Which Safari Companies Have Won the Most Awards? Credentials Index 2026
Go2Africa holds the most verifiable credentials of any luxury safari operator: B Corp certification, a 2024 Travel + Leisure World's Best ranking, three consecutive years of Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialists, and three World Travel Awards wins in 2024–25. Scott Dunn and Yellow Zebra follow on editor-curated lists. The most-awarded name in the category by its own count, Micato, publishes no years for its ten Travel + Leisure wins and is not in the 2025 top 15. This index does not reproduce any awarding body's list; it records what each operator verifiably holds, links to where it can be checked, and weights each credential by what it actually measures.
Credentials index · out of a possible 40 · verifiable holdings only
8 operators
| # | Operator | Score | What is behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Go2Africa Affiliate | 27 | B Corp · T+L World's Best 2024 (9th) · CNT Top Travel Specialists 2024, 2025, 2026 (21 named in 2026) · WTA Africa's Leading Luxury Tour Operator 2024 and 2025, South Africa's 2025 · SATSA, ATTA, Travelife |
| 2 | Scott Dunn | 19 | CNT Top Travel Specialists 13 consecutive years to 2026 · CNT Readers' Choice 2025 · Robb Report Travel Masters 2023 · British Travel Awards 2024 · ATOL, ABTOT, IATA |
| 3 | Yellow Zebra Safaris | 15 | CNT UK Top Travel Specialists 2025 and 2026, CNT US 2025 · WTA Europe's Leading Safari Tour Operator every year 2015–2025 (last three counted) |
| 4 | Micato Safaris | 10 | "Ten-time #1" T+L World's Best Safari Outfitter, years not published · CNT World Savers, five-time · Virtuoso Luminary Award 2024 · WTA World's Leading Luxury Safari Company 2025 nominee. Scored on what can be dated. |
| 4 | Extraordinary Journeys | 10 | CNT Top Travel Specialists 2026 · T+L A-List (year not published) · T+L World's Best 2026 (rank not published) |
| 6 | Abercrombie & Kent | 3 | WTA World's Leading Luxury Safari Company 2025 · WTA Africa's Leading Luxury Tour Operator 2025 nominee. Its own awards page returned no content on 7 Sep, so only the awarding body's record is scored. |
| 7 | Roar Africa | 1 | WTA Africa's Leading Luxury Tour Operator 2025 nominee. Press page lists media features (Forbes, T+L, Robb Report), which score zero here. |
| 7 | Ker & Downey Africa | 1 | WTA Africa's Leading Luxury Tour Operator 2025 nominee. No other dated credential found. |
Scored 7 September 2026 from the awarding bodies' own pages where reachable (World Travel Awards) and from each operator's published awards page where the awarding body's list is behind a paywall or unreachable (Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler). An award with no year is scored once; a claim that could not be traced is not scored. Go2Africa is an affiliate of this site; its score is on the published rubric and every holding is linked.
On this page
- What each award actually measures, and its weight
- Which safari specialists are on the Travel + Leisure A-List?
- Which Africa specialists does Condé Nast Traveler recommend for 2026?
- World Travel Awards 2025: safari winners and how the vote works
- Every credential, by operator, with its source
- Four award claims that did not survive checking
- Questions readers ask
What each award actually measures, and its weight
Safari awards fall into five kinds, and they are not equivalent: an audited certification, a reader survey with a published sample, an editor-curated list of individuals, an industry-and-consumer vote from a shortlist that includes paid entries, and a media feature. This index weights them in that order. The weight is the point of the page: "award-winning" on an operator's homepage can mean any of the five.
