Country.
This is just a little bit about the countries we have visited on safari. The information here should not be regarded as fact - it is just a collection of my opinions and beliefs.
Botswana
For a long time the most expensive place to go on safari, I believe it has recently been caught up by Zambia. Botswana is home to the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park - both highly esteemed safari destinations. We were largely unlucky in the week we spent in the Okavango and should maybe have chosen the locations of the lodges more carefully, but price was a major factor. The Okavango is widely considered one of the best places in the world for safari, but from our experience it is probably best to try to stay in the Moremi area if you can afford it. Hopefully one day we will get there so we can write more favourable reviews of lodges.
South Africa
Often the home of what I call safari-lite because every safari park in South Africa is fenced in and many are actually quite small. This means that one will often come across fences during the game drive, which makes it feel much less wild and does, I think, detract from the experience. Having said that, there are some phenomenal safaris to be had in South Africa, with some exceptional guides. Kruger National Park is huge, with areas that are easy to self-drive (even with tarmac roads) and other, private concessions, in which you need to be with a particular lodge or lodges. Pilanesburg is another park in which you can self-drive very easily, but I think having sign-posts at every junction makes things feel a little too tame and prefer to feel like I am in the wild. Phinda is superb if you can put up with a few fences and can afford And Beyond's prices. Entabeni has some absolutely spectacular scenery and decent game - but stay in the lower part if at all possible; it is less crowded and has better game. Madikwe has a huge number of lodges on it for its size and isn't one of my favourites, but the game has improved a lot in the last few years and is worth a look.
Namibia
Alas we haven't yet been to Namibia, but my parents visited Etosha National Park. They said the land was very flat and consequently the sheer numbers of the animals they could see was staggering, but they didn't see anything unusual. Also, I believe that night drives are not permitted there, but I could be wrong.
Zambia
Zambia is often billed as "The Real Africa" and it is to me. The major game parks, Luangwa (North and South) and Kafue are really wild, with no fences to keep the animals there - just conservation efforts. Some of the camps are so small and secluded that you will never see another vehicle whilst you are staying there. This means that the guides don't have the benefit of the radio to find out where other guides have seen the wildlife, but this didn't seem to hinder game viewing at all - for example we saw six different leopards in one week! I am biased because I love it, but I would say if you can afford Zambia (the prices seem to have rocketed recently) then go there.
Zimbabwe
To be honest, since I was a kid I have not done a proper safari in Zimbabwe so cannot really comment too much. I have been to a couple of small, privately owned parks which were very good, but even that was nearly ten years ago and the country seems to have declined markedly since then. The main safari areas are Hwange and Mwana pools. Both used to have very good reputations for game viewing, but I would expect poaching to have increased with the fall of the economy.