- 2026 has seen the largest increase in interest in solo travel ever, with 1.6 million searches of “solo travel” in January alone, increasing 230% in 10 years.
- Solo travelers are Go2Africa’s only increasing demographic in the past year, predominantly coming from the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
- Solo travelers are more intentional in their planning, often researching their trips in advance and arriving with a clear destination in mind. They also tend to take shorter trips on average, while spending more per person.
- The most popular safari countries for solo travelers are Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa, while Madagascar, Malawi and Zambia see the biggest year-on-year increase.
Solo travel is more than just a fad. More and more people every year are choosing to travel alone, whether to have ultimate freedom over their itinerary, to push themselves into new experiences or because their family and friends can’t travel as flexibly as they can.
In the U.S. alone, the solo travel market was valued at $95 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach over $190 billion by 2030, according to Research and Markets[1].
Safari company Go2Africa saw a distinct increase in travelers choosing to explore the world independently, so to understand this growing demographic, they analyzed their own internal data, as well as third parties, to see how solo people are choosing to travel.
Solo Travelers Are Emerging as the Fastest-Growing Luxury Safari Segment
The report analyzed real customer data to reveal how luxury solo travelers are planning on taking luxury safari trips. The findings revealed that the solo travel demographic was the only type to increase year-on-year within the company, from 13.07% of enquiries in 2024 to 15.42% in 2025.
Every other demographic, including couples, families and groups of friends saw a nominal decrease in representation, not hinting at a lack of interest, but more so that solo travelers are starting to take over the luxury safari sector.
Solo Safari Travelers Originate From the USA, Australia, Canada and UK
Where these solo travelers originate from also reveals some interesting statistics. The biggest number of solo travelers came from the United States, a country representing over 50% of customers and seeing a 26.26% increase from 2024 to 2025. Not only is the U.S. the dominant source market for solo travel, but it is also one of the fastest-growing, reinforcing its position as a key driver of demand.
This is followed by Australia, where solo travelers saw an impressive 119.80% year-on-year increase in interest in solo trips. Canada remained relatively stable, only seeing a slight decline of -0.22% in solo travel demand, while the United Kingdom recorded a significant rise of 101.72% between 2024 and 2025, highlighting strong growth across key English-speaking markets.
However, when normalising for population sizes, some interesting trends come through. Australia leads with 48.04 enquiries per 1 million of its residents, showing that those living here may be more adventurous and willing to travel alone than other countries. Moving further east, New Zealand also ranks high with 44.74 enquiries per 1 million people. This is then followed by Canada with 22.26 and the United States with 21.75 enquiries per 1 million residents.
These States Are the Top Sources of Solo Safari Travelers
When looking more closely at the U.S., certain states stand out as producing a higher share of solo travelers than others.
Within the U.S., the highest volume of solo travel enquiries comes from California, Florida, and Texas, reflecting their large populations and strong overall travel demand. These states consistently act as key source markets for international travel, and solo travel is no exception.
However, when the data is normalised for population size, a different picture emerges. The District of Columbia, Rhode Island, Nevada, and Delaware show the highest levels of solo travel interest per capita, followed closely by New York and California. This suggests that smaller or more densely urbanised states, in particular, may have a stronger propensity toward independent travel, potentially driven by lifestyle factors, higher mobility, and a greater appetite for experiential travel.
Tanzania Most Popular, Madagascar Top Trending Country
Solo travelers also show distinct preferences when it comes to destination choice, with certain countries consistently standing out over others. Tanzania ranks as the most sought-after destination, accounting for 17.3% of all solo traveler enquiries. Kenya follows closely behind at 15.2%, while South Africa takes third place, drawing 14.5% of solo travelers.
While these countries are the top most popular for solo travelers to enquire about overall, some more unlikely hidden gems start to emerge when looking at those that have increased in popularity the most year-on-year.
The country with the largest increase in interest in the past year is Madagascar, which has seen an extraordinary rise of 380.2% compared to the previous year, increasing from 1.14% of enquiries to 4.43%. The second-top trending country is Malawi which has jumped 169.68% in enquiries from 2024 to 2025, followed by Zambia, jumping 115.66% in enquiries in the last year.
To explore the data study in full, visit Go2Africa.
About Go2Africa:
Go2Africa is a multi-award-winning and B Corp certified tour operator based out of Cape Town that curates exceptional and personalized African holidays, specializing in safaris. Celebrating over 25 years, the team has been committed to building first-hand knowledge of every destination, lodge, and activity they recommend from their 3000+ partners.
