VIAFRO
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Experiences
Nature
44 countries and 4 documented destinations for this experience, across 5 regions of Africa.
44 countriesNorth Africa · West Africa · Central Africa · East Africa · Southern Africa
4 destinationsOkavango Delta, Fogo, Chã das Caldeiras, Nairobi, Cape Town
When to goRecommended period country by country, below
Destinations
Where to live it.
Botswana
Okavango Delta
In north-west Botswana, the Okavango spreads into an inland delta rather than reaching the sea. Permanent marshes and seasonally flooded plains shape this World Heritage landscape, where annual floodwater arrives during the dry season and influences the rhythms of plants and animals.
Cape Verde
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.
Kenya
Nairobi
Creative energy and green spaces form the starting point for this city notebook.
South Africa
Cape Town
A city notebook framed by mountains, the ocean and conversations about design.
Countries
Countries made for it, and when.
North Africa
Algeria
Mediterranean beaches, Sahara desert and ancient monuments
February to October, from Algiers’s normals
North Africa
Egypt
The Nile, the pharaohs and the Red Sea
Jan–Apr, Oct–Dec
North Africa
Morocco
Medinas, Atlas, Atlantic and Sahara
Mar–May, Sept–Nov
North Africa
Sudan
Ancient pyramids, Sahara desert, the Nile and culture
December to February, from Khartoum’s normals
North Africa
Tunisia
Mediterranean beaches, Sahara desert and historic cities
September to June, from Tunis’s normals
West Africa
Benin
Splendid beaches, breathtaking views, safaris, hiking and culture
November to February
West Africa
Cape Verde
Ten volcanic islands off West Africa
Apr–Jun, Nov
West Africa
Côte d’Ivoire
Magnificent beaches, nature reserves and buzzing cities
December to February, from Abidjan’s normals
West Africa
Guinea
Paradise beaches, tropical forest, mountains and waterfalls
December to April, from Conakry’s normals
West Africa
Guinea-Bissau
Bijagós archipelago, nature reserves and traditions
November to January, from Bissau’s normals
West Africa
Liberia
Superb beaches, protected tropical forest and nature reserves
December to February, from Monrovia’s normals
West Africa
Mauritania
Magnificent beaches, mountains, Sahara desert and cultures
November to May, from Nouakchott’s normals
West Africa
Niger
Sahara desert, Niger River, nature reserves and culture
December to January, from Niamey’s normals
West Africa
Senegal
Wild beaches, nature reserves and cultural journey
October to July, from Dakar’s normals
West Africa
Sierra Leone
Wild beaches, mountains, marine parks and nature reserves
December to April, from Freetown’s normals
Central Africa
Cameroon
Mountains, breathtaking views, paradise beaches and food
December to February, from Yaoundé’s normals
Central Africa
Central African Republic
Tropical forest, wildlife parks, waterfalls, waterfalls and culture
November to January, from Bangui’s normals
Central Africa
Chad
Lake Chad, Sahara desert, green oases, nature reserve and culture
December to January, from N'Djamena’s normals
Central Africa
Congo - Brazzaville
Congo River, tropical forest, nature reserves and wild beaches
June to September, from Brazzaville’s normals
Central Africa
Congo - Kinshasa
Congo Basin, tropical forest, waterfalls and buzzing cities
June to September, from Kinshasa’s normals
Central Africa
Equatorial Guinea
Wild beaches, tropical forest, nature reserves and waterfalls
December to February, from Malabo’s normals
Central Africa
Gabon
Splendid beaches, tropical forest, nature reserves and marine parks
June to August, from Libreville’s normals
Central Africa
São Tomé & Príncipe
Splendid beaches, tropical forest and wildlife
June to September, from São Tomé’s normals
East Africa
Burundi
Lake Tanganyika, waterfalls, mountains and meeting the gorillas
June to August, from Gitega’s normals
East Africa
Comoros
Paradise beaches, marine parks, food and culture
September to November, from Moroni’s normals
East Africa
Djibouti
Red Sea, paradise beaches, salt lakes and desert
October to April, from Djibouti’s normals
East Africa
Ethiopia
Monuments, volcanoes, mountains, lakes, deserts and culture
October to January, and September
East Africa
Kenya
Safaris, the Rift, Mount Kenya and the Swahili coast
Jan–Mar, Jul–Oct
East Africa
Madagascar
Paradise islands, endemic animals and marine parks
April to mid-December
East Africa
Malawi
Lake Malawi, diving, beaches and nature reserves
April to November, from Lilongwe’s normals
East Africa
Mauritius
Paradise beaches, volcanic islands and rich food
April to November
East Africa
Mozambique
Paradise beaches, safaris, culture and buzzing cities
May to October
East Africa
Rwanda
Lake Kivu, volcano, nature reserves, cities and culture
June to September, from Kigali’s normals
East Africa
Seychelles
Dream beaches, nature reserves and water sports
April, May, October and November
East Africa
Somalia
Gulf of Aden, magnificent beaches, caves, ruins and desert
July to May, from Mogadishu’s normals
East Africa
South Sudan
Mountains, Sahara desert, the White Nile, nature reserves and culture
April to September, from Juba’s normals
East Africa
Tanzania
Dream beaches, lagoons, safari, mountains and culture
January–February and June–October
East Africa
Uganda
Tropical forest, lakes, mountains, safaris, cities and culture
June–August and December–February
East Africa
Zambia
Victoria Falls, lakes, rivers, nature reserves and cities
May to October
East Africa
Zimbabwe
Safari, rivers, Victoria Falls, monuments and culture
May to October
Southern Africa
Botswana
Okavango Delta, Kalahari desert and lush savannah
May to October
Southern Africa
Lesotho
Skiing, hiking, horse riding, waterfalls, splendid landscapes and culture
April to October, from Maseru’s normals
Southern Africa
Namibia
Wild beaches, Namib desert, nature reserves and culture
May to September
Southern Africa
South Africa
Breathtaking views, buzzing cities, paradise beaches, safari and culture
March–May and September–November
Activities
Activities to try.
