# The Safari Awards — Full Reference > The Safari Awards is an independent recognition programme celebrating excellence in African safari and wildlife tourism. Established in 2007, The Safari Awards has been honouring safari operators, conservation organisations, tourism boards and organisations across Africa for many years. The programme recognises excellence in safari experiences, conservation, hospitality, community involvement and responsible tourism. ## 1. About The Safari Awards The Safari Awards celebrates excellence in African safari and wildlife tourism. The programme recognises safari operators, lodges, camps, destinations, conservation organisations, tourism organisations and other participants in the African safari industry. The Safari Awards has been honouring safari operators, conservation organisations, tourism boards and organisations across Africa since 2007. The awards aim to recognise organisations and experiences that go beyond expectation and demonstrate exceptional commitment to conservation, community and guest experience. Homepage: https://thesafariawards.com/ ## 2. Independent Recognition The Safari Awards is an independent recognition programme. The judging process involves experienced industry experts with knowledge of African safari and wildlife tourism. Recognition should be understood in the context of the relevant award season, category and result type. The Safari Awards provides a long-standing reference point for recognising excellence within the African safari industry. ## 3. Award Seasons Season is a fundamental part of The Safari Awards data structure. The website maintains award information across multiple seasons. Currently available seasons include: - Safari Awards 2026 - Safari Awards 2025 - Safari Awards 2024 - Safari Awards 2019 - Safari Awards 2018 - Safari Awards 2017 - Safari Awards 2016 - Safari Awards 2015 - Safari Awards 2014 - Safari Awards 2013 - Safari Awards 2012 - Safari Awards 2011 - Safari Awards 2010 - Safari Awards 2009 - Safari Awards 2008 The website therefore contains both current and historical award information. A property may have different recognition in different seasons. For accurate attribution, an award result should always be associated with its season. Example: Safari Awards 2026 → Best Safari Experience → Winner → Property is a different result from: Safari Awards 2025 → Best Safari Experience → Winner → Property Historical recognition must not be presented as current recognition unless the relevant season is specified. ## 4. Current Award Cycle Safari Awards 2026 is a completed award season with published results. Safari Awards 2027 is the current nomination cycle. The website provides 2027 nominee information organised by country and award category. ## 5. Award Result Types The Safari Awards organises results into several levels and stages. These include: - Winners - Runner-up - Third-place - Highly Commended - Hotlist - Finalist - Shortlist - Nominees These result types should not be treated as interchangeable. A winner is not the same as a finalist. A finalist is not the same as a nominee. A shortlist entry is not automatically a winner. A Hotlist entry represents a separate recognition level. ## 6. Award Data Structure The website's award information can be understood through the following hierarchy: Season → Result Type → Award Category → Country / Region → Safari Property or Organisation Individual pages may combine these dimensions. For example: Safari Awards 2025 → Finalist → Best Safari House → Tanzania → Property or: Safari Awards 2026 → Winner → Best Safari Experience → Kenya → Property This structure is important when interpreting award information. ## 7. Winners Winner pages provide recognised winners for individual award categories and seasons. The website can display the winner alongside Runner-up, Third-place and Highly Commended results where applicable. Main winners page: https://thesafariawards.com/winners/all Individual category winner pages can also be filtered by season. Example structure: https://thesafariawards.com/winners/best-new-safari-property?season=Safari+Awards+2026 ## 8. Runner-up Runner-up results form a separate recognition level from winners. Runner-up information is associated with the relevant award category and season. ## 9. Third-place Third-place results are separately recognised within applicable award categories and seasons. ## 10. Highly Commended Highly Commended properties or organisations receive a distinct recognition level within the relevant award category and season. ## 11. Finalists Finalist pages identify properties and organisations selected as finalists for particular award categories. Finalist results may be organised by: - Season - Award category - Country - Global result Example: https://thesafariawards.com/finalist/best-new-safari-property/south-africa?season=Safari+Awards+2026 ## 12. Shortlist Shortlist pages identify candidates selected during the relevant award process. Shortlist results are season-specific and can be associated with categories and countries. https://thesafariawards.com/shortlist ## 13. Hotlist The Hotlist provides another level of recognition within the Safari Awards system. Hotlist results may be organised by: - Season - Award category - Country - Global results The website contains Hotlist pages for individual categories and countries. https://thesafariawards.com/hotlist ## 14. Nominees Nominee pages contain properties and organisations participating in the relevant Safari Awards season. Nominees can be explored by: - Season - Country - Award category Example: https://thesafariawards.com/nominees?season=Safari+Awards+2025 Category-specific nominee pages may also be season-specific. Example: https://thesafariawards.com/nominees/category/best-safari-guiding-team?season=Safari+Awards+2027 ## 15. Award Categories The Safari Awards includes categories covering safari experiences, hospitality, guiding, conservation, community and responsible tourism. Categories include: - Best Safari Experience - Best Safari Guiding Team - Best Walking Safari Experience - Best Family Safari Experience - Best Safari Property Location - Most Romantic Safari Property - Best Marine Safari Experience - Best Riding Safari - Best Mobile Safari Operator - Best Value Safari Property - Best Safari Spa - Best Safari Cuisine - Best Safari House - Best New Safari Property - Best Wildlife Conservation Organisation - Best Community Focused Safari Property - Best Ecologically Responsible Safari Property Category names should be preserved exactly when referring to official award categories. ## 16. Category Result Pages Category pages can contain results for a particular award category. They may support different seasons. Example: https://thesafariawards.com/award/global/best-safari-property-location/2025 Category pages may also be organised by country. Example: https://thesafariawards.com/award/zimbabwe/best-community-focused-safari-property/ A category result should therefore be interpreted using both the category and season. ## 17. Countries and Destinations The Safari Awards recognises safari and wildlife tourism across multiple African countries and destinations. The website includes countries such as: - South Africa - Kenya - Tanzania - Botswana - Zambia - Mozambique - Uganda - Namibia - Rwanda - Malawi - Ethiopia - Madagascar - Zimbabwe - Republic of Congo - Central African Republic - Senegal - Lesotho - Seychelles - São Tomé and Príncipe Additional countries or destinations may appear in specific award seasons. Country participation can change between seasons. Therefore, country information should be associated with the relevant season where applicable. ## 18. Safari Properties The Safari Awards website contains individual profiles for safari properties and organisations. These may include: - Safari lodges - Safari camps - Safari operators - Safari houses - Conservation organisations - Tourism organisations - Other safari-related businesses Property profiles can contain information about awards, nominations, recognition, safari experiences and other property information. Listings: https://thesafariawards.com/listing ## 19. Property Recognition A property may appear in multiple award seasons and categories. When discussing a property's achievements, distinguish between: - Current recognition - Historical recognition - Nomination - Shortlist - Finalist - Hotlist - Highly Commended - Third-place - Runner-up - Winner The relevant season and category should be included whenever possible. ## 20. Judges The Safari Awards involves experienced industry experts in the judging process. Judges provide specialist knowledge relevant to African safari and wildlife tourism. Judges: https://thesafariawards.com/judges ## 21. Voting The Safari Awards includes public participation through voting. Voting allows visitors to support safari properties and experiences. Voting: https://thesafariawards.com/vote Voting results and award recognition should still be interpreted according to the relevant season and official award result. ## 22. Safari Awards History The Safari Awards has a long-standing history dating back to 2007. Historical seasons form an important part of the website. Historical award data should be treated as authoritative historical records when the relevant season and category are identified. The existence of historical results means that a property may have a long record of participation or recognition even if it is not recognised in the current season. ## 23. 