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12 once-in-a-lifetime african safari vacations.

Cross this must-do activity off your bucket list.

Top African Safari Vacations

Courtesy of Expert Africa

Safari vacations in Africa are just as diverse as the continent itself, though these types of trips typically require a large sum of money. Whether you want to spend a few days gorilla trekking in Uganda or a couple weeks spotting the "big five" – lions, leopards, African elephants, rhinos and Cape buffalos – in South Africa, you'll find an array of experiences to suit your needs. To help you narrow down your options, U.S. News compiled a list of 12 can't-miss African safari tours. Read on to find your once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Note: Some of the African countries visited by tours in this article may require travelers to get an entry visa and certain vaccinations (particularly yellow fever) in order to visit. Jump to the list of visa and vaccination requirements by country for more information.

&Beyond: Kings of the Jungle Tour

Courtesy of &Beyond

Length: 10 days Starting price: $14,265

Visitors who don't want to sacrifice creature comforts while on safari will appreciate &Beyond's diverse offerings across numerous African destinations. For a classic safari, consider the tour operator's 10-day Kings of the Jungle tour, where travelers will see breathtaking natural wonders like Ngorongo Crater and the Maasai Mara savannah with its elephants and cheetahs. Arguably, the highlight of this journey is its four-night stay at Tanzania's Serengeti National Park .

After watching animals like wildebeest and zebras partake in the great migration while also spotting lions, giraffes and more, vacationers retreat to high-end tents and lodges with private bathrooms. Prices start at $14,265 per person, but are higher around the peak season of June to October.

Wild Rwanda Safaris: Bwindi Gorilla Safari

Courtesy of Wild Rwanda Safaris

Length: Three days Starting price: $1,450 for two people with lowest-cost lodging

Adventurous travelers sticking to a more conservative budget should consider Wild Rwanda Safaris' Bwindi Gorilla Safari. The three-day package features a full day in southwestern Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (a haven for gorillas) and adjacent Batwa Pygmy communities. Wild Rwanda Safaris offers a choice of midrange, luxury and super luxury accommodations, allowing you to keep costs down if necessary.

The company's packages include the $700 permit required to visit the gorilla park. The round-trip journey by safari vehicle to and from Kigali, Rwanda, as well as English-speaking guides are covered in all rates. The tour can begin from Kampala, Uganda, as well, although you'll spend a lot longer on the road to the park. Contact the safari company for pricing information.

Nomad Tanzania: Southern Tanzania

Courtesy of nomad-tanzania.com

Length: Eight days Starting price: $6,055

Sign up for Nomad Tanzania's Southern Tanzania safari and you're bound to get an up-close look at Tanzania's diverse wildlife. Offering eight days of activities, including game drives and boat trips in Ruaha National Park and Nyerere National Park, this safari gives you prime opportunities to spot lions, cheetahs, leopards and elephants, among other species.

You'll get around the parks with the company's custom-built vehicles, ideal for catching a glimpse of that spectacular wildlife. What's more, the package rates include lodging at the company's campsites; select meals; and the short, scenic flights to and from Dar es Salaam as well as to the parks. Prices are only available upon contacting the company; they vary depending on the time of year, and the tour isn't offered in April and May.

Micato Safaris: The Micato Grand Safari

Courtesy of Micato Safaris

Length: 15 days Starting price: $29,500

If you want to explore multiple destinations while on safari with plenty of comfort (but a price tag to match), book the 15-day Micato Grand Safari. This extraordinarily thorough itinerary from Micato Safaris starts with a two-day visit to bustling Nairobi, Kenya, before continuing to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Maasai Mara National Reserve, and the Amboseli and Serengeti national parks. You'll be treated to wildlife-viewing excursions that just might check every animal off your bucket list, from lions and cheetahs to rhinos, hippos and more. During your trip, you'll get to see Mount Kilimanjaro as zebras, gazelles and more roam in the foreground.

The package costs at least $29,500 per person (based on double occupancy rates) and includes activities like a sunrise hot air balloon ride and a camel tour led by members of the Samburu tribe. Lodging at upscale properties like the Serengeti's Four Seasons Safari Lodge and glamorous safari camps with en suite bathrooms is also included. The company also offers various extensions allowing you to explore other parts of Africa, from the island paradise of Zanzibar to the deserts of Namibia.

Rothschild Safaris: Essence of Tanzania

Courtesy of Rothschild Safaris

Length: Nine days Starting price: Contact company for pricing details.

If your ideal safari vacation consists of customizing your trip from start to finish, consider an outing with Rothschild Safaris. The company offers itineraries in locales like Zambia and Ethiopia, but if you're hoping to catch a glimpse of the "big five" animals, the Essence of Tanzania safari is a good bet.

This nine-day experience, which embarks from Arusha, Tanzania, and returns there by plane, includes game-viewing drives spotting animals like ostriches, zebras and impalas in Tarangire National Park, plus accommodations like luxurious tents and farmhouse lodges. You'll also have the opportunity to go on a nighttime safari to spot nocturnal wildlife. If you time your safari right, you may also be able to see the famed wildebeest migration, when more than a million animals move between the Maasai Mara Reserve in Kenya and Tanzania's Serengeti plains.

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Lion World Travel: The Best of Cape Town & Botswana

Courtesy of Lion World Travel

Length: 10 days Starting price: $4,899

As the trip name implies, the 10-day Best of Cape Town & Botswana vacation package from longtime safari operator Lion World Travel combines a few days of sightseeing in Cape Town, South Africa – where you'll visit the iconic Table Mountain and the Cape Peninsula – with a classic safari in Botswana. During the latter half of the itinerary, visitors will explore Botswana's Okavango Delta, home to cheetahs, crocodiles, hippos and more; you'll have the option of a helicopter flight to spot wildlife from above for an extra fee. Then, you'll visit Chobe National Park, which is believed to have the world's largest African elephant population.

Prices start at $4,899 per person based on double occupancy. Rates cover game drives; many of your meals; and stays in a four-star hotel in Cape Town as well as luxury tents in Botswana. You'll need to pay an extra charge for the flights within the tour (from Cape Town to Botswana and from Botswana to Johannesburg ).

Discover Africa: Botswana – Chobe, Okavango & Makgadikgadi

Matthys Van Aswegen | Courtesy of Discover Africa

Length: Nine days Starting price: $4,800

For an inside-out trip through the natural wonders of Botswana, Discover Africa's nine-day trip through the country's sprawling game reserves and national parks is a formidable option. You'll start out at a riverside lodge on the Chobe River – a great location for spotting elephants – before moving on to the marshy Okavango Delta, a wildlife-rich area where you can spot a huge range of animals like leopards, rhinos, hippos and more. The safari ends at the Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, a good place to admire wildlife such as zebras and buffalo on the savannah as well as the ethereal white salt pans from a former lake.

You'll stay in upscale lodges and camps within close reach of the wilderness. All meals and transport along the tour are included in the price tag (which starts at $4,800 per person and varies by time of year), but international flights to get to Botswana are excluded.

Wild Wings Safaris: 8 Day Battlefields, Bush & Beach Safari

Onne Vegter | Courtesy of Wild Wings Safaris

Length: Eight days Starting price: About $4,160 for self-drive option

If you're looking to have a broader experience that mixes in some local history and beach time, consider Wild Wings Safaris' eight-day Battlefields, Bush & Beach Safari. With an itinerary focused on the east of South Africa, you'll start off visiting some of the country's historic sites from the Boer wars, including locations where local Zulu warriors defeated the British, before moving on to Phinda Private Game Reserve. This park doesn't allow day visitors, so you should be able to look out for the "big five" without too many crowds.

The tour wraps up at Thonga Beach Lodge, where you can snorkel or scuba dive near coral reefs in the Indian Ocean. Kayaking and walks through coastal forests are other activities on offer here. As far as safaris go, this one is a somewhat more affordable option, starting at about $4,160 per person with all meals included as well as a rental car; for the cheapest price, you will need to drive yourself between the destinations, but it's possible to pay an additional fee for a driver to guide you instead.

Cuckoo Safaris: 4-Day Discover Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park and Hwange National Park

Getty Images

Length: Four days Starting price: $1,015

This tour company kicks off many of its tours from the majestic Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, with a host of safaris that range from three to nine days, across Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana, including some family-friendly choices. For an affordable option, consider the four-day Discover Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park and Hwange National Park safari. It will take you on two full-day tours to Chobe National Park in Botswana and Hwange, Zimbabwe's largest national park, where you should keep your eyes peeled for lions, elephants and more, while also visiting rural villages. This safari includes a wildlife spotting boat cruise on the Chobe River as well.

The price starts at $1,015 per person, which includes the tours plus breakfast, lunch and well-rated lodging in Victoria Falls. Travelers will need to pay for their own travel to Victoria Falls. Dinners aren't included, although you'll be staying in the town of Victoria Falls, with access to restaurants.

Compass Odyssey: 8-Day Namibia Wildlife Safari

Courtesy of Compass Odyssey

Length: Eight days Starting price: Contact company for pricing details.

Explore the savannah and deserts of southwest Africa with Compass Odyssey's eight-day Namibia Wildlife Safari. You'll visit a community-based conservation area in Damaraland – known for its desert-adapted elephants, oryx, giraffes and other wildlife – while staying in the rustic-chic Doro Nawas Camp. Travelers will also spend two days in Etosha National Park, seeking wildlife like giraffes, zebras and elephants at the park's bustling waterholes by day and embarking on an evening game drive with a knowledgeable ranger as well.

The company provides prices on request. The tour includes most meals and all park entry fees, but not flights or the optional "Cheetah Walk." Compass Odyssey allows the tour to be customized on request.

Expert Africa: Big Cat Fly-in Safari

Length: Nine days Starting price: $5,010

Expert Africa offers safaris and other tours in a host of African countries. For a relatively classic tour, consider the Big Cat Fly-in Safari. It offers two different looks at Kenya's stellar wildlife. Firstly, you'll fly north for four nights at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, a sanctuary that channels all its profits into protecting the wildlife in its roughly 100-square-mile reserve. You'll stay in classic tented rooms and enjoy three-course dinners, with the option of going on horse- or camelback safaris for an extra fee.

Despite the tour name, you're most likely to see elephants, giraffes, zebras and rhinos here. In fact, you're more likely to see big cats at the tour's second stop, when you fly south to the Maasai Mara National Reserve. The tour company reports a high success rate for travelers spotting lions (and a decent chance of spotting leopards or cheetahs too). Here, you'll spend four days in upscale tents and have the option of soaring over the plains in a hot air balloon. The tour starts at $5,010 for eight nights, with all transport within Kenya included – although Expert Africa customizes most of its tours, so you can likely adjust your safari to your preferences.

Volcanoes Safari: 7 Day Gorilla and Chimpanzee Safari

Courtesy of Volcanoes Safaris

Length: Seven days Starting price: $8,430

If you're looking to spot some great apes, Volcanoes Safari focuses exclusively on primate tours within Rwanda and Uganda – and with partnerships with the Jane Goodall Institute and Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, they're responsible too. One of its signature tours, this seven-day itinerary kicks off in Uganda, taking travelers to the famed Kyambura Gorge to spot chimpanzee communities, as well as on a trek through the Bwindi Forest to look for gorillas.

But it's not all about monkeys: The tour also includes chances to see lions on the Ugandan plains and to meet locals engaging in cooperative work raising bees and roasting coffee. Along the way, guests stay in stylish lodges with views of Uganda's mountains and forests. The tour starts at $8,430 per person based on double occupancy in the low season, with all meals included.

Vaccination and visa requirements for African countries

Some popular safari destinations may require you to have received certain vaccinations in order to enter the country as a tourist. Although COVID-19 vaccination requirements no longer exist, it's not uncommon for countries to require you to be vaccinated against illnesses such as yellow fever before departing on your trip. Be sure to bring proof of vaccinations with you. If you are transiting through another country en route to your safari tour, you must check that you also meet immunization requirements for the stopover location.

For many destinations, there are a number of other vaccinations that aren't mandatory but are still recommended, such as for cholera or rabies. Consult with a doctor and ensure you're up to date and fully protected before you travel. In addition, many safari locations are prone to malaria; you should consult with your doctor about potentially bringing anti-malaria medication on your trip.

Safari countries have varying visa requirements for travelers from the U.S. – these are detailed below. Depending on your itinerary, you may need a single- or multiple-entry visa, and some visas require you to apply in advance of traveling and/or have a certain number of blank pages in your passport. Regardless of destination, your passport should be valid for at least six months before you leave for your trip.

Here are the vaccine and visa requirements for major safari destinations as of July 2024:

Botswana: If you have recently visited or transited through a country where yellow fever is common, you will need to be vaccinated against this illness. This does not include the U.S. but does include a number of countries in Africa as well as Central and South America. Consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's list of countries with risk of yellow fever transmission, including Kenya and Uganda.

U.S. citizens and nationals can stay in Botswana for 90 days per year without a visa.

Kenya: Kenya is a country where you'll be at risk of yellow fever transmission; it also requires those traveling from other places where yellow fever is endemic to be vaccinated against it. The CDC recommends that you protect yourself against yellow fever before your trip here.

Americans need an eVisa to enter Kenya. You should apply online at the eVisa government website no less than two weeks before your trip, as visas are not available upon arrival in Kenya. See more on the U.S. Department of State's website .

Namibia: Those traveling from a country where yellow fever is common need to be vaccinated against it. No visa is required as long as you're staying for 90 days or less per year.

Rwanda: If you're coming from a country where yellow fever is endemic, a yellow fever vaccination is required before departure.

U.S. citizens and nationals can be issued a 30-day visitor visa on arrival in Rwanda or through the Rwandan Embassy in Washington, D.C. A single-entry visa costs $50 for a single entry or $70 for multiple entries, and it's recommended you bring sufficient cash in U.S. dollars to pay for this (although credit card payment may be accepted at Kigali International Airport). Consult the State Department website for more information.

South Africa: A yellow fever vaccination is required if you're traveling from a country with a risk of transmission, including transits of 12 hours or longer in such countries. No visa is required for stays of 90 days or less.

Tanzania: Yellow fever vaccines are mandatory if you're traveling from a location where yellow fever is present – including if you spend more than 12 hours in transit in such a country. The vaccine should be administered 10 days or more before arrival

Visas are required for tourism in Tanzania. You can apply for a single-entry, 90-day visa online for $50 or a multiple-entry, one-year visa for $100. Be sure to print a copy of the approval (called a "grant notice") to bring with you. The processing period takes up to 10 days. You can also obtain a single-entry visa on arrival in most cases, although the Tanzanian government still recommends the advance online application. Find more Tanzanian visa information on the State Department website .

Uganda: Like Kenya, Uganda is a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. All visitors must show proof of vaccination against yellow fever to enter Uganda, regardless of where you're traveling from.

American visitors to Uganda must apply online for an electronic visa before departure. The processing time is around seven days, but the Ugandan government recommends applying 30 days before you travel; arriving in Uganda without completing this process could result in your detainment. A single-entry visa costs $50. Visit the State Department website to learn more.

Zambia: Yellow fever vaccines are only required if you're coming from an area considered at risk, including long transits (12 hours or more) through such countries. Visas are not required for U.S. citizens visiting Zambia. Check the State Department website for more details.

Zimbabwe: As with other countries on this list, visitors from countries with yellow fever outbreaks require a vaccine against this illness. This includes long transit stopovers of 12 hours or more.

U.S. visitors can obtain a 30-day, single-entry visa upon arrival in Zimbabwe for $30. If you're taking a tour that requires you to leave and reenter Zimbabwe, be sure to get a double-entry visa for $45. You can learn more from the State Department website .

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8 Useful Safari Extensions to Try in 2024

Add more functionality with these add-ons to save links, translate text, block ads, and more

• Swansea University, Staffordshire University

Like Chrome, Safari isn't just a stagnant web browser, it also has additional functionality via its Safari Extension plugins which take seconds to install . A form of add-on, Safari extensions now come bundled with relevant Mac apps, as well as via the App Store. 

Whether you're looking for productivity hacks, easy ways of saving money on your shopping, or ways to make your browsing experience more pleasant, there's a Safari extension for you.

If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation.

Ad blocker: Adblock Plus

Easy to set up.

Free, open source tool.

Support sites by allowing "acceptable ads."

Settings can be a little tricky.

No one likes obtrusive ads when trying to read an interesting article online. Adblock Plus makes it simple to block ads and tracking ads that bug you, while "safelisting" websites that you want to see all the ads for.

Adblock Plus takes a responsible approach to ads with an option allowing for "acceptable ads," appreciating that website owners still need to generate revenue, while saving you the hassle of the worst kind of ads.

Easy Coupon Codes: Honey

Easy to browse.

Coupons from over 30,000 sites.

Automatic coupons applied.

Most coupons are for the U.S. only.