| Credential | Who decides | What it measures | Weight here |
|---|---|---|---|
| B Corp certification | B Lab, on an audited assessment of governance, workers, community and environment, renewed every three years | Verified company conduct; nothing about the safari itself | 5 |
| Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards | Readers: the 2025 survey drew nearly 180,000 respondents and 657,000 votes; tour operators and safari outfitters rated on staff and guides, itineraries, activities, accommodation, food and value | Satisfaction of a large self-selected readership; a ranked list with scores, so the position matters | 4 per listed year, last three years |
| Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialists · Travel + Leisure A-List | The magazines' editors, naming individual advisors, not companies, on submitted applications and editor judgement | That named people at the company are trusted by the editors; strong signal for a bespoke planner, none for a lodge | 3 per listed year, last three years |
| World Travel Awards | A vote by "qualified executives working within travel and tourism and the consumer travel buyer", industry votes double-weighted; the shortlist is the previous winner and runners-up plus "vetted and approved entries" | Industry standing and the capacity to mobilise a vote; the shortlist is partly self-entered | 2 per win, 1 per nomination, last three years |
| Virtuoso, Robb Report, Readers' Choice and trade awards | A network's members, a magazine's editors or a magazine's readers | Standing within one channel; useful, narrower | 2 per award, last three years |
| Consumer-protection and trade membership (ATOL, ABTOT, USTOA, SATSA, ATTA, Travelife) | The scheme, on bonding, licensing or audit | Whether your deposit is protected and the company is licensed; not quality | 1 each, maximum 3 |
| "As seen in" media features; pay-to-enter lifestyle awards | A journalist's interest, or a fee | Publicity | 0 |
Which safari specialists are on the Travel + Leisure A-List?
The A-List names individual advisors, not companies, and Travel + Leisure publishes it behind its own site, so the honest answer is: check the current list there for the advisor's name. Of the eight operators on this index, Extraordinary Journeys states that its advisors have been named, without giving the year; no other operator here claims an A-List advisor on its own site. The A-List is a different thing from the World's Best Awards, which rank companies by reader survey.
Two things a buyer should know before weighting an A-List mention. First, it attaches to a person: if the advisor named has left, the credential went with them, so ask who at the company holds it now. Second, it is an editorial selection from applications, which makes it a good signal of a bespoke planner's standing among peers and a poor one for a lodge company or a platform, which cannot hold it at all. For the companies whose staff are actually planning your trip (the specialists scored on the specialist vs direct page), it is worth the three points it gets here and no more.
Which Africa travel specialists does Condé Nast Traveler recommend for 2026?
Condé Nast Traveler's 2026 Top Travel Specialists list is on its own site and, like the A-List, names people. Among the eight operators here, Go2Africa reports 21 of its consultants named in 2026 (19 in 2024, 21 in 2025), Scott Dunn reports thirteen consecutive years of inclusion, Yellow Zebra reports 2025 and 2026 on the UK edition and 2025 on the US edition, and Extraordinary Journeys reports 2026. Micato, Abercrombie & Kent, Roar Africa and Ker & Downey Africa do not claim it on their own sites.
The count matters more than the mention. A company with 21 named specialists has editorial recognition spread across its planning desk; a company with one has a single person to ask for. The editors' list is refreshed annually, so a claim without a year is a claim about the past. Where the list itself could not be read from here, the year and count are taken from the operator's own awards page and linked in the holdings table below, and a reader can confirm them on Condé Nast Traveler's site in a minute.
World Travel Awards 2025: the safari winners, and how the vote works
In 2025 the World Travel Awards named Abercrombie & Kent World's Leading Luxury Safari Company, &Beyond Africa's Leading Luxury Safari Company, Go2Africa Africa's Leading Luxury Tour Operator, Safari.com Africa's Leading Safari Company, and Yellow Zebra Europe's Leading Safari Tour Operator for the eleventh year running. Winners are chosen by a vote of travel-industry executives and consumers, with industry votes counted double, from a shortlist made of the previous year's winner and runners-up plus vetted entries.
| 2025 category | Winner | Nominees |
|---|---|---|
| World's Leading Luxury Safari Company | Abercrombie & Kent | &Beyond, African Bush Camps, Giltedge, Micato Safaris, Wilderness |
| Africa's Leading Luxury Tour Operator | Go2Africa | Abercrombie & Kent, Giltedge, Ker & Downey Africa, Rhino Africa, Roar Africa, Safari.com |
| Europe's Leading Safari Tour Operator | Yellow Zebra Safaris | Absolute Africa, Africa Odyssey, Audley Travel, Bonamy Travel, Expert Africa, GoSafari, Imagine Travel, Mahlatini, Natural High, True Travel |
| Africa's Leading Luxury Safari Company | &Beyond | On the Africa winners page |
| Africa's Leading Safari Company | Safari.com | On the Africa winners page |
| Africa's Leading Luxury Safari Lodge | Chem Chem Lodge, Tanzania | On the Africa winners page |
A platform winning "Africa's Leading Safari Company" two years running says something real about its standing in the trade, and nothing about whether it is the right route for a luxury trip; that question is answered on safari booking platforms 2026. For readers comparing lodges rather than operators, Safari.com lists inventory with from-rates on one screen (affiliate link).
