SafariBookings

What SafariBookings does

SafariBookings is a privately held online marketplace, founded in 2010 and headquartered in 's-hertogenbosch, Netherlands, that aggregates African safari tour offerings from a fragmented supply base into a single comparison and booking platform. The core product is a self-serve web marketplace that lists 18,916 tour packages from 3,046 tour operators across 18 African countries and 227 parks and reserves, with filtering by destination, dates, group composition, comfort level, and price. Supporting assets include a verified review system (167,852 user reviews and 1,357 expert reviews), a 24-member Africa expert panel comprising guidebook authors for Lonely Planet, Bradt, and Rough Guides, and a content library of 245+ destination guides and blog articles.

The underlying platform is a standard two-sided marketplace architecture: tour operators list inventory and pay listing and/or transaction-based fees, while travelers browse, compare, and book directly. Pricing on the platform spans a wide range — from approximately $530 per person for budget camping and self-drive tours to over $12,000 per person for ultra-luxury combo safaris — and is presented on a pay-as-you-go basis. Marketing is content-led, with SEO, expert-authored editorial, and earned media in outlets such as The Times London, CNN Travel, and Los Angeles Times driving top-of-funnel discovery.

The business model is a hybrid of marketplace listing fees and transaction-based take rates, monetizing both sides of the network. The customer base on the demand side consists of individual travelers across all comfort tiers; the supply side consists of African tour operators using SafariBookings as an international distribution channel. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees, consistent with a lean content-and-product-led operator that has scaled primarily through organic content investment rather than heavy paid acquisition. No external funding rounds beyond a single 2017 event (amount undisclosed) appear in the data, suggesting self-funded or lightly capitalized growth.

Name

SafariBookings

Website

https://safaribookings.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SafariBookings is an online marketplace connecting individual travelers with African safari tour operators, enabling comparison and booking of 18,916 tour packages across 18 countries and 227 parks, supported by 167,852 user reviews and a 24-member expert panel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Travel Marketplace

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Travel Agencies (561510)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Safari & Wildlife Travel Agencies (THAKAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife Safaris & Game Drives (THAJAIAB), Safari & Overland Wildlife Adventures (4x4/Jeep) (THAJABAD), Safari & Wildlife Adventure Tour Operators (Land-Based) (THAAADAD), Wildlife & Safari Tour Operators (THAKADAG)

Keywords

• Online travel marketplace
• African safari tours
• Tour operator listings
• Safari booking platform
• Travel comparison website

Headquarters

HQ city

's-hertogenbosch

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Tour Operator Listing Fees: SafariBookings charges tour operators a fee to list their tours on the platform, earning revenue when customers browse and book through the marketplace.
2. Transaction-based Take Rate: Revenue generated through transaction fees when bookings are made through the platform, taking a percentage of each tour booking completed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SafariBookings operates an online marketplace that aggregates 18,916 African safari tour packages from 3,046 tour operators across 18 African countries and 227 parks and reserves. Travelers can search, filter, compare, and book safari tours directly through the self-serve platform, supported by 167,852 user reviews, 1,357 expert reviews, and destination guides authored by a panel of 24 Africa travel experts. The company generates revenue from tour operator listing fees and transaction-based commissions when bookings are made through the marketplace.

Product overview

SafariBookings operates as a marketplace platform connecting travelers with African safari tour operators. The core offering consists of the SafariBookings Marketplace Platform enabling comparison of 18,916 safari tour packages across 18 African countries. The platform aggregates tours from 3,046 operators into categories including luxury all-inclusive safaris, self-drive tours, walking safaris, canoe/mokoro safaris, and birding tours. Supporting features include a tour operator directory, a reviews system with 167,852 user reviews and 1,357 expert reviews from 24 Africa travel experts, and a content platform with destination guides and blog articles. The platform covers 227 parks and reserves across safari destinations including Tanzania, Kenya, Botswana, South Africa, Uganda, Namibia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SafariBookings Marketplace Platform The core online marketplace platform for African safari tours, enabling travelers to compare 18,916 tour packages offered by 3,046 tour operators across 18 African countries and 227 parks and reserves. Includes search, filtering, comparison, reviews, and direct booking.
• Canoe Safaris Specialized canoe and kayak safari tours including mokoro rides in the Okavango Delta, Zambezi River canoe trips, and walking safari combinations, listed on the SafariBookings marketplace.
• Self-Drive Safaris Self-drive safari tours allowing travelers to explore Africa at their own pace with vehicle rentals and pre-booked accommodations.
• Birding Tours Specialized bird-watching safari tours led by expert birding guides, focusing on destinations with checklists of over 500 bird species such as Serengeti, Kruger, and Queen Elizabeth National Parks.
• Walking Safaris Walking safari experiences ranging from short bushwalks (1-2 hours) to multiday camping treks through African wilderness with expert guides.
• All-Inclusive Luxury Safaris Premium all-inclusive safari packages featuring luxury accommodations, lodge and tented camp options, and comprehensive safari experiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• 167,852 verified user reviews and 1,357 expert reviews help travelers make informed booking decisions
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wildland Adventures: Boutique safari and adventure tour operator specializing in small-group African wildlife trips. Comparable focus on curated nature/wildlife itineraries and expert-led travel.
• Safari365: Online safari marketplace aggregating tours from multiple African operators. Direct marketplace competitor with overlapping inventory, target customers, and operator relationships.
• Go2Africa: Africa safari specialist offering tailor-made trips across multiple African countries with an operator network. Closely comparable business model combining curated tour offerings, operator partnerships, and destination expertise.
• Audley Travel: Specialist tailor-made tour operator with strong Africa safari offering and country specialists. Comparable as a high-touch safari specialist selling curated, multi-day itineraries to international travelers.
• Expert Africa: UK-based specialist tour operator and trip planner focused exclusively on African safaris. Directly comparable as a safari-specialist brand with curated itineraries, destination expertise, and a similar high-touch traveler base.

Emerging players

• TourRadar: Online marketplace for multi-day guided tours across many destinations, including Africa. Comparable marketplace aggregation model for tour packages with operator reviews, but broader geography than SafariBookings' Africa-only focus.

Broad incumbents

• Tripadvisor: Global travel review and booking platform with extensive safari listings. Comparable reviews-and-booking flywheel, but operates across all travel categories with safari as a subsegment.
• Booking.com: World's largest OTA with a growing experiences and tours vertical that includes safaris. Comparable as a transactional booking marketplace, though it offers safaris as part of a much broader travel portfolio.

Others

• Lonely Planet: Iconic travel guide publisher whose guidebook authors overlap with SafariBookings' expert panel. Comparable in destination content authority and SEO-driven traveler acquisition, but monetizes via content/products rather than bookings.
• Travel Africa Magazine: Leading dedicated Africa travel publication that has featured SafariBookings. Comparable audience of Africa-bound travelers and content authority, but monetizes through editorial and advertising rather than tour bookings.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/safaribookings
• Facebookfacebook.com/SafariBookings
• Instagraminstagram.com/safaribookings
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/safaribookings

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SafariBookings