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Safari: A Beginner’s Guide for iPhone or iPad Users

Safari can be intimidating to learn when you first start using it, but this guide will help you get used to it.

On Apple devices, the default web browser is called Safari. It shares a lot of similar features to other common browsers, like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. But if you’re new to using Safari, you may feel a little lost because the interface is slightly different to the others.

So, here’s a beginner’s guide on how to use the Safari app to browse the web on your iPhone or iPad.

How to Search for Content in the Safari App

As with all web browsers, you’ll need to first enable your iPhone’s mobile data or connect to a Wi-Fi network to access the internet.

Then, to search in Safari, simply type a term, phrase, or URL into the Smart Search bar at the bottom of the screen and tap Go on your keyboard. The Smart Search bar is a combination of the address bar and search bar. As you type, you’ll see search suggestions based on your keyword as well as results from your bookmarks and browsing history.

How to Navigate a Webpage in Safari

Once you obtain your search results, you tap on a link you’re interested in. Now let’s look at how you can navigate the webpage once it’s loaded.

How to Jump Back to the Top of Webpage

After swiping to scroll down a long article, you may want to go back up to access the website’s menu. To instantly jump back to the top of the webpage, just tap the topmost edge of your screen.

How to Go Backward (or Forward) a Webpage

After tapping on a link, perhaps the webpage isn’t quite something you’re looking for. To go back to your search results, swipe from left to right from the edge of your screen.

To go forward on a webpage, swipe from right to left instead.

Related: Essential Safari iOS Tips & Tricks for iPhone Users

How to Reveal the Safari Address Bar

Your Safari address bar is automatically hidden away when you’re scrolling down a webpage. To bring it back, tap the bottom edge of the screen that shows the website’s main URL.

How to Work With Multiple Tabs in the Safari App

Having multiple tabs opened in Safari can help you to compare information between webpages and search for new content without having to close your current webpage. Here’s how to work with multiple tabs in Safari on your iPhone or iPad.

How to Open a New Tab

To open a new tab, select the Tabs icon in the bottom-right corner, which looks like two overlapping squares. Then tap the Plus (+) to open a new tab.

How to Switch Between Tabs

Again, hit the Tabs icon. You’ll see a gallery of all your opened tabs in Safari. Select a tab to visit the webpage you want.

Since the release of iOS 15, Apple introduced a new feature in Safari: tab groups. Many of us are probably guilty of having way too many opened tabs. Therefore, organizing tabs into groups makes them more manageable. Learn more about how to use tab groups in Safari on your iPhone .

How to Open a Link in a New Background Tab

When you read long articles, you’ll likely come across a link or two within the content that sparks your interest. To avoid disrupting your reading process, you can make Safari open the link in the background, in a new tab. To do so:

• Go to the Settings app.
• Select Safari .
• Scroll down and tap Open Links .
• Choose In Background .

Next time you want to open a link, long-press it. Then, select Open in Background . When you want to visit that link, select Tabs to view all your opened tabs and choose the loaded webpage.

Saving and Sharing Webpages in Safari

The internet gives you access to a whole new world of information. Save a webpage to refer to it later, or share it with your family and friends.

How to Bookmark a Safari Webpage

To bookmark a webpage to read later, tap the Share icon in the middle of the bottom of the screen (it looks like an arrow coming out of a square) and select Add Bookmark . Type in a bookmark name.

To access your bookmarked webpage later, tap the Bookmark icon (an opened book) and browse through your bookmarks, reading list, and history to find what you’re looking for.

Besides the bookmark option, you’ll also notice that you can add a webpage to your favorites or reading list. Marking a webpage as a favorite will make it show up on your Safari home page. It’s useful if you visit the website often.

To learn more about reading lists, you can visit our guide on the differences between a bookmark and a reading list .

How to Share a Link From the Safari App

Stumble upon an interesting DIY project? A promising recipe you’d like to share with your family? You don’t have to bookmark and remind yourself to show the webpage to them later. You can share the link directly from the Safari app.

Tap the Share icon. You can then select the receiver’s name from the horizontal list of recent contacts, or choose your preferred communication app to send the Safari link to them.

Erasing Your Digital Footprint in Safari

If you’re an aspiring crime writer, having a friend notice your crime-filled search history when they peer over your shoulder is inevitably awkward. Hence, there are some things we’d prefer to keep private and erase all traces of once we exit a web browser.

Safari has a few features to help you with this.

How to Close a Tab

If you don’t close your tabs, old webpages will just auto-load again the moment you head into Safari. Having too many opened tabs affects your browsing speed as well.

Closing a tab is simple. You just need to tap the Tabs icon and then tap the Close (x) button in the corner of the tab.

How to Browse Privately in Safari

Similar to Google Chrome’s Incognito Mode, Safari has a feature called Private Browsing Mode. Your autofill information and browser history won’t be saved when you use this function. Here’s how to use it:

• First, tap the Tabs icon.
• Select the center Tabs button with an arrow next to it.
• Choose Private .
• To open a new private tab, tap the Plus (+) button.

Whenever you’re in doubt about whether you’re in Private Browsing Mode, just check the Smart Search Bar. It will be dark grey instead of white when you’re browsing privately.

How to Clear Your Safari Browsing History

If you forgot to use Private Browsing while searching for confidential information, don’t worry. You can still clear your history in Safari. Just follow these steps:

• Tap the Bookmarks icon.
• Select History (the clock icon).
• Tap Clear .
• Choose the time length from which you want Safari to clear your history.

Use the Safari App to Surf the Internet on Your iPhone

The Safari app has all the features you need for a seamless browsing experience. Once you’re familiar with these basic functions, you can check out and download Safari extensions from the App Store to enjoy more helpful features while surfing the internet on your iPhone or iPad.

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The Safari Guide

What Vaccinations Do I Need to Visit East Africa for Wildlife Safaris?

Recommended foot wear perfect for an african safari, car rental with a driver in tanzania, long safari vs short safari, privately inspiration journeys across uganda, 7 tips for great self guided safari in east africa, interesting tanzania parks to seek wildlife safaris, 4×4 one way car rentals in uganda & rwanda, expert, independent safari advice from safari specialists for free.

The Safari Guide is the web’s most comprehensive guide to planning an African safari. Compiled by field guides, naturalists and other wildlife professionals, we provide:

• Independent safari advice for tourists.
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Welcome to The Safari Guide, the award winning home of all the information you need to plan a perfect safari! Are you planning to take a safari in Africa? Ask any question about your safari to our panel of Experts! Click here to EMAIL Question. Here you can search for advice on the best safaris to take, places to visit, things to do, travel tips, tour reviews, attraction reviews and much more. Or find out more about holidays from our recommended partners.

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Everything you need to know before booking your first African safari

​For many, a safari represents the optimal escape and lifelong travel dream. If you’re going to invest in turning this dream into reality, there are some things worth considering. Plus, we recommend five incredible wildlife itineraries for 2023.

From the first waft of dewy morning air to the gentle owl hoots that drift into camp after dark, there’s a satisfying natural rhythm to a day on safari in Africa. Even if you’re not normally an early riser, you’ll quickly fall into the routine of pre-dawn starts, lazy lunchtimes, active afternoons and mellow evenings, making the most of the best hours both for wildlife-watching and for chilling out. Deep at night, if you’re lucky, you may hear the distant whoop of a hyena, the rasping call of a leopard or the bassy roar of a lion.

But more often than not, you’ll sleep soundly, drunk on fresh air. Soon after you wake, you’ll head out into the wild, eager to discover what the day will deliver. Perhaps you’ll find yourself inching up on some rhinos, watching boisterous elephants bathe in a waterhole or spotting the youngest, cutest members of a mighty big cat dynasty.

If this sounds like the kind of escape you’ve been craving, but you’re puzzling over possible itineraries, what’s the best way to choose?

Green means go

While every luxury safari offers unforgettable wildlife encounters, there are plenty of options to consider. High-end African trips and settings vary hugely in their atmosphere and style.

Some itineraries, for example, are much greener than others. If you’re passionate about nature, you’ll want to make ethical choices, mindful of climate change and biodiversity, perhaps by minimising your time in the air. While every long-haul trip has a high carbon footprint, you can limit your safari’s impact by choosing a destination near an international airport and sharing a vehicle rather than continuing by taking domestic flights.

With superb wildlife-watching opportunities within driving distance, Nairobi makes an excellent starting point for a low-airmiles luxury safari. “You could head for the stunning mountains and waterfalls of the Aberdare range, where lions hunt giant forest hogs”, says Kenya specialist Richard Trillo of Expert Africa. “The tree-dotted plains of the Maasai Mara, which host East Africa’s annual Great Migration, are also within reach,” Richard adds.

There are other ways to dial down the net impact of your trip without compromising on quality, however. While carbon offset schemes can help compensate for your emissions, for a more targeted approach, you could book your trip through a specialist safari operator that has established working partnerships with African conservation charities.  

“We’re proud to support South Africa’s all-female Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit, and Greenpop, a non-profit Sub-Saharan forest restoration and urban greening organisation,” says Marcelo Novais of luxury operator Ker and Downey Africa.  

“We give all our clients the opportunity to donate to these worthy causes, since leaving a positive legacy is one of our core values,” he adds. Other deserving organisations include African Parks, the African Wildlife Foundation, Tusk and the World Land Trust.  

Another effective way of maximising the benefits of your trip is to choose lodges that go the extra mile in their vicinity, doing more for environmental protection, community partnerships and rural development than   merely covering park fees and basic wages. In Tanzania, the Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge invites guests to visit the craft project they support, Shanga, where locals with disabilities upcycle glass, textiles and fishing wire into cute elephant cushions, jewellery and clothing.

