With so many safari destinations to choose from, how do you decide where to go? Here, a country-by-country guide to help narrow the field

BOTSWANA
Landlocked and about the size of France, but with only 1.5 million people. Often called "the crown jewel" of safari countries because of its plentiful game, limited visitor numbers, excellent conservation practices, and diverse terrain, ranging from the Okavango Delta to the Kalahari Desert.
Best Time to Go: The northern parks are best visited May through November. In central Botswana, avoid May, October, and November.
Major Parks and Reserves: Central Kalahari, Chobe, Moremi, Okavango, Savuti.
The Draws: Intimate camps. Outstanding wildlife viewing. The world's biggest inland delta.
The Downsides: Can be costly unless you use an overland operator such as Drifters (drifters.co.za), and difficult to navigate on your own.
Memories of a Lifetime: Sleeping under the stars on the Makgadikgadi salt pans. Walking in the Kalahari with the San Bushmen.
Tip: Travel in November, when the newborns arrive and the bush is a gorgeous green.

KENYA
The setting for Out of Africa has everything the first-time safari-goer looks for: big game, small reserves, beaches, mountains—all in close proximity.
Best Time to Go: Any time but the rainy months of April, May, and November.
Major Parks and Reserves: Amboseli, Laikipia, Masai Mara, Samburu, Tsavo.
The Draws: Plenty of conservancies adjoining the national parks that offer great digs and lots of animals. You can add on a beach holiday afterward in Malindi or Lamu.
The Downsides: In July, the U.S. State Department issued a warning about traveling to Kenya because of continuing threats from terrorism (most problems occur within cities). Its popularity has led to occasional traffic jams in places like the Masai Mara.
Memories of a Lifetime: The sight of hundreds of thousands of wildebeests and zebras crossing the Mara for days on end.
Tip: Equestrians should check out Ol Donyo Wuas, in the Chyulu Hills, with safaris for both expert and novice riders in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro (oldonyowuas.com).

NAMIBIA
A stable country with good roads, internal flights, and excellent camps and lodges.
Best Time to Go: Year-round, but temperatures are mildest from June through September.
Major Parks and Reserves: Etosha National Park, Namib-Nuakluft, NamibRand, Skeleton Coast National Park.
The Draws: Costs less than other countries for the same quality service and lodgings. Spectacular landscape of shipwreck coasts, canyons, a vast desert full of mammoth dunes. Boat safaris down the Zambezi River. The world's largest cheetah population.
The Downsides: Lacks the variety and number of game of other countries, so not ideal for the first-time safari-goer. Much of Etosha is flat, dry, and very crowded in season, and you're not allowed off the roads.
Memories of a Lifetime: A lion eating a whale on the beach.
Tip: Look for the Little Five: the elephant shrew, ant lion, leopard tortoise, buffalo weaver, and rhinoceros beetle.