Morocco
Climbing Toubkal from Imlil
At 4,167 m, Toubkal is the highest peak in North Africa, 63 km south of Marrakesh.
Morocco
The Ourika Valley and the Setti Fatma waterfalls
Around 30 km from Marrakesh, the Ourika Valley follows its river into the High Atlas.
Egypt
The reefs of Ras Mohammed in the Red Sea
At the southern tip of Sinai, between the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba, Ras Mohammed has been a marine reserve since 1983.
Egypt
The White Desert from Farafra
In the Farafra depression, the White Desert lines up large white chalk rocks shaped by wind and sand.
Kenya
Rhinos and flamingos of Lake Nakuru
A Rift Valley lake at 1,754 m, Nakuru is protected by a fenced national park, the first national rhino sanctuary.
Kenya
Hell’s Gate on foot or by bike
Near Lake Naivasha, about 90 km from Nairobi, this park created in 1984 is known for the Fischer’s Tower and Central Tower columns and its gorge.
Senegal
The mangroves of the Saloum Delta
Over 200 islands and islets, brackish channels, mangroves and dry forest: a 145,811-hectare part of the delta has been a World Heritage Site since 2011.
Senegal
The birds of Djoudj park
Some 60 km north of Saint-Louis, Djoudj hosts nearly three million migrating birds, many of which have just crossed the Sahara.
Senegal
Lac Rose
Some 35 km north-east of Dakar, Lake Retba owes its pink colour to an alga, Dunaliella salina, and its salt content reaches up to 40%.
Tanzania
The Ngorongoro Crater
Some 180 km west of Arusha, Ngorongoro is the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera.
Tanzania
Lake Manyara and its tree-climbing lions
Between Lake Manyara and the Rift Valley escarpment, this 325 km² park is famous for lions that rest in the branches of acacia trees.
Tanzania
The Rufiji River in Nyerere National Park
Formerly the northern part of the Selous Game Reserve, Nyerere is, at 30,893 km², Tanzania’s largest national park.
Tanzania
Mafia Island and its marine park
Opposite the Rufiji delta, Mafia Island covers 394 km² and became home in 1995 to Tanzania’s first marine park.
Tanzania
Hiking in the Usambara Mountains
The Usambara Mountains are the easternmost ranges of the Eastern Arc, about 90 km long.
South Africa
The Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point
The Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias rounded it in 1487 and first called it the Cape of Storms.
South Africa
The penguins of Boulders Beach
In Simon’s Town, on the eastern side of the Cape Peninsula, a colony of critically endangered African penguins settled in 1982.
South Africa
The Garden Route
The name is given to the 170 km from Mossel Bay to Storms River, on the 700 km route between Cape Town and Gqeberha.
South Africa
The Blyde River Canyon and the Panorama Route
26 km long, in Mpumalanga, the Blyde River Canyon is the third largest canyon on Earth, and a “green canyon” covered in subtropical vegetation.
South Africa
iSimangaliso and Lake St Lucia
On the KwaZulu-Natal coast, about 235 km north of Durban, iSimangaliso Wetland Park runs along 280 km of coastline and covers some 3,280 km².
Cape Verde
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.
Cape Verde
The Fogo volcano
An active stratovolcano, Pico do Fogo rises to 2,829 m; its latest eruptions were in 1951, 1995 and 2014.
Cape Verde
The Pedra de Lume salt ponds
On the east coast of Sal, the Pedra de Lume salt ponds lie in the crater of an extinct volcano and have been worked since the late 18th century.
Cape Verde
Brava, the smallest inhabited island
At 62.5 km², Brava is the smallest inhabited island of Cape Verde, but also the greenest.
Tunisia
Tozeur and its palm grove
With hundreds of thousands of palm trees, Tozeur is a large oasis between Chott el Djerid and Chott el Gharsa.
Mauritius
Black River Gorges
Mauritius’s largest national park, created in 1994 in the hilly south-west, covers 67.5 km² of forest and heathland.
Mauritius
Chamarel and the Seven Coloured Earths
The village of Chamarel is known for its Seven Coloured Earths, an undulating landscape of contrasting shades.
Mauritius
The Pamplemousses botanical garden
Created by Pierre Poivre in 1770 near Port Louis, the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam garden is the oldest botanical garden in the Southern Hemisphere.
Mauritius
Blue Bay lagoon and marine park
In the island’s south-east, Blue Bay is famous for its intensely blue water and white sand beaches.
Mauritius
The Île aux Aigrettes reserve
850 m off the south-east coast and about a kilometre from Mahébourg, this 27-hectare islet has been a nature reserve since 1965.
Mauritius
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.
Madagascar
The Avenue of the Baobabs
Along 260 m of the unpaved Road No. 8, between Morondava and Belon’i Tsiribihina, stand 20 to 25 Grandidier’s baobabs about 30 m tall.
Madagascar
The Tsingy de Bemaraha
Near the west coast, razor-sharp limestone needles rise above the cliffs of the Manambolo River.
Madagascar
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.
Madagascar
The indris of Andasibe-Mantadia
About 150 km east of Antananarivo, this 155 km² rainforest park is home to eleven lemur species.
Madagascar
The Ranomafana forest
Created in 1991 after the discovery of the golden bamboo lemur, Ranomafana protects over 41,600 hectares of tropical rainforest.
Madagascar
The whales of Île Sainte-Marie
Off the east coast, Île Sainte-Marie, or Nosy Boraha, covers 222 km².
Madagascar
The caves and tsingy of Ankarana
In the north of the island, the Ankarana reserve, created in 1956, covers a plateau of 150-million-year-old Jurassic limestone.
Madagascar
The Masoala peninsula
Madagascar’s largest protected area, created in 1997, Masoala protects 2,300 km² of rainforest and 100 km² of marine park.
Namibia
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.
Namibia
The Skeleton Coast
On the northern Atlantic coast of Namibia, the Skeleton Coast runs from the Kunene River to the Swakop River, shrouded in fog by the cold Benguela current.
Namibia
Spitzkoppe, the “Matterhorn of Namibia”
Between Usakos and Swakopmund, these granite peaks over 120 million years old rise to about 1,728 m.
Namibia
The Waterberg Plateau
68 km south-east of Otjiwarongo, the Waterberg table mountain towers above the Kalahari plains.
Namibia
The seals of Cape Cross
On the Skeleton Coast, Cape Cross is a seal reserve, the Cape Cross Seal Reserve.
Rwanda
The Nyungwe forest
In south-western Rwanda, on the Burundi border, Nyungwe is most likely the best-preserved montane rainforest in Africa.
Rwanda
Lake Kivu
One of the African Great Lakes, Kivu covers some 2,700 km² on the border between Rwanda and the DR Congo.
Rwanda
The Gishwati forest
In north-western Rwanda, not far from Lake Kivu, Gishwati Forest has been part of Gishwati–Mukura National Park since 2015.
Rwanda
The Congo Nile Trail
The Congo Nile Trail is a multi-day hiking and cycling route along the shores of Lake Kivu.
Seychelles
The Vallée de Mai, Praslin
On Praslin, the Vallée de Mai is a palm forest inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, on just 19.5 hectares.
Seychelles
Morne Seychellois National Park
Morne Seychellois National Park covers 3,045 hectares in central and north-western Mahé.
Seychelles
Aldabra Atoll
Some 1,120 km south-west of Victoria, Aldabra is the world’s second-largest coral atoll.
Seychelles
Curieuse Island and its giant tortoises
Off the north coast of Praslin, Curieuse is a small 2.9 km² granite island of red earth where the coco de mer grows.
Seychelles
Cousin Island bird reserve
Some 2 km west of Praslin, Cousin is a 29-hectare granite island protected as a Special Reserve and managed by Nature Seychelles.
Seychelles
Sainte Anne Marine National Park
About 5 km from Victoria, Sainte Anne Marine National Park takes in eight small islands.
Nigeria
Lekki Conservation Centre, Lagos
Set up in 1990 in Lekki, Lagos State, the Lekki Conservation Centre is a 78-hectare nature reserve.
Nigeria
Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove
On the banks of the Osun river just outside Osogbo, this centuries-old sacred grove is among the last of the Yoruba sacred forests.
Nigeria
Yankari Game Reserve
In Bauchi State, Yankari Game Reserve covers about 2,244 km² of West African savanna.
Nigeria
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.
Nigeria
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.
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