When it comes to shortlisting properties, membership of Ecotourism Kenya, Responsible Tourism Tanzania, Fair Trade Tourism and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council are generally useful indicators.

Settling in

Once you’ve arrived in the bush, what will your surroundings feel like? Anyone who’s cautious about camping in the wilderness will be relieved to discover that most top-end operators put their guests at ease by focusing on creature comforts: cool drinks, gourmet dining, indulgently appointed private bathrooms and sumptuous beds, for example. As a rule, their staff — from the head guide to the housekeepers — are superb at their jobs.  

That said, there are significant differences between, on the one hand, intimate, minimalist camps with just a handful of canvas tents and, at the other extreme, sizeable lodges featuring swimming pools, gyms and perhaps even a spa, photography hide, editing suite, research centre, library and observatory. It’s a matter of weighing up how close to nature you’d like to feel — hearing all those thrilling sounds in the night, for example — against the range of facilities and creature comforts you’d like to enjoy.

When deciding, honest opinions from people who know the properties well can be invaluable. “Our safari specialists always have detailed conversations with our clients to understand their preferences and offer advice”, says Liberty Gilmour of Audley Travel. “Conventional aircon, for example, is rarely essential: Zambia in May and high-altitude destinations such as Ngorongoro can be quite cool, particularly at night. If it’s hot, natural ventilation may be sufficient, but many camps also have solar-powered cooling systems.”

Whether opulent, nostalgic or quirky, surroundings that suit your aesthetic aspirations can elevate your experience. The family heirlooms that decorate Camp Jabulani in South Africa’s Kapama Reserve, for example, create a uniquely cosy atmosphere, while Xigera Safari Lodge in Botswana’s Okavango Delta is so proud of its collection of original pieces by contemporary African artists and artisans that staff offer art and design tours of the premises. To strike a contemporary note, Loisaba Lodo Springs in Kenya’s Loisaba Conservancy has rooms dotted with hand-stitched West African textiles and elegant upcycled Edwardian furniture.

Peaceful days

Almost every safari programme revolves around guided excursions called game drives, a name dating back to the days of Big Five hunting trips, but the style of the vehicles you ride in isn’t discussed as much as perhaps it should be. While some outfits settle for basic open-sided 4x4s, others invest in supremely comfortable, easy-access vehicles with charging points, dustproof storage space and a fridge. If you’re a keen photographer, top quality private vehicles are a must. Electric safari vehicles offer a particularly smooth ride; while still rare, they’re the future, and are starting to catch on.

Ila Safari Lodge in Zambia’s Kafue National Park offers the rare luxury of total peace and quiet. Founder Vincent Kouwenhoven, who has pioneered electric transport at Ila and its sister lodges in Zambia and Malawi, explains: “Our love for Africa led us to develop technologies that enable guests to experience the bush in near-silent, pollution-free vehicles, charged by our own solar panels. It’s an ecologically conscious way to watch wildlife and very calming, too. Instead of the engine, you hear birdsong.”

Some safaris also promise near-solitude in a vast natural landscape — an intoxicating feeling. One way to dodge the crowds is to travel during low season, the dates of which vary from location to location; alternatively, you could choose private reserves where the only vehicles you’ll see will be those of your fellow guests. As well as providing daytime activities, guides may offer night drives, using spotlights to search for nocturnal activity, such as birds roosting or lions stalking their prey.

For the ultimate in exclusivity, it’s possible to book an entire camp or lodge, with the staff handcrafting everything to your precise specifications, from wake-up times to the cocktails and canapes. According to Ash Jarvis of Best of South Africa Travel, exclusive-use properties work particularly well for mixed-generation families: “With their private game drives, multiple living areas, private pool and the undivided attention of the whole staff, including the chefs (fussy eaters welcome), they eliminate stress and ensure that nobody has to compromise. That’s what good family holidays are all about.”

The ultimate adventure

If serenity is your scene, you may be dreaming of floating over herds of zebras and wildebeest in a hot-air balloon, or wandering across the savannah on a bushwalk or cycle ride. The most interesting safaris offer a mixed programme of imaginative guided activities such as these, enlivening the days with little surprises: picnics in beauty spots, perhaps, or lantern-lit barbecues.  

The possibilities depend, to a large extent, on your choice of location. In Kenya’s northern conservancies, for example, you could explore the semi-desert by camel, while in Rwanda or Uganda, the activity you probably won’t want to miss is venturing into the depths of the rainforest on foot for a precious one-hour audience with mountain gorillas.

On a gorilla trek, you’ll be guided by rangers at the top of their game — a hallmark of an excellent safari. A knowledgeable, communicative guide can transform any trip, keeping you safe, entertained and intrigued.

“The inside track is what you really want, whether that’s in guiding, photography or conservation”, says Will Bolsover of Natural World Safaris. “In-depth knowledge leads you beneath the surface, for true insights into how conservation works, how wildlife benefits and how you can contribute.”

Since quality time with experts is one of the ultimate luxuries you can enjoy on safari, some top-end safaris, particularly in Kenya and South Africa, include a philanthropic element, whereby in exchange for a substantial donation to a conservation fund, you gain access to specialists in the field, perhaps even helping collar predators or collecting DNA samples from juvenile rhinos. Conservation safari companies such as Great Plains and AWF Safaris can assist with this. There’s no better way to start unlocking the mysteries of the African wilderness.

Five luxury safari trips in Africa to try in 2023 and beyond  

1. low-carbon luxury in kenya.

After a night at Nairobi’s fabled Giraffe Manor, travel overland to Solio Lodge in the Central Highlands to explore Kenya’s oldest rhino conservation sanctuary, then continue to Sala’s Camp, in one of the least-visited corners of the Maasai Mara. Eight days from £8,400 with Expert Africa. expertafrica.com

2. Take to the skies in Tanzania

Flip from park to park in style on a SkySafari, travelling by private plane and touching down at luxurious Elewana Collection properties. This classic circuit takes in Arusha, Tarangire, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, for blockbuster wildlife-watching. Ten days from £8,300 with Sky Safari. skysafari.com

3. Family adventures in South Africa

South Africa has a host of prospects to suit muti-generational families. Delightful safari properties such as Morukuru River House team well with Cape Town, the Cape Winelands and the Garden Route. Fourteen days from £4,500 with Best of South Africa Travel. bestofsouthafricatravel.com

4. Clock the Big Five in the safari heartlands

To experience some of southern Africa’s most exclusive wilderness retreats, string together Bushmans Kloof in South Africa’s Cederberg region, Sossusvlei Desert Lodge in Namibia, DumaTau in Linyanti and Xigera in the Okavango Delta. Twelve days from £24,797 with Beyond Green. staybeyondgreen.com

5. Meet mountain gorillas in Rwanda

Nothing can prepare you for the surge of emotions you’ll feel when, after an exhilarating trek, you first encounter a family of gorillas in the rainforest. Combine your hike with game drives in Rwanda’s Big Five national park, Akagera. Eight days from £7,493 with Jacada Travel. jacadatravel.com  

Published in the 2022 edition of National Geographic Traveller (UK) The Luxury Collection

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The 25 Best Safari Guides

By Graham Boynton

Safari guides hold it in their hands to make or break dreams, yet finding a good one can be vexing for the uninitiated. As a native Zimbabwean, Graham Boynton has spent decades on safari, and, most recently, 18 months traveling through the bush with guides in 6 countries to come up with this list of his 25 top safari guides. The guides listed with an asterisk (*) are affiliated with safari camps and may be requested as personal guides if you're staying at that particular camp (there's usually no additional fee involved, though generous tips would be expected). The other guides all work independently, and though some may be able to arrange your entire safari, it's usually simpler to book your trip—and the guide—through a tour operator (see "Your Guide to the Guides"). Rates below represent the cost per person per day.

15 Legendary Guides

1. *keraetswe bosigo (madala k).

Little Vumbura Camp, Botswana

Bosigo's nickname is Madala K, which, translated, means Old K. He arrived in the Okavango Delta by mokoro , a type of canoe, with his grandfather as a 15-year-old, and started out as a tracker for a hunting company before breaking away to guide photography safaris. Now in his mid-50s, he's acquired vast experience in the Okavango's Vumbura area. A Wilderness Safaris guide for almost 20 years, he is dry, laconic, and dead smart . He's also very involved in training the next generation of Botswanan guides ([email protected]; $450).

2. Gregg Hughes

SAFARI FOOTPRINTS, BOTSWANA

A biology graduate and former Wilderness Safaris guide, Hughes now freelances mainly in Botswana. He is a superb walking guide, a fact this author can testify to as he once saved my life and that of my daughter's when we were caught up in the aforementioned elephant stampede in the middle of an open plain. He combines academic expertise with immense charm , and although he often guides out of luxury camps such as Jao and Mombo, he enjoys trips closer to the soil. As proof, he's recently completed a three-month motorbike safari through southern Africa ([email protected]; $650).

3. *James "007" Pisetu

DUBA PLAINS, BOTSWANA

Pisetu began guiding at Duba Plains as the camp's first and only guide in 1996. He did all the game drives, nature walks, mokoro trips, and village tours, which gave him a unique and comprehensive knowledge of the area and its inhabitants, both wild and human. When new safari companies took over the camp—first Wilderness Safaris, then Great Plains—Pisetu served as mediator between the local communities and the companies. Perhaps his greatest skill is knowing the habits and behavior of Duba's large lion prides and buffalo herds , the dramatic, operatic interactions of which are the main reason for coming here ([email protected]; $550).

