🦁Wildlife & nature

Best African Countries for Nature & Safari in 2026

By WanderTourScore EditorialPublished 21 March 2026Last updated 5 April 2026

We scored 15 countries across Eastern and Southern Africa using IUCN wildlife diversity, protected-area and habitat data, traveler safety, climate comfort, and a heavier tourism-readiness layer built from development and connectivity. The result favors places where exceptional game viewing is backed by workable park access, lodges, transfers, and overall travel logistics.

#	Country	Score	🦁 Wildlife	🌿 Natural Beauty	🛡️ Safety
1	🇹🇿TanzaniaEastern Africa	92	63	93	49
2	🇿🇲ZambiaEastern Africa	88	42	100	61
3	🇲🇬MadagascarEastern Africa	83	90	33	59
4	🇧🇼BotswanaSouthern Africa	77	40	61	38
5	🇳🇦NamibiaSouthern Africa	76	44	65	36
6	🇲🇿MozambiqueEastern Africa	74	48	75	44
7	🇿🇼ZimbabweSouthern Africa	74	41	73	34
8	🇷🇼RwandaEastern Africa	73	70	21	50
9	🇲🇺MauritiusEastern Africa	73	45	21	64
10	🇲🇼MalawiEastern Africa	72	51	50	59
11	🇿🇦South AfricaSouthern Africa	70	55	24	27
12	🇰🇪KenyaEastern Africa	69	60	25	38
13	🇺🇬UgandaEastern Africa	69	68	31	29
14	🇸🇿EswatiniSouthern Africa	66	50	26	29
15	🇪🇹EthiopiaEastern Africa	65	60	36	35

Tanzania

Zambia

Madagascar

Botswana

Namibia

Mozambique

Zimbabwe

Rwanda

Mauritius

Malawi

South Africa

Kenya

Uganda

Eswatini

Ethiopia

Methodology

Rankings are computed from real-world open data sources including the Global Peace Index, World Bank (intentional homicides as a civilian-safety signal, WGI political stability, PPP-based price level affordability, protected areas, forest cover, international tourism receipts, and IUCN threatened species counts), US State Department travel advisory levels, UNDP (Human Development Index, Gender Development Index, Gender Inequality Index, and Planetary Pressures-adjusted HDI), ILGA-style legal protections plus TGEU/Transrespect anti-violence reporting for LGBTQ+ traveler scoring, Open-Meteo (climate normals), UNESCO (heritage sites and gastronomy-city recognitions), Wikidata (distinguished restaurant counts and winter-sports results), and OpenStreetMap (restaurant density, cuisine diversity, and luxury hotel counts). Countries with a Level 3+ US State Department travel advisory are excluded. Learn more about our methodology on the About page.

Data current as of May 2026 and may change. Rankings are generated algorithmically from publicly available datasets and are not a substitute for independent research. Do not rely solely on this information when making travel decisions. Always verify conditions with official government sources. Terms of Use · About our data