Africa
51 destinations — from budget backpacking to luxury escapes
51 destinations — from budget backpacking to luxury escapes
Home to the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth, ancient civilisations predating Europe's, and a cultural diversity that spans Saharan nomads, Swahili traders and Bantu kingdoms. Africa is increasingly on every serious traveller's radar.
51 destinations — tap any card for full travel guide
Spice markets & Sahara sunsets
Ancient wonders along the Nile
Big Five safaris and rainbow nation culture
The last great migration on earth
Serengeti savanna and Kilimanjaro summit
Land of a thousand hills and mountain gorillas
Sahara sands, Roman ruins and Mediterranean shores
Cradle of humanity and ancient empire heritage
Vast deserts, dark skies and incredible wildlife
Highlife, gold-coast forts and jollof
Teranga hospitality and Dakar rhythm
Indian Ocean coral islands, piri-piri prawns & Portuguese forts
Victoria Falls, Hwange elephants & Great Zimbabwe ruins
Okavango Delta, Chobe elephants & Kalahari wilderness
Walking safaris, Devil's Pool & the untouched Luangwa Valley
Gorilla trekking, Murchison Falls & the Pearl of Africa
Warm Heart of Africa — Lake Malawi cichlids & safari comeback
Cocoa coast, world's largest basilica & West African cool
Africa in miniature — volcano, rainforest & Atlantic beach
Voodoo fetish market, tata fortresses & Atlantic beach capital
Kingdom of Dahomey, Voodoo & the Door of No Return
Atlantic volcano archipelago of morna, wine & white sand
Sahara rock art, Casbah medina & Roman ruins of Timgad
Afrobeats, Benin bronzes & West Africa's biggest energy
Last absolute monarchy, Reed Dance & highveld wilderness
Kingdom in the Sky — Drakensberg escarpment & Basotho ponies
Forest elephants on the beach & surfing humpback whales
Africa's Art Deco capital, Red Sea reefs & ancient Aksumite ruins
Salt lake lowest in Africa, whale sharks & alien volcanic moonscape
Giant sable antelope, Tundavala escarpment & Africa’s emerging frontier
Saharan desert cities, iron ore train & two million migratory birds
Timbuktu, Dogon cliff villages & the Great Mosque of Djenné
More pyramids than Egypt — Nubian kingdoms lost in desert solitude
West Africa’s finest beaches, freed-slave history & jungle chimpanzees
World’s finest chocolate, volcanic peaks & Africa’s most pristine island
The Congo River, bonobos & the Congo Basin wilderness
Africa’s oldest republic, West Africa surf & pygmy hippos
Fouta Djallon highlands, chimpanzee tool-use & West African jazz
Rome’s greatest ruins outside Europe, Saharan rock art & emerald oasis lakes
Africa’s only Spanish-speaking nation — drill monkeys, leatherback turtles & gorillas
Western lowland gorillas, sapeur fashion & Congo River rumba
Air Mountains, Tenere emptiness & Wodaabe beauty pageant
Painted Kassena houses, Sindou Peaks & Africa’s greatest film festival
World’s youngest nation — Africa’s greatest unknown wildlife migration
Laas Geel rock art, camel markets & Africa’s most surprising unrecognised republic
Africa's hidden lakeside heart
Ancient forests, forest elephants and Dzanga-Sangha
Saharan landscapes and the last of Lake Chad
The Smiling Coast of West Africa
Atlantic archipelago and untouched island wilderness
Ancient port cities and untouched Horn of Africa coast
Quick picks from our 51 Africa guides. Budgets are typical mid-range daily costs per person from each guide, in US dollars.
There is no single best season for a whole region. These are the destinations whose best travel window, per our guides, falls in each season.
Egypt, South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Togo, Benin and 11 more
Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, Senegal, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Cape Verde, Algeria, Eswatini and 6 more
Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Uganda, Malawi and 7 more
Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and 5 more
Among our 51 Africa guides, the most read are Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania.
Based on the typical mid-range daily budgets in our guides, the most affordable are Tunisia (~$37/day), Ethiopia (~$39/day), Egypt (~$60/day). Actual costs depend heavily on travel style and season.
It depends on where you go. Across our Africa guides, December to February is the best window for the most destinations (21 of 51). Destinations at their best in each period: Dec – Feb: 21, Mar – May: 16, Jun – Aug: 17, Sep – Nov: 15. Check each guide for its specific best months.
Destinations whose best season includes December to February include Egypt, South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal.
Destinations whose best season, per our guides, includes October include Morocco, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania.