Readers of UK travel magazine Wanderlust have voted, and South Africa walked away with three prizes at the 25th Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards, held on 4 November at the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site in London. The competition was hefty: roughly 251,000 people cast over 8.2 million votes to decide the world's best destinations for 2026.

In the headline "Most Desirable Country" category, South Africa took bronze, finishing behind winner Costa Rica and runner-up Japan. The rest of the top ten ran: Canada, Thailand, Australia, USA, Peru, South Korea and Colombia — respectable company, though it's notable that the votes came largely from a UK-based readership, a key market for South African tourism.

The bigger win came in "Most Desirable Destination for Nature & Wildlife", where South Africa topped the list outright, beating heavyweights Brazil, Australia and Kenya. Wanderlust's judges singled out the sheer range on offer: red dunes and black-maned lions in the Kalahari, tracking rhinos on foot in the bushveld, and drifting through the wetlands of iSimangaliso on the KwaZulu-Natal coast. That spread — desert, bush and marine reserves within one country — is exactly what sets South Africa apart from its safari rivals.

Cape Town added a third bronze, placing third in the "Most Desirable City (World)" category behind Tokyo and Buenos Aires. Between Table Mountain, the Cape wine lands and the V&A Waterfront, the Mother City has long been the country's tourism anchor, and this result confirms its pull among British travellers.

So what does this mean if you're planning a trip? For wildlife-focused holidays, this is a timely nudge: the awards highlight experiences beyond the classic Kruger game drive, from Kalahari dune lodges to iSimangaliso's hippos and turtles. Pairing a safari with a city stay in Cape Town remains one of the strongest all-round itineraries anywhere, and the weak rand often makes it better value than comparable African or South American trips.

For UK travellers in particular — the audience behind these votes — South Africa offers direct flights, no jet-lag-inducing time change (just a one- or two-hour difference), and an English-speaking tourism infrastructure. The award season buzz also tends to push early-bird deals on flights and lodges, so it's worth booking ahead for the May–October low season, when game viewing is at its best and prices soften.