Our 6-part safari planning email series will walk you through everything you need to know about planning an African safari. For first-timers, starting to plan a safari may feel overwhelming, because of the sheer amount of choice. The biggest destinations in terms of infrastructure, variety of parks, breadth of lodges and big-five habitats, are South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Before speaking with a safari specialist or going down a Google rabbit hole, it can be helpful to start with vision-boarding the basics.