4. Paul Kiprono Kirui

MASAI MARA, KENYA

Probably Kenya's most distinguished guide, Kirui is chairman of the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association (KPSGA), and one of only ten Gold standard guides (the highest ranking) in the country, not to mention a witty and cosmopolitan companion in the bush. He grew up in the Mara as a Masai herder and knows the ecosystem, flora, and fauna intimately . With the travel company CC Africa (now &Beyond), he established East Africa's first guiding school in the Serengeti. He remains an active Mara guide and is a major activist on vulture conservation ([email protected]; $200 plus shared $290 vehicle cost).

5. Saigilu "Jackson" Ole Looseyia

ReKERO NABOISHO CAMP, KENYA

Thanks to his appearances as a presenter on the British television wildlife program Big Cat Diary, Jackson is Kenya's best-known guide, and his charm and easygoing nature are underpinned by an intimate knowledge of his Masai homeland. As a boy, he hunted animals here with his father, a hunter-gatherer, and by the 1980s he was working as a spotter for his mentor, the safari operator/conservationist Ron Beaton. Now in his mid-40s, Jackson is a partner with the Beaton family in Masai Mara safaris, and remains an active and compelling guide ([email protected]; $500).

6. Bill Winter

Bill Winter Safaris, Kenya

A charming, urbane man, Winter grew up in Kenya and was educated in the United Kingdom and at university in South Africa. He specializes in mobile tented safaris in Ol Pejeta and the Masai Mara and is now taking clients into southern Africa. He says there is nothing better than parking his vehicle in a remote piece of wilderness, brewing up a pot of tea, "and just absorbing the smells and sights of what's going on around you . That's wilderness." ([email protected]; $1,650, including accommodations)

7. Christiaan Bakkes

PALMWAG CONSERVANCY, NAMIBIA

Bakkes is an author, novelist, and guide extraordinaire who, as a game ranger in Kruger National Park, lost his left arm when he was attacked by two crocodiles. He has a biologist's knowledge of the flora and fauna, and a poet's eye for the landscape (one of the highlights of a safari with him is his recitals of epic poems around the campfire). He is passionate about this remote desert wilderness, and although he's now the warden of Palmwag conservancy and not a day-to-day guide, he's always looking for excuses to take guests into the wilderness ([email protected]; $450).

One of the great pleasures of a safari is an early-morning game drive followed by a breakfast feast in the bush. Here, a picnic on Masai land in southeastern Kenya.

8. Pokkie Benadie

SAMARA GAME RESERVE, KAROO, SOUTH AFRICA

Anna Borges

Jessica Puckett

Karthika Gupta

One of South Africa's three Master Trackers, Benadie is a Khoi (bushman) who grew up in the Great Karoo, joined South African National Parks at the age of 14, and helped in the creation of Karoo National Park. What he lacks in formal education he more than makes up for with his personal knowledge of this particular ecosystem and the wildlife. Mentored by Louis Liebenberg, the godfather of the science of tracking, Benadie became a Master Tracker at the age of 40. He is not a registered guide, but visitors to South Africa's Samara Game Reserve can sign up for a half-day training session at the Tracker Academy (just three miles from the lodge), where Benadie teaches city folk the art of animal tracking. His lessons are a rare and precious treat ([email protected]; donation based).

9. *Wilson Masiye and Juan Pinto

ROYAL MALEWANE LODGE, KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA

Masiye is another of the three surviving Master Trackers in South Africa. He's from the Shangaan tribe and speaks little English, so he works, almost telepathically, in tandem with Pinto, the erudite, multilingual, highly qualified head ranger at Royal Malewane, safari lodge to the stars. The couple have guided the likes of Elton John, Paul Allen, and Nicholas Sarkozy; Elton John in particular is a repeat guest. Pinto has also been active in fighting the current rhino poaching scourge ([email protected]; $1,245, including accommodations).

10. Richard Knocker

NOMAD SAFARIS, TANZANIA

Kenyan-born, British-educated Knocker is the first Gold-rated KPSGA guide in Tanzania. He's a founder of Nomad Safaris and guides primarily around Lamai Serengeti, his remote camp in the granite kopjes of northwest Serengeti. As with all the veteran guides, his fireside stories would work as great fiction, only they're all true, and his dry wit adds to the experience. A great walking guide—his preferred mode of safari transportation—he is also a formidable animal biologist and an activist in community conservation projects ([email protected]; $460).

11. Robin Pope

LIUWA PLAIN AND LUANGWA, ZAMBIA

Do not be deceived by his bespectacled, accountant-like appearance: Pope is a real man of the bush, and his knowledge of birds, animals, and flora makes him the best guide in his native Zambia . Honing his craft since the 1980s, he is a legendary walking guide who operates from four camps—Nsefu, Tena Tena, Nkwali, and Luangwa River Camp. He has single-handedly put Zambian safaris on the map, and although he's now based in the capital, Lusaka, he still leads walking safaris with the same passion as he did as a young guide. He's a great birder too ([email protected]; $675, including accommodations).

12. Andrew "Stretch" Ferreira

MANA POOLS, ZIMBABWE

Also known as the Elephant Whisperer of Mana Pools, Ferreira can be seen on many YouTube clips standing calmly in front of charging elephants. A tall, bearded, easygoing man of the bush, Ferreira is a former hunter who has lost the desire to kill animals but retains the hunter's bush instincts. Now he runs his own small tented-safari operation, Goliath Safaris, on the banks the Zambezi River, an area he knows so well that he can easily identify individual lions and elephants. Like Pope and Knocker, he too prefers walking safaris ([email protected]; $610, including accommodations).

13. Benson Siyawareva

NGOKO SAFARIS, ZIMBABWE AND BOTSWANA

A fully licensed guide in both countries, Siyawareva has run some of the region's most significant camps (Little Makololo in Hwange, Savuti in Botswana), in addition to helming his own guiding operation for ten years. He reads the bush brilliantly and is thus an expert tracker. His humor and bonhomie are a delight, but he takes community conservation seriously and believes that the education of African children is key to the salvation of the wilderness. He's based in Victoria Falls, where he is helping to build an orphanage ([email protected]; $400).

14. John Stevens

ZIMBABWE, BUT GUIDES IN KENYA AND TANZANIA

One of the standard-bearers of Zimbabwean guiding, Stevens is a former warden of Mana Pools National Park who led anti-poaching efforts throughout the region. He's most at home in the Zambezi Valley, and prefers walking and canoeing to traveling in a vehicle. Stevens has brilliant tracking skills and is noted for his boyish enthusiasm and unaffected, sweet disposition ([email protected]; $1,250).

15. Garth Thompson

Back in 1983, when Thompson gained his license, there were only eight such guides in the country. Today, he's widely regarded as the best African guide —he's certainly one of the most successful—due in large part to his high energy, boundless enthusiasm, and great storytelling. Though based in Zimbabwe, Thompson guides clients throughout seven countries in Africa, including the Central African Republic. He's currently taking bookings for the 2015 season ([email protected]; $1,000).

Botswana's wildlife-rich Vumbura Plains.

10 Next Generation Guides

1. simon byron.

Byron is one of the Safari Footprints triumvirate (with Gregg Hughes and Matt Copham). Born and raised in Botswana, he's another guide who knew his calling from childhood. He's earned a master of science degree in environmental science and is a passionate conservationist who has set up a conservation and education trust in his homeland. During his university days, he guided for Wilderness Safaris during holidays, so he knows their Botswana camps intimately. He's charming and friendly and wears his intellect lightly (info@safarifootprints .com; $450).

2. *Florence Kagiso

KWETSANI CAMP OKAVANGO, BOTSWANA

Kagiso graduated from the Botswana Wildlife Institute at the top of her class--she was also the only woman in her class. Soft-spoken and knowledgeable, she developed a love of wildlife in early childhood (she resisted her parents' urging to pursue a career in fashion design). Her understanding of the mammals of the delta is outstanding, and she can identify every bird that flits past as she drives her boat through waterways of the Jao Concession ([email protected]; $450).

3. *Kitso Lademo

LITTLE VUMBURA, OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA

One of the youngest qualified guides working in the delta, 26-year-old Lademo has spent the past few years guiding at Little Vumbura, an area he knows like the back of his hand. Like many Botswana guides, he is a keen birder, not to mention a quietly impassioned conservationist who passes the message on at local schools ([email protected]; $450).

4. *Charity Jemutai Cheruiyot

KICHWa TEMBo/BATeLEUR CAMP, MASAI MARA, KENYA

Jemutai is one of just four female guides in the Masai Mara. A member of the Kalenjin tribe, she grew up in the Rift Valley wanting to be a travel consultant but was offered the opportunity to train at &Beyond's guide camp in Tanzania. Her passion for wildlife, she says, was learned from Paul Karui (see above). Jemutai reads voraciously and has a fine grasp of animal biology. Her favorite time in the Mara is in the months after the Great Migration when it is quiet and the grasslands are recovering ([email protected]; $600, including accommodations).

5. *Wilson ole Kasaine

PORINI AMBOSELI CAMP, KENYA

Kasaine has a very traditional Masai background: He's one of 24 children, and his father is a distinguished tribal elder who killed lions and leopards to protect his family and property. Sadly, economic circumstances prevented Kasaine from going to university, but his first love was the bush, and today he guides guests in an area that is barely ten miles from village where he was raised. His eyesight, hearing, and tracking ability are second to none —even among his fellow Masai (wilson.kasaine [email protected]; $310, including accommodations).

