Mountains and hiking

Fogo, Chã das Caldeiras

The road towards Chã das Caldeiras introduces Fogo’s volcanic landscape. The caldera, the community at the volcano’s foot and the surrounding rock formations offer a different island perspective from the coast. The natural park headquarters is in Portela.

Algeria

Mediterranean beaches, Sahara desert and ancient monuments

February to October, from Algiers’s normals

Egypt

The Nile, the pharaohs and the Red Sea

Jan–Apr, Oct–Dec

Morocco

Medinas, Atlas, Atlantic and Sahara

Mar–May, Sept–Nov

Cape Verde

Ten volcanic islands off West Africa

Apr–Jun, Nov

Guinea

Paradise beaches, tropical forest, mountains and waterfalls

December to April, from Conakry’s normals

Mali

Rivers, desert, forest, waterfalls, nature reserves and culture

December to January, from Bamako’s normals

Niger

Sahara desert, Niger River, nature reserves and culture

December to January, from Niamey’s normals

Togo

Splendid beaches, villages, hills, nature reserves and culture

November to April

Angola

Paradise beaches, Namib desert and waterfalls

May to February, from Luanda’s normals

Cameroon

Mountains, breathtaking views, paradise beaches and food

December to February, from Yaoundé’s normals

Chad

Lake Chad, Sahara desert, green oases, nature reserve and culture

December to January, from N'Djamena’s normals

Congo - Kinshasa

Congo Basin, tropical forest, waterfalls and buzzing cities

June to September, from Kinshasa’s normals

Equatorial Guinea

Wild beaches, tropical forest, nature reserves and waterfalls

December to February, from Malabo’s normals

São Tomé & Príncipe

Splendid beaches, tropical forest and wildlife

June to September, from São Tomé’s normals

Burundi

Lake Tanganyika, waterfalls, mountains and meeting the gorillas

June to August, from Gitega’s normals

Comoros

Paradise beaches, marine parks, food and culture

September to November, from Moroni’s normals

Djibouti

Red Sea, paradise beaches, salt lakes and desert

October to April, from Djibouti’s normals

Eritrea

Red Sea, paradise beaches and desert

September to June, from Asmara’s normals

Ethiopia

Monuments, volcanoes, mountains, lakes, deserts and culture

October to January, and September

Kenya

Safaris, the Rift, Mount Kenya and the Swahili coast

Jan–Mar, Jul–Oct

Madagascar

Paradise islands, endemic animals and marine parks

April to mid-December

Malawi

Lake Malawi, diving, beaches and nature reserves

April to November, from Lilongwe’s normals

Mauritius

Paradise beaches, volcanic islands and rich food

April to November

Rwanda

Lake Kivu, volcano, nature reserves, cities and culture

June to September, from Kigali’s normals

Seychelles

Dream beaches, nature reserves and water sports

April, May, October and November

Tanzania

Dream beaches, lagoons, safari, mountains and culture

January–February and June–October

Uganda

Tropical forest, lakes, mountains, safaris, cities and culture

June–August and December–February

Zimbabwe

Safari, rivers, Victoria Falls, monuments and culture

May to October

Eswatini

Mountains, traditions, hiking and lush savannah

April to September, from Mbabane’s normals

Lesotho

Skiing, hiking, horse riding, waterfalls, splendid landscapes and culture

April to October, from Maseru’s normals

Namibia

Wild beaches, Namib desert, nature reserves and culture

May to September

South Africa

Breathtaking views, buzzing cities, paradise beaches, safari and culture

March–May and September–November

Climbing Toubkal from Imlil

At 4,167 m, Toubkal is the highest peak in North Africa, 63 km south of Marrakesh.

Skiing at Oukaïmeden

The Oukaïmeden ski area lies between 2,600 and 3,200 m and has six ski lifts.

The Ourika Valley and the Setti Fatma waterfalls

Around 30 km from Marrakesh, the Ourika Valley follows its river into the High Atlas.

Sunrise from the summit of Mount Sinai

Mount Sinai rises to 2,285 m near the town of Saint Catherine, with the 6th-century Saint Catherine’s Monastery at its foot.

Trekking Mount Kenya to Point Lenana

Africa’s second highest mountain, Mount Kenya rises to 5,199 m at Batian, 150 km north-north-east of Nairobi.

Climbing Kilimanjaro

At 5,895 m, Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.

Hiking in the Usambara Mountains

The Usambara Mountains are the easternmost ranges of the Eastern Arc, about 90 km long.

Table Mountain

A flat-topped mountain overlooking Cape Town, Table Mountain rises to 1,086 m at Maclear’s Beacon.

The Drakensberg (uKhahlamba)

The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park covers 2,428 km² in KwaZulu-Natal and belongs to the Maloti-Drakensberg Park, declared a World Heritage Site on 30 November 2000.

Hiking on Santo Antão

Cape Verde’s second island at 785 km², Santo Antão is volcanic and very mountainous, with two high plateaus and steep valleys.

The Fogo volcano

An active stratovolcano, Pico do Fogo rises to 2,829 m; its latest eruptions were in 1951, 1995 and 2014.

São Nicolau island

A mountainous island of 343 km², São Nicolau rises to Monte Gordo, 1,312 m, in its western half.

Le Morne Brabant

At the island’s south-western tip, the Le Morne peninsula carries a 556 m basalt monolith.

The Trou aux Cerfs crater

In Curepipe, Trou aux Cerfs is a dormant 605 m volcano with a well-defined crater 300 to 350 m across and 80 m deep.

The canyons of Isalo

In the south-west, wind and water have carved Isalo’s sandstone into outcrops, plateaus and canyons up to 200 m deep.

The Fish River Canyon

Africa’s largest canyon, the Fish River Canyon runs for about 160 km, up to 27 km wide and almost 550 m deep.

Spitzkoppe, the “Matterhorn of Namibia”

Between Usakos and Swakopmund, these granite peaks over 120 million years old rise to about 1,728 m.

The Waterberg Plateau

68 km south-east of Otjiwarongo, the Waterberg table mountain towers above the Kalahari plains.

The gorillas of Volcanoes National Park

In north-western Rwanda, Volcanoes National Park covers 160 km² of rainforest and five of the eight Virunga volcanoes.

The crater lake of Bisoke

An active volcano of the Virungas, Bisoke straddles the border between Rwanda and the DR Congo, but its summit is on the Rwandan side.

Morne Seychellois National Park

Morne Seychellois National Park covers 3,045 hectares in central and north-western Mahé.

Sukur Cultural Landscape

In the Mandara Mountains, on a hill above the village of Sukur, this is Africa’s first cultural landscape on the World Heritage List, inscribed in 1999.

The Obudu Plateau and its cable car

In Cross River State, the former Obudu Cattle Ranch is a ranch and resort on the Obudu Plateau.

Olumo Rock, Abeokuta

In the heart of Abeokuta, Ogun State, Olumo Rock rises to 137 m above sea level.

Idanre Hill

In Ondo State, Idanre Hill rises to about 914 m above sea level over the town of the same name.

Zuma Rock, gateway to Abuja

West of Abuja, along the road from Abuja to Kaduna, Zuma Rock is a monolith rising to about 725 m above sea level.