Every credential, by operator, with its source
| Operator | Certification | Reader survey | Editor-curated | Industry vote | Scheme / trade | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Go2Africa | B Corp (as part of the Nawiri Group) | T+L World's Best 2024, 9th, Tour Operators & Safari Outfitters; nominated 2026 | CNT Top Travel Specialists 2024 (19), 2025 (21), 2026 (21) | WTA Africa's Leading Luxury Tour Operator 2024, 2025; South Africa's Leading Luxury Tour Operator 2025 | SATSA, ATTA, Travelife | Go2Africa awards page; WTA pages above |
| Scott Dunn | None claimed | CNT Readers' Choice Awards 2025 | CNT Top Travel Specialists, 13 consecutive years to 2026; Robb Report Travel Masters 2023 | British Travel Awards 2024 (public vote) | ATOL, ABTOT, IATA | scottdunn.com |
| Yellow Zebra Safaris | None claimed | None claimed | CNT UK Top Travel Specialists 2025, 2026; CNT US 2025 | WTA Europe's Leading Safari Tour Operator 2015–2025 | Not stated on its awards page | Yellow Zebra awards page; WTA 2025 page above |
| Micato Safaris | None claimed | T+L World's Best Safari Outfitter #1, "ten-time", years not published; not in the 2025 top 15 | CNT World Savers Awards, five-time, years not published | WTA World's Leading Luxury Safari Company 2025 nominee; Virtuoso Luminary Award 2024 | Not stated | Micato awards page |
| Extraordinary Journeys | None claimed | T+L World's Best 2026, rank not published | CNT Top Travel Specialists 2026; T+L A-List, year not published | None found | Not stated | extraordinaryjourneys.com (awards page returns 410) |
| Abercrombie & Kent | Not verifiable | Not verifiable | Not verifiable | WTA World's Leading Luxury Safari Company 2025; Africa's Leading Luxury Tour Operator 2025 nominee | Not verifiable | WTA pages above; A&K's awards page returned no content on 7 Sep 2026 |
| Roar Africa | None claimed | None claimed | None claimed | WTA Africa's Leading Luxury Tour Operator 2025 nominee | Not stated | Roar Africa press page (media features only) |
| Ker & Downey Africa | None found | None found | None found | WTA Africa's Leading Luxury Tour Operator 2025 nominee | Not stated | WTA page above |
The most-credentialled desk, priced
If the editor lists and the certification are what decide it for you, Go2Africa holds the most of both on this index, and quotes lodges at their published rate with the fees itemised. It is an affiliate of this site; the score above is on the published rubric.
Ask Go2Africa for an itemised safari quote →Affiliate link. Commission is paid by the operator; the lodge rate is unchanged.
Four award claims that did not survive checking
| Claim | What the record shows | How it is scored here |
|---|---|---|
| Go2Africa: "In 2024, we won the Travel + Leisure World's Best Tour Operators and Safari Outfitters" (blog) | Its own awards page gives the same year as "Ranked 9th on World's Best Safari Outfitters List". Ninth on a ranked reader list is a genuine credential; "won" is Travel + Leisure's word for anyone listed. | As a 2024 listing, 4 points; the rank is stated. |
| Go2Africa's awards page lists "South Africa's Leading Luxury Tour Operator 2025" but not "Africa's Leading Luxury Tour Operator 2025" | The World Travel Awards' own 2025 category page names Go2Africa the Africa winner over A&K, Giltedge, Ker & Downey Africa, Rhino Africa, Roar Africa and Safari.com. The operator under-claims. | Both 2025 wins counted from the awarding body's record. |
| Micato: "Unprecedented ten-time winner of Travel + Leisure's #1 World's Best Safari Outfitter" | No years on the awards page. Micato is not among the fifteen operators in the 2025 World's Best Tour Operators and Safari Outfitters list; the safari specialists on it are Timbuktu (2nd) and Mahlatini (10th). | Once, undated, 4 points. Would score more if the years were published and recent. |
| Yellow Zebra: "Trustpilot rating 5/5 stars" | Trustpilot shows 4.9 from 1,710 reviews on 7 September 2026, which is a stronger claim than the rounded one. | Reviews are not credentials and score zero here; the evidence is on the review evidence index. |
For readers at the mid-market, credentials matter less than the per-trip record: BookAllSafaris shows reviews next to prices for each trip (affiliate link), which is the shape this page argues every award should take and none does.