6. *Johnson Ping'ua ole Nkukuu (Ping)

MARA PLAINS CAMP, KENYA

Ping, who grew up in the Mara herding his father's cattle, has been guiding for 15 years and is head guide at the Mara Plains Camp—a dream come true. As amiable as he is knowledgeable, he has a great affection for hyenas, which he claims are misunderstood and demonized, and rates the Olare Orok Conservancy, where he guides, as the best cat viewing in the Masai Mara. His favorite quote is a line from William Wordsworth: "Nature does not betray the heart that loveth." ([email protected]; $385)

7. Humphrey Gumpo

Widely considered one of Zimbabwe's top young guides, Gumpo grew up in the Kariba area, trained under the brilliant Spike Williamson, and cites Williamson and Garth Thompson (see above) as his inspirations. Gumpo, who passed the exacting Zimbabwe guiding exams with flying colors, also has his river guiding license and led Wilderness Safaris' canoe trails at Mana pools for four years. Listening more carefully to the bush, he says, has made him a better guide (humphrey@ humphreygumpo.com; $600).

8. Paul Hubbard

MATOPOS, ZIMBABWE

Because Hubbard's area of specialty extends far beyond wildlife, he's quite possibly the most left-field inclusion in this listing. The 31-year-old is a polymath who grew up in rural Zimbabwe and graduated with a master of science degree in archaeology. He's immensely knowledgeable in a number of subjects, from the Matabele War and the local architectural history to the San rock art and the archaeology of the spectacular Matopos Hills. This last, a World Heritage Site, is well worth visiting for its dramatic landscape but even more so for the privilege of being guided by this brilliant young man ([email protected]; $300).

9. Ant Kashula

PRIVATE GUIDED SAFARIS, ZIMBABWE

Academic, tracker, and engaging companion, Kashula scored the highest marks ever in Zimbabwe's exacting guiding exams. He holds a master's degree in environmental and geographical science, and believes that getting out in the bush on foot is the best way to embrace the wilderness. He will guide anywhere—his small safari company operates in 12 African countries—but his area of preference is the Zimbabwean lowveld. Kashula is an academic with unique people skills, making him one of the most impressive guides I've traveled with in recent years (ant@private guidedsafaris.com; $400).

10. Beks Ndlovu

HWANGE AND MANA POOLS, ZIMBABWE

Born near Hwange and educated at an elite private school, Ndlovu went straight into guiding as soon as he could. He guided and ran camps for Wilderness Safaris for years both in Botswana and Zimbabwe, and has won many guiding awards, including the full Professional Guides License in 1998. Now the owner of luxury tented camps in Hwange and Mana Pools, he still guides select groups at his camps and is one of the most informed wildlife guides you'll find on the continent. Ndlovu is internationally traveled, yet his soul is still in the bushveld ([email protected]; $1,000).

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• South Africa
• The Ultimate Safari Planning Guide
• Safari Packing List
• Safari Luggage
• Safari Budget Guide
• Safari Reading List
• First-Timer’s Tips
• A Typical Day on Safari

Africa , Botswana , Kenya , South Africa

How to plan a safari: the ultimate planning guide.

If you’re a first-time safari goer , you’ll be forgiven for wondering how to plan a safari. With an almost unlimited combination of potential destinations and tour operators, choosing the right safari for you can be a daunting task. 

But, never fear, because here at Really Wildlife, we’ve put together the ultimate safari planning guide to help. Follow our simple step-by-step process below to plan the safari of your dreams…

Decide your budget

Pick your safari destination, decide when to go, choose how long you want to go for, book your accommodation, plan your transportation.

Perhaps the most important part of planning a safari is working out how much you have to spend. This will then guide your choice of destination, the duration of your trip and the time of year you can afford to travel. 

As with any type of holiday, it is typically the case that the more you have to spend, the more comprehensive your choice of destinations and lodges to visit will be. Remember that many safaris will be on an ‘all-inclusive’ basis, which means that all of your food, drink, activities, accommodation and transfers will be included in the price you pay before you leave for your trip. 

So while the ‘per night’ cost of a safari may seem expensive, you won’t need to spend much while you’re there. Work out the total you have to spend and try to stick to it during the rest of the planning phase to stop you from spending too much.

As the budget is an entirely personal choice, we can’t tell you how much to spend, but we can guide you on how much you would expect to pay in certain destinations. Check out our dedicated guide to the cost of a safari for more information. 

Once you know how much you have to spend, the fun can really start! It’s time to choose where you would like to go. 

Each country in Africa has something unique to offer, from the different animal species you can expect to find, to the landscapes and culture present in the country too. Here are just a few reasons to visit our favourites:

• South Africa is a wonderful country to visit for first-time safari goers. There is a large choice of safari lodges and camps available to suit all budgets. There’s also a good variety of attractions and activities aside from safaris to keep everyone entertained. Kruger National Park and the private reserves bordering it offers opportunities to view all the Big 5 so it is well worth considering.
• Kenya is one of the original safari destinations, and the Masai Mara is well known for its population of big cats. Kenyan accommodation ranges from traditional tented camps to exquisite lodges. Guides are often employed from the local Maasai villages, so you know you’re in safe hands. The opportunity to see the cast of the Lion King here is rife.
• Botswana is widely considered one of the best places to go on safari in the world. The hospitality in Botswanan lodges is second to none, and viewing animals in the spectacular Okavango Delta is something everyone should do at least once in their lives. 

Remember, you’ll not only be choosing the country of your safari, but also the reserves and national parks that you want to travel to within it. 

Again, no two reserves will be the same even within the same country. For example, in Kenya, Amboseli National Park and its surrounding conservancies are wonderful areas to see huge populations of elephants and a view of Mount Kilimanjaro, but Kenya’s Masai Mara offers a completely different landscape and great chances to see the big cats. 

Make sure you read the individual country guides on Really Wildlife for more information on a wider set of countries and the national parks within them. 

Confused by the difference between National Parks and conservancies/private nature reserves? Read our guide on the pros and cons of each next! 

Can’t choose between South Africa vs. Botswana ? We’ve got it covered!

Now you know where you’re headed, deciding on the time of year for your holiday is another essential step in your safari planning. 

Every destination will have the following three seasons throughout the year, each offering pros and cons:

• Peak season – typically between June-October. The most popular time to visit a safari destination is known as the peak season. This is likely to be when the lodges and transfers are at their most expensive, the weather is at its most comfortable and the wildlife is in its prime. The Great Migration in Kenya and Tanzania is in the peak season, for example. Demand is likely to be particularly high during the school holidays, so you will need to book far in advance in order to guarantee your visit. 
• Off-peak season – typically December-April. Travelling off-peak can make a normally very expensive holiday reasonably priced. Though this season can come with its disadvantages. The weather may be poor, due to heavy rains in many countries during the African summer. As a result, some reserves and lodges close in order to allow the environment to regenerate and the lodge staff to rest. During the rains, drinking water for the wildlife is plentiful, which can mean the animals are harder to find. This is also true due to the plants and bushes, which grow lush and green during this season, giving the animals more places to shelter. 
• Shoulder season – typically May and November. The months immediately before and after the peak season are known as the ‘shoulder’. This is often the best time to go on safari as it is cheaper and quieter than the most popular times but still offers a good opportunity to see wildlife in good weather conditions. 

The best time of year for your safari may be completely different to someone else’s, so choose what is most important to you: budget, weather or busyness and base your decision on that.

The duration of your safari will likely be driven by your budget and annual leave quota, but it’s another important consideration during the planning phase. 

At Really Wildlife, we recommend a minimum of three nights in each lodge you want to stay in and a minimum of two different lodges per safari holiday. This will allow you to have at least two full days to fully enjoy the comfort and facilities at each lodge, as well as the environment and animals around it. Each additional lodge you stay at during your trip gives you the opportunity to experience a new area so it is well worth extending. 

Whether you opt for a safari holiday that’s six nights or sixteen nights, that’s another step of the planning process complete. 

Keeping your budget in mind, it’s now time to choose your accommodation. With so much choice, it may seem daunting, but it’s actually one of the most exciting parts of the whole safari planning process! 

When choosing your lodge, consider these factors to help you decide: 

• Accommodation style – Work out whether you want to stay in a more rustic tented camp or a luxurious permanent lodge. Are you happy sharing a bathroom, a drop toilet or a bucket shower? Would you prefer staying in a room with en-suite, plumbed-in showers and flush toilets? 
• Facilities – Other than your bedroom, what other facilities would you like to enjoy at the camp? A comfortable lounge with a reading area? A bar or dining room? A gift shop? Consider these additional facilities when choosing your accommodation. 
• Reviews – Customer reviews of accommodation are the closest things you can get to a personal recommendation. It always pays to look at Tripadvisor and Booking.com as well as tour operators like Go2Africa and Flight Centre as they’ll have real-life testimonials from previous guests that will help you make up your mind. 
• Game drives – Find out how game drives are conducted at the accommodation. Are they included? Do they use minibuses or specially modified jeeps? How many people are in each vehicle? If the answers suit your style and requirements, you’re in for a treat!
• Other activities – Some safari accommodation offers activities beyond standard morning and afternoon game drives. For example, do they also take you out for nature walks, bush breakfasts, night drives and sundowners? Or for something extra special, check whether your lodge can book you onto scenic flights, boat trips, hot air balloon rides and more. 
• Location – Decide whether you want to stay in a camp within a national park, a game reserve, or outside the gates. The closer you are to the animals, the more expensive the accommodation may be. 

Booking through a travel agent or tour operator like Go2Africa and Flight Centre offers better protection and can make things easier and safer, especially if you’re moving between lodges throughout your trip. But if you want to keep costs down, try a site like Booking.com to take advantage of their free cancellation and member discounts at individual camps.

Once you’ve decided where you’re staying, you’ll need to work out how you’ll get there, whether by air, road transfers or self-drive. 

As we mentioned above, book through a tour operator and they’ll be able to organise most of this for you. The beauty of this option is that if any part of your trip is disrupted, your money will be protected and there will be someone at the end of a phone line to reschedule your flights and transfers. 

