South Africa ranks 4th in Telegraph Travel Awards 2025, continues decade-long global appeal
Cape Town is a major deciding factor for travellers when it comes to voting for South Africa as a top global destination.
Image: Armand Hough/Independent Newspapers
South Africa continues to mesmerise travellers from across the globe, garnering fourth position in The Telegraph Travel Awards for 2025, maintaining its dominant streak in the top 10 over the past decade.
From picturesque and cosmopolitan Cape Town and its winelands, through to the Garden Route, and the Kruger National Park, South Africa ticks all the boxes for the 20 000 readers who weighed in on the voting for this year's awards.
Travellers from across the globe continue to be captivated by South Africa's Big Five, including the much beloved elephant.
Image: Nicola Mawson
South Africa and Botswana, which came in at number 10, were the only African countries to feature in the Top 10 countries on earth this year.
The top position went to New Zealand, followed by Japan, with India in the third slot.
In 2023, South Africa was in the top spot, fifth in 2019 and second in 2018, reflecting its enduring allure for travellers, drawn by a combination of warm climate, breathtaking scenery and diverse offerings.
"The Telegraph" reported: "If this wonderland at the bottom of a spectacular continent has failed to keep the crown in 2025, it has hardly escaped your minds entirely.
A pair of hippos in the water in the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage site celebrated for its unique ecosystem and bountiful wildlife.
Image: Unsplash
"It acts as a reminder that few countries have quite as much to offer to travellers: one of the planet’s most beautiful cities in Cape Town (also highly ranked in these awards’ cities poll), wondrous wines in the Cape vineyards, the road-trip delights of the Garden Route, the safari sensation that is Kruger National Park."
Botswana comes a close second when looking at previous years, having held position 10 in 2023, position six in 2019 and fifth position in 2018, with travellers taking on boat trips in the Okavango Delta, one of the world’s largest inland deltas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Below are the Top 10
- New Zealand
- Japan
- India
- South Africa
- Greece
- Australia
- Peru
- The Maldives
- Costa Rica
- Botswana