SafariNow
SafariNow is a Cape Town-based online accommodation marketplace founded in 1999, operating as the largest locally-focused booking platform for South Africa and East Africa. It serves consumer travelers with hotels, vacation rentals, and places to stay, and functions as the accommodation inventory and technology layer within TravelLab Group.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersCape Town, South Africa
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What SafariNow does
SafariNow is a Cape Town-headquartered online accommodation marketplace, founded in 1999 and positioned as the largest locally-focused booking site for South Africa and East Africa. The platform lists vacation rentals, hotels, and other places to stay across South African destinations (Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, the Garden Route, Kruger National Park, and others) and an expanding set of international cities including London, Dubai, and Bangkok. Its core product is a two-sided marketplace that aggregates property supply and surfaces it to consumer travelers searching by destination and stay type.
The platform is embedded within TravelLab Group, a diversified travel conglomerate whose portfolio also includes Travelstart, Club Travel, NightsBridge, Hepstar, Flightsite, Glyde Pay, and SkyLabX. Technical evidence indicates SafariNow operates the accommodation stack for the group: Travelstart's accommodation product surfaces SafariNow's inventory and routes assets through the SafariNow CDN (sncdn.com). This positions SafariNow as both a consumer-facing brand and a B2B inventory and technology layer for sibling travel brands.
The business model is consistent with a commission-driven accommodation marketplace: property suppliers list inventory, travelers search and book through the site, and SafariNow earns booking commissions and ancillary fees. The company holds 51–100 employees, is POPIA-compliant, and is led by founder-CEO Matthew Swart, CTO Matthew Evans, and director Tom Williams. No funding rounds, M&A activity, or financial disclosures are available in the source material.
SafariNow firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SafariNow
- Legal name
- SafariNow
- Website
- https://safarinow.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- SafariNow is a Cape Town-based online accommodation marketplace founded in 1999, operating as the largest locally-focused booking platform for South Africa and East Africa. It serves consumer travelers with hotels, vacation rentals, and places to stay, and functions as the accommodation inventory and technology layer within TravelLab Group.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SafariNow industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Travel Accommodation Booking
- NAICS
- Travel Agencies (561510), RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Recreational Camps (7212), Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214)
- SIC
- Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Safari & Wildlife Travel Agencies (THAKAFAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Wildlife Safaris & Game Drives (THAJAIAB), Safari Lodges (Big Five/Game Reserves) (THAGAIAA)
Keywords
Where SafariNow is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cape Town
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Markets served
SafariNow business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations
SafariNow product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SafariNow is an online accommodation booking platform that aggregates vacation rentals, hotels, and places to stay across South African destinations (Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Garden Route, Kruger National Park) and international cities (London, Dubai, Bangkok, etc.). It functions as part of the TravelLab Group ecosystem alongside Travelstart, Club Travel, and NightsBridge, allowing travellers to discover and reserve lodging inventory online.
Product overview
SafariNow operates as part of the TravelLab Group portfolio alongside sister brands including Travelstart, Club Travel, NightsBridge, Hepstar, Flightsite, Glyde Pay, and SkyLabX. It functions as an online accommodation booking platform offering vacation rentals and hotel bookings across local South African destinations (Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, West Coast, East London, Port Elizabeth, Garden Route, Kruger National Park) and international destinations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- SafariNow Accommodation Booking Platform Online accommodation booking platform that aggregates vacation rentals, hotels, and places to stay across South African destinations (Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, West Coast, East London, Port Elizabeth, Garden Route, Kruger National Park) and international destinations (London, Dubai, Amsterdam, Bangkok, Istanbul, Hong Kong, Namibia, Edinburgh, Mumbai), targeting individual consumer travellers.
Companies that use SafariNow
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
SafariNow technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
SafariNow partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- TravelLab GroupSafariNow is listed as part of the TravelLab Group portfolio of travel companies, alongside Travelstart, Club Travel, NightsBridge, Hepstar, Flightsite, Glyde Pay, and SkyLabX. The relationship indicates SafariNow operates within a broader travel technology ecosystem.