But if you searched for this planning guide in order to do everything yourself, start with Skyscanner to find the best international and regional flights for your trip. Small airlines such as Airlink in South Africa, Mack Air in Botswana and Safarilink in Kenya offer the fastest, the most convenient and, often, the most scenic way to transfer from international airports to an airstrip closer to your accommodation. From there, most lodges or camps will send a driver to pick you up and transfer you to your lodge. 

Another option in most countries is a self-drive. As long as you have a driving license that’s recognised in your destination country, hiring a car and driving yourself from the airport can be a cheap and very private way to travel. That said, the distances in Africa can be very long, so any money you save by not flying may be spent on a hotel if you need a rest during the journey. 

If a road transfer appeals but you would rather not drive it yourself, find a shuttle like Ashtons in South Africa or East Africa Shuttles in Kenya to take the strain for you. They connect up international airports with safari gateway towns, from where your lodge can drive you the final few miles to your accommodation. Land transfers like these offer great value and allow you to admire the incredible scenery from your window. What’s not to love?

Once you have followed all the steps in this safari planning guide, all that’s left to do is relax and look forward to your incredible trip. The countdown is on! 

Anna is the founder of Really Wildlife. She's a 30-something lover of wildlife travel, vegetables and listening to the Lion King soundtrack on full blast.

• You are here:

What Makes Great Safari Guides and Why Are They Important?

Heather Richardson is an award-winning travel writer, based in South Africa. She is interested in conservation stories, emerging destinations and adventure travel.

The safari guide is arguably the most important part of the whole safari experience. Get a great guide and you’ll have an incredible time – regardless of the wildlife, the weather or the lodge. Here’s why they are so important.

1. Great Safari Guides Know the Facts

First things first: a great safari guide will fill your head with information. Especially if it’s your first safari , there’s so much to learn and a guide with an encyclopedic knowledge of the bush will be able to answer all your questions – from the obvious to the obscure. Not only this, but they’ll supply the information readily, without waiting for questions.

Crucially, a great guide will also be able to admit when they don’t know – and then find out the answer later; a thirst for knowledge is a big part of being an excellent safari guide.

Beyond the facts and figures, good guides are great storytellers and can bring their wealth of information to life; using real-life examples helps guests to retain knowledge and it’s exciting for them to know what kind of things they might witness for themselves.

African Safari Tours

2. great safari guides are able to relate to people.

A good guide will have the same skills as a great host or anyone in hospitality: they will be able to read their guests and adapt accordingly.

For example, if guests arrive exhausted after a long journey, a guide will know to not overwhelm them on their first drive, easing the guests into bush life instead. If guests are a little nervous, a guide or ranger should make them feel comfortable and safe, and likewise, if a guest has been on a hundred safaris before, a guide will be able to keep it exciting for them. The most important thing to this end? Communication. The best guides make sure they know what guests want out of their trip: whether they are desperate to see their first lions, fascinated by the smaller creatures, or keen birders.

One of the other perks of having a guide with a good read on people is reducing potential friction between guests. There’s no knowing who you will end up with in a safari vehicle or at a communal dining table – and sometimes personalities clash. Guides are there to quickly alleviate tension before it becomes awkward and, if necessary, subtly reduce the amount of contact guests have with each other.

3. Great Safari Guides Are Great at Making Conversation

It’s often up to a guide to keep conversation flowing – whether that’s during sundowners (unless of course it’s clear people are happy gazing off into the bush and enjoying the peacefulness) or at dinner. Knowing which topics to pursue is also something an experienced guide will be sensitive to, based on the personalities, ages, cultures, nationalities, etc. of the guests. If politics come up and it’s clear some guests are uncomfortable, it’s up to the guide to skillfully steer the conversation in a different direction.

4. Great Safari Guides Make Sure You Stay Safe

Of course, having a good guide or ranger is not only important for making guests feel safe. A great guide will genuinely keep guests safe by knowing how to interpret animal signals. This is particularly important when on foot, especially if you unexpectedly encounter a potentially aggressive animal, such as a black rhino or buffalo. As well as theoretical knowledge, experience is very important in these situations.

They’ll also know how to drive safely and responsibly, reducing the likelihood of getting stuck – though sometimes it’s unavoidable, even for the best drivers! When it does, at least they’ll know how to quickly fix the problem and not panic guests.

5. Great Safari Guides Make It Interesting Even in Cases of Wildlife No-shows

What happens when things just don’t work out? When you can’t find any of the big, iconic animals or when it pours with rain? That’s when a great safari guide really makes all the difference. They’ll switch tack and focus on the small things – how the trees let elephants know it’s time to stop browsing, inside the world of termites, birdlife, chameleons, dung beetles… Guides can keep the bush fascinating when the famous faces miss their cue.

6. Great Safari Guides Manage Expectations

Guides should know better than to tell guests what they might see or what was spotted that morning – there’s too much possibility of disappointment. Instead, a good safari guide will keep expectations reasonably low and promise nothing. That way, guests are thrilled with what they do find and not downcast when they don’t happen across a pack of wild dogs .

7. Great Safari Guides Know How to Keep Young Children Interested

Having young children on safari can be a challenge, but a good safari guide will know how to engage kids of any age – by finding out what interests them, asking questions and running the odd pop quiz on fun animal facts. If all else fails, guides know that kids of a certain age tend to love examining animal poop – and there’s plenty of that on safari!

About SafariBookings

SafariBookings is the largest online marketplace for African safari tours. Easily compare offers from top-rated tour operators. Make decisions like a pro by using our 103,338 reviews and 223 destination guides. More About Us

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7-Day The Big Five Safari in Tanzania

$2,363 pp (USD)

Tanzania: Private tour Lodge & Tented Camp

You Visit: Moshi (Start) , Arusha (City) , Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara NP, Moshi (End)

Serengeti Smile

5.0 /5  –  209 Reviews

5-Day Tsavo East, West and Amboseli Safari from Mombasa

$1,045 pp (USD)

Kenya: Private tour Lodge & Tented Camp

You Visit: Mombasa (Start) , Tsavo East NP, Amboseli NP, Tsavo West NP, Mombasa (End)

Africa Vacation Safaris

5.0 /5  –  28 Reviews

3-Day Safari in Serengeti and Ngorongoro - Midrange

Tanzania: Shared tour (max 6 people per vehicle) Tented Camp & Tented Bush Camp

You Visit: Arusha (Start) , Serengeti NP, Central Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha (End)

Kilipath African Safari

4.8 /5  –  42 Reviews

• Kenya safaris

Kenya safari guide – where & when to go, and what to see

Kenya safaris rock! Kenya is one of East Africa’s premier safari destinations, with massive open savannah regions hosting a huge breadth and depth of African wildlife. Over 10% of the country is protected in some form or other, and national parks in Kenya rate as some of the best in the world. A safari in Kenya almost guarantees you a sighting of the big five African animals of lion , buffalo , elephant , rhino , and leopard . Alongside these big-hitters are hundreds of other species of African animals, and some of the world’s most diverse bird-life.

Straddling the equator, Kenya is dominated by the Rift Valley – a huge range of valleys strung along a 5,000 km crack in the earth’s crust that runs through East Africa. Within the Rift Valley are Africa’s highest peaks – in Kenya these are the volcanoes of Mount Kenya and Mount Elgon. East of the Rift Valley are the coastal plains, whilst the north of Kenya is made up of arid wastelands. The prime Kenya safari destinations are the Central Highlands and areas within the Rift Valley. The south of the country hosts the great migration of plains animals and their predators each year between June and November. In short, Kenya safaris are up there with the very best in terms of wildlife and scenery.

Self-drive safaris are an option in many national parks in Kenya, though to enjoy full access to the most remote (and tourist-free) areas you’ll need a 4WD car or jeep. If you fancy taking a tour or arranging your own guide and/or driver have a look at our list of safari tour companies in Kenya before arrival in the country.

Alongside safaris and wildlife spotting, a visit to Kenya allows you to easily extend your safari with a visit to a resort on the Indian Ocean coast, or with activities such as trekking, hiking, sailing or diving .

Useful resources

• Book a Kenya Safari
• Kenyan Ministry of Tourism
• Kenya Wildlife Service

Kenya safari highlights

Experience maasai culture.

The Maasai are one of the few African tribes who have retained most of their traditions, lifestyle, and lore – along with their distinctive red robes. Many safari lodges and operators work with local Maasai on community projects. Experiencing some time in a Maasai village whilst in Kenya is a unique cultural experience that will help put your visit in context.

Big five spotting

Big five spotting in Kenya is high on most visitor’s safari checklist, and with Kenya’s superb network of national park gems seeing Africa’s biggest beasts up close and personal is a realistic goal. Destinations rich in lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo are clustered in the south of the country, particularly Amboseli, Masai Mara and East and West Tsavo (for the Tsavo lions !) national parks.

Watch the ‘Great Wildebeest Migration’

Indian ocean beach perfection

Best time to safari in Kenya

The peak tourist season in Kenya is January and February when the weather is consistently warm and dry, with wildlife easy to spot in large concentrations. If you take a Kenya safari in peak season expect to be in company with crowds of tourists, and paying top dollar for your safari. If you’re specifically after catching sight of the annual great migration, June to October is the time to head to the Masai Mara National Park in southern Kenya.

The long rains hit Kenya through March, April and May, and the short rains from October to December. During the short rains, it generally rains only for short periods at a time, meaning your wildlife viewing will not be too disrupted. This is the time you can get some great deals on safari tours, or safari lodges if you’re travelling independently.