Straight answers to the questions readers ask
Which safari companies have won the most awards?
By verifiable, dated credentials, Go2Africa: B Corp certification, a 2024 Travel + Leisure World's Best ranking (9th), Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialists in 2024, 2025 and 2026, and World Travel Awards wins as Africa's Leading Luxury Tour Operator in 2024 and 2025. Scott Dunn (13 years of CNT Top Travel Specialists) and Yellow Zebra (WTA Europe's Leading Safari Tour Operator 2015–2025) follow. Micato claims ten Travel + Leisure #1 awards but publishes no years.
Which safari specialists are on the Travel + Leisure A-List?
The A-List names individual advisors, not companies, and is published on Travel + Leisure's own site, so check the current year's list for the advisor's name. Of the eight operators on this index, only Extraordinary Journeys states on its site that its advisors have been named, without a year. The A-List is separate from the World's Best Awards, which rank companies by reader survey.
Which Africa travel specialists does Condé Nast Traveler recommend for 2026?
Condé Nast Traveler's 2026 Top Travel Specialists list names people, on its own site. Among the operators here, Go2Africa reports 21 consultants named in 2026, Scott Dunn reports its thirteenth consecutive year, Yellow Zebra reports the UK edition for 2025 and 2026 and the US edition for 2025, and Extraordinary Journeys reports 2026. Micato, Abercrombie & Kent, Roar Africa and Ker & Downey Africa do not claim it on their own sites.
Who won the World Travel Awards for safari in 2025?
Abercrombie & Kent, World's Leading Luxury Safari Company; &Beyond, Africa's Leading Luxury Safari Company; Go2Africa, Africa's Leading Luxury Tour Operator; Safari.com, Africa's Leading Safari Company; Yellow Zebra, Europe's Leading Safari Tour Operator; Chem Chem Lodge, Africa's Leading Luxury Safari Lodge. Winners are decided by a vote of travel-industry executives and consumers, industry votes double-weighted, from a shortlist of the previous winner and runners-up plus vetted entries.
Are safari awards pay-to-play?
Partly. World Travel Awards shortlists include "vetted and approved entries" submitted by companies, and the result is a campaignable vote; the magazines' specialist lists are editor-selected from applications; Travel + Leisure's World's Best is a reader survey (nearly 180,000 readers in 2025); B Corp is an audited certification. Pay-to-enter lifestyle awards and "as seen in" media features are scored at zero on this index.
What does "award-winning safari company" actually mean?
Nothing specific until you know which award. It can mean an audited certification (B Corp), a rank on a large reader survey (Travel + Leisure World's Best), an editor naming one of the company's advisors (Condé Nast Traveler, T+L A-List), an industry vote from a shortlist that includes paid entries (World Travel Awards), or a magazine feature. Ask for the award, the year and the awarding body's page; if the year is missing, treat the claim as historic.
Is Micato Safaris the most awarded safari company?
By its own count it has won Travel + Leisure's #1 World's Best Safari Outfitter ten times and Condé Nast Traveler's World Savers award five times, but its awards page publishes no years for either, and it is not among the fifteen companies in the 2025 World's Best Tour Operators and Safari Outfitters list. On dated, verifiable credentials it scores 10 on this index against Go2Africa's 27. Its review record is separately strong: 751 Google reviews at 5.0.
How is the credentials score calculated?
Each credential is weighted by what it measures: B Corp certification 5; a Travel + Leisure World's Best listing 4 per year; an editor-curated specialist list (Condé Nast Traveler, T+L A-List) 3 per year; a World Travel Awards win 2 and nomination 1; Virtuoso, Robb Report, Readers' Choice and trade awards 2; consumer-protection and trade memberships 1 each up to 3; media features and pay-to-enter awards 0. Only the last three years are counted, undated claims score once, and untraceable claims score nothing.
Go2Africa, Safari.com and BookAllSafaris links on this page are affiliate links and pay this site a commission if you book; the rates you pay are unchanged, and no company named here has bought a placement or had input into the scoring. No awarding body's list is reproduced here. Rankings are scored against published criteria. Partners are labelled.