • European Cruises
    • All-Inclusive Cruises
    • Family Cruises
    • Alaskan Cruises
    • Disney Cruises
    • See All Cruise Vacations
  • Travel Tips

    Travel Tips

    • Travel Trends
    • Packing Tips
    • Points + Miles
    • Budgeting + Currency
    • Customs + Immigration
    • Responsible Travel
    • Travel Etiquette
    • Travel Warnings
    • Weather
    • Mobile Apps
    • See All Travel Tips
  • News

    News

    • Wellness
    • Celebrity Travel
    • Animals
    • Jobs
    • Offbeat
    • See All News
  • Food + Drink

    Food + Drink

    • Restaurants
    • Wine
    • Beer
    • Cocktails + Spirits
    • Bars + Clubs
    • Celebrity Chefs
    • Cooking + Entertaining
    • Food Fairs + Festivals
    • World's Best Restaurants
    • See All Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories

    Travel Accessories

    • Travel Bags
    • Shoes
    • Travel Tech
    • Shopping
    • Style
    • Gift Guides
    • See All Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow us

  1. Home
  2. Worlds Best
  3. The Top 10 Safari Outfitters in 2018

The Top 10 Safari Outfitters in 2018

By Hannah Walhout
July 10, 2018
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Courtesy of Alluring Africa
Travel trends come and go, but a safari never goes out of style. And when it comes to planning the trip of a lifetime, our readers turn to these amazing outfitters for all of their luxury safari needs.

Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Readers rated safari outfitters on their staff and guides, itineraries and destinations, activities, accommodations, food, and overall value.

Related: The 2018 World's Best Awards

This year’s list includes some of the most trusted, long-standing companies in the industry, like Wilderness Safaris (founded in 1983), Travel Beyond (1975), and Lion World Travel (operating since 1964). Micato Safaris is in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Hall of Fame, an award reserved for companies that have been named to the list for at least 10 consecutive years. In fact, they’ve been on our list every year since World’s Best started in 1996 — making this their 23rd win as a company.

Many of these operators’ leaders and veteran advisors were born and raised in Africa: Roar Africa founder Deborah Calmeyer spent her childhood in Zimbabwe; Leora Rothschild, owner of Rothschild Safaris, is born-and-bred South African; Sunit Sanghrajka, the founding president of Alluring Africa, grew up in Kenya; and more. This cumulative expertise means they can offer insider access through their local connections, and the care and hospitality that Travel + Leisure readers expect.

Unsurprisingly, our winners plan trips in safari mainstays like Botswana, Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania. But they also organize vacations in more under-the-radar parts of Africa, such as the growing wildlife destinations of Rwanda and Uganda, where gorilla- and chimpanzee-tracking itineraries are at the forefront. (Wilderness Safaris, which also operates its own camps, opened Bisate Lodge in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park last year — and it has rocketed to the top of many a bucket list.)

These outfitters also excel at combining bush and beach; most can do combination itineraries, like supplementing a Tanzania trip with a post-safari wind-down session in Zanzibar. And some outfitters offer trip extensions or full itineraries in island nations like the Maldives, Mauritius, and the Seychelles.

Interested in planning a wildlife expedition with the best of the best? Read on for the full list.
Start Slideshow

1 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

10. Wilderness Safaris

Credit: Dana Allen/Courtesy of Wilderness Safaris

Score: 95.83

1 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

9. Deeper Africa

Credit: Beverly Joubert/Great Plains Conservation/Courtesy of Deeper Africa

Score: 96.46

2 of 10

3 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

8. Lion World Travel

Credit: Courtesy of Lion World Travel

Score: 96.57

3 of 10

Advertisement

4 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

7. Travel Beyond

Credit: Kota Tobuchi/Courtesy of Travel Beyond

Score: 96.65

4 of 10

5 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

6. Extraordinary Journeys

Credit: Courtesy of Extraordinary Journeys

Score: 96.67

5 of 10

6 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

5. Micato Safaris

Credit: Giuliana Provenzano/Courtesy of Micato Safaris

Score: 97.24

6 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

4. Rothschild Safaris

Credit: Courtesy of Rothschild Safaris

Score: 97.33

7 of 10

8 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

3. Africa Adventure Consultants

Credit: Courtesy of Adventure Africa Consultants

Score: 97.76

8 of 10

9 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

2. Roar Africa

Credit: Courtesy of Roar Africa

Score: 98.60

9 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 10

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

1. Alluring Africa

Credit: Courtesy of Alluring Africa

Score: 99.64

Our top safari outfitter this year is Alluring Africa, which moved into first after landing at No. 3 in 2017. What makes this company so special to our travel-hungry readers? For one thing, its exacting attention to detail and earnest love for the places where it works. Said one survey respondent: “They treat their clients like family, and create ultra-personalized itineraries...they are a world-class business that truly wants to help people connect with Africa!” Another asset: Sunit Sanghrajka, Alluring Africa’s founding president, who is a consistent fixture on T+L’s A-List of the world’s best travel consultants. Sanghrajka is passionate about introducing clients to his family’s native Kenya, as well as the company’s friends and connections across Africa.

See all of our readers' favorite hotels, airlines, cruise lines, and more in the World's Best Awards for 2018.

10 of 10

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Hannah Walhout

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 10 10. Wilderness Safaris
2 of 10 9. Deeper Africa
3 of 10 8. Lion World Travel
4 of 10 7. Travel Beyond
5 of 10 6. Extraordinary Journeys
6 of 10 5. Micato Safaris
7 of 10 4. Rothschild Safaris
8 of 10 3. Africa Adventure Consultants
9 of 10 2. Roar Africa
10 of 10 1. Alluring Africa

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap
  • Travel Guide Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
Travel + Leisure is part of the Travel + Leisure Group. Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Travel + Leisure is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation Travel + Leisure Group All Rights Reserved, registered in the United States and other countries. Travel + Leisure may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.travelandleisure.com

View image

The Top 10 Safari Outfitters in 2018
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.