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National parks in Kenya

With a stunning array of wildlife and more than 10% of the country given over to national parks and reserves, Kenya is undoubtedly one of the world’s best safari destinations. Whilst the world-famous Kenyan national parks such as Masai Mara and Amboseli National Parks can be uncomfortably heaving with tourists in January and February, Kenya has plenty of smaller, out of the way national parks that see only a trickle of visitors year-round. As such it’s well worth taking the time to consider whereabouts in Kenya to go on safari if you’re visiting during peak season.

Top Kenya national park picks

Masai mara national reserve.

 Situated in southwest Kenya, the Masai Mara is part of the northern section of the Serengeti National Park, and is generally recognised as one of the greatest wildlife reserves in Africa. The reserve is famous for the abundance of predators – particularly big cats – and the great wildebeest migration to feed these predators, as well as the Maasai people themselves.

• Lake Nakuru National Park

The stunning Lake Nakuru National Park is on the floor of the Great Rift Valley, surrounded by bushy grasslands and woods. There are 56 species of mammal in the park, but the star show are the thousands of flamingos, arriving in their millions some years.

• Amboseli National Park

Crowned by Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, Amboseli is one of Kenya’s most popular parks . The name ‘Amboseli’ comes from the Maasai language and means ‘salty dust’… perfect for the large herds of elephants that roam the park.

• Meru National Park

Meru National Park is a Kenyan park is located 350 km from Nairobi, featuring multiple landscapes including grasslands, swamp, jungle and rivers. It’s a birders paradise with over 427 recorded bird species, in addition to the big five .

All national parks in Kenya

Use the map below to locate all national parks in Kenya. Click the icons for more info.

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• Aberdare National Park
• Arabuk Sokoke National Park
• Hell’s Gate National Park
• Kakamega National Park
• Lake Bogaria National Park
• Malindi Watumu National Park
• Masai Mara National Park
• Mount Elgon National Park
• Mount Kenya National Park
• Nairobi National Park
• Saiwa Swamp National Park
• Shimba Hills National Park
• Tsavo National Park

Kenya safari resources

Kenya safari companies.

There are plenty of companies offering safari tours around Kenya. The focus is on the high end, but there are some companies that specialize in mid and budget safaris. Check out our reviews of safari tour companies in Kenya .

Kenya safari lodges

As a tourism-focussed country, Kenya has plenty of choice when it comes to safari accommodation. Lodge standards vary from rustic to modern, from the simple room to extreme luxury with en-suite private plunge pool. Search and book accommodation in Kenya .

For a trip to Kenya, travellers are required to apply for a visa. The easiest, most commonly used visa for going on a safari in Kenya, is the Kenya e-visa . It is valid for 90 days, and can even be extended once to 180 days once you arrive in Kenya. The visa can easily be applied for online and will save you the hassle of having to apply at an embassy or consulate.

Read safari guides to all countries

Botswana safaris , Namibia safaris , Rwanda safaris , South Africa safaris , Tanzania safaris , Uganda safaris , Zimbabwe safaris

Do you have any experience of planning or going on safari in Kenya?

We’d love to hear any feedback or tips you may have – please get in touch , or add to the comments below.

Top countries for safaris

• Botswana safaris
• Namibia safaris
• South Africa safaris
• Tanzania safaris
• Uganda safaris

Safari basics

• Safari animals
• How to find the right safari company
• When to go on safari
• What to take on safari
• Safari clothing – what to wear
• Safari rules & etiquette
• Wildlife spotting tips

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Africa’s best game reserves

• Chobe National Park, Botswana
• Etosha National Park, Namibia
• Kruger National Park, South Africa
• Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
• Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
• Okavango Delta, Botswana
• Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

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• The Safari Hotels of South Africa

South Africa’s parks and private game reserves are not only filled with the country’s “Big Five” wild animals, they also boast some of the world’s most respected and remarkable safari hotels.

Hotels Travel Africa Safari

The hotels below are part of the MICHELIN Guide hotel selection . Each of the 5,000+ hotels in the selection has been chosen by our experts for its extraordinary style, service, and personality — and each can be booked on the MICHELIN Guide website and app.

The safari as we know it today was developed in Africa throughout the 1900s. But it was only toward the end of the century, on the land in and around South Africa’s famed Kruger National Park, that the modern luxury safari began to take shape. That area, along with other game reserves in the country, are a haven for Africa’s Big Five — elephant, lion, rhino, leopard, buffalo — and a breeding ground for the types of hotels we like to see protected and cherished nearly as much as those amazing animals: unique, purpose-built, slightly indulgent accommodations that exist best in the place they were born. On a safari, you get up close and personal with exotic wildlife. How much you’d like to maintain that intimacy back at your safari hotel is entirely up to you. Intrepid travelers might relish being roused in the middle of the night by a rustling of leaves and scraping of canvas as an unknown creature saunters by. Others might opt for taking a few steps back from all that realness, preferring to slumber a little higher off the ground. You know what we’re going to say next: the MICHELIN Guide has options to meet either taste.

Esiweni Luxury Safari Lodge

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Shamwari Bayethe

Kwandwe Ecca Lodge

Lion Sands River Lodge

Honeyguide Tented Safari Camps

Makalali River Lodge

Royal Malewane

Kruger Shalati - the Train on the Bridge

Top image: Kwandwe Ecca Lodge — Grahamstown, South Africa

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How To Spend 3 Days In Masai Mara, The Safari Park From The Lion King

This Kenyan national park is one of the best places in the world to see lions, leopards, and cheetahs in the wild.

When it comes to planning an African safari , TikTok can agree on one thing: Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya needs to be on your itinerary.

“The Land of the Big Cats” has a reputation as one of the best places on the continent to see lions, leopards, and cheetahs in the wild; it was one of the main filming locations of the live-action Lion King movie .

Masai Mara’s location in the Great Rift Valley gives it a leg up on wildlife diversity compared to other reserves. Its 580 miles of lush savannah is home to almost 90 different mammal species, and safari-goers have a good chance of spotting all of the African “Big Five” — lions, leopards, elephants, African buffalo, and the elusive black rhinos — as well as members of the slightly lesser-known (but equally ‘Gram-worthy) so-called “Ugly Five,” hyenas and warthogs included. If you visit in late summer, you might even see the Great Migration of over 2 million wildebeests, zebras, and other herbivores crossing the Mara River from the neighboring Serengeti Desert.

This February, I spent 10 days visiting Kenya’s national parks and game reserves on an itinerary curated by EF Ultimate Break , a Gen Z and millennial tour company. After a week of bush glamping in sparsely vegetated and dusty parks throughout Kenya, Masai Mara was comparatively lush, and my safari Jeep was constantly stumbling upon families of elephants, giraffes, and lions.

If you’re heading to Kenya on safari soon or scrolling TikTok for future inspiration , here’s what’s worth doing at Masai Mara and how to spend three days at the reserve.

What To Do At Masai Mara

Day 1: hang out with baby elephants & meet the maasai tribe.

After a 20-plus-hour journey from Chicago, I stretched my legs at one of Nairobi’s most popular attractions. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Orphans Project houses baby elephants and rhinos who are currently unable to survive in the wild for whatever reason, and it’s just as cute as you’d expect. There was a collective “aw” as the tiniest baby black rhino stumbled out to meet the crowd, and we got introduced to all the baby elephants as they clumsily ran to the keepers for their bottles of milk.

The experience was more crowded and touristy than I expected, but I enjoyed learning the story behind each baby animal, seeing their personalities, and petting them. You’re also able to sponsor one of the baby elephants or rhinos until they’re ready to go back into the wild.

After hanging out with the animals, get into your safari Jeep to drive the five hours to Masai Mara. I stayed at PrideInn Mara Camp, which had glamping tents and cottages just steps from the park and Lake Talek, but there are plenty of accommodations around Masai Mara’s perimeter (including regular hotels like a JW Marriott Masai Mara if sleeping in a tent without air conditioning isn’t your vibe).

The best part of the PrideInn Mara Camp (and others in the area) is the presence of the Maasai tribe , which welcomed us with a traditional song and dance. There were also a number of warriors who worked in the hotel and who would walk us to and from our rooms if it was late at night.

Day 2: Take A Hot Air Balloon & A Drive

The park is huge, so soaring over the savannah to see the landscape and animals from above is an efficient and bucket list-worthy way to start off your safari experience.

We had to wake up at 4 a.m. to head over to the hot air balloon launch site, but I quickly stopped complaining about the early call time when we were in the balloon and the sun was rising over Masai Mara.

We got to take in bird's eye views of the Mara River (including a rare sighting of an adorable baby hippo that was splashing through it), check out a family of grazing giraffes from above, and get eye-level with the vultures in the trees. Afterward, we enjoyed an English-style brunch with unlimited mimosas in the middle of the bush, then headed back to the camp to nap it all off.

In the early afternoon, we headed on our second safari and stayed until twilight. After spending almost two weeks in Kenya, I realized it’s 100% worth doing two safari drives a day — one in the morning as the sun rises and one at dusk right before the predators are about to start hunting — to get the fullest picture of how the animals act in their natural habitat.

Depending on the time of day, you’ll also see different personalities from the lions. When I went in the morning, the lions weren’t the apex predators I’d anticipated. Instead, the pride was almost playful, with a young male lion with a dandelion mane nuzzling his father and the female lions, and cuddling with them in the sun. The only hint of their agility and quick reflexes were shown in how they quickly flipped from side to side and how alert they seemed at all times, with their heads suddenly popping above the grass when they’d been lazily napping in the sun just moments earlier.

Another day, as the sun went down, I saw a group of lionesses who’d been napping and were barely camouflaged in the long grass start to oh-so-casually make their move. They inched toward a grazing herd of wildebeests, their eyes locked on their next meal. I wouldn’t have experienced these different personalities if I hadn’t seen both in action.