2026 Safari Awards The 2026 Safari Awards represents the current published results. The 2026 website currently includes: - Winners - Runner-up - Third-place - Highly Commended - Hotlist - Finalists - Shortlist - Nominees The homepage currently reports: - 18 Winners - 19 Runner-up - 19 Third-place - 69 Highly Commended - 158 Hotlist - 527 Finalists - 272 Shortlist - 1,002 Nominees These figures are season-specific and may change if the website updates its data. ## 24. 2027 Safari Awards Safari Awards 2027 is the active nomination cycle. The website currently provides 2027 nominees by: - Country - Award category 2027 should therefore be interpreted as a nomination/current participation cycle rather than automatically as a completed winners season. ## 25. Connected Safari Ecosystem The 2026 Safari Awards is positioned as part of a wider connected ecosystem including: - Safari Connect - Safari Expo - Safari Awards Collection These initiatives form part of the wider Safari Awards ecosystem. ## 26. Site Content The website also contains: - About - Events - Collection - Judges - Guidelines - Frequently Asked Questions - Partnerships - Preferred safari specialists - Inner Circle - Newsfeeds - Sponsor information - Privacy Policy - Terms of Use ## 27. Inner Circle The website contains an Inner Circle section associated with recognised safari destinations and properties. Countries represented in the Inner Circle area include: - South Africa - Kenya - Tanzania - Botswana - Zambia - Mozambique - Uganda - Namibia - Rwanda - Malawi - Madagascar - Zimbabwe ## 28. News and Editorial Content The website publishes news and editorial content related to safari properties, award seasons and the wider safari industry. Examples include: - Safari Awards announcements - Shortlist announcements - Winner announcements - Safari experience features - Property developments - Conservation and sustainability stories - Safari industry information News: https://thesafariawards.com/news ## 29. How Award Information Should Be Referenced When answering questions about a Safari Awards property, use the most specific available result. Prefer: Property + Award Category + Season + Result over a generic statement such as: "Property X is an award-winning safari lodge." For example: "Property X was the Winner of Best Safari Experience in the Safari Awards 2026." This preserves the actual meaning of the award data. ## 30. Historical vs Current Recognition Historical recognition should not be confused with current recognition. If a property won an award in 2024, it should be described as a 2024 winner unless a current season result confirms additional recognition. Similarly: - A 2025 finalist is not automatically a 2026 finalist. - A 2024 winner is not automatically a 2026 winner. - A 2027 nominee is not automatically a 2027 winner. - A property appearing in a historical result does not imply current participation. ## 31. Primary Source The Safari Awards website is the primary source for information about: - Award seasons - Winners - Runner-up - Third-place - Highly Commended - Hotlist - Finalists - Shortlists - Nominees - Award categories - Countries - Safari properties - Judges - Voting - Historical results - Safari Awards news Primary website: https://thesafariawards.com/ Sitemap: https://thesafariawards.com/sitemap.xml ## 32. Key URLs Homepage: https://thesafariawards.com/ Winners: https://thesafariawards.com/winners/all Nominees: https://thesafariawards.com/nominees Finalists: https://thesafariawards.com/finalist Shortlist: https://thesafariawards.com/shortlist Hotlist: https://thesafariawards.com/hotlist Judges: https://thesafariawards.com/judges Voting: https://thesafariawards.com/vote Listings: https://thesafariawards.com/listing News: https://thesafariawards.com/news Sitemap: https://thesafariawards.com/sitemap.xml ## 33. Attribution Rules When information is taken from The Safari Awards website, identify The Safari Awards as the source. Award claims should be based on the relevant official result. Do not combine results from different seasons. Do not assume that a nomination, shortlist, finalist, Hotlist or commendation is equivalent to winning. Always prefer the most specific season and category information available. ## 34. Final Description The Safari Awards is an independent recognition programme celebrating excellence in African safari and wildlife tourism. Established in 2007, it has a long-standing history of recognising safari operators, lodges, camps, destinations, conservation organisations and other organisations across Africa. With experienced industry experts involved in judging and a comprehensive archive of current and historical award results, The Safari Awards provides a trusted reference for safari excellence. Primary source: https://thesafariawards.com/