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
SafariNow competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Travelstart: Travelstart is the flagship brand of TravelLab Group and a direct sister to SafariNow. It sells flights, accommodation, cars, and holiday packages to the same South African customer base, and even surfaces SafariNow-style local accommodation inventory on its own site — making it the closest functional peer and direct internal competitor.
- NightsBridge: NightsBridge is a sister brand within TravelLab Group providing accommodation booking and property-management software to South African guesthouses and lodges. It overlaps with SafariNow on accommodation distribution and is highly comparable as a same-portfolio, same-geography accommodation-tech peer.
- LekkeSlaap: LekkeSlaap is a South African online accommodation booking platform focused on local vacation rentals, holiday homes, and guest houses. It targets the same domestic South African traveler with comparable self-catering and lodge inventory as SafariNow, making it a direct regional peer.
- Club Travel: Club Travel is a sister brand within TravelLab Group offering full-service travel agency services including accommodation, flights, and packages to South African consumers and corporate clients. Comparable customer base and overlapping accommodation supply make it a direct intra-group peer.
Broad incumbents
- Booking.com: Booking.com is a global OTA leader with extensive South African and East African hotel, lodge, and vacation rental inventory. It competes with SafariNow for the same international safari traveler audience but operates globally with materially larger marketing budgets and brand recognition.
- Airbnb: Airbnb is a global alternative-accommodation marketplace with growing presence in South Africa and East Africa, including safari-relevant regions like Kruger and Cape Town. It competes directly for SafariNow's vacation-rental demand with stronger global brand equity among inbound travelers.
- Expedia: Expedia is a global OTA with significant hotel and vacation rental inventory in South Africa and East Africa. It competes for SafariNow's international safari and city-stay demand at the higher end of the market with strong global brand and loyalty-program reach.
- Agoda: Agoda is a global OTA (owned by Booking Holdings) with strong presence across Asia and growing African inventory. It overlaps with SafariNow on international destination bookings and competes for outbound South African travelers with aggressive pricing.
- TripAdvisor: TripAdvisor operates a global travel meta-search and booking platform with extensive South African hotel, lodge, and attraction reviews. It competes indirectly with SafariNow for pre-booking discovery and conversion of safari and leisure travelers.
- Hotels.com: Hotels.com is a global hotel-booking platform (Expedia Group) with substantial South African and East African hotel inventory. It competes with SafariNow for both inbound international travelers and domestic South African bookers via its rewards program and global marketing scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
SafariNow social profiles
Digital presenceSafariNow compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
SafariNow financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SafariNow leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
SafariNow funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SafariNow M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SafariNow
What does SafariNow do?
SafariNow is an online accommodation booking platform that aggregates vacation rentals, hotels, and places to stay across South African destinations (Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Garden Route, Kruger National Park) and international cities (London, Dubai, Bangkok, etc.). It functions as part of the TravelLab Group ecosystem alongside Travelstart, Club Travel, and NightsBridge, allowing travellers to discover and reserve lodging inventory online.
Is SafariNow a public or private company?
SafariNow is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was SafariNow founded?
SafariNow was founded in 1999. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is SafariNow based?
SafariNow is headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, in the Africa region.
Who are SafariNow's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Travelstart, NightsBridge, LekkeSlaap and Club Travel. Broad incumbents are Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia, Agoda, TripAdvisor and Hotels.com.
Does SafariNow have an API?
No public API is recorded for SafariNow.
What industry is SafariNow in?
SafariNow's product category is Online Travel Accommodation Booking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKAFAG, Safari & Wildlife Travel Agencies, with a secondary code of THAJAIAB, Wildlife Safaris & Game Drives. Its NAICS code is 561510 and its SIC code is 7000.