Day 3: Go On A Morning Game Drive & Visit The Maasai Tribe

After going on a sunrise game drive, take an afternoon tour of the Maasai tribe’s village. Dressed in signature bright red robes, the warriors greeted us at the entrance of their village. They taught us some of their chants and performed a 10-minute celebratory song and dance that we were encouraged to take part in, which included mimicking the roaring of lions, shaking our shoulders, and competing to see who could jump the highest.

Then, they sectioned us off into groups to tour the family huts and learn about their pastoral lifestyle. Many of the Maasai people have gone into tourism and are employed by hotels and other hospitality businesses in the area, but they’re one of the few tribes where many members still practice their traditional way of life.

After the tour, we got to shop the tribe’s gorgeous beadwork, carved wooden products, and other souvenirs. I picked up a blue bracelet, a beaded choker, and some wooden coasters painted with safari animals to bring back home with me.

Ultimately, I came back to Chicago feeling relaxed, inspired, and fully ready to take advantage of my apartment’s air conditioning. I gained a deep appreciation for my proximity to wildlife during my bush glamping adventure (yes, even for the crickets and lizards in my tent).

Going on safari was life-changing for so many reasons. I was awestruck by seeing a 3-day-old hippo hanging out with his mom, and a pack of elephants racing across the savannah. I was surprised that the lions and giraffes seemed to barely take notice of our Jeep.

The safari also taught me a lesson in patience. Unlike in a zoo, you’re not able to control when or where you’ll see cheetahs, hippos, or prides of lions — which ends up making it so much more fulfilling when you do.

It’s not a question of if, but when, I’ll go back to Masai Mara on safari. And who knows — maybe this time I’ll spend more than a few days exploring Kenya’s most famous game reserve.

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How Apple made Safari about 60% faster in the last 6 months

A month ago, we told you about the release of Speedometer 3.0 , a new web performance testing benchmark that aims to provide a more fair and representative measure of how a web browser performs at modern web tasks. Unlike earlier versions of Speedometer, which were made more or less by Apple’s WebKit team, version 3.0 is made in a collaboration between Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla with a new governance model to agree upon what tests are important representations of the modern web.

In other words, it’s probably the most “fair” and up-to-date measurement of web browser performance we have right now.

WebKit is the rendering engine used by Safari and provided to Apple developers who wish to use web rendering within their apps. It’s required to be used by every browser on iOS or iPadOS except for those inside the EU. Apple’s WebKit development team published a blog post detailing how they used Speedometer 3.0 as a guide to optimize performance from Safari 17 (released in September 2023) and Safari 17.4 (released in March 2024).

Over those six months, a lot of small incremental improvements made a big difference. As the blog post summarizes:

With all these optimizations and dozens more, we were able to improve the overall Speedometer 3.0 score by ~60% between Safari 17.0 and Safari 17.4. Even though individual progressions were often less than 1%, over time, they all stacked up together to make a big difference. Because some of these optimizations also benefited Speedometer 2.1, Safari 17.4 is also ~13% faster than Safari 17.0 on Speedometer 2.1.  WebKit blog post

Some of those improvements include things like batching compositing layer updates, increasing cache size on macOS, improving inline and SVG layout, and more. Many of these improvements are minor, resulting in just a few percentage points here or there, or targeting very specific parts of web performance. But multiple small improvements compounding over time made for a much faster browser.

This doesn’t mean Safari is much faster than other Mac browsers, though. When we tested Speedomenter 3.0 last month , we were running Safari 17.4 and found it to be the fastest browser but only by a very small margin. Edge still had some catching up to do, but Chrome and Firefox are both just behind Safari’s Speedometer score.

Author: Jason Cross , Senior Editor

I have written about technology for my entire professional life - over 25 years. I enjoy learning about how complicated technology works and explaining it in a way anyone can understand.

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Animals Around the Globe

Your Complete Guide to Tiger Safari

Posted: November 22, 2023 | Last updated: November 22, 2023

Get to know the Tigers

Do you like Big Cats?  Have a look at the best places to see Lynx .

Because humans hunt it and destroy its habitat, which once stretched from the Caspian Sea to the Pacific Ocean.

Tiger habitats are pretty diverse and can be found in more places than you’d think! They live in Siberia’s dense forests and roam Malaysia’s jungles. But things are not going well for these elegant cats of prey. Although the tiger has no natural enemies, it is threatened with extinction. 

Photo by and (C)2007 Derek Ramsey.

Tiger Endangerment

The IUCN red list puts the Tiger status to endangered : 

Poachers are also a great danger. They hunt the tigers because they can sell the big cats’ body parts well. Because claws, teeth, brain, and other parts are processed into medicine in traditional Chinese medicine and are in great demand. Hunting tigers as trophies have cost many animals their lives, especially in the last century.

The World Wide Fund For Nature ( WWF ) assumes that less than ten percent of the original habitat is left. The reasons are manifold. For example, mineral resources such as coal or oil are extracted in some regions. Deforestation of the rainforest is also a significant problem, as is the development of inaccessible areas by roads.

The South Chinese tiger is considered extinct in the accessible wilderness. According to the WWF species lexicon, experts assume that there are only a few isolated individuals, if at all. Therefore, the last hope of preserving the species lies in the few animals in Chinese zoos. The remaining five species now live in only 13 countries in Asia. Most of them are native to India, where it is estimated that there are about 1700 tigers.

A little more than a hundred years ago, there were still about 100,000 tigers living in large parts of Asia . There are still about 3900 animals; the Bali, Caspian, and Java tigers are extinct. Amazing animals for a Tiger Safari or Tour.

How Dangerous are Tigers?

Do you like Big Animals?  We collected ideas on the Best Places to see Hippos , Elephants , Giraffes , or Rhinos .

That is why wild animals respect them. But if a trainer, for example, stumbles and loses his position of power, it can become dangerous even for him. Also, to strange tigers, he would not dare to enter the cage. By the way, in the wilderness, animals only rarely attack humans. If, for example, a shark hurts a surfer, it is only because he mistakes him for a seal. You can see this because, unlike its usual prey, it does not eat it. 

Nevertheless, some people can go into a tiger or lion cage without being attacked, for example, tamers in the circus. They know their animals well and are something like the leader. 

For Tiger, a human being is a big animal. And when an animal is in its enclosure, the tiger wants to hunt it because he has an innate hunting instinct. 

Approximately 100 people die every year due to attacks by tigers. Probably, humans are often to blame for this themselves because they provoke the animals.

#1 Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India

• Khana National Park Tours
• Dizkvr Tours

Tiger Safari Operators: 

You might also like to read about Lion Walking Tours.

How to get there: Kanha National Park is situated in the south-eastern foothills of the Satpura Mountains almost 165 km southeast of Jabalpur.

Apart from the waiting times, which can amount up to 2 hours, this arrangement is for really interested rather a farce animal protection can not function so! However the park is worthwhile also independently of its tigers. One should let oneself in simply on the species-rich fauna. A tiger sighting is not everything!

Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh is one of India’s most famous national parks due to its size. However, because of this size, one does oneself hard to get the tigers hoped by every traveler also to face.  Unless one has nothing against the extremely questionable tiger show, where tigers are driven out of the undergrowth with the help of elephants, so hordes of Indian families wait noisily with the car until the elephant is ready to carry the customers up to the tiger. 

India offers one of the best Tiger spotting opportunities in the world, with over 50 Tier resorts called the "Tiger State". 

India is home to seventy percent of the world’s tiger population, with the Bengal tiger population at 2226 during last census in 2014. The state of Madhya Pradesh is India’s Tiger State; it is located a few hours south of Deli. 

#2 Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India

• Bandhavgarh National Park Tours
• Driver Tours India
• Nature Safari India

How to get there: Durminskoye Reserve is about two hours’ drive from Khabarovsk, in the South-Eastern part of Russia in Khabarovsk Krai. 

To make a difference today, raise awareness for these beautiful animals and join a Tiger Safari or Tour.

A white tiger was caught in this area in 1957, whose offspring can be seen in zoos and circuses worldwide. Other predator species in the area include leopard, striped hyena, sloth bear, wild dog, reed cat, golden jackal, spotted musang and Indian mongoose.

The best-known animal species in the park is the Bengal tiger, of which almost 50 animals lived in the park in 1997. The big cats are not shy and can be observed particularly well here.

Some of these swamps still exist. Salt forests dominate the rest. 

The hilly landscape is dominated by a plateau on which once stood the fort of the Maharajas. Nearby are grasslands rich in game, originating from swamps that were once created to protect the fort. 

The park is considered one of the most reliable places to observe wild tigers.

The Bandhavgarh National Park is a national park in Madhya Pradesh, India. It covers an area of about 480 square kilometers and is located about 300 km south of Khajuraho in the Vindhya Mountains. 

#3 Satpura Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India

• Satpura National Park Tours
• Pugdun Safaris

How to get there: The Satpura Tiger Reserve, also known as Satpura National Park, is located in the Indian district of Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh. 

This is a different kind of tiger sanctuary with so many differences in altitude and gorgeous greenery, reminiscent of Robert Frost’s beautiful forests. There is a lot of wildlife here. It is undoubtedly an underestimated but wonderful place worth visiting. The drive to the place itself through the mountains is amazingly scenic.

Even though the chances of tiger sightings in Satpura Tiger Reserve are not the highest, the park offers walking safaris, a unique way to experience wildlife. 

Saptura Tiger Reserve is a wonderful place in Madhya Pradesh. However, it is doubtful to see Tiger, because there are only 50 tigers on 1200 sq kms National Park. 

#5 Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand, India

• Corbett Tiger National Park Tours
• Corbett Tiger Reserve Tours

How to get there: Durminskoye Reserve is about two hours drive from Khabarovsk, in the South-Eastern part of Russia in Khabarovsk Krai. 