Online, you can find thousands of coupon codes and offers, but it's likely that you forget to look them up until you've already ordered something. At the touch of a button, you can open Honey to the side of Safari, and check out the coupons available to you.

The extension offers up plenty of popular retailers such as Macy's, Bloomingdale's, eBay, and Sears. Just tap on the name of the retailer, and you can look up coupons, as well as details on how long ago they worked correctly. Honey also has a reward structure for extra bonuses. 

Cinema Style Lighting Effect: Turn Off the Lights

Neat atmospheric lighting effect.

Several customization options.

Need to load the separate app to change settings.

Clunky interface.

One of the most effective things at the cinema is how the lights go down and you can focus solely on the cinema screen. Turn Off the Lights offers that same kind of effect on your laptop or desktop.

When on YouTube or another video based site, click the lightbulb icon on Safari, and the lights around the video playing are immediately dimmed. You can focus on the screen itself rather than everything going on around it.

To get the full effect, you need to tweak some settings, but it's a neat way of adding some atmosphere when watching a video.

Grammar Checker: Grammarly

Simple and clear writing suggestions.

Grammar tips and spelling corrections.

Free to use.

You need a subscription to get the most from it.

Grammarly is there for those times when you're not quite sure if your spelling or grammar is up to scratch. It highlights issues via a red line underneath a word and allows you to easily correct them, whether you happen to be typing a Facebook status or a blog post.

It's a useful service that's like a little nudge in the right direction when trying to improve your writing ability. The free version offers helpful tips, but a subscription offers the most vlaue.

Password Management: LastPass

Extra layer of protection for passwords.

Works across devices.

A little convoluted to set up.

Doesn't always work seamlessly.

Safari has built-in password management, but LastPass is much better at the job. It works across multiple devices and also gives you somewhere to store files and notes securely.

A lot of the time, you'll need to delve into the separate app to use it fully, but the Safari extension gives you the ability to generate secure passwords, quickly fill in forms, or add notes, all directly from your browser. It's a real game changer for security and privacy concerns.

Link Saving: Pocket

Great for storing links for later reference.

Handy Save-to-Pocket button.

Organize links with tags and labels.

You need to sign up first.

How often do you find yourself looking at a great long-form article and realizing you don't have the time to read it right now? With Pocket, click the "Save to Pocket" button, and the link saves to your account so you can easily consult it later on.

While you need an account to use Pocket, it works across multiple devices and you can tag and label articles so that everything is neatly organized. 

Picture in Picture: PiPer

Supports many different video sites.

Free and open source site.

Liable to dent your productivity.

Being able to multitask is always a valuable skill. While you can switch between windows and tabs, it hasn't been possible to have YouTube or Netflix running alongside what you're working on in Safari.

PiPer changes all that. Via its extension, you can easily place a video in the corner of your screen, allowing you to continue working while the video plays to the side. It's a great tool for juggling multiple things at once.

Translation: Translate

Translates from dozens of languages.

Use the translate button to convert text.

You need to poke around in settings to gain full benefits.

No free version.

One of the best things about Chrome is its ability to translate websites for you. Translate brings that functionality to Safari.

With this extension, you can visit a website, tap the translate button, and Translate converts everything to English via Google Translate or Bing Translate. It takes a moment or two but you can see it being converted before your eyes, which is neat. Translations are reasonably accurate too.

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8 Best Safari extensions for iPhone and iPad in 2024

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There is no denying that Safari is arguably the best web browser for Apple devices. However, no matter how feature-packed Safari is, it still lacks some needed functionalities. Fortunately, you can use many Extensions to add third-party functionality to the browser to improve your browsing experience and boost productivity, security, and privacy. And thanks to iOS 15, even iPhones and iPads now support Safari Extensions.

But, with so many Safari extensions offering similar functionalities, finding the right one becomes overwhelming. So, to help you out, I did the math and curated the list of the best Safari extensions for iPhones and iPads.

1. PiPifier – Picture-in-Picture for any video

As the name suggests, the PiPifier Safari Extension lets you play any HTML5 video in Picture-in-Picture mode on your iPhone. To do so, play any video on YouTube, Netflix, or any other streaming platform, head to the Safari toolbar, and hit the PiPFier icon. The extension provides the same experience as the official YouTube app’s PiP mode, making it a perfect Safari Extension for users who love multitasking.

During my extensive testing, I never found it behaving abruptly or malfunctioning. However, it can sometimes take a little extra time for the PiPifier icon to become available when playing large videos such as movies.

Key features

• Plays any video in PiP
• Adjustable window size and position
• Seamless multitasking experience

Price:  Free (Subscription starts at $0.99/month)

Download: PiPifier

2. Pocket – Save for later

Have you ever encountered web content, be it an article, video, or story, that you wish you could save to savor later without needing to download it? If yes, then Pocket is just the right Safari Extension for you. Pocket allows you to quickly save your favorite web content and catch up with it later whenever you have the required time.

In addition, Pocket has dark and sepia themes to give you a comfortable reading experience. These themes reduce the visual simulation so that extensive reading does not harm your eyes. Besides this, if you are a lazy reader, you can benefit from its “Listen” to make your iPhone speakers read out the articles for you.

While you can install Pocket from the App Store for free, you can choose to go premium ($4.99/month) anytime to explore features like automatic article backups, unlimited highlights, and advanced search.

• Listen feature
• Dark & Sepia themes
• Advanced search

Download: Pocket

3. Grammarly – Writing assistant

Being a writer, I can not imagine a day without Grammarly. Once you install this extension, the Grammarly icon appears virtually everywhere you write text in Safari to give you real-time feedback on your writing. For the unknowns, Grammarly helps you with punctuation, spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, content tone & style, sentence formation, clarity, and more, making it a must-have Safari Extension for anyone with a keyboard, whether virtual or real.

Yes, Apple Intelligence can perform everything that Grammarly can natively, but with Apple Intelligence being reserved for iPhone 15 Pro or later models, Grammarly is here to stay.

• Real-time feedback
• Spell check
• Grammar check

Price: Free (Subscription starts at $29.99/month)

Download: Grammarly

4. Clario – Privacy & security

While Apple is already the head of the table when it comes to users’ privacy and security, having Clario can take your online security to the next level. Calrio is an all-in-one Safari extension that protects your browsing experience on multiple fronts.

It can block ads and trackers, block spam calls, protect your device against malware, and provide a VPN connection to safeguard your online activities.

One thing you must remember about Clario is that it has only a 7-day trial period, and you’ll need to pay the monthly subscription fee ($9) to continue using it.

• Data breach monitor
• Spam calls blocker

Download: Clario

4. Noir – Dark Mode for Safari

Apple added Dark mode support to the iPhone with iOS 13, but many websites have yet to support this popular feature. That’s exactly where this cool Safari extension comes in handy. If you are a “The BOYS” fan, then by now, you must have realized why the extension is given the name Noir.

For someone who prefers the full-on dark mode experience across the websites while browsing Safari, Noir is the best choice. Noir allows you to force every website to operate in dark mode on iPhone and iPad , even if they don’t support it. The workings of this Safari Extension are pretty neat as it uses a smart algorithm to analyze the color pattern on a specific website, then generates a custom dark mode that syncs well with each element of the website.

• Neat implementation
• Custom dark style

Price: $2.99

Download: Noir

5. Adblock Plus for Safari (ABP) – Best adblocker extension

I have yet to meet someone who says he is least bothered by unexpected ads while browsing Safari. Adblock Plus extension Safari is nothing less than a boon for such users. This extension blocks every spammy and unwanted ad you encounter while browsing Safari, enhancing your browsing experience.

The extension always blocks all the annoying ads you encounter while retaining those nonintrusive ones by default. However, you can change this setting as well. In addition to ad blocking, AdBlock Plus for Safari safeguards your private data from privacy-intrusive trackers. Besides this, this extension has an allowlist feature, allowing you to support your favorite websites by allowing them to show ads to you. You can add as many websites as you want to the allowed list.

• Ad Blocking
• Data & privacy protection

Price: Free

Download: Adblock Plus

6. Momentum

Momentum replaces your dull grey home page in Safari with a cool dashboard featuring a mesmerizing background, a good morning greeting, the current city temperature, a to-do list, and a motivational quote. This Safari Extensions ensures you stay motivated and have a feel-good mood every time you open a new start page in the browser. It also asks for your daily goal and showcases it until you check it off.

• Quick weather and forecast info
• Motivational quotes
• Ability to set daily a goal/focus/intention
• Ability to create and manage a to-do list

Price: Free (Subscription starts at $5.99/month)

Download: Momentum

7. Stop the Madness

Stop the Madness is by far the most powerful Safari Extension on this list. This extension basically overrides every restriction a website may have implemented in its code to lock you out of Safari features such as dragging and dropping, using the Command key keyboard shortcuts, copying and pasting, and more.

Besides this, Stop the Madness has the ability to stop URL shorteners. Simply put, this extension first checks the short URL on popular websites like bit.ly and tinyurl.com, then loads the long URL instead of the short one and removes tracking tags from URLs to eliminate clickjacking.

• Ability to stop URL shorteners
• Bypasses website restrictions
• Removes tracking tags

Price: $14.99

Download: Stop the Madness

8. Save to Pinterest – Best for collecting inspiration

For a creative person on a continuous hunt to curate inspiration and ideas across the web, you can’t go wrong with Pinterest’s very own Save to Pinterest extension for Safari. This Safari extension lets you pin images, articles, and other web content to the Pinterest app so you can view them later at your own convenience. Also, with its integrated sharing feature, you can share your favorite pages with your loved ones in no time.

• Quick pinning of web content
• Discover new ideas and trends
• Organize pins into boards

Download: Pinterest

Enjoy enhanced Safari experience…

There you go; these were some of the best Safari extensions you can install and enjoy using on your iPhone and iPad. Each extension on this list offers a wide array of functionalities that enhance your privacy, productivity, and convenience.

So, what’s your favorite Safari extension on this list? Or if you think that some other extension deserves a mention, do share its name in the comments below.

You might also enjoy reading the below articles:

• Safari vs. Chrome: Which browser is better for iPhone and Mac?
• How to use tab groups in Safari on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
• How to close all Safari tabs at once on iPhone and iPad

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iOS 15 Safari Extensions Worth Checking Out

With iOS 15, Apple introduced a new design and a range of new features , including better support for extensions. Safari in iOS 15 supports web extensions, which can be downloaded and installed through the App Store , so there are a much wider range of extension options for you to choose from.

• 1Password (Subscription Required) - For 1Password users, the 1Password extension allows users to input their saved 1Password information in Safari, similar to how it works on the Mac. 1Password can autofill logins, passwords, credit card information, two-factor authentication codes, and more. A 1Password subscription is required, which is priced at $2.99 per month.
• Amplosion ($2.99) - Amplosion redirects Google's AMP pages and links to standard links in Safari, which is a good solution for those who don't like AMP pages. Amplosion, designed by Apollo creator Christian Selig, is open source and designed with transparency so users can verify what the extension is doing.
• Apollo (Free) - Reddit app Apollo has a new Safari extension that's designed to allow the Apollo app to open any Reddit weblink rather than requiring the link to be opened in the Reddit app. If you pair Apollo with Amplosion, Safari will open any Safari Reddit link in the Apollo app automatically, which is great for those who prefer Apollo to the official Reddit app. Apollo is free, but the Pro unlock costs $4.99.
• Achoo - ($0.99) - Another extension created by Christian Selig, Achoo is an HTML viewer and inspector. If you need to see the HTML of a webpage on your iPhone and iPad , this is a simple app worth picking up. You can inspect HTML, copy/paste it, and edit it.
• StopTheMadness ($7.99) - StopTheMadness is a privacy protecting extension that has several functions. It stops Google from loading AMP pages, ends clickjacking in Google search results, Facebook, and Gmail, removes tracking parameters from the ends of URLs, loads unshortened versions of URLs, prevents videos from autoplaying, and more. It's expensive, but for those who want to cut out a lot of the Safari browsing annoyances, it's worth checking out.
• Super Agent (Free) - Super Agent is an extension that automatically fills in cookie consent forms based on your preferences, getting rid of frustrating cookie pop up forms.
• Overamped ($1.99) - Overamped is another extension that is designed to direct AMP and Yandex Turbo to the original sites, disabling AMP and Yandex Turbo in Safari.
• Dark Reader ($4.99) - Dark Reader for Safari brings Dark Mode to every website by adding dark themes for websites that don't support ‌Dark Mode‌ natively. There are controls for adjusting brightness and contrast, swapping between Dynamic and Filter mode, toggling the dark themes off for individual websites, and more.
• Noir ($2.99) - If you have ‌Dark Mode‌ turned on and visit a website that does not support it, Noir will automatically turn it dark so that you're not blinded by a sudden bright webpage with ‌Dark Mode‌ enabled. Noir only activates when a website does not have a ‌Dark Mode‌ option, and you can choose to turn ‌Dark Mode‌ on or off on a site by site basis.
• Convusic ($0.99) - Convusic is a Safari extension that's designed to open any Spotify link in Apple Music . If you're an ‌Apple Music‌ subscriber and often come across Spotify links but still want to hear the songs, this extension offers a solution. When installed, you can choose which app will open music streaming links. It works both ways - Spotify users can set it to open ‌Apple Music‌ songs in Spotify, and ‌Apple Music‌ users can set it to open Spotify songs in ‌Apple Music‌.

Installing Extensions

To install an extension, you need to download the extension app from the ‌App Store‌ and then open up the Safari section of the Settings app. From there, tap on "Extensions" and select the toggle next to the extension you want to enable.

If you want to find more extensions, just tap on the "More Extensions" button to go to the "Safari Extensions" section in the ‌App Store‌.

Alternatively, extensions can also be managed right in the browser window by tapping on the "Aa" button and then choosing the "Manage Extensions" option.

Guide Feedback

Have a favorite extension not listed here or want to offer feedback on this guide? Let us know in the comments below.

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Top rated comments.

Should also be pointed out that those of us who previously paid for 1Password, and are still using stand alone vaults with no subscription, can not only NOT use the new extension, but they took away the existing share sheet with no warning.

Come on. The extensions for Safari are just an utter joke.

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The best ad blockers in 2024

Say goodbye to intrusive online advertising with the best ad blockers

• In-browser ad-blockers
• Ad-blocking apps
• Mobile ad-blockers
• Other privacy apps
• How to choose

The best ad blockers unfortunately very necessary yo survive on the modern internet. It doesn't matter which sites you browse, there's the risk of being harassed by pop-ups, tracker cookies, malvertising and countless other digital nasties hell-bent on ruining your online experience.

Thankfully there's no shortage of apps and browser extensions that can block ads and keep you safer when you're online. Combined with the best antivirus software and the best VPNs , a good ad-blocker gives you a perfect arsenal of tools to offer as much protection as possible. Even the FBI recommends using an ad-blocker for protection.

The only thing you need to figure out is which ad-blocker is right for what you need. There are so many to choose from, and whether you're ok with the consequences. Most free sites rely on advertising revenue to survive, including Tom's Guide. But if you're happy with the trade-off, we've got a thorough list of the best ad blockers and privacy tools — with options for every browser and platform.

The best ad blockers you can get today

Best in-browser ad blockers, 1. ublock origin (chrome, firefox).

uBlock Origin is a browser-based ad blocker that focuses on simple, efficient blocking with a low resource overhead. The extension comes loaded with a number of filter lists for known advertising and malware sources, with extra filter lists available and the option to read and create your own custom filters from hosts files.

The best part about uBlock Origin is that it's been designed to be easy on your computer's CPU and memory. Meaning it shouldn't cause a drain on your system like other ad-blockers might be prone to doing. It's also open-source, with the goal of preserving user privacy, and trends to stay up to date to get around some of the more irritating anti-ad-block techniques employed around the web.

Download Ublock Origin: Chrome , Firefox , Edge , Opera

2. AdBlock Plus (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Android, iOS)

AdBlock Plus (ABP) is among the most popular ad blockers, with extensions available for Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Edge and Opera. ABP features a quick setup, loading preset filter lists that allow users to quickly block most ads, as well as the option to filter malware and social media buttons. 

Savvy users can chose additional block lists as well as set custom filters or whitelist their favorite sites to keep their ad revenue in the black. AdBlock Plus allows what it calls "non-intrusive advertising" through filters; that may irk some users, though this feature can be disabled in settings. 

On Android, the AdBlock Browser provides a Firefox-based browser that blocks incoming advertising, while on iOS, the AdBlock Plus app integrates with the content blocker system to seamlessly block advertising on Safari with minimal setup.

Download AdBlock Plus: Firefox , Chrome , Safari , Opera , Edge

3. AdBlock (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)

AdBlock (no relation to AdBlock Plus) is the other best ad-blocking browser extension of note, available for users of Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari. AdBlock uses a series of filter lists to automatically block ad content coming from known ad servers and providers. Users can stick with the default block lists, subscribe to additional ones, or even create their own, as well as whitelist their favorite websites. 

