Earned recognition you can trust
Every badge is earned by real traveler activity and verified records — never bought — and refreshed every night so it always reflects how things stand right now.
Built to be trusted
Three rules keep every badge on Explola honest, current, and meaningful.
Earned, never bought
Badges reflect merit only. A subscription pays for advertising exposure — it can never buy a badge or a higher rank.
Always current
Every badge is recomputed automatically each night from live ratings, inquiries, bookings, and response times.
No flukes
Each badge has a minimum-activity gate, so a brand-new listing can never earn one off a single review or inquiry.
Operators
Operator badges
Signals about the tour company itself — its track record, demand, service, and verified credentials.
One of the very top operators in its country — the podium (#1–#3) by overall merit.
How it’s earned: Ranked against every other operator in the country by traveler demand, accepted bookings, ratings, and response speed. Needs at least 5 reviews and 10 inquiries in the last 90 days to qualify.
A real, registered business — identity and licenses confirmed by Explola.
How it’s earned: Explola checks the operator’s business registration and safari licenses against official government records in at least one country before this is granted.
Consistently excellent traveler reviews across enough trips to be reliable.
How it’s earned: Holds at least 4.3★ across 5+ reviews and sits in the top half of its country by rating.
A company travelers are actively reaching out to right now.
How it’s earned: Received at least 15 genuine traveler inquiries in the last 90 days, placing it in the top 40% of its country by demand.
Replies quickly and consistently, so you are not left waiting.
How it’s earned: Answers traveler inquiries in under 120 minutes on average across recent conversations.
An early-cohort operator who helped build Explola from the start.
How it’s earned: Granted to a small group of founding operators who joined in Explola’s earliest days.
Tours
Tour badges
Signals about an individual safari — how travelers respond to it and how well it is rated.
One of the most-booked safaris in its country — travelers keep choosing it.
How it’s earned: Among the top 5 tours in its country by recent bookings, gated so a single inquiry can never earn it.
Getting a lot of genuine interest and bookings lately.
How it’s earned: At least 8 inquiries and 2 bookings in the last 30 days, placing it in the top 40% of its country by interest.
Consistently high traveler ratings across enough reviews to trust.
How it’s earned: Holds at least 4.3★ across 3+ reviews and sits in the top half of its country by rating.
Destinations
Destination badges
Signals about a country or park, drawn from the ratings of the safaris that run there.
One of the highest-rated places to safari, according to real traveler reviews.
How it’s earned: Ranked among the best destinations of its kind by the smoothed average rating of the safaris that run there (needs at least 3 rated tours).
Explore with confidence
Now that you know what every badge means, put them to work — they are the fastest way to shortlist operators and safaris you can trust.