Guidelines for the Good Safari Guide Awards Categories

The purpose of the Good Safari Guide Awards is for experienced tour operators, journalists and other travel professionals who have visited many safari camps and lodges to nominate them for an award in the relevant category. Categories cover many disciplines that need careful consideration. The awards are more about excellence then just being 'very good' or 'better than most'. Please choose the category carefully.

Basic nomination criteria (please do not nominate if the safari lodge/camp does not fit these criteria):

the property must be located in a wildlife reserve (national or private), or within at most an hour's travel from extensive wildlife (game, bird or marine life), and must not be located in a city or a large town.
the property must offer wildlife viewing excursions, whether big game or marine wildlife tourism viewing.
the property must feasibly be part of the 'safari circuit'- somewhere visitors will stay as part of their safari holiday.

Best Safari Camp in Africa

this award honours the overall best camp/lodge from all regions in Africa. It is selected from the highest scoring of the winners of the Best Safari Camp (East Africa) and Best Safari Camp (Southern Africa) taking into account all aspects of the accommodation, for example guiding, cuisine, atmosphere. Nominations cannot be made directly for this award but through the regional Best Safari Camp awards.

Best Camp Southern Africa

all camps/lodges nominated for the 'Best Camp in Southern Africa' Award can be nominated from the following countries: South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi and Angola.

Best Camp Eastern Africa

all camps/lodges nominated for the 'Best Safari Camp in Eastern Africa' Award can be nominated from the following countries: Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda.

Best Safari House

this award honours the colonial house or converted country house.
the property is situated in its own grounds which are for exclusive use of the guests.
the property must stand alone, and must be offered as single occupancy.
qualifying houses must focus on wildlife and offer excursions for big game wildlife viewing- this category is not for houses which do not plausibly form part of the safari circuit.

Best Safari Hotel

whilst the Good Safari Guide Awards are aimed mainly at small, unique establishments, this award goes to camps/lodges and beach safari accommodations which cater for a broader range of clientele, usually at a cheaper price than the smaller lodges.
the safari hotel has more than 15 rooms as well as a reception and restaurant or breakfast room.
qualifying hotels must focus on wildlife and offer excursions for big game wildlife viewing- this category is not for hotels which do not plausibly form part of the safari circuit.

Best Mobile Safari

any safari operation which is truly mobile may be considered for this award.
the camp must move on regularly and may not remain stationary for longer than a month at a time.

Best Riding Safari

any safari camp or lodge which offers safaris conducted on horseback, or on any other animal, may be considered for this award.
the camp may be mobile or may be permanent.

Best Ecological Safari Camp

The camp/lodge takes an active part in minimizing its environmental impact, and is likely to, amongst other things:

work to protect local flora and fauna.
work to reduce non-biodegradable waste.
work to reduce usage of non-renewable energy.
work to process waste in an environmentally-sensitive manner.

Best Community Safari Camp

The camp/lodge is managed by and mainly owned by the local community, and is likely to, amongst other things:

provide employment for the local community.
provide education about the local community.
share the management of the property with local people.
share the economic benefits of the property with the local community.
work on community projects.

Best New Safari Camp

the camp/lodge must be more than one year old and under three years old.
the property cannot be termed 'new' if it has changed hands and has undergone significant changes unless it has not been open to clients for at least 5 years.

Best Safari Camp Guiding Team

This category is for properties (rather than property groups) which have either a great guide (a guide can be named although the guide alone cannot win the award) or a great guiding team.
A great guiding team is one which is knowledgeable and which is able to communicate to the client not just a wealth of information but the feeling of joy that wildlife-viewing brings.

Best Beach Safari Camp

the camp/lodge must be located by water, in natural surroundings, and near to wildlife (land-based or marine).
the camp/lodge must provide excursions to see marine and optionally land based wildlife.

Best Safari Accommodation Group

a Safari Accommodation Group must own/manage three or more properties.
the nomination is for the group as a whole, not the individual properties.
this award is pan-African and not geographically restricted.

Best Safari Camp Spa

for individual camps/lodges rather than groups, the Best Safari Camp Spa Award recognizes the setting, ambience and treatments offered, but with reference to the surroundings of the camp/lodge itself- it is not aimed at the spa in isolation.

Best Safari Camp Cuisine

for individual camps/lodges rather than groups, this category honours outstanding cuisine, whether it is cooked on a fire in the bush or in a kitchen, or whether presented in a fine dining room or on the beach around a camp fire.

Best African Tourism Board

this award honours any tourism board from any country in Africa which is seen to be doing positive and tangible work for its members and to promote its country and Africa as a whole.