As one of the most downloaded Chrome and Safari extensions, AdBlock has the trust of many users worldwide.

Download AdBlock: Chrome , Firefox , Safari , Edge

4. Poper Blocker (Chrome)

Rather than be an all-in one blocking solution, Poper Blocker (aka Pop Up Blocker For Chrome), is designed to complement other adblockers. 

In this case, Poper Blocker focuses on blocking pop-ups, pop-unders, overlays, timed and scroll pop-ups, and other varieties that might slip past other ad-blocking extensions. Small notifications tell you when pop-ups are blocked. You also can view your blocking stats, but otherwise, you can generally just keep Poper Blocker running in the background with minimal impact alongside other adblocker extensions.

Download Poper Blocker: Chrome

5. Stands Fair AdBlocker (Chrome)

For a fast and light ad-blocking plugin, Chrome users can turn to Stands Fair AdBlocker. The extension does precisely what it promises, blocking ads and pop-ups from cluttering up your browser view while also preventing any tracking from going on. 

Stand's Fair AdBlocker gives you control over the type of ads you can block, specifying everything from autoplay video ads, YouTube ads, expanding ads and more. It can even block Facebook ads if you want.

The "Fair" part of AdBlocker comes into play by giving you the ability to allow certain types of ads or even whitelist ad-supported websites you don't want to shortchange of badly needed revenue. This is one ad blocker that doesn't take a scorched earth approach to its stated purpose.

Download Stands Fair AdBlocker: Chrome

6. Ghostery (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Edge)

Like the other extensions on our list of the best ad blockers, Ghostery can remove ads from webpages, so you can focus on content and browse more efficiently. But the real value in Ghostery lies in its privacy protection features. You can use Ghostery to view trackers, which lets you see who's trying to collect data on you. With Ghostery, you can also stop that tracking from taking place. If you really want to safeguard your privacy, you can turn to Ghostery's Enhanced Anti Tracking to anonymize your data.

Ghostery's a free download that offers basic web protection. More advanced protection starts at $4.99 a month and the $11.99 monthly tier comes with a built-in VPN. There are also versions of Ghostery that work with Android and iOS devices.

Download Ghostery: Chrome , Firefox , Opera , Safari , Edge

7. Adblocker for YouTube (Chrome, Firefox)

YouTube has gotten more aggressive with ads, so the makers of ad-blocking extensions have followed suit. Adblocker for YouTube is a Chrome extension that promises to automatically block YouTube ads, whether we're talking about the pre-roll ad appearing before your video or any text and banner ads that appear on the video itself.

If you prefer Firefox to Chrome, there's also an AdBlocker for YouTube extension that works on that browser. Same name, different developer apparently, but the functionality of stripping out video and display ads remains. This version works on Android devices too.

Download Adblocker for YouTube: Chrome , Firefox

Best ad-blocking apps

1. adguard (windows, mac, android, ios).

Uses looking for a more robust experience can try out the subscription-based AdGuard, which provides desktop and mobile options to reduce the ads you see when surfing online. 

AdGuard on Windows and Mac covers popular browsers, with highly configurable options for ads, content, and tracker blocking, as well as a parental controls module for restricting adult content. AdGuard for Android is a no-root ad-blocker that blocks advertising on apps and games, though you’ll have to install it from AdGuard’s site instead of through Google Play. AdGuard for iOS works with Safari to effectively filter ads on the default browser.

Download AdGuard: Windows , Mac , Android , iOS

2. AdLock ($33 per year)

AdLock avoids the browser-based route, instead opting to run as a separate program to be able to block not only browser-based ads, but also advertising in other programs like Skype or games. 

The app runs in the background, using filters to block ads, popups, and autoplaying videos, speeding up loading times and applying Safe Browsing features to automatically block sites that are known to be unsafe. 

For obvious reasons, the mobile version is unavailable on the Google Play Store, so you'll need to sideload the app if you want to get AdLock into your Android device. iOS users can download AdLock directly from Apple's App Store.

Download AdLock: Windows , Chrome ,  Android , Mac , iOS

3. Wipr (macOS, iOS; $1.99)

If you’re a Safari fan, Wipr may be the best ad blocker for both your Mac and iPhone. The app is available for both iOS and macOS — costing $1.99 from either Apple App Store — and it promises to work with Safari as well as apps that use Safari for displaying web pages.

You’ll find a full array of features with Wipr, which not only blocks apps and trackers, but cryptocurrency miners, EU cookie and GDPR notices and anything else that gets in your way of surfing the web. Its blocklist gets updated twice a week, and there’s little configuration; the idea is that you load Wipr and forget that it’s there while it does its job in the background.

With Wipr, pages should load faster in Safari, which will be particularly welcome if you’re surfing from an iPhone, where ads and trackers can bog down your browser’s speed.

Download Wipr: macOS , iOS

Best ad-blocking mobile apps

1. 1blocker (ios).

1Blocker was one of the first really good ad blockers on iOS when Apple opened up that functionality on iPhones and iPads; the apps has since been optimized for Safari. 

The app is designed to make browsing faster and more secure by blocking ads, popups, trackers and other online cruft. Rather than blocking content of a downloaded page, 1Blocker works with Safari's content blocker API to tell the browser what to block in advance, saving time and resources. 

1Blocker features more than 115,000 blocker rules, custom regional adblocking settings, and easy-to-use custom rules settings. The app is a free download, with premium features available as in-app purchases.

Download 1Blocker: iOS

2. Firefox Focus (Android, iOS)

Firefox Focus is another addition to Mozilla's family of browsers. This one's a privacy-oriented version of Firefox that bakes in ad-blocking and anti-tracking into a light and functional package. Firefox Focus blocks ads and speeds up browsing, while also working in privacy-friendly features like automatic history and cookie clearing. 

Users can selectively block ads, analytics, content and social trackers with easy toggles, turn on a "stealth" mode, and set a default search engine.

Our look at the best Android browsers has more on the various flavors of Firefox.

Download Firefox Focus: Android , iOS

3. AdClear (Android, iOS)

AdClear — or AdClear Plus if you're searching for the iOS version — offers the kind of mobile ad blocking in browsers that similar apps provide. But AdClear takes it one step farther by also blocking ads in apps. 

AdClear achieves this through a DNS changer feature that routes traffic through a VPN. AdClear doesn't catch everything in all apps, and in our experience, some apps ran a little slower. But this free download can put a stop to ads interrupting what you're trying to do whether in an app or a browser.

Download AdClear: Android , iOS

Other privacy-focused extensions and apps

1. decentraleyes (chrome, firefox).

Some times, blocking ads can also prevent websites fromn pulling needed resoruces and libraries from third-party sources, breaking web pages in the process. Decentraleyes tries to stop that from happening by acting as a local content delivery network emulator to serve up the files that websites need. By doing so, this extension can stop websites from sending out requests to the likes of Google Hosted Libraries.

Think of Decentraleyes as a complement to ad blockers. In fact, the extension specifically says it can work with uBlock Origin and AdBlock Plus, both of which we recommend up above.

Download Decentraleyes: Chrome , Firefox

2. Opera (Desktop, Android, iOS)

The Opera browser bakes in ad-blocking features into the browser without the need for an extra add-on, while also offering privacy-friendly tools such as an unlimited, built-in VPN service, incognito mode, fraud and malware warnings for suspicious links and pages, and more. In addition, you can further customize Opera's capabilities with a wide array of extensions. 

Mobile users need not fret, as the Android version comes with just about everything the desktop version has but built for touch-screen interfaces. On iOS, the mobile version of Opera is listed in Apple's App Store as Opera Touch. (Incidentally, we've got a guide on how you can use Opera to block ads on the iPhone .)

Download Opera: Mac or Windows , Android , iOS

3. Privacy Badger (Chrome, Firefox, Opera)

The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Privacy Badger browser extension was born from the EFF's concerns about the business models of some privacy tools and ad blockers. 

Privacy Badger functions similarly to extensions like AdBlock Plus (on which it was based), observing the various tracking tools that advertisers and other third parties might use to track your online activities and selectively blocking them from executing. Built-in learning algorithms adapt to the sites you visit and take any new tracking tools discovered into account. 

While not explicitly an ad blocker, Privacy Badger does also block some advertising, depending on how aggressively the ads track you across websites.

Download Privacy Badger: Chrome , Firefox , Opera

4. Tor Browser (Desktop, Android)

The Tor network helps anonymize your internet activity by bouncing the data you send and receive through a distributed anonymous network of routers to foil a common online surveillance technique called traffic analysis, which can reveal the sites you visit or who you're communicating with. 

The Tor Browser is an all-in-one package that includes everything you need to surf the net through the Tor network in an easy-to-install portable package. The package includes a modified version of Firefox with privacy aids such as NoScript baked in, and an automatic setup aid that makes it easy to connect to and create new Tor circuits. 

On the desktop, you can grab a version of Tor Browser for Windows, macOS or Linux. There's also a version of Tor Browser for Android, which replaces the previous OrBot + OrFox combination recommended for browsing Tor on Android.

Download Tor Browser: Desktop , Android

5. Onion Browser (iOS)

iOS users aren’t left out when it comes to browsing the Tor anonymizer network, with the Onion Browser among the more popular options on Apple’s mobile OS. 

Previously a premium app, Onion Browser has since moved to a donation model, opening up access to everyone who wants to download the app, without compromising security or features. The usual caveats apply: Browsing through Tor will slow down the web experience, and some features, like video streams and video files won’t work in order to preserve anonymity.

Download Onion Browser: iOS

How to choose the best ad blocker for you

Many of the best ad blockers are available for free, either as extensions or as standalone apps, though a few, like AdLock, charge a fee. Determine if the free services provide enough ad-blocking to meet your needs or whether a paid app delivers more for your money. You should also figure out if a browser extension will take care of your ad-blocking needs or whether you should consider switching browsers to one with more built-in privacy features.

You can narrow down your choice in ad blockers by deciding specifically what you're looking to accomplish with such an app or extension. Do you just want to stop annoying pop-up ads from appearing or do you want the full range of services, including privacy features and an end to ad-tracking? Grab the ad blocker that ticks off all the boxes on your wishlist.

Some ad blockers, such as AdBlock Plus include filters and the ability to let in non-obtrusive advertising. Others, like AdBlocker Ultimate, take a more aggressive approach. Find out which one best suits your needs and comfort level.

As we noted at the outset, there's also an ethical component to ad blockers. Do you feel comfortable keeping ad revenue out of the hands of sites you enjoy and use for free? As good as the best ad blockers are, that's still a trade-off you need to consider when deciding whether to install one as a browser extension or as a standalone app. 

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• kep55 I'm waiting for an ad blocker that will spoof the websites into thinking there is no ad blocker in place. More and more sites are incorporating code that disables the site entirely or many of the features if an adblocker is in use. Reply

kep55 said: I'm waiting for an ad blocker that will spoof the websites into thinking there is no ad blocker in place. More and more sites are incorporating code that disables the site entirely or many of the features if an adblocker is in use.

• View All 2 Comments

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What to Pack for An African Safari, According to Trip Organizers

Packing is hard. Especially when the destination might involve giant mosquitoes or Instagram-worthy hiking trails. What do frequent travelers to these spots — the ones who best know how to prepare for the conditions — put in their suitcases ? We’ll be tackling this in our series “ The Trip List .”

Going on an African safari and spotting animals like lions and zebras in their natural habitat is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Since it’s not something most people do very often, it’s also not the easiest trip to pack for. For those lucky enough to have a safari in their future, we’ve rounded up a group of experienced tour guides and travel planners (with hundreds of safaris collectively under their belts) to help you out.

“People always overpack. I think that’s the biggest mistake,” says Deborah Calmeyer, founder and CEO of the safari trip organizer Roar Africa . She explains that, in terms of clothing, you generally just need a few casual pieces, as there aren’t many occasions to dress up on safari. Most lodges also offer laundry service with a quick turnaround time, so there’s no need to pack a new outfit for each day of your trip. Instead of prioritizing style, safari experts say to focus on layering , as you’ll spend most of your time outdoors on game drives in open-air vehicles. It might be chilly when you leave your lodge in the early morning but heat up quickly when the sun comes out. “If you’re out after sunset when the temperature drops, those layers will come in handy again,” says Calmeyer.

Before you start packing, learn the luggage requirements of your particular trip, which will determine how much you can bring. Even if you fly to Africa on a major international airline, once you’re in the bush, you’ll travel from site to site on small aircrafts with limited space. “The portal leading into the luggage compartments is quite small, and the bags have to be smushed and manipulated into these little cargo areas,” explains Kota Tabuchi, the managing director for African travel at the trip-planning consultancy Travel Beyond . Depending on your destination, weight limits can range from roughly 33 to 42 pounds, with lower limits more common in East Africa and higher maximums generally seen in South Africa. Choose a soft duffel bag (check your airline’s rules to confirm whether wheeled bags are allowed), as you can’t bring hard-sided luggage on many small planes.

You’re likely going on safari to encounter wild animals (especially the big five: lions, leopards, rhinoceroses, elephants, and buffalo), so don’t scrimp on binoculars and cameras that will help you get the best view and capture the best memories of your sightings. Below, our experts share their top picks for the gear that’ll make your trip comfortable and memorable, plus everything else you’ll need for a perfect safari.

As stated above, a soft-sided duffel bag is your best bet for traveling on safari. Tabuchi has owned this North Face bag for more than 15 years now and has brought it on multiple safaris each year. He calls it “absolutely bombproof.” The lightweight and roomy duffel should hold everything you need, and it is compliant with most African airline requirements. If you want another option, Tabuchi also likes the very similar Patagonia Black Hole bag (a longtime Strategist favorite ).

At under $100, this bag is an affordable pick that was mentioned by several safari pros, including Ina Steinhilber, president of tour operator Thomson Safaris . It’s lightweight, too, clocking in at just over two pounds, leaving plenty of room under the weight allowance for your stuff.

If you’re allowed to bring a soft duffel with wheels, this Osprey bag gets rave reviews from Wil Smith, founder and director of travel organizer Deeper Africa . “Make sure the bag is water resistant and has a storm flap over the zipper,” he says. “On a safari, you’re out on bumpy roads, and you never know if your bag’s going to end up out in the rain, dust, or dirt. It probably won’t, but you want to prepare for anything.” He says this bag checks all his boxes and even has lockable zippers.

“These are a must for finding clothing easily in the soft-sided duffel,” says Kristina Jackson, a senior safari and Kilimanjaro travel consultant at Thomson Safaris. Many frequent travelers have recommended packing cubes to us in the past (including the eBags set) because they compress your gear to save space — even more crucial when you have a tight luggage allotment. “After safari, you may find yourself using them more often,” says Jackson. “They make traveling so easy.”

According to Joel Cody, sales and marketing director at Thomson Safaris, you’ll also want a backpack for your daily game drives to carry things like extra layers, bug spray , and binoculars. Because it folds down into a compact pouch, he suggests this Paravel backpack, as you can easily fit it into your larger luggage.

“Layers are the most practical way to cope with fluctuating daytime and nighttime temperatures,” says Sherwin Banda, president of the safari trip operator African Travel , and pretty much all of our experts agree. A basic tee is a good first layer, and in the summer you might not need more than a long-sleeved shirt on top for the chilly morning and evenings. “We all have one of these,” says Ali Riley, art director of Thomson Safaris, of this polyester button-up. She likes that it’s comfortable, moisture-wicking, and offers UPF 40 protection from the sun.

If you prefer natural fibers, Cody recommends these linen long-sleeved shirts from Uniqlo. “They’re lightweight and comfortable, and you can wear a T-shirt or tank underneath for layering,” he says. “They look good after they’re washed and are available at an excellent price point.”

Patagonia pieces came up a lot among our experts, who like how they’re made sustainably and designed for travel and adventure. For a slightly warmer second layer, Cody likes this half-zip, which is made from a moisture-wicking fabric and locks in body heat. He tells us it “provides warmth without bulk, and doesn’t take up much room in a backpack.”

An even warmer jacket is a good option to have with you even in the summer. Elizabeth Gordon, co-founder and CEO of the safari company Extraordinary Journeys , explains that many popular safari locations, such as Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater, are located at high altitudes and may be chilly year-round. For cold nights and mornings, she loves Patagonia’s Nano Puff jackets. “They weigh practically nothing and somehow always keep me at the right temperature,” she says. For a less-expensive option, Gordon also likes ultralight down jackets from Uniqlo, available for both men and women .

“A light rain jacket can double as a windbreaker, so it’s good to bring no matter the time of year, [especially] with the changing rain patterns,” says Gordon. She says spring and fall are typically the rainy seasons in East Africa, but climate change has made the weather less predictable. To make sure you’ll have coverage in the event of an unexpected storm, she recommends this packable, lightweight Patagonia jacket.

There’s no need to go out and buy special pants for your safari — chinos , leggings , and shorts are all generally fine (though some experts advise against jeans because they’re heavy to pack). If you want to really get in the spirit, however, Riley suggests these convertible pants from Eddie Bauer. You can wear them as long pants in the morning and then roll them up into capris when the weather heats up. “They’re extremely comfortable, if not overly stylish,” she says. Here’s a similar style for men that unzips into shorts. Even if it’s warm out, our experts like having the option of long pants in the evenings when mosquitos are out.

Leggings and yoga pants are especially popular on safari because they’re lightweight and comfortable, especially if you’re going to be sitting in a Jeep all day. If you anticipate being cold, a fleece-lined pair is good to have too. “In case you get a cold night in Ngorongoro, these are great to sleep in, are inexpensive, and don’t take up a lot of room,” says Cody.

Although most lodges have laundry services — often complimentary for guests — many won’t wash women’s underwear because of cultural norms in certain countries. Since you may have to wash your own underwear in your bathroom sink, go with pairs made for exercise or travel that are designed to be fast-drying. “Ideally you want clothing that is easy to wash and dry,” says Smith. He includes underwear in this category, especially for women. Ex Officio (which makes some of our favorite men’s and women’s underwear) specializes in quick-drying materials that’ll make it easy for you to do your own wash.

Gordon points out that most lodges have pools, and getting in an afternoon dip is a great way to cool down after a long day out in the bush. Obviously, go with whatever swimsuit you love, but if you want some Strategist-approved picks, check out out recommendations for men and women (plus bikinis ). Here are two crowd-pleasers that earned our seal of approval.

Unless you’re trekking through the mountains to see gorillas, safaris are mostly sedentary experiences spent on Jeeps or Land Rovers driving through wildlife preserves to catch a glimpse of the big five. Our experts say there’s no need to waste precious luggage space on heavy hiking boots , as you’ll likely be doing only a bit of walking outside the vehicle. Jackson suggests wearing Toms. “They’re perfect to slip on and off while in the vehicle throughout the day and are also very lightweight.” Similarly, her colleague Cody swears by Vans, telling us, “They’re so easy to take off and on and are washable. I wore these all the time.”

If you do anticipate doing more active walking on your trip, both Smith and Tabuchi recommend trail-running shoes. They’re not as bulky as hiking boots (which our experts say aren’t necessary for most safari terrain) but still offer stability and traction. “They’re very sturdy,” says Smith. “You want good traction because if you get out of the car and it has been raining, the ground may be a little slippery.” Tabuchi says any trail runners with a solid rubber sole should do the trick. The lightweight Hoka One One Torrent is popular among trail runners and should be rugged enough to get you through your safari adventure.

Although our experts recommend closed-toe shoes while you’re out on game drives, they say to also bring a pair of flip-flops or sandals for when you’re relaxing back at your home base. “It’s great to have some comfortable flip flops for your tent or your lodge or around the campfire,” says Smith. You’ll also want to wear your flip-flops at the pool if your lodge has one. Brazilian-made Havaianas are an affordable yet stylish option that we’ve written about before .

Accessories

In the past, we’ve covered how merino-wool socks are ideal for all types of activities including running , biking , and hiking . Their temperature-regulating and moisture-wicking properties also make them perfect for safari. Steinhilber says Smartwool socks will “keep your feet warm on cool nights” and, given their lightness, will also be comfortable on daytime game drives.

Calmeyer says a shawl or pashmina will “never go to waste on safari” because it’s an all-in-one piece that you can use to stay warm, block out the sun, or even zhuzh up your casual clothes for a candlelit dinner back at the lodge. Gordon agrees, telling us she always brings a scarf “to dress everything up, or protect from dust.” Nicole Scherr, a former marketing project manager at Thomson Safaris, likes this specific shawl because it’s lightweight, quick-drying, and has UPF sun protection. “It’s great for the plane because it becomes a small blanket, and it’s also light enough to drape over yourself in the vehicle to protect from getting a burn,” she says.

If you’re not into shawls, a bandana or multipurpose gaiter can help with sun protection and keeping dust off your face. These two are favorites of the Thomson Safaris team. The UV-protective Buff also has built-in insect repellent, which you’ll appreciate when the mosquitoes come out.

Since you’ll be out in the sun for most of the day, all of our experts recommend a hat — both to prevent burning and to keep the sun out of your eyes so you can focus on the wildebeest migration or whatever amazing sight you’ve come across on your drive. Tabuchi recommends “a baseball cap at the very minimum,” but if you want even more coverage, several of our experts suggested a wide-brimmed hat like this one from Tilley, which is a top choice among Thomson Safari guides. It’ll cover the front and back of your neck, and it’s also packable, so you can cram it into your luggage and it will retain its shape when you take it out.

While the classic safari hat above is practical, Gordon admits it’s not the most stylish; she prefers a Panama hat like this one. You’ll get nearly as much sun protection in a bit more fashionable of a package.

Binoculars and cameras

“You can’t go on safari without these,” says Steinhilber, and nearly all of our experts agree that a good pair of binoculars will enhance your trip. How close you’re able to get to animals will depend on where exactly you’re going on safari, but Tabuchi explains that in many national parks and game reserves, vehicles are restricted to the road networks, so your driver won’t be able to go off-road to follow a pride of lions or elephants bathing in a river. That’s when binoculars will really come in handy. Although some lodges and game drives provide loaner pairs, Calmeyer says you’ll often end up having to share these with other guests, so it’s worth bringing your own. Gordon adds that “not having binoculars holds you back.”

All binoculars are labeled with two numbers. The first represents the magnification power (for example, “10” means objects will appear ten times bigger than they actually are), and the second is the lens diameter, which determines the field of vision. Binoculars can range in price from under $100 to well into the four figures for a Swarovski pair that Smith calls “the envy of every safari guide and bird enthusiast.” For a safari, Smith says to look for a pair with minimum specs of 8x42, like this mid-range model from Zeiss. With these, Smith says you’ll be able to zoom in on incredible sights like a rhinoceros 1,000 yards away.

If you’re willing to make more of an investment, the Vortex Viper 10x42 are Smith’s personal favorite binoculars. “Those are really good binoculars at a very reasonable price,” he says. “I think the glass is good; it’s stable. I’ve had people compare them with much more expensive binoculars.”

Smartphone cameras are so high-quality these days that experts say you’ll be able to get a lot of great shots with your iPhone — but on safari there are occasions when you’ll want a traditional camera. Like binoculars, a camera will be useful when your drive can’t get close to an animal and your phone camera’s zoom isn’t strong enough to shoot a clear picture from 50 yards away. Tabuchi adds that there are some areas where smartphone photography is banned to protect rhinoceroses, as poachers have used geotagged photos to track down the animals. And, as Gordon points out, if there’s any occasion to break out your fancy cameras and lenses, it’s Africa. Experts say you’ll want a minimum of 300-400mm zoom lenses for shooting at typical safari distances.

This Sony is a favorite of both Smith’s and Tabuchi’s. A bridge between an entry-level point-and-shoot and a high-end DSLR, it has an adjustable telescopic lens that zooms out to 600mm, more than enough to capture lion paws or the eyes of an elephant from a distance. Compared to a DSLR camera with multiple lenses, this one “takes up less space,” Smith says, “and you don’t have to mess around changing lenses.” Tabuchi calls it “stellar,” telling us “it’s got the functionality and zoom capabilities of a DSLR but has enough automatic features in there for dummies like myself.” (If you do choose to go the DSLR route, Tabuchi recommends renting additional lenses from Lensrentals.com to save money on expensive kits you might not use after your safari.)

Here’s a more affordable bridge camera that made Calmeyer’s list of recommended models for Roar Africa safari guests. She admits it won’t be as powerful as a DSLR, but for the price it’s a solid option for capturing both close-ups of animals and sweeping landscape shots.

Even pre-pandemic, experts recommended packing hand sanitizer, since you might be eating lunch straight off a game drive or need to take a bathroom break out in the bush and far from running water. Of course, by now we all have our own sanitizer preferences, but Steinhilber especially likes this lavender one because she says it “doesn’t have that terrible antiseptic odor.” (Interestingly, it’s also Sarah Michelle Gellar’s favorite .)

“The African sun is brutal,” says Calmeyer, and a good sunscreen is an absolute must. Any type you prefer will work as long as it has a high SPF, but if you want a safari-approved pick, Jackson says Badger is a solid “all-natural brand to use all day long.”

Don’t forget lip protection. Steinhilber says any lip balm you choose must have a strong SPF. She uses this one from Dermatone.

Mosquitos, tsetse flies, chiggers, and other critters are often unavoidable on safari, but a good bug spray can reduce your chances of getting bitten. Now’s not the time for organic essential-oil-based repellents that experts say won’t be up to the task. Instead, you’ve got to bring in the DEET. Brittany Silva, a safari trip manager at Thomson Safaris, says this 30 percent DEET spray is one of the best. Another good option is to wait until you land, so that you can buy bug spray from an African company and feel confident that it’s designed to repel the local insects. Calmeyer suggests the brands Peaceful Sleep and Tabard . “They work better than anything I’ve ever got from anywhere else,” she says. Gordon agrees, calling Peaceful Sleep “magical.”

If you’ve read our coverage of the best tick repellents , you know we’re already big fans of this permethrin spray, which can be used to treat clothing and gear. Smith, along with the team at Thomson Safaris, also uses it and likes the extra protection it provides. You can spray it on your shoes, your hat, and anything else you might be wearing to keep bugs at bay.

If you really don’t want to use DEET (which can be smelly and irritate skin), Smith suggests the non-toxic ingredient picaridin as an alternative. “It comes in nice, soft lotions that smell good,” he says, “and it’s just as effective as high-concentration DEET.” He says this Sawyer lotion feels gentle and non-greasy on your skin.

Even if your lodge has a laundry service, if you’re moving between places quickly and won’t be at a specific lodge for more than one night, Smith recommends packing soap for washing your own clothes. He says, “You can just wash your stuff and hang it up to dry while you’re sleeping, so you always have something clean.” Also, bringing your own soap is a must if your lodge won’t wash your underwear. Jackson recommends this eco-friendly, biodegradable soap for easy cleaning.

Additional gear

“On glamping safaris to the Serengeti, charging opportunities are generally limited to the vehicles and central lounge areas,” says Andrew Doherty, manager of special-interest travel at Thomson Safaris. Since you might not have a personal charging station in your tent or lodge, he recommends bringing a power bank that you can charge up when you’re near an outlet and then use to keep your phone and other gadgets running when you’re out of reach. “That way, you can continue to scan through selfies and edit safari shots on your phone while lying in bed listening to lions roaring in the distance.”

“There are three different plugs in Africa,” says Gordon. “A universal adapter is good to have because if you’re entering different countries, you’re just going to want to have all three in one.” This adapter will work in popular safari countries like South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.

Similarly, not all tents and lodges will have lights and electricity at all times. “A lot of places are on generators or solar panels that aren’t going to be on all day or all night,” says Gordon. “The lights are getting better, but they’re not super-strong.” While she used to bring a flashlight on safari, she says she now just uses the one on her phone, but still packs a book light for reading at night. A headlamp works too, if you prefer, and we’ve recommended our favorite one here .

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Today’s Top Clicked

I went on my first safari trip to South Africa. I won't make these 10 mistakes next time.

• I spent a week on safari in South Africa , visiting three different reserves.
• I found that planning was essential and that I always needed to have my camera ready.
• Next time I'd bring warmer clothing and a buff for dust control.

I spent a week on safari in South Africa, visiting three different reserves.

It was a thrilling adventure I'll never forget, and I got to see incredible creatures such as hyenas, elephants, and lions.

It's no wonder more travelers are looking to weave game reserves into their trips. According to the most recent data collected by the travel agency Go2Africa , interest in beach and safari combo trips was up 20% from 2022 to 2023 alone.

But although the trip was great, it wasn't always easy — and I had a few missteps from the planning phase to the wildlife observation.

Here are mistakes I made on my trip that that everyone should avoid on their first safari .

We booked our trip during a busy part of the year.

I try to avoid traveling during holidays , which often means more crowds. Unfortunately, we ended up booking during Easter break, which was the end of summer in the southern hemisphere.

The lodges were full and busy with lots of kids, and the prices were higher. We still had a great time, but if we'd booked different dates — maybe during a low season — we may have paid less for a more private experience.

The mornings were cold, even in summer.

Our morning game drives started before sunrise in an open-air jeep.

The safari guide was wearing shorts, so I thought I would be comfortable matching that. Wrong! I was so cold on our first ride.

I quickly learned that although it was summer, a beanie and down jacket would've been cozy on the drive.

I missed photo opportunities because my camera wasn't ready.

I knew I wanted to keep my camera out at all times when on a game drive. But after several hours of driving, we were approaching the gate and I tucked my phone away.

That's when we turned a corner and saw a large white rhino facing us in the middle of the road. It was a dramatic moment I captured in my head, but I didn't have time to snap a photo before it darted into the bushes.

Next time, I'd be better prepared for animals that might pop up near the exit.

I had no idea how dusty the roads were going to be.

The safari terrain changed based on where the guide drove each day, and some routes were quite dusty.

After a day of exploring, I felt as if I had dust in my ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. Sunglasses helped shield my eyes, but I wish I'd brought a buff to cover the rest of my face.

Driving between game reserves made me more tired than I'd expected.

Our safari adventure included visits to three different wildlife reserves, and we rented a car to get between them.

On each transition day, we had a morning game drive, then a drive to get to the next reserve, and then an evening game drive there.

That was a lot of sitting, and by the time I got to the evening game drive, I was tired. Next time, I may space my schedule out more.

I made the classic mistake of leaving the car door open when unloading the luggage.

At one point, I walked my bags inside my accommodations, leaving the door open behind me. When I came out, the neighbors were taking photos of a monkey inside my car.

He was quick because, fortunately, I didn't have any food in the car for him to run off with.

Now I know to stay on top of shutting and locking my car doors when at a game reserve.

We got too close to elephants.

Animals can be unpredictable and safaris are not like a zoo. I learned how quickly a situation can change while watching a herd of elephants eating in Kruger National Park.

They started crossing the road in front of my car, and a large one turned to look right at us and started shaking his head. It seemed clearly displeased with our presence.

I flipped the car into reverse faster than you can say "elephant," but it was a scary moment.

Consuming too much liquid can be risky.

Evening safari drives include a stop in the bush around sunset for a "sundowner" beverage. One of the nights, my drink proved to be too much liquid for my bladder.

The problem was that we were following a pride of lions, so there was no chance of hopping off the truck to relieve myself.

I was able to hold it, but next time I'll be more careful with the amount of liquid I consume before and during bush drives.

I was caught off guard by load shedding.

Load shedding is the name for scheduled power outages in South Africa that help prevent the power grid from being overloaded.

Some places have backup generators or solar panels to alleviate power disruptions, but I learned not to expect that to always be the case.

When the power turned off during our trip, I found myself sitting in complete darkness. I scrambled for my phone flashlight, but I could've avoided that panic by plugging in the emergency light that was provided.

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Best Safari Extensions in 2024

If you're using a Mac, chances are high that your browser of choice is Safari. Personally, I use it all the time unless something specifically doesn't work with Safari, and I need Chrome or some other browser. But by default, I just stick with Safari. While Safari looks barebones compared to other browsers, you can actually customize it and get some useful functionality through the use of Safari Extensions. Here are some of our favorites.

Ghostery Lite

Stopthemadness, mate: universal tab translator, ebates rakuten cash back, turn off the lights.

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In a world where you need a password for pretty much everything, and the best security is always a randomly-generated strong and secure password, we always turn to 1Password to get the job done.

The 1Password Safari Extension is a mini version of the full-fledged 1Password app. You can quickly access all of your vaults and logins, even searching for what you need. The extension also recognizes the website that you're on, so it quickly pulls up the login info that you need. If there's nothing, you can also add a new login or item, and it helps you generate strong, secure passwords on-the-fly.

1Password includes a 30-day trial for free when you download it. Afterward, you can subscribe with individual membership at $4 a month or family membership (up to five members) for $7 a month.

Free - Download Now

Ghostery Lite is a simple and fast ad and tracker blocker.

With Ghostery Lite, you can choose between the Default Protection or Custom Protection. Default will protect you from all annoying ads and trackers that you'll encounter online. If you opt for Custom, you can pick and choose what tracker categories to block or unblock. There is also the ability to whitelist specific websites that you trust and support so that they can still earn their ad revenue from your visit.

Ever encounter a website that seems to disable certain user interface features that are supposed to be on by default in Safari? StopTheMadness helps you make sure that those features still work, even if a website seems to want them disabled.

With StopTheMadness, you'll be able to command-click and middle-click to open a link in a new tab, or use your command-key keyboard shortcuts. You'll still be able to open contextual menus, select/copy/paste text, drag-and-drop, AutoFill or auto-complete passwords, emails, and more. Oh, and smooth scrolling like butter. All of this will continue to work as normal even on sites that try to disable it, all thanks to StopTheMadness.

It also helps protect your privacy on the web, and gets rid of those annoying "Are you sure you want to leave this page?" prompts.

$2 - Download Now

Ever come across a website in a language that you can't understand? While you could just open up another tab and copy-and-paste words into something like Google Translate, why not save yourself the time and effort with Mate: Universal Tab Translator?

With Mate, you can double-click or right-click on any text in almost any app (not just Safari) to translate it. You can even translate your entire clipboard with the Alt+Shift+T keyboard shortcut, which also opens up Mate above all of your other apps. Mate understands 103 languages, gives you the phonetic transcriptions, and can speak out words and texts with the correct accents to help you learn. There is also the ability to make a custom phrasebook for each language, and all translations are kept in sync across all devices.

I often come across a few links that take me to webpages in another language, so this extension is incredibly useful for helping me understand what it is I'm looking at. The price tag is a bit hefty, but it's well worth the cost if you want a fast and streamlined way of translating in Safari and other apps.

$30 - Download Now c

Love to get rewarded for shopping online? Then Ebates is something you should be using, and it has a convenient Safari Extension!

With the Ebates Rakuten Safari Extension, you can log in to your account ( sign up for free to check out your total and pending cash back, one-click access to your favorite site that will give you cash back, and even get you coupons if it finds any. And if there is no cash back on your favorite stores, the extension will tell you other sites that do that also have the product you want. And you can compare cash back offers as you search.

On the topic of saving money, Honey is a must for anyone who wants even more bargains, and it pairs nicely with Ebates Rakuten.

With Honey, the extension will automatically find and apply coupon codes to your cart when you shop online. No matter what site you're on, Honey will scour the web for any coupon codes and check to see if they're valid for you. It does all of the heavy lifting so you don't have to.

When you're watching videos online, sometimes you just want to dim out everything besides the video itself. That's where Turn Off the Lights comes in.

With this Safari Extension, the entire page will fade to dark, putting all of the focus on the video that you're watching. Just click on the lightbulb icon in Safari, and everything besides the video will dim out. Just click it again to turn it back to normal. This extension works with multiple video sites, and you can customize it with various settings to suit your needs as well. It's a great addition if you tend to watch a lot of videos online.

If you watch videos online, such as from YouTube or Netflix, but wish you could see the video while multitasking without interference, then you need PiPifier.

With PiPifier, every HTML5 video you watch and interact with can be viewed in Picture in Picture mode. Just find a video, interact with it once (such as clicking Pause/Play), and then click on the PiPifier icon in Safari. Your video will then go into Picture in Picture mode, so you're able to use other apps and still have the video playing without any interference.

When you're online, you're bound to share plenty of links with friends, family, and your social media buddies. But long links not only look ugly, they take up valuable space. That's when Short Menu comes in handy.

Short Menu lives in your Safari Extensions, and is waiting for you to insert a long link in to shorten it into something that's more manageable. You can connect to 17 different services for URL shortening, including bit.ly, Rebrandly, Google, Hive, tiny.cc, Droplr, and CloudApp. If you have a custom shortener, you can use it in the extension too!

Short Menu automatically takes whatever link is in your clipboard and puts it into the shortener of your choice, and automatically copies the shortened link into your clipboard. Easy peasy!

$6 - Download Now

If you write a lot online, or just want to improve your writing skills, then Grammarly is a must.

As you have Grammarly installed, it will automatically check your writing in any text input field and point out any misspelled words, grammar errors, and even tells you when there are redundant words and other goodies. You will need to create a free Grammarly account to use it, but it is an invaluable tool to help you improve your writing skills.

What are your favorites?

While there are many Safari Extensions out there, these are just some of our favorites due to their uniqueness and practicality. What are your favorite Safari extensions? Let us know in the comments!

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iMore offers spot-on advice and guidance from our team of experts, with decades of Apple device experience to lean on. Learn more with iMore!

Christine Romero-Chan was formerly a Senior Editor for iMore. She has been writing about technology, specifically Apple, for over a decade at a variety of websites. She is currently part of the Digital Trends team, and has been using Apple’s smartphone since the original iPhone back in 2007. While her main speciality is the iPhone, she also covers Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac when needed. When she isn’t writing about Apple, Christine can often be found at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, as she is a passholder and obsessed with all things Disney, especially Star Wars. Christine also enjoys coffee, food, photography, mechanical keyboards, and spending as much time with her new daughter as possible.

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The easiest  iPhone  browser choice is Safari, which  Apple  pre-installs, but there are plenty of alternatives, and there are at least eight that deserve a closer look for anyone seeking something a little bit different. Because while Apple frequently touts its focus on privacy, some third-party browsers claim to do even more. Another common thread from other browsers is compatibility with the desktop app and unique user interface features.

With many websites having dedicated apps, some users no longer rely upon a web browser for daily activity. Every major social media, shopping and most financial companies use apps to enhance security while making it quicker and easier to log in with a glance (Face ID) or a press of the finger (Touch ID). Google and Bing searches are even possible via apps, eliminating opening a browser when looking up information online. Something that most apps lack, however, is the ability to open tabs and that convenience and control are hard to beat.

Related: Can You Move The Search Bar On iPhone?

The iPhone's Safari app is perfectly okay to use as a web browser without looking elsewhere. It's fast, secure, and well-integrated with the rest of Apple's ecosystem, making it an excellent default choice for the iPhone. There are, however, good reasons to shop around, with the most obvious being desktop browser compatibility. For iPhone owners that also use a Mac or MacBook, website passwords and bookmarks, tab groups and shipping addresses carry over from one device to the next via Apple's Continuity features . It's a different story for Windows PC owners since Apple doesn't make Safari for Windows. For that matter, Safari won't work with a Chromebook or Linux computer either. However, if the mobile app matches the installed desktop browser, synchronization data between the two is still possible. For those using Google Chrome on a computer, it might make the most sense to use it on the iPhone as well. The same is true of Mozilla's Firefox and Firefox Focus, Microsoft's Edge, DuckDuckGo, Opera and Opera GX, as well as the Brave browser.

Google Chrome For iPhone

Google Chrome is the world's most popular web browser on the desktop and smartphones. Its share of users on the iPhone is small compared to Safari usage, but  plenty of people use and prefer Chrome . Moreover, it's pretty convenient when also using a device that runs Android. Copy a link and bookmark it in Chrome on the iPhone, and it will be there on the Android phone as well, and vice versa. Chrome also works on Windows, a Mac and a Chromebook, bridging the divide between platforms.

Mozilla Firefox & Firefox Focus For iPhone

Mozilla's browser has been around for longer than almost any other browser, preceding Safari and Chrome. As a veteran of the early internet, Firefox has a loyal following of web developers that came to rely upon its advanced JavaScript debugging controls on the desktop. Unfortunately, the mobile browser is required to use Apple's WebKit rendering, meaning some of what makes Firefox unique is lost on the iPhone. The same is true of Google Chrome and every other iPhone browser. Apple considers it a security risk to allow another backend solution. That said, Firefox is an excellent browser with a big following.

Mozilla also makes another web browser for the iPhone called Firefox Focus, and it's designed to keep things simple. A somewhat debatable 'feature' is a total lack of tabs. Users can open only one web page at a time. After  Firefox Focus  is installed, a Safari extension with content blocking controls becomes available, providing an extra incentive to get this app. A trash can icon at the bottom of the screen can quickly dump browsing history and close the open page.

Microsoft Edge For iPhone

Microsoft Edge is the default browser for Windows PCs, making this a good choice for iPhone owners that work or play on Windows computers. Edge is quite different from the old Internet Explorer browser that crumbled under the combined force of Chrome, Firefox and Safari, which adopted modern web standards much sooner. By comparison, Edge feels quick and light, allowing users to earn Microsoft Rewards while browsing. Edge also provides unique tools to help with comparison shopping, such as collections and coupons.

DuckDuckGo For iPhone

As silly as the name sounds, DuckDuckGo is a real web browser made by the same company behind the increasingly popular search engine by the same name. Naturally, every search made in this iPhone browser gives the results from the DuckDuckGo search engine, so fans of this alternative to Google and Bing will want to check out this web browser. DuckDuckGo also includes a special Fire button at the bottom, which allows quickly 'burning' all tabs and browsing data , so no evidence remains on the iPhone.

Opera & Opera GX For iPhone

Opera is another web browser that has been around for decades but always seems to be innovating to add value . Opera Flow is an excellent example of this. It connects an iPhone or Android phone to a Mac or Windows computer to allow more than just syncing bookmarks. Flow provides a short-term shared online space for encrypted file transfers between devices. With a quick QR code scan on the computer screen, the setup is complete, and users can move files back and forth with ease. Opera also can be told to dismiss those annoying cookie permission popups automatically.

A variation on Opera called Opera GX has a smooth gaming flavor with custom theming to showcase favorite games or screenshots and a gaming news feed called GX Corner that appears on each new tab. In addition, the Fast Action Button allows super-fast, one-handed browsing with the swipe of a thumb. It's one of the most distinctive browsers available and worth a look.

Brave For iPhone

Brave is another privacy-focused browser. A key feature that distinguishes it from others is the ability to lock the browser, so Face ID or Touch ID is required to use it even if the iPhone is already unlocked. This protects browser information if the device is snatched out of the user's hand while in use, which sadly has been known to happen. DuckDuckGo and Firefox Focus are the only other browsers with this degree of protection.

With so many excellent browsers available on the iPhone, it might be challenging to choose which to use. Safari is an easy and obvious pick and works well. There is absolutely nothing wrong with staying right there . For more advanced privacy controls that lock down the browser and quickly zap away browsing data, Brave and DuckDuckGo are excellent choices. For compatibly with Android and Windows, it's hard to beat Chrome or Firefox and Edge, although Opera is a multi-platform browser as well with some unique capabilities. The  iPhone  can handle multiple web browsers. The default browser can be changed easily, so it might be best to install any of these interesting free apps and explore the possibilities.

Next: How To Replace Safari With Different Browser App On iPhone

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The best web browsers for 2024

All web browsers have the same basic function, and yet, the choice between them has always been one of the most contentious in tech history. You have more options these days than ever before, whether you’re looking for the best web browser for privacy , the best for speed, or perhaps something a bit more adventurous.

To help you decide on the best web browser, we grabbed the latest browsers and put them through their paces. Even if some could use a complete overhaul, these options are your best chance for a great online experience.

The best web browser: Google Chrome

Chrome is ubiquitous — and for good reason. With a robust feature set, full Google Account integration, a thriving extension ecosystem (available through the Chrome Web Store), and a reliable suite of mobile apps, it’s easy to see why Chrome is the most popular and the best web browser.

Chrome boasts some of the most extensive mobile integration available. Served up on every major platform, keeping data in sync is easy, making browsing between multiple devices a breeze. Sign in to your Google account on one device, and all Chrome bookmarks, saved data, and preferences come right along. Even active extensions stay synchronized across devices.

Chrome’s Password Manager can automatically generate and recommend strong passwords when a user creates a new account on a webpage. Managing saved passwords and adding notes to passwords is even easier. The search bar, or Omnibox, provides “rich results” comprised of useful answers, and it now supports generative AI capabilities. Favorites are more accessible as well, and they’re manageable on the New Tab page. And it’s now easier to mute tabs to avoid unwanted sounds.

Other updates have included a Dark Mode for Windows and macOS , better New Tab customization and tab group creation, tab hover cards, and an in-browser warning if your password was discovered in a data breach. There’s a price tracking feature that can help locate the best deals. Android users will appreciate the Phone Hub for linking and monitoring their phones. There’s also the ability to quiet notifications, so websites don’t bombard you with requests to enable in-browser notifications.

What’s the bottom line? The Google Chrome browser is fast, free, and even better looking than before. With a thriving extension ecosystem, it’s as fully featured or as pared-down as you want it to be. Everything is right where it belongs, privacy and security controls are laid out in plain English, and the browser just gets out of your way. While it can be a little RAM-hungry at times , Google is working to make it more efficient — like Microsoft’s Edge, Google can now hibernate tabs in the background to stop them from using too many resources.

Overall, Chrome remains the best web browser download for the average user.

And, things are looking to get even better. Google announced some significant upgrades to the browser that haven’t gone live yet, to celebrate Chrome’s 15th birthday . A Material You design language will allow users to customize Chrome’s look and feel and attach themes to profiles to make it easy to tell them apart. The menu system will be revamped to provide easier access to a variety of settings and features including Extensions, Password Manager, Translate, and others. The Chrome Web Store will be redesigned using Material You to be easier to use, and AI will help identify useful extensions. And finally, Safe Browsing will now work in real time to protect against threats.

The best Chrome alternative: Microsoft Edge

In response to the market’s rejection of its original home-grown Edge browser, Microsoft rewrote Edge using the open-source Chromium web browser engine. The new Edge launched on February 5, 2020 , as a separate, stand-alone browser that replaced the integrated version. It became part of Windows 10 with the May 2020 update, although you can still download it for Windows 10 builds prior to version 2004. Of course, it’s the default web browser for Windows 11.

At first glance, the new Edge browser looks and feels like Google Chrome. It prompts you to import Chrome’s bookmarks toolbar and other settings. This is great if you hated the old Edge browser and want to give Microsoft’s new browser another shot. It also supports Chrome extensions , though the browser leads you to the Microsoft Store for add-ons. You must manually load the Chrome Web Store to install anything not listed in Microsoft’s repository.

However, it’s not Chrome with a Windows 11 theme. Microsoft reportedly disabled many features, including Google’s Safe Browsing API, ad blocking, speech input, Google-centric services, and more. In return, the company worked to optimize Edge and reduce its footprint while continuing to add new, Microsoft-oriented features. As of January 2023, Edge is the most efficient browser in terms of memory usage. It also allows sleeping tabs, to let tabs release their resources when they haven’t been used for some time.

Features launched since its release have included the new Edge Sidebar that provides easy access to various tools, more flexibility in managing how Edge starts up, Citations to make it easier for students to cite sources, and various other updates to make the browser more productive. Edge Workspaces lets users organize tasks into dedicated windows, and Microsoft has continuously tweaked various features, like the Edge Sidebar, to make them more user-friendly.

Microsoft Edge also provides simpler privacy settings and security updates. Microsoft Edge uses a graphically friendly interface that displays three security levels: Basic, Balanced, and Strict. With Balanced set as the default, many sites request you to disable your pop-up blocker even though one isn’t manually installed. All in all, we’re very optimistic that Edge is on its way to challenging Chrome as the best web browser.

The best Chromium alternative: Mozilla Firefox

Firefox is the best browser that’s not based on the Chromium browser engine. Mozilla has taken real strides to make its browser a truly modern way to surf from site to site, thanks to efforts like its upgrade to Firefox Quantum , its VR alternative Firefox Reality , and password-free browsing .

It wasn’t too long ago that Mozilla rebuilt the browser’s interface, offering a cleaner, more modern take on what a web browser should be. The changes weren’t just skin-deep, however. There’s some impressive engineering going on behind the scenes.

For example, Firefox Quantum is designed to leverage multicore processors in ways that its competitors just aren’t doing. It was not designed to make a huge difference in your day-to-day browsing, but Mozilla hopes this design will give Firefox Quantum an edge moving forward. By engineering for the future now, Firefox Quantum is in a better position to take advantage of quicker processors as they emerge.

Some Firefox strengths include privacy protections with SmartBlock anti-tracker support, improved password syncing across devices, enhanced readability, integrated breach alerts, and a Protections Dashboard that provides a summary of how Firefox protects your privacy behind the scenes. WebRender improves the graphics performance on Windows PCs with Intel and AMD CPUs.

Recent updates include easier download management, captions, and subtitle support on YouTube, Prime Video, and Netflix videos watched in picture-in-picture mode, HDR support in macOS, and the ability to edit PDFs with text, drawings, and signatures. Firefox can also recognize text from an image, which is copied to the clipboard when selected. Finally, Firefox Colorways provides new options for optimizing how Firefox looks on-screen.

Beneath those changes, Firefox remains a comfortable, familiar standby. It’s a capable browser with a deep catalog of extensions and user interface customization. While managing settings across platforms isn’t as seamless as Google Chrome , the mobile browser app lets you share bookmarks between devices when using a free Firefox account.

There’s a bit of a fringe benefit, too. Since it’s been around longer than Chrome, some older web apps — the likes of which you might encounter at your university or workplace — work better on Firefox than they do on Chrome. For that reason, it never hurts to keep it around.

Overall, Firefox is more privacy-centric than Chrome and comparably fast, but its feature set isn’t quite as expansive elsewhere. If you like the sound of this, download the Firefox browser today.

The most innovative web browser: Opera

Another venerable browser and popular alternative, the Opera browser shares much of Chrome’s DNA and deserves its place as one of the best web browsers. Like both Edge and Chrome, Opera is built on Google’s open-source Chromium engine and, as a result, they all have a very similar user experience. Both feature a hybrid URL/search bar, and both are relatively light and fast.

The differences appear when you look at Opera’s built-in features. Where Chrome relies on an extension ecosystem to provide functionality users might want, Opera has a few more features baked right into the browser itself. It introduced a predictive website preload ability, and an Instant Search feature isolates search results in their separate window while the current page fades into the background, letting users more easily focus on the research task at hand.

You can install extensions from the Opera Add-ons store , which are just like Chrome extensions. Similar to Google’s browser, you’ll find useful tools like Giphy, Amazon Assistant, Avast Online Security, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and more. If Chrome’s wide variety of extensions is important to you, then Opera becomes an intriguing alternative. It might just be one of the best browsers for quickly navigating web pages.

Opera also features a built-in “Stash” for saving pages to read later. There’s no need to sign up for a Pocket or Evernote account to save a page for later reading. Similarly, Opera features a speed-dial menu that puts all your most frequently visited pages in one place. Google Chrome also does this, but only on a blank new tab. Finally, Opera has a built-in unlimited VPN service, making it a more secure browser option.

The biggest changes came with Opera 60 and Reborn 3, a complete revamp that brought a new borderless design, Web 3 support, and a Crypto Wallet, allowing users to prepare for blockchain-based sites. With version 69, Opera became the first browser with a built-in Twitter tool, and the company has added others as well including Instagram and TikTok. Just click the icon on the toolbar, log in to your account, and tweet away right from within the slide-out menu.

Other recent advancements include Lucid Mode, which sharpens video playing on a variety of platforms, supports emojis instead of web links, and other enhancements. The Opera Sidebar adds new functionality much like Edge’s Sidebar, allowing quick access to various Opera features. And Opera Aria adds new generative AI capabilities built right into the browser.

You can see that we’re well into hair-splitting territory, which is why it’s important to remember that your choice of browser is, more than any other service or app you use each day, entirely dependent on your personal preferences — what feels most right for you. The Opera web browser has a unique look and feel, and it combines some of the best features of Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.

Alternative browsers

While the preceding browsers will meet most users’ needs, other alternatives exist for anyone looking for something different. This section is for those who have a more niche preference in web browsers  or want to try something new.

Apple Safari

If you use Apple devices exclusively, Safari is already your default browser. It’s also significantly faster than in the past, surpassing Chrome in its quickness. It’s integrated into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, and you’ll likely get better battery life thanks to Apple’s in-house optimizations and the underlying hardware.

Safari also focuses a great deal on privacy and security. If you want to minimize how you’re tracked and whether Big Brother is looking over your shoulder, then Safari is a good choice. If you also use an iPhone and/or an iPad, then using Safari on your Mac will make for the most seamless transition between platforms. Open websites on an iPad or iPhone are carried over to macOS.

Safari is not offered outside the Apple ecosystem.

Vivaldi Browser

The Vivaldi browser is truly unique. No two Vivaldi users will have the same setup. When you run it for the first time, you’re guided through a setup process that lays out your browser in a way that makes sense for you. You choose where your tabs and address bar go and whether you want browser tabs displayed at the top of the page or in a separate side panel. This is a browser built from the ground up to deliver a unique user experience, and for the most part, it succeeds. Vivaldi 2.0 enhanced the customization features and made them easier to access.

This browser excels at customization, and you can choose from a variety of tasteful themes that don’t feel dated or out of place on a modern PC, in addition to the aforementioned UI choices. It also has some standout privacy-enhancing features, like its team-up with DuckDuckGo to make the non-tracking search tool the default option when in privacy mode.

Finally, recent updates added more powerful tab management, enhancements like Web Panels that make for smarter browsing, and (as mentioned) even more powerful customization options. Other new updates include a built-in ad blocker, a built-in tracker blocker, a clock in the Status Bar, a new Notes Manager, and a Break Mode for pausing the internet while keeping the browser open.

Brave Browser

One of the most unusual browsers around is Brave — or, perhaps, it’s Brave’s business model that’s the strangest. Brave blocks all ads on all web pages by default, which makes it arguably the fastest browser around. Ads are a huge portion of how many websites make money — block these ads, and suddenly the most important web financial tool is eliminated.

That’s where the Brave Rewards program comes in. Users receive Basic Attention Tokens (BATs) when they view alternative ads that Brave places in the browsing stream. Users can pass along a portion of their tokens to publishers. As of January 2021, there were over 70,000 websites that supported BAT-based transactions through the Brave browser, including Wikipedia, The Guardian, WikiHow, MacRumors, and more.

What’s in it for users? Simply put, if you’re not waiting for ads to download along with website content, then your web experience will feel much faster. Brave performs no user tracking, making it ideal for private browsing as well.

Tor Browser

The Tor Browser is a version of Firefox that serves one very specific purpose: A simple entry point for The Onion Router, or Tor .

Tor is software combined with an open network aimed at making you invisible by routing your traffic through several anonymous servers. While it’s not foolproof, it’s very difficult for someone to identify you when you’re properly configured and using something like the Tor Browser to surf the web — especially if combined with a VPN .

There are many legitimate uses of the Tor Browser and the Tor network. It’s a good choice for people who live in countries with repressive governments, as well as journalists and activists. The dark web is also one of the destinations for people using Tor, which includes many nefarious and illegal sites.

In any event, if you want to remain completely anonymous while surfing the web, the Tor Browser and network are for you. If you want a more mainstream alternative, Opera includes a VPN component, but it’s far less private.

Avast Secure Browser

Avast Secure Browser first arrived as the Opera-based Avast Safezone Browser in 2016 as part of the Avast Antivirus paid bundle. It was revised and rebranded in 2018 as a free stand-alone product based on Chromium. Originally the “SafeZone” aspect kicked in when users visited websites to make purchases or manage money.

Avast Secure Browser provides several built-in tools to protect your data and privacy. These include an anti-phishing module, fingerprinting and online tracking prevention, an ad blocker, and a Webcam Guard tool to control which websites can access your camera. The Hack Check tool will determine if your info was leaked in a data breach.

Avast Secure Browser is a stand-alone download for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. The desktop version doesn’t include an integrated VPN but instead directs users to download the company’s separate SecureLine VPN software. The listed Bank Mode — part of the Avast Free Antivirus client — flips on when users load a banking website.

Best web browser features — what to look for

Benchmark tests.

Notice we don’t include Safari in our main comparison. Apple’s Safari web browser is unavailable on Windows, Android, or Chrome OS, so we removed it from our primary list.

Most browsers are compatible with web standards and handle performance with relative ease. A casual user probably won’t notice a difference in the rendering speed between today’s modern browsers, as all six are much faster and leaner than those of a few years ago.

We ran the following benchmarks on a desktop with an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X processor, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe solid-state drive, and Windows 11. All browsers were clean installs of the most current production versions as of January 2023, and all were run at their default settings.

First, JetStream 2 is a JavaScript and WebAssembly benchmark. It tests how quickly a web browser can start and execute code, and how smoothly it runs. Higher numbers are better.

Notice how all three Chromium-based browsers outperform Firefox. In fact, there’s very little difference between them, while Firefox’s performance is quite poor by comparison.

The next test we ran was Speedometer 2.0 . It measures how responsive a browser is to web applications by repeatedly adding a large number of items to a to-do list. Higher numbers are better.

Here, Opera led the pack, with Chrome and Edge running nearly neck to neck. Firefox came in last here with a relatively low score.

Finally, we tested how much RAM each browser uses, both with no tabs open and then with 10 tabs open accessing the same popular sites. We made sure that each browser had no extensions running, and we let each browser settle in before looking at its memory use. For the test with 10 tabs open, we averaged memory use when all the tabs were opened and then five minutes later to account for any variability.

It’s not a scientific test, but it should be sound enough to give you an idea of which browsers are the most and least efficient in terms of taking up your RAM. We found Opera to use the least amount of RAM when first opened, barely ahead of Edge, while Chrome used the most. Edge used the least with all 10 tabs loaded by a significant margin, a third or less than the other browsers. Chrome used the most with all 10 tabs open, and Firefox and Opera weren’t far behind.

Security and privacy

The most valuable tool for secure and private browsing is user discretion, especially when you consider that every web browser has encountered security breaches in the past. In particular, Internet Explorer and Chrome’s reputations for protecting users’ security and privacy credentials are spotty at best.

Chrome, Safari, Vivaldi, Opera, and Firefox all rely on Google’s Safe Browsing API to detect potentially dangerous sites. Thanks to constant updates, Mozilla, Chrome, and Opera all make constant security improvements. Microsoft disabled this API in Edge.

All browsers offer a private session option, too. Private sessions prevent the storage of browsing history, temporary internet files, and cookies. Browser support for Do Not Track remains spotty.

Mozilla made some strides in differentiating itself from others with a real focus on privacy in recent years. It even debuted a Facebook Container  in 2018 to make it harder for the social network to harvest user information.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need to use a VPN when browsing the web? 

You do not have to use a VPN when browsing the internet. However, a VPN can be a good tool to use as it protects your privacy and data by creating a secure and encrypted data tunnel between your browser and a VPN server. In turn, that server creates a secure and encrypted connection between it and the target website.

As a result, the website can’t identify you personally, nor can it see your true geological location or internet address. Not even your ISP knows where you’re surfing or the device you use with a VPN enabled. Some VPN services are free while others require a subscription. We have a list of the current best VPN services .

Which browser is most used in the world? 

Google Chrome leads the web browser market with a 64.68% share, according to Statcounter . Apple Safari follows with 18.29%, Edge at 4.23%, Mozilla Firefox at 3.01%%, and Opera at 2.25%. Internet Explorer is still in use with 0.81%, while Microsoft Edge “Legacy” is fading out at 0.32%.

What are the best ad blockers to use for your browser? 

We have a guide on the best ad blockers for Google Chrome , but here’s a short list:

• AdBlock and AdBlock Plus
• AdGuard (Chrome only)
• CyberSec by NordVPN
• Poper Blocker (Chrome only)
• Stands Fair AdBlocker (Chrome only)
• uBlock Origin (Chrome and Firefox only)

What is browser fingerprinting and how can you prevent it? 

Websites want to know everything about you: Your tastes, your habits, and where you like to surf. When you load a website, it quietly runs scripts in the background that collect information about you and your device. The operating system, the web browser, all installed extensions, your time zone — all of this information is strung together to create a “fingerprint,” which in turn can be used to trace you across the internet via cross-site tracking.

Avast provides a detailed explanation and outlines various forms of fingerprinting. For example, the “canvas” method forces the browser to draw an image or text in the background, without the user knowing, to determine the operating system, web browser, graphics card, installed drivers, and the current font style. Device fingerprinting determines all internal and external device components.

As your fingerprint is tracked across the internet, this “profile” can be sold to data brokers, who then resell the data to advertisers. It’s a more silent means of gathering information about you versus using cookies that require your consent. The problem is, browser fingerprinting is still perfectly legal.

The best way to prevent browser fingerprinting is by randomizing and generalizing data. Third-party software like Avast AntiTrack does this by inserting “fake” data when website scripts try to collect your information. However, this tool allows scripts to continue running in the background so the website doesn’t “break.”

Many browsers offer some type of anti-fingerprinting protection. These include Avast Secure Browser (see above), Brave Browser (randomization), Mozilla Firefox (blocks fingerprinting scripts), and Tor Browser (generalization).

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Mark has been a geek since MS-DOS gave way to Windows and the PalmPilot was a thing. He’s translated his love for technology into a marketing, consulting, and freelance writing career aimed at helping people use technology to enhance their lives. At Digital Trends, he reviews laptops and desktops, including the latest from HP, Dell, Lenovo, Apple, and more, and writes news and easy to understand how-to articles about the computing industry as a whole.

When he’s not writing, you’ll find him reading and watching science fiction, taking photos with his family, and obsessing over Indiana University basketball.

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Microsoft Word is one of the best word processors around, allowing you to craft powerful documents with an intuitive interface. If you know how to use Microsoft Word, you're typically working with large files that span multiple pages. So, you'll be happy to know there are several easy ways to delete a page in Word, including both blank pages and those you simply no longer need.

Microsoft Word is one of the most feature-rich word processing tools gifted to us human beings. In fact, the very word “Word” has invaded nomenclature to the point where any discussion of this type of software, regardless of what the product is actually called, typically results in at least one person calling the software “Word.”

With each new release of the industry-lauded software, we get more and more capabilities. But this shouldn’t prevent us from knowing how to incorporate classic Word elements, such as the hanging indent. We understand how tough it can be to stay on top of how to use Microsoft Word though, so we’ve made this guide to teach you how to quickly and easily add a hanging indent to your next Word doc.

Double-spacing is a great way to organize your word processing, and an excellent optimization that is built into most word processing tools. And whenever we hear “word processing,” one of the first programs that comes to mind is Microsoft Word. Learning how to use Microsoft Word is usually straightforward, but it has various formatting features that aren't immediately obvious. Here, we’re going to teach you how to implement double spaces throughout your next Word doc.

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The best search engines to use, if you're tired of Google

Last updated 1 year ago

When it comes to using an online search engine, the overwhelming majority — 92 percent worldwide , according to Statcounter — use Google as their search engine, whether by default or by choice. Some regions rely on it almost exclusively, like India, while in a few places it isn't easily available — such as China .

In those places, the government has replaced Google search with state-run or locally-controlled alternatives, such as Baidu (China) and Yandex (Russia). It is assumed that such governments gather data on users very aggressively, following Google's model.

Google's chief search rivals — including Bing and the former most popular engine, Yahoo — can't seem to make a serious dent in Google's dominance. In North America, for example, Bing manages a mere seven percent of search queries , while Yahoo doesn't even manage half of Bing's popularity, with three percent.

Much of Google's popularity is the result of user inertia alongside genuine consumer satisfaction. In addition, Google uses aggressive promotion to convert users to its search engine, including pop-ups offering to help switch users' default search every time an Edge user visits a Google site.

Naturally, Google uses its own search in its browser Chrome , now the most frequently-used browser, and it pays Apple billions per year to be the default search in Safari, Spotlight, and Siri. Effectively, Google pays Apple not just to provide services to Apple users, but also to prevent Apple from entering the search engine market.

Over the last two years, there have been numerous rumors that Apple will nonetheless eventually develop or unveil its own search technology to launch a universal Google competitor . So far, however, there's been no obvious move from the company to rid itself of the lucrative Google deal.

Many users are just in the habit of starting any exploration of the internet by going to Google.com first, or setting it as their default start page. Users across a wide age range (but tending to have been born before the home-computer generations) are often under the impression that the only easy way to find a website is to search for it in Google first.

It would take a lot to even come close to knocking Google off their "king of search" pedestal, given that it processes around 5.6 billion queries per day . The company doesn't reveal the average number of daily active users (DAU), but for comparison Facebook claims nearly two billion DAU, so it is likely that Google's count is similar — or even higher.

That's not to say that it doesn't have a few serious rivals. Baidu, for example, had 218 million average daily users as of the end of last year, thanks to its near-monopoly in China.

The best alternatives to using Google for search in the US

Google's search engine is the most popular in the world for a reason: it collects an astonishing amount of data about you more-or-less continuously. Thus, it can offer results very personalized for what it thinks you will click on, as well as based on recent behavior.

Some find this convenient, many find it disturbing, but its effectiveness is revealed in Google's fiscal results: outside of monetizing your data, it has no significant other income. Last year, Google alone reported nearly $257 billion in revenue , which accounted for 80 percent of the income of its parent company, Alphabet.

Due primarily to Google's ubiquity and data-monetization practices, other web-based search engines have emerged to offer effective alternatives. In addition to newer alternatives, it may surprise web veterans to know that a couple of the original search engines are still around, including Yahoo and Ask.com (formerly Ask Jeeves).

Some very small search engine sites claim to offer total anonymity and high security, or specialize in scouring the darker corners of the web. However, it is difficult to verify these claims, or determine how such services pay for themselves, so we won't be covering those here.

Instead, we'll compare the king of the hill to a handful of alternative search websites that offer search with a different spin, or alongside other services. We'll compare strengths and weaknesses, as well as assign an overall privacy-centric score.

Where Google excels: Exemplary database of business information, myriad extra services available if desired, fast and highly personalized results, available in a wide variety of outlets.

Where Google falls down: Massive collection and monetization of user data on a far more intimate level that most users are aware, manipulated rankings, and no discernible ethics regarding sales of personal data except where forced to comply with regulations or laws. Often prefers to pay fines and carry on over reforming itself.

Privacy: On a scale of 1 to 5, Google rates a one, but probably deserves a zero.

Where Google keeps its search engine page sparse, with barely more than a colorful logo and a text-entry box, Microsoft's Bing naturally tries to overcompensate. Visitors will be greeted with some beautiful photography, marred by the white text bar, with the page's understated but incredibly corporate "Microsoft Bing" logo, and trailed by some monetized clickbait "news" stories.