The main form of vegetation is the saline forests, at higher altitudes there are also some pine stands. In the lowlands there are riverine forests, whose stands are interrupted by grasslands called “chaurs” by the locals. It is only open from November to June.

The largest river in the park is the Ramganga, which flows into a large lake at the western border of the reserve. The landscape is characterized by broad valleys and hills. A chain of hills runs east-west in the middle of the area. 

It was initially called Hailey National Park, but in 1957 it was renamed Corbett National Park after it was temporarily called Ramganga National Park from 1952. Corbett National Park covers almost 521 square kilometres. Together with the adjacent Sonanadi Conservation Area it forms the Corbett Tiger Reserve, established in 1973 as part of Project Tiger.

Corbett National Park is in the Indian state of Uttarakhand at the foot of the Himalayas. It is named after the British hunter and conservationist Jim Corbett, who was instrumental in establishing the first national park in India near Nainital in 1936. Interesting for Tiger Safari or Tour.

#6 Sundarbans-Nationalpark and Tiger Reserve, West Bengal, India

• Sunderbans National Park Tours
• Sunderbans-Park Tour

How to get there: The park is located in the Sundarbans in the Ganges Delta and borders the Sundarban Reserve Forest in Bangladesh.

Also, look at our India Big 5 Article to explore Indian Wildlife.

Among the mammals , the Bengal Tiger is also the absolute highlight in Sundarbans National Park. At present, there are estimated between 350 and 400 wild Bengal Tigers in the Sundarbans. This is the largest remaining tiger population worldwide!

The name comes from Bengali and means “beautiful forest”. The Sundarbans cover an area of 10,000 square kilometers in the delta of the largest rivers in South Asia, the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna. The Indian state of West Bengal shares the mangrove area with Bangladesh.

The Sundarbans are the most extensive mangrove forests in the world and the only ones where Bengal tigers live at the same time, they have been a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site since 1987. 

West Bengal is home to one of the world’s largest tiger populations, with over 350 tigers in a 140,000-hectare mangrove forest close to the Bangladesh border. It is a world heritage site, and visitors can take boat safaris. A very famous place for Tiger Safari or Tours.

#7 Chitwan National Park, Chitwan, Nepal

• Chitwan Jungle Tours
• Chitwan Jungle Safari 

How to get there: The Chitwan National Park is located southwest of Kathmandu in the Terai. 

The Chitwan National Park is the best known in the country. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the first national park in Nepal . Dusk jeep safari is very popular, mainly in the morning and evening. The more relaxed parts of the day offer the best chance to see a Tiger. 

Due to increased conservation efforts, Nepal's Bengal Tiger population doubled in the last decade, with more than 235 individuals in the five national parks. 

#9 The Sundarbans, Bangladesh

• Bengal Tours (three-day)
• Guide Tours (three-day)
• Responsible Travel (eight-day safari) 

Tiger Safari Operators:

How to get there: The sundarbans national park is located in the south west of bangladesh, around 6 hours drive from Dhaka. 

You can also see saltwater crocodiles, wild boar, languages and many birds.

However, Tiger sightings in Bangladesh are rare , compared to other countries.  Another interesting place for Tiger Safaris or Tiger Tours. Operators offer Boat tours from the city of Khulna in the southwest. Bed and Breakfast on the leading boat, track tigers on smaller boats or en foot (with armed security personal)

It’s the home of more than 1120 Bengal tigers. 

Welcome to the world’s largest mangrove forest, starting in India and going through Bangladesh. 

#10 Durminskoye Reserve, Chabarowsk Region Russia

• Russia Tiger Tracking
• Visit Russia

Tourist tiger safaris are organized like science tours, tracking pug marks on snowmobiles and on food, setting camera traps reviewing footage. What else is there? You can see wolves, lynxes, badgers, foxes, and raptors. In the summer even Asian black bears

However, with only around 540 individuals left in the wild, the chance to see one is slight. Most of the Tiger Safari tours are based in Durminskoye Reserve, it is a 50.000-acre wildlife sanctuary a three hours drive from Khabarovsk in southeast Russia. It is the last prime habitat for Siberian tigers.

In the 1940s, they were hunted to the brink of extinction and only saved due to the new protection grant of tigers in Russia in 1965. 

The majestic Siberian Tiger, mainly found in eastern Russia or northern China, is our planet’s largest tiger species and cat. It is sadly also the most endangered .  

#12 Kerinci Seblat National Park, Sumatra, Indonesia

• Wild Sumatra
• Trijaya Travel

How to get there: The main entrance and the national park office are in Sungai Penuh. There you can get a visit permit and find hiking guides. Alternatively, accommodations in the Kerinci Seblat National Park’s surroundings often help their guests get a visit permit and reliable hiking guides. Look for a Tiger Safari or Tour.

There are also about 200 bird species. Among the more than 4000 plant species that grow in Kerinci Seblat National Park are the giant reflower, the titan’s root, various orchids and the edelweiss.

Numerous rare or even endangered species, such as the Sumatran tiger, the clouded leopard, the tree leopard, the Sumatran rhinoceros, the Malay bear, and the Malayan tapir, is at home in Kerinci Seblat National Park. 

Various species accordingly characterize the fauna and flora of the Kerinci Seblat National Park. 

However, the National Park offers another Sighting, the Sumatran Tiger . Around 200 Tigers roam in the wild, using Tourists as one factor to save their habitat and survival. 

The Kerinci Seblat National Park is twice the size of the famous Bali Island, which is well known for its tourists. 

Tigers in Zoos and National Parks

The consequences for the animals are fatal: Massive damage to their health, severe behavioral disorders, and increased mortality.  This Tiger Safari or Tour guide should highlight only sustainable places to go.

• Perform feats for which they are often trained by force,
• Have to change venues 50 times a year on average,
• Spend most of their time in small cages, inadequate enclosures, or in the transport wagon,
• That essential species-specific behavior such as social contacts or movement are considerably restricted or made completely impossible,
• that they have little variety or occupation,
• that they are often not fed and cared for appropriately,
• That veterinary control or care is often inadequate because there are only a few specialized veterinarians for wild animals nationwide or the circus cannot or will not afford the treatment financially,
• that in many cases the circus operators lack the necessary expertise,
• that there is no fixed winter quarters during the play-free period. Only about every tenth company can call a winter accommodation its own.

Nevertheless, animals of wild species can still be seen in many circus operations that travel around the world: Tigers, lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, sea lions or monkeys – the range of animal species carried along is extensive. Wild animals suffer in the circus. They suffer massively, because:

Wild animals make exceptionally high demands on their keeping and accommodation. In a circus enterprise, responsible keeping wild animals is generally impossible.

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iOS 18 May Feature All-New 'Safari Browsing Assistant'

iOS 18 will apparently feature a new Safari browsing assistant, according to backend code on Apple's servers discovered by Nicolás Álvarez . MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris confirmed that the code exists, but not many details are known at this time.

Update: Álvarez has since said that iCloud Private Relay might not be related to this feature.

A browsing assistant in Safari could be one of the many new generative AI features that are rumored to be coming to the iPhone with iOS 18 later this year. There are already multiple iPhone web browsers with AI tools, such as Microsoft Edge with a GPT-4-powered Copilot and Arc Search , which can summarize web pages to provide concise information.

Álvarez also uncovered a so-called "Encrypted Visual Search" feature in the backend code on Apple's servers, but no specific details are known. MacRumors contributor Steve Moser last year discovered a new Visual Search feature for Apple's Vision Pro headset in visionOS beta code, which would allow users to copy and paste printed text from the real world into apps and more, but the feature has yet to launch. It is possible that Apple is planning to debut a more secure version of the feature. However, the code could also relate to the iPhone's existing Visual Look Up feature that can identify objects in photos and videos.

Apple is set to unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10 , so we should learn more about these potential new features in a few more months.

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Safari User Guide

• Change your homepage
• Import bookmarks, history, and passwords
• Make Safari your default web browser
• Go to websites
• Find what you’re looking for
• Bookmark webpages that you want to revisit
• See your favorite websites
• Use tabs for webpages
• Pin frequently visited websites
• Play web videos
• Mute audio in tabs
• Pay with Apple Pay
• Autofill credit card info
• Autofill contact info
• Keep a Reading List
• Hide ads when reading articles
• Translate a webpage
• Download items from the web
• Share or post webpages
• Add passes to Wallet
• Save part or all of a webpage
• Print or create a PDF of a webpage
• Customize a start page
• Customize the Safari window
• Customize settings per website
• Zoom in on webpages
• Get extensions
• Manage cookies and website data
• Block pop-ups
• Clear your browsing history
• Browse privately
• Autofill user name and password info
• Prevent cross-site tracking
• View a Privacy Report
• Change Safari preferences
• Keyboard and other shortcuts
• Troubleshooting

Manage cookies and website data in Safari on Mac

You can change options in Safari preferences so that Safari always accepts or always blocks cookies and website data .

Open Safari for me

Prevent trackers from using cookies and website data to track you: Select “Prevent cross-site tracking.”

Cookies and website data are deleted unless you visit and interact with the trackers’ websites.

Always block cookies: Select “Block all cookies.”

Websites, third parties, and advertisers can’t store cookies and other data on your Mac. This may prevent some websites from working properly.

Always allow cookies: Deselect “Block all cookies.”

Websites, third parties, and advertisers can store cookies and other data on your Mac.

Remove stored cookies and data: Click Manage Website Data, select one or more websites, then click Remove or Remove All.

Removing the data may reduce tracking, but may also log you out of websites or change website behavior.

See which websites store cookies or data: Click Manage Website Data.

Note: Changing your cookie preferences or removing cookies and website data in Safari may change or remove them in other apps.