Back-to-nature experiences are fueling Africa’s tourism

Record numbers of visitors ventured on safari tours and nature park visits in Kenya and Tanzania during the 2025 December holidays compared to past years, pointing to a noticeable back-to-nature travel trend in the region. Furthermore, countries in southern and Western Africa have also recorded increases.

East Africa is well known for its sprawling and luscious parks. However, tourism trends change, and at the moment, nature-based tourism is trending. Official data from Kenya and Tanzania shows a surge in visitor numbers.

“December performed slightly better than last year, especially in the second half of the month. We saw stronger last-minute bookings and higher occupancy across key safari circuits, driven largely by renewed confidence in travel and better road and air connectivity,” Steve Orido, chief executive officer of AviAfrique Safaris and Tours, told bird.

Orido said domestic travellers dominated festive safari bookings, followed by regional visitors from East Africa, while international tourists though fewer in number, booked earlier and opted for longer, more premium safari experiences.

The occurrences mirror recent data from Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) that shows more than 300,000 visitors entered Kenya’s national parks and wildlife reserves during the December 2025 holiday season. Of these, about 231,000 were Kenyan citizens and residents, while 82,500 were listed as international tourists.

Over the period, KWS ran a targeted seasonal incentive campaign dubbed, Jiachilie (a slang term meaning, ‘let yourself go’ or ‘chill out’) in the parks to encourage longer, deeper connection with nature and promote growth in domestic tourism numbers.

The campaign, offered deals like a free 4th night for 3-night stays including group offers that allowed an extra adult or children to enter parks for free. Larger groups with 25-seater buses qualified for free entry for two adults, and seven-seater vans or eight-seater Land Cruisers received a free adult pass. This made access cheaper for families and organised groups across terrestrial, marine and sanctuary parks.

“Travellers are more value-conscious than before. We’re seeing shorter trips, typically two to three nights, smaller group sizes, and a strong preference for flexible, mid-range packages,” explained Orido.

According to AviAfrique Safaris, family and friends travelling together are increasingly replacing large corporate or tour groups in the country. Kenya is targeting five million annual visitors by 2028.

In Tanzania, government data points to higher-than-usual December traffic at Serengeti National Park, with estimated total visitor numbers ranging between 75,000 and 100,000 for the month. Of these, a high of 70,000 is attributed to international visitors while between 25,000 to 40,000 being domestic visitors, driven by the long school holiday period.

Lodges in the Serengeti also dangled offers to tourists including a free night stay, 50% discount for the duration of stay in private safari arrangement and bride or groom given a 50% of the standard accommodation rate for their whole honeymoon stay.

By mid-December, Serengeti had already logged about 491,000 visitors in the current season, with officials expecting numbers to exceed 500,000 by January 2026, boosted by Christmas and New Year travel and the start of the Great Wildebeest Calving Season, a major draw for global safari enthusiasts. During the season, which begins in southern Serengeti from mid-December and peaks in early 2026, an estimated 500,000 calves will be born.

Elsewhere on the continent, the trend is taking shape.

In South Africa, the festive rush prompted authorities to tighten access controls at Kruger National Park, one of the continent’s most visited wildlife destinations.

The South African National Parks (SANParks) agency introduced stricter entry measures for day visitors to manage congestion and protect the visitor experience. Under the new rules, daily gate quotas were strictly enforced, requiring visitors to book entry online in advance. Once quotas are reached, only pre-booked guests were allowed into the park, with additional access dependent on departures.

“Day visitors planning to visit the Kruger National Park during the festive season are reminded that gate quotas will be in place to prevent overcrowding,” SANParks said in a public notice issued last December, urging visitors to book online ahead of time. Even the wild card holders were not exempt from pre-booking fees.

Also in southern Africa, Namibia is riding the continent’s nature-based tourism boom. The country’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism announced that a new conservation fee will be implemented on top of current entrance fees to support the management at parks as well as to improve infrastructure. The country is enjoying a rebound that began 2023 after the COVID-19 pandemic affected its tourism sector.

Gambia, Uganda, Zambia have recorded increases in park visits towards the end of 2025. Various studies show that Africa has yet to maximize its full potential for nature-based tourism. Africa’s green spaces are economic assets that can generate revenue, employment, poverty alleviation, conservation funding and foster a greater sense of appreciation for biodiversity among nationals.