Those who scroll down get rewarded with the original photo and the story behind it, followed by the useful "previous images" collection and "this day in history" feature. Actually inputting a query takes you to a very Google-esque page of links, along with summaries and tips (if relevant), followed by videos, more links, and further subsections of related material.

Bing can be set as the default search engine on almost any browser. It is, of course, the default search engine on the Edge browser for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android.

Where Bing excels: Users can see the effort made in trying to provide links and related material that is as relevant as possible to the search or question asked at the very top of the page. It must drive the Bing team mad that the most frequently-searched term is "Google."

For example, a search on Bing for a driver for a specific printer actually does surface as the "top hit" the legitimate page of the actual maker of said driver. If you try the same with Google, a half-dozen scammers or malware merchants have paid Google in order to top the results and burying the actual answer — and not just for this category, but for every category.

Where Bing falls down: Bing does collect data on its users for monetization and ad-targeting purposes and does some limited tracking, though users do have the option of erasing their search history. The clickbait news-scams down the page should really be beneath a rich company like Microsoft, but there they are.

Bing Privacy: Bing is more privacy-protective that Google, but that's not saying much. Of the top three search engines, Bing might actually be the best in pure results — so we'll give it a 2 out of 5.

Outside of the top three, a relative veteran that has been slowly increasing its foothold since 2008 is DuckDuckGo . The service essentially anonymizes your search query, then feeds it to Microsoft's Bing, showing you the results without the intrusiveness — or benefit — of Google's more personalized findings.

The company makes its revenue by showing ads connected to the search terms alongside the results, but the results nor any clicks are added to a profile of users. No record is kept of one's past searches, and the neither the ads nor the site track user behavior as they continue to surf, again unlike Google.

Users can opt to set or change a default search engine in most browsers, or might opt to simply make a preferred search engine as the home page of their browser of choice. You can set DuckDuckGo as the default search engine in the four most popular browsers: Safari, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox.

Where DuckDuckGo excels: A sustainable revenue model and additional privacy-focused products, and improving name recognition among privacy-focused web surfers.

Where DuckDuckGo falls down: Relies on Bing for non-personalized results. Its separate browser app for iOS includes a Bing tracker.

DuckDuckGo Privacy: Some smaller private search engines go further than DDG, for example obscuring any URL with search terms visible to people looking over your shoulder, but on the whole we'd give DuckDuckGo's search engine an 3.5 out of 5.

Brave Search

Brave's search engine claims to be one of the most private search engines around. It does this by simply not collecting any information about its users at all. Unlike DuckDuckGo, Brave doesn't rely on another company's index to produce results; it created its own index from scratch.

Brave is a good choice for a basic browser, though nowhere near as full-featured as Safari or Firefox. That said, while Brave does not offer a search extension for users of other browsers, the search engine's own web page — search.brave.com — can be bookmarked on all of them.

Where Brave Search excels: A browser and search engine combo that emphasizes and delivers the best alternative private search available, using its own index.

Where Brave Search falls down: Has had difficulty finding a mainstream audience due ironically to its privacy-centric policies.

Brave Search Privacy: 5 out of 5

Ecosia.org is an ecologically-oriented search engine that, like DuckDuckGo, offers anonymized Bing results, but uses its Bing affiliation and revenues generated from ads to plant trees around the world. The site does not store user searches indefinitely, nor allow third-party tracking tools, or sell any data gathered from users to non-Microsoft advertisers.

Users can opt to turn off all Ecosia's own "product improvement" tracking if desired, but it does require some small effort to do so. Ecosia can be set as the default search engine in Safari, Brave, Vivaldi, Firefox, and Chrome.

Where Ecosia excels: On par with DuckDuckGo for search, but uses its profits for a very worthy cause.

Where Ecosia falls down: Uses tracking for its own "product improvement" unless users make the effort to turn that off.

Privacy: 3.5 out of 5

Startpage is similar to DuckDuckGo and Ecosia, except that it uses Google rather than Bing to get results to your anonymized query. It bills itself as "the world's most private search," and its policies of no cookies, no search history retention, and no IP or location records support the company's claim.

Like Google and Yahoo, Startpage also offers email. It also features an anonymizing proxy page that hides your identity and location as you browse the internet, if desired.

In 2019, a marketing and advertising company called System1 invested in Startpage, raising suspicions among the search site's users that the privacy of the site has been compromised. Small promotional messages have since appeared on the main page, but thus far it does not appear to have changed the overall mission or policies of Startpage.

Where Startpage excels: Completely anonymous search.

Where Startpage falls down: Transparency with its users about System1's involvement.

Startpage Privacy: It would be a 5, but we're deducting a point due to the company's lack of candor in its funding model, so 4 out of 5.

Ask.com may be a nostalgia trip for veteran internet users, but it continues to focus on its original offering from 1996: answering questions rather than simply offering pages of links. It outsourced its search engine technology many years ago, and instead pulls from multiple sources — including a crowdsourced expert community — to compile answers.

As with the bigger-name search engines, Ask gathers question, location, and other user data, and sells this to advertisers. It does offer an opt-out on its tracking practices, but it cannot be set as a default search on any mainstream browsers.

Where Ask excels: The question-based approach results in actual answers rather than just links.

Where Ask falls down: The site's privacy policy outlines clearly the kind of information it collects, such as location, IP address, and query history. The site also explicitly states that it "shares" this information (also known as "selling this information") to advertisers and other vendors/partners.

Tracking users can only be avoided if the visitor is from California (where Ask complies with state law), and even then only if said user opts-out. Broadly speaking, Ask's gathering and use/sale of user data is on par with most commercial websites.

Ask Privacy: 1.5 out of 5

Yahoo, founded in 1994 and thus the earliest still-in-operation website search engine, bought up many of its rivals (such as Altavista) before falling from grace in the face of Google's superior data-driven search results in the late 2000s. It continues to offer search and other services, such as email, but is a pale shadow of its former glory as the "door to the internet."

Currently, the portal is owned by investment firm Apollo Global Management, which holds 90 percent ownership of the company. Like Google, its usage terms disclose that the company analyzes and sells the data it collects both on its site and via tracking technology.

Although it seems to be in a pre-death holding pattern, it remains one of the original multi-purpose "portal" sites, offering news and weather alongside a (poor) email service and search. Yahoo can be set as the default search engine on Safari, Chrome, and Firefox.

Where Yahoo excels: Survival.

Where Yahoo falls down: Mediocre email service and search, coupled with outsourced news and advertorial "content."

Yahoo Privacy: 1 out of 5.

Did I miss the part where you mentioned google is only useful for deciphering windows error messages? Oh, and if the search is medical related you get heavily censored results. They heavily deboost the most important medical info from the very same people that would benefit greatly from it. Frankly, lack of utility comes way before the privacy concern. 

Thanks for the best article on search engines I have ever read. I’ll definitely check out Brave search. 

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macOS Sequoia beta 8 now available with these 11 features

If you buy through a BGR link, we may earn an affiliate commission, helping support our expert product labs.

macOS Sequoia  release date is just around the corner. While  Apple Silicon Mac users can try Apple Intelligence with macOS 15.1 , Apple is also seeding beta 8 of macOS 15 for Intel Macs (or Apple Silicon Macs if you don’t want to try AI just yet). With this testing version, Apple continues to prepare the official version of this system for later this fall. These are some of the features users can expect to have once the final build is available.

For Safari, macOS Sequoia beta 8 brings the long-awaited iPhone Mirroring feature , which was unavailable with the first beta. This Continuity function allows users to fully access and engage with their iPhone right from their Mac.

In addition, macOS Sequoia beta 8 brings the following features to Safari:

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• Highlights:  That’s an easier way to discover information on the web, such as directions, summaries, or quick links to learn more about people, music, movies, and TV shows;
• Reader:  A redesigned Reader includes even more ways to enjoy articles without distractions, featuring a streamlined view of the article a user is reading, a summary, and a table of contents for longer articles;
• Video detection:  When Safari detects a video on the page, Viewer helps users put it front and center while still giving them full access to system playback controls, including Picture in Picture.

With a new Passwords app , Apple wants to make it easy for users to access their passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and verification codes. During the beta test, Apple also added new wallpapers for macOS.

macOS Sequoia beta 8 also adds:

• Messages  have received major updates to improve users’ expression and stay connected. These include all-new text effects, emoji and sticker Tapbacks, and the ability to schedule messages to be sent later.
• Apple Maps  introduces even more ways to explore the world, including curated hikes and custom walking routes. Beginning this fall, users can browse thousands of hikes across all 63 national parks in the United States, filtered by length, elevation, and route type, and save them to use while offline.
• Photos  now surface Collections, which automatically organizes a user’s library by helpful themes. The search feature has also been updated so users can get results quickly.
• Note-taking in  Notes  is getting smarter, making it easier than ever to take detailed and well-written notes. New audio transcription and summarization features with Apple Intelligence enable a device to take notes for the user, letting them stay present in a situation where they need to capture details about what’s happening. And if they need to quickly crunch a number, they can just type in an equation to have it solved automatically in their note body.
• Calendar  shows events and tasks from  Reminders , making it easy to see, edit, or complete tasks throughout the day. An updated Month View makes it easier to see events and reminders for an entire month at a glance.
• Wallpapers: There are new Sequoia wallpapers.

Alongside macOS Sequoia beta 8, Apple released the eighth testing versions of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, tvOS 18, watchOS 11, and visionOS 2.

This article talks about:

José is a Tech News Reporter at BGR. He has previously covered Apple and iPhone news for 9to5Mac, and was a producer and web editor for Latin America broadcaster TV Globo. He is based out of Brazil.

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Universal   Best Safari Dark Mode extension?

• Thread starter Branaghan
• Start date Oct 17, 2021
• Sort by reaction score
• iOS Apps and Apple Arcade

macrumors regular

• Oct 17, 2021

iOS 15 Safari Extensions Worth Checking Out

‎Nitefall: Dark mode for Safari

‎Dark Reader for Safari

‎Adobe Acrobat Reader: Edit PDF

macrumors 68020

• Oct 18, 2021

I know there are currently (at least) 16 iOS15 Safari extensions that offer a dark mode option. I've bundled them in this list which includes both paid and free Safari extensions. Dark Reader is also available on iOS. Best (paid) options I've read about are: - Dark Reader (4.99 dollar, pay once) - Noir (2.99 dollar, pay once) I'm still a bit hesitant to use these third party extensions though as far as privacy is concerned. I hope Apple will make it available in a future iOS version (probably iOS16).  

macrumors 603

pacorob said: I know there are currently (at least) 16 iOS15 Safari extensions that offer a dark mode option. I've bundled them in this list which includes both paid and free Safari extensions. Dark Reader is also available on iOS. Best (paid) options I've read about are: - Dark Reader (4.99 dollar, pay once) - Noir (2.99 dollar, pay once) I'm still a bit hesitant to use these third party extensions though as far as privacy is concerned. I hope Apple will make it available in a future iOS version (probably iOS16). Click to expand...

• Jul 12, 2023

I‘ve been using the Nitefall extension but the developer seems to have removed it from the App Store. So now I’m showing that the app has an available update but I can’t update it and it just stays in the list of apps with updates available. Does anyone know why the dev removed the app? I’m in the US, if that matters.  

AnActualMacbookPro

Macrumors newbie.

• Jul 22, 2023

‎Dark Mode for Safari: NightEye

• Jul 24, 2023

Whyy said: I‘ve been using the Nitefall extension but the developer seems to have removed it from the App Store. So now I’m showing that the app has an available update but I can’t update it and it just stays in the list of apps with updates available. Does anyone know why the dev removed the app? I’m in the US, if that matters. Click to expand...

What’s the Best San Diego Safari Park Tour? Chart & Reviews

With 18 choices, how do you pick the best San Diego Safari Park Tour/Safari? After the quick summary below, check the comparison chart for prices, tour duration & age limits. Then read the individual tour reviews and about their refund policy if you have to cancel.

Africa Tram’s the best free San Diego Safari Park tour. The 1-hour Wildlife Safari truck trip into the African fields is the most popular paid one. But a 90-minute Twilight Wildlife Safari with lunch is a better deal. Roar & Snore Safari overnight stays are family favorites. All require separate admission.

If you make purchases through the links in this post, I may be compensated. Read my Advertising Disclosure for more info. Thanks! ~ Nancy

* Save with a secret promo code on each San Diego Zoo or Safari Park 1-Day Pass. Go any day. Go directly to the gate. Click  HERE  to get your code, instructions & discounted tickets by email. By clicking the link above you agree to receive an automated email message. Valid only at aRes Travel , San Diego’s local authorized ticket seller. Read my full privacy policy .

Prices are given as a range because Safari Park charges extra for tours on peak days. Prices and availability can change without notice.

• Least Expensive: non-holiday Mondays and Tuesdays thru Thursdays
• Mid-priced: most Fridays
• Peak prices: Some Fridays. Usually Saturdays, Sundays, and 3-day holidays (best time for aRes discount tour deals )

You’ll need to buy a Safari Park admission in addition to your tour ticket. Why not take advantage of the best admission discount from aRes Travel , the San Diego-based authorized ticket seller? Click on the koala’s furry face below!

And finally, here’s what else you can do at Safari Park . That’s a page that I wrote that covers the animal exhibits, shows, and keeper talks. And if you’re wondering where to eat I’ve also written an article on where’s the best food ?

Wildlife Safari Tour

The 1-hour Wildlife Safari is the most popular tour at San Diego Safari Park followed by the 90-minute Twilight Wildlife Safari. You go inside the African animal enclosure in an open-air covered truck. Twilight tours add a light meal. Deluxe Safari is 90 minutes long and also tours the Asian enclosures .

The worst thing about these Safaris is that there are sometimes so many opportunities for close-up photos of animals that you won’t know where to point your camera first.  The best part of them is that you have the opportunity to feed giraffes if the animals are feeling hungry. Don’t worry, they’re ALWAYS hungry.

There are 3 different variations of this Safari plus an alternative for those with teenagers:

Wildlife Safari

• Duration: 1 hour
• Price: $89 – 105 per person. Admission is separate for each person and required.
• Age restrictions: Ages 3+. Children 15 years old and younger must be accompanied by a paid adult
• What’s Special: The overwhelming SIZE of a 4-foot long giraffe head next to yours. And how daintily they take the acacia leaves from your fingers.
• Deals : Check HERE for discounted tours for SanDiegoing readers from aRes Travel — San Diego’s local authorized ticket source.

Twilight Wildlife Safari

• Duration: 90 minutes
• Price: $109 – 129 per person. Admission is separate for each person and required.
• Age restrictions: Ages 3+. Children 15 years old and younger must be accompanied by a paid adult 
• You’ll also enjoy a glass of wine or a non-alcoholic drink with some tasty nibbles at a stunning overlook.

Deluxe Safari

• What’s Special: The Deluxe Safari provides you with your best chance to pet a rhino. It’s not guaranteed, but it’s more likely than on either of the other truck safaris. Why? Maybe because the One-Horn rhinos in the Asian fields are a bit smaller than the White rhinos in the other safaris? Still, stroking the soft snout of a 3,500-pound animal instead of a 5,000-pound one is ok with me. And there are always hungry giraffes!

Combine A Truck Safari with a Zipline Experience

If you’ve got teenagers or other adrenalin junkies in your group, try the Deluxe Flightline Safari (further down this page). It combines a shorter truck caravan safari with a 3,520-foot zipline ride. Same cost, but more experiences!

Wildlife Safari Tips

Feed giraffes, but don’t touch them . Keep your hands low during feeding. Raise your hand just a bit so that they can see the acacia leaves. Then let them reach down for the leaves.

Why? They use their heads as battering rams in dominance contests. Your friendly hand reaching towards their head can be viewed as an aggressive gesture. So no high-fives with giraffe horns. That avoids misunderstandings with a creature 10 times your size and makes for better photos as well.

THIRSTY? Bring drinking water in a container with a closed lid. Sip, don’t guzzle unless you’ve got an iron bladder.

MOBILITY ISSUES : If anyone in your party has mobility issues or needs to use a wheelchair call 619-718-3000 after you purchase your ticket. They will make arrangements for you.

RESTRICTIONS

• Selfie sticks must be stowed away. They can scare animals.
• No outside food, beverages, or bulky camera equipment (small tripods are ok if they’re used as monopods)
• Admission is separate and required.
• 5 or more days before reservation – changes allowed but $15 Administrative Change Fee will be charged.
• Less than 5 days before reservation – changes not permitted

CANCELLATIONS

• 5 or more days before reservation – changes allowed but $25 Cancellation Fee will be charged.
• Less than 5 days before reservation – payment not refundable.

Sun-Up Cheetah Safari Tour

Do you love cheetahs? Then this is San Diego Safari Park’s best tour for you. It’s the very best way to get amazing cheetah photos like the one above.

• Duration : 1 hour
• Start Time: 8:00 AM on most Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays
• Price: $99 – 105. Admission is separate and required for each guest.
• Age restrictions: All ages ok. There must be a responsible paid adult present for every 3 children. Children aged 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Proof of age of children may be required.

You’ll get into the park early and meet your experienced guide for a walk down to Shiley’s Cheetah Run . There you’ll see a cheetah fly by at nearly 70 miles per hour from a prime viewing location.

After the cheetah chases the mechanical lure down the track you’ll head down to the Watering Hole at Kijamii Overlook . There you’ll get to see another speedster, this one flying through the air. After all that rushing around, relax with a savory brunch. Enjoy coffee, tea, mimosas, and the only San Diego restaurant view that includes giraffes, rhinos, and antelope.

• Purchase your admission ticket(s) in advance online. You will be arriving before the ticket sale booths are open. Have your admission ticket printed or ready to be scanned on your cell phone.
• To get the best viewing locations for all of these tour events, arrive about 30 minutes before check-in so you get the first pick. But don’t worry if you can’t be early. There aren’t any “bad” locations.

Cart Safari Tour

A Cart Safari is the best tour at San Diego Safari park if you’ve got small children or babies. The cart is much lower to the ground than the truck used in the Wildlife Safari. It’s much easier to get in and out to view animals while carrying infants or toddlers. The ride is also much smoother since Cart Safaris only go on paved roads.

You’ll have a private tour driver/guide. They’ll be masked and the cart has special screens to social distance your guide from your household group. But they’ll still be able to hear and see you to answer just about any question and direct you to wildlife feeding opportunities and photo stops.

• Price: $55+ per person. Admission is separate and required for each guest.
• Age restrictions: None. Infants and children under the age of 2 are welcome as long as they sit on an adults’ lap. There’s a limit of two lap children per group. Children 15 years old and younger must be with a paid adult.
• Two Options: Asian Cart Safari or African Cart Safari

There Are 2 Flightline Safari Zipline Rides and Tours at Safari Park

Flightline safari.

• Duration : 1 hour. Includes orientation session and Fledgling flight
• Price: $77 – 85
• Age restrictions: 8+ years old. There must be one paid parent or guardian accompanying up to 3 children aged 8 to 15 at all times. If you’re 16 or 17 you may ride the flightline alone, but you must have a parent or guardian sign a liability waiver at check-in. 
• Deals : Check HERE for daily discounts for SanDiegoing readers from aRes Travel — San Diego’s local authorized ticket source. TIP : The deals are best when you need them most, on weekends and holidays.

Take an exhilarating flight down a zip line 2/3rds of a mile long. Soar up to 130 feet above herds of wild antelope, giraffes, and rhinos. 

You’ll take a training course on the Fledgling run. There you’ll become familiar with the procedures and safety equipment. Once you’re comfortable with the short Fledgling flight, you’ll be transported to the launch platform for the Flightline Safari. You land near the campground at Kilima Point.

Deluxe Flightline Safari

This tour is a very good deal for groups that include restless teenagers looking for a bit more action. It adds a truck caravan tour into the African plains exhibits before your orientation session and zipline flight. You can get up close with the animals, take great photos, and ride the zip line for the price of just the Wildlife Safari truck tour.

• Duration : 90 minutes.
• Price: $89 – 105

Safety Restrictions: You will be asked to sign a liability waiver. You must be able to understand the waiver and be able to follow instructions in English. There’s a weight limit of between 60 and 300 pounds (your weight may be checked). 

The safety harness must fit comfortably. Wear snug-fitting closed-toe shoes. Do not drink alcohol before the Flightline Safari. If the trainers or those assisting you think that you’ve been imbibing you will not be allowed on the zip line. 

If you don’t meet all of these qualifications you will be denied access to the zip line and there will be no refunds.

Behind the Scenes Safari Tour

If you’re looking for an insider’s view, these will be San Diego Safari Park’s best safaris for you. There are 3 different safari options available, each focusing on one animal or exhibit area. But no two Behind the Scenes Safari Tours are exactly the same. All of them provide an intimate look at off-exhibit areas that are inaccessible to the general population of Safari Park guests.

You’ll take a ride on a small electric cart and then explore on foot with a guide who’ll fill you in on the park’s animals and conservation initiatives. 

There are three Behind the Scenes Safari Tour s:

Elephants & Friends

Have a close encounter of the pachyderm kind! See the Safari Park elephant herd from a private viewing area. Discover how they’re cared for and what’s being done to protect their wild relatives. Selfie sticks are not permitted on this tour.

• Price: $89 – 105 per person. Admission is separate and required for each guest.
• Age restrictions: Children 3-15 must be accompanied by a paid adult. A maximum of 2 children per group.

Rhinos & Friends

Get close to rhinos. Explore behind the scenes at Nikita Kahn Rhino Rescue Center. Here the Safari Park staff is developing assisted reproductive techniques that may bring back the Northern White Rhino from functional extinction.

You’ll also take a trip around the park’s large field exhibits and view many other species there. You have to be able to stand or walk for at least 60 minutes to take this tour.  Selfie sticks are not permitted here.

• Age restrictions: Children 3-15 must be accompanied by a paid adult. A maximum of 2 children per group. A maximum of 2 children per group.

Roar & Snore Safari Tour

In my ever so humble opinion, and that of many others, this is the BEST safari at San Diego Safari Park. You can experience the sights and sounds of sleeping on safari in Africa without traveling there (no extra vaccinations needed!).

Fall asleep to elephants’ rumblings. Wake to the sound of lions roaring. But don’t worry about it being too noisy to sleep. Most of the time it’s so quiet that you can hear the footsteps of giraffes passing by. 

What happens at Roar & Snore? Close-up animal encounters, night-time guided walking tours, and a backstage look at some of the animal accommodations. You’ll also enjoy good food, and relaxing around a campfire.

The last time Bob and I went, we saw the inner workings of Lion Camp at night. Did you know that they sometimes put different colored glitter in each lion’s food? Me neither! The colored particles let keepers know which scat belongs to which cat. Examining their feces is just one way that keepers monitor lions’ health.

The sleepovers include a catered hot dinner and breakfast. They’ve got something for everyone with many gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan selections. For adults, there’s a cash bar. And everyone will enjoy sitting around the campfire eating s’mores and listening to the guides and campers trading stories of their wildlife experiences.

Most Roar & Snore Safaris include an evening or early morning Africa Tram ride. It’s magical. The animals in the African multi-species enclosures are at their frisky best. It seems as if they’re trying to get all of their sparring, running, and chasing done in the cooler weather. 

The campsite overlooks the African Plains multi-species enclosure loaded with antelope, giraffes, rhinos, gazelles, wildebeests, and many other animals. Clean restrooms and a limited number of showers are available. The tents are clean and spacious.

If you cringe at the thought of sleeping on a cot or the floor of a tent you’ll probably be happier spending the night at a nearby hotel. I’ve written a guide to the best local lodging close to Safari Park .

There are 3 different tent options:

Classic tent.

• $149 (Ages 3+)
• $30 (Ages 0 – 2)
• Price is per person. Single campers pay 2-person tent price. Maximum 5 people per tent. Admission is separate and required. 
• Size: 9 ft x 14 ft interior
• Tent Type: Canvas roof, vinyl-covered tent floor
• Furnishings: Sleeping bag pads. Bring your own sleeping bag, pillow, etc.
• $189 (Ages 3+)
• Price is per person. Single campers pay 2-person tent price. Maximum 6 people per tent. Admission is separate and required. 
• Tent type: Canvas roof, vinyl-covered tent floor. 
• Furnishings: 2 single cots, 2 chairs. Bring your own sleeping bag, pillow, etc.

Premium Tent

• $229 (Ages 3+)
• Price is per person. Single campers pay 2-person tent price. Maximum 4 people per tent. Admission is separate and required. 
• Great for couples looking for a special evening or families of 4.
• Size: 12 ft x 16 ft interior
• Tent type: Canvas roof. Wood floors with rug. Electrical outlets (charge your mobile devices!), storage/night-stand
• Furnishings: Queen bed with linens & pillows., 2 cots with sleeping bags, a fan and a space heater 

There are 5 different Roar & Snore Safari options:

All-Ages Roar and Snore

• Best sleep-over option for families with young children . 
• Age restrictions: For ages 3 and up
• What’s Special: There’s an evening, after-hours Africa Tram ride just for All-Ages Roar & Snore campers and an easy guided walk. Full cash bar for adults.

Adults-Only Roar and Snore

• Best option for couples . 
• Age restrictions: Ages 21+
• What’s Special: Adult topics like animal reproduction are presented by keepers. There are more animal experiences than during the All-Ages offering. The guided hikes are more strenuous. We went backstage at Lion Camp to see the big cats’ bedrooms and care areas.  It was dark in spots and the footing was a bit challenging. There was a cash bar for adults during dinner and the campfire experience.

Girl Scouts Roar and Snore

• Age restrictions: Ages 5+ with adults
• Pricing: $139+
• What’s Special: This is a troop oriented event. There are group guided walks, conservation related activities and animal-oriented crafts.

School Nights Roar and Snore

• Age restrictions: Ages 3-12 with adults
• What’s Special: This is a great field trip. The kids will get hands-on educational conservation & animal care experiences 

Supreme Roar and Snore

• Age restrictions: Aged 8 – 15 with adults.
• Pricing: $303+
• What’s Special: This is a great bundle of activities. Soar into the Roar & Snore camp on a zipline Flightline Safari. Spy on animals in the Night Vision Safari with vision-enhancing goggles. See the Sun Up Cheetah Safari with an exclusive viewing spot. And finally ride into the herds of giraffes, rhinos and antelopes on a morning Wildlife Safari.

For more detailed information on what to bring, how to prepare, and a menu, check out the Safari Park Roar & Snore Safari page on their website.

Ultimate Safari Tour

Assemble a Safari Park tour that is customized to your interests and desired activities. Full disclosure, we haven’t been on this safari, but we’re saving up for it! Because of that, I’ve asked a LOT of questions on the phone to the booking team. I hope that you’ll benefit from my research. And if you go before I do, send me pictures!

When you book your Ultimate Safari know the answers to the following questions before you call:

• What are your favorite animals?
• Are you interested in feeding any of these animals?
• Which animal exhibits would you like to see behind the scenes and find out more about how they’re cared for? 
• Do you have any dietary restrictions? They serve you lunch on this safari. You don’t want this experience spoiled by food that you can’t eat!

Duration: 5 hours. It’s easy to add too many activities and animal experiences to this safari. You’ll have to be selective so you don’t feel rushed. Your planner will help you decide how much to see in the time that you have.

Price: Varies depending upon day and seasonality

• $675+ for a 5-hour tour. Priced per person.
• $50 – children aged 2 and under
• Children aged 15 and under must be with a paid adult

Age and other restrictions: Depends upon the activities you choose.

You must book/reserve your tour at least 72 hours in advance . San Diego Safari Park usually only schedules one Ultimate Safari per day. The animals need to be fed and cared for daily and their keepers need to be notified so they can make special accommodations for Ultimate Safari visitors. 

Balloon Safari

Soar 400 feet up in a helium balloon. You’ll have great views of San Diego Safari Park and the San Pasqual Valley agricultural area that surrounds the park. 

Duration: About 30 minutes. You’ll spend 10 to 12 minutes at the highest viewing point.

Price: Varies depending upon peak hours and days. Plan on spending $20 or less. Reservations are NOT available online. Pay at the gate.

Ages restrictions:   All ages. 

Tips: The best times to fly are between 9:00 AM and noon, but it’s open until sunset. The ride may shut down due to windy or rainy conditions. Afternoons in Escondido can be windy. The balloon is grounded shortly before Cheetah Run at about 3:00 PM and afterward while any cheetahs remain near the Shiley’s Cheetah Run track. 

Africa Tram Tour

Africa Tram is San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s best tour if you’re on a budget . It’s one of the highlights of the park. And it’s free with your park entrance ticket! We’ve ridden this attraction hundreds of times and plan to do it many more.

You get to see dozens of species at once, and they’re always doing something new. The many thousands of rare plants surrounding you and the over 900 acres of open California Sage Scrub habitat make it even more appealing.

Duration: 25 – 30 minutes.

Price: FREE with your paid admission to Safari Park, except for children in school groups. Ride as many times as you want to.

Ages restrictions:   All ages. Children under 2 years of age must remain in their parent’s lap.

• Skip this one if you have booked a Caravan or Cart Safari, and you are feeling like you don’t have time to see everything on your list.
• In a rush? You can purchase priority boarding. Check the kiosk at the entrance to the Africa Tram queue. 
• When’s the best time to ride the Africa Tram? The peak hours are from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. So anytime before or after will be good. The animals are most active when the weather is cool. Many people try to take the first Africa Tram trip or one of the last ones for that reason. But there’s really not that much difference. You’re going to see spectacular creatures whenever you go. 
• Where’s the best place to sit? We like sitting in the 2nd or 3rd car. The first car can be a bit noisy. However, that car is the only one with accessible seating for those with mobility issues. So it may be best for you. 
• Which side of the tram is best? You’ll see animals on both sides. And you are encouraged to stand up if the vehicle is not moving. So you’ll be able to take great photos no matter where you sit. However, the cheetahs, zebras, and most giraffes and rhinos are on the right side.
• Expect long lines on weekends & holidays. There are signs that tell you approximately how long the wait times are. They are fairly accurate. The longest times are from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.The wait times are shorter during Cheetah Run (around 3:30 PM). We also like late afternoon trips because it’s getting cooler and they’re less crowded. The last trip of the day starts 45 minutes before the park closes. 
• Request an “Easy Access Pass” if you have difficulty standing for long periods or are of limited mobility. With this pass, any guest with a disability and 3 additional members of your group, can be directed to a separate boarding area. Park employees are glad to provide extra boarding and disembarking assistance (if requested), to those boarding from the Easy Access areas.

7 Tips for Better Safari Tours

• Save money by reserving in advance versus purchasing the same day in the park. Plus you’ll be more likely to be able to choose a convenient time. 
• Get the best deal by booking on non-peak days . Safari Tour tickets generally cost less on weekdays. Non-holiday Mondays and Tuesdays are the cheapest. Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays are a bit more expensive. You’ll pay the most on weekends and holidays.
• Include parking fees in your budget. Parking is not included and must be paid upon arrival at the parking entrance to Safari Park. Parking costs $15 for passenger vehicles and $20 for RVs. You can have preferred parking by adding $18 to either of the parking fees. “Preferred parking” means that you get a spot close to the entry/exit and you don’t have to walk uphill to get to the Park entrance.
• Arrive a minimum of 45 minutes before your tour or safari . This will allow time for you to travel from your parking or drop-off point to your safari check-in location. Leave earlier during holidays and on Friday afternoons when the traffic is usually heavier.
• Check in 10 minutes before the beginning of your safari.
• Know where your safari check-in location is. Check their map from the San Diego Safari Park website before you arrive.
• Download their map app. It’s available for both Apple and Android. Apple iOS download here.
• Android download here.

About Refunds or Cancellations of San Diego Safari Park Tours or Safaris

• There are no refunds if you arrive late or are a no-show.
• Make changes or cancellations early! There are no changes or cancellations less than 5 days before the date of your safari.
• What if you get sick? Call them at 619-718-3000 as soon as you know that you can’t go. Their Reservations Sales Department is open every day at 8:30 AM. They will need your Order Number, so have it with you when you call.
• Pay attention to the age limits and other restrictions for certain safaris. You won’t be given a refund at the last minute because you didn’t read the tour descriptions.
• The park reserves the right to cancel any safari or tour because of bad weather, animal welfare concerns or concerns for your safety. If they have to cancel your safari they try to do it as soon as possible and do their best to reschedule your safari at your convenience. If you cannot reschedule, your money will be refunded.  However, if it’s raining and they don’t call to cancel, enjoy! The park can be wonderful when it’s wet. Check out my article on how to enjoy San Diego Safari Park if it rains.

Closing Thoughts

Take the Caravan Safari Deluxe or the Ultimate Safari if you’re visiting for the first time and may not be returning for a long while. Splurge a bit. If you’re feeling guilty about the extra expense, tell yourself that you’re spending the extra cash to help end wildlife extinction.

If one of the paid safari experiences is not in your budget, then take the Africa Tram. Maybe twice. Once in the morning and again right before closing time.

Maybe you’ve read all the way down this page and still aren’t sure whether the Zoo or Safari Park is a better fit for you? In that case, go to my page where I compare the differences between the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park and the pros and cons of each.

I hope that this has been a help for you to decide which San Diego Safari Park tour or safari will be best for you and your family.

Nancy Ulrich

I'm nuts...about animals, polymer clay, mixed media art & husband Bob. Happily planted in San Diego among good friends, family that I would have chosen if given the choice and optimism for a bountiful future for us all.

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