If we must be completely honest with you, Africa has always been a daring wish of ours. Indeed, the second largest continent on the planet is home to over 54 unique countries, each more diverse and exotic than the other. This wild and exciting world of Africa also boasts some of the most beautiful landscapes that are just as distinct as its animal kingdom. Although most travelers would be skeptical to go to Africa for a week or two, the following locations will probably change their mind for good.
From the wild and challenging scene of the bone-dry Sahara desert to the continent's stunning fish river canyons, Africa is really beginning to look like a proper starting point for new wild adventures.
If you’re already curious to explore more of its natural beauty in person, we’d totally recommend that you take a look at these fine places. Whether you prefer to cruise along the banks of the Nile River or greet pink flamingos at the National park, your thrilling African journey will never fade in your mind.
25 Table Mountain, Cape Town
Get your African adventure started with a visit to Cape Town's impressive Table Mountain which provides fantastic as well as scenic cable car rides. In fact, Cape Town is recognized as a superb beach, and once you get to the top of the mesa, you'll be awe-struck to see its lovely sunrise and sunset vistas. With its extraordinary scenery and formidable wilderness, the African continent is admittedly a proper gathering place for both extreme adventurers, hikers and devoted photographers.
24 Djemaa El Fna, Morocco
No African adventure is complete without a short but memorable visit to the lovely town square of Djemaa el Fna. Here, in the sleepy heat of the African day, right in the heart of the old town of Marrakech, local storytellers, snake-charmers, and exotic street food vendors entertain the visitors. As the evening draws near, these vendors are usually joined by bellydancers and drummers, and the show goes on until past midnight. Apparently, this awesome place in Morocco knows how to treat its guests.
23 Catch The Beginning Of The Great Migration At The Ngorongoro Reserve
Admittedly, you'll probably need a whole arsenal of HD cameras and photos to capture the intimidating thunder of hooves on sun-baked dirt during the annual Great Migration in Tanzania.
The annual migration of zebra and wildebeest starts from Ngorongoro Reserve in Tanzania, goes through the challenging region of Serengeti before finally reaching Kenya's Masai Mara in early fall. Now imagine cruising along Africa's gravel roads in your four-wheel drive and running into this jaw-dropping moment. Well, it would be such a unique experience, wouldn't it?
22 Sossusvlei Dunes, Namibia
Paradoxically, these Namibian dunes are quite literally translated as "the gathering place of water"; however, you'd surely want to bring your own unless you prefer to crawl your way through the sun-burnt area of Sossusvlei completely dehydrated.
As one of the country's most impressive attraction, these dunes have been developing for millions of years. Interestingly, Sossusvlei has, in fact, resulted from a distinctive material flowing from Namibia's Orange River directly into the Atlantic Ocean.
Should you dare climb the dunes, you'll lose your ability to think and talk once you've fixed your gaze on the ghost-like exposure of Dooie Vlei.
21 The Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda
Here, at the Nyungwe National Park, visitors will finally be able to explore the diverse wilderness of Rwanda in the way they've always wanted.
At an elevation of over 6,000 feet, thrill-seekers can enjoy an unusually close encounter with a vast range of primates while traversing the highest canopy of East Africa.
This isolated region of the Rwandan rainforest stretches across 386 square miles and is perfect for the most devoted nature-lovers. To explore the region's dense forest at its best, we'd recommend that you take part of the tours, tracking such gorilla groups.
20 "The Cloud That Thunders", Zambia and Zimbabwe
Whatever plans you may have for your wild African trip, you shouldn't let the raw beauty of the epic Victoria Falls slip through your fingers.
Victoria Falls - or also known as Mosi-oa Tunya - is, indeed, one of nature's most beautiful treasures, and it was first discovered by a European explorer. Today, Victoria Falls is still as majestic as it was the first time the explorer laid his eyes on it.
Dubbed "The Cloud That Thunders," Victoria Falls is truly a remarkable place that needs to be visited at least once in a lifetime.
19 Spitzkoppe, Namibia
Nestled between Usakos and Swakopmund, Spitzkoppe rests in the stunning Namib Desert. This uniquely shaped place is an actual grouping of granite peaks, with the highest one jumping over 1,800 m or about 5,900 feet. It's easy to see that the region of Spitzkoppe is heaven for bird-watchers, hikers, climbers, stargazers and all the like. As one of the most beautiful granite structures in the Namib Desert, Spitzkoppe enjoys the attention of professional photographers from across the globe.
18 The Southern Edge of The Sahara Dunes, Morocco
Despite the intimidating glory of the Sahara Desert, the northern Moroccan edge is quite hospitable for safaris through the bone-dry dunes. Travelers can trek in the company of the Moroccan Berbers from the charming town of Zagora, then camp out under the starry night in Tazzarine. Actually, the foot of Merzouga Dunes is a brilliant place for stargazing while the town of Tazzarine is quite popular with marathon runners. Every spring runners from all around the world come here to join the weeklong Marathon des Sables.
17 The Nyika Plateau National Park, Malawi
Once you've explored the rawness and wilderness of the Gorilla Mountains in the Nyungwe National Park, it's probably the right time to pay a visit to the largest national park in Malawi as well.
Dubbed the most unusual and largest national park in Malawi, Nyungwe National Park comes with a plateau marked and cut by a few rivers, reaching the beautiful Lake Malawi. When approached from the eastern border of the plateau, the visitors will reach the Great Rift Valley, which is another exciting attraction around here.
16 Makgadikgadi Pans, Botswana
Best known as one of the largest salt pans in Africa and across the globe, The Makgadikgadi Pans Game Reserve has long intrigued many geologists and explorers from around the world. This salt pan, located right in the heart of Botswana, is often referred to as beautiful white plains with no clear end in sight. The legendary Game Reserve is technically enclosed by several dried-up salt pans, each forming a formidable landscape. It once had a lake as well, but it also dried up about a millennia ago.
15 Draa Valley, Morocco
Nestled between the breathtaking Sarah dunes and the Atlas Mountains, the local Draa valley is, indeed, a fantastic mass of date plantations, well marked by kasbahs which were made of rammed red earth that rises against the beautiful skies of Morocco. It takes less than five hours to reach the beautiful Draa Valley from Marrakech; however, make sure that you're bringing somebody along since you'd not want to get lost in the Atlas Mountains. Other than that, this beautiful Draa Valley is undoubtedly worth a look.
14 Sphinx, Egypt
Officially known as The Great Sphinx of Giza, this massive temple is currently the most impressive African statue that's directly associated with ancient Egypt. As such, The Sphinx of Giza has become one of the most significant monuments in the entire world. The temple, built with the body of a lion, is at least ten thousand years old.
The Great Sphinx of Giza is to be found nearby the beautiful Valley Temple of the Egyptian Kind Chefren. Oddly enough, the Sphinx was first thought to be a female; however, it was later concluded that the statue bears a striking resemblance to King Chefren.
13 Mount Mulanje, Malawi
From ancient temples and sun-baked desert dunes to rolling hills and crystal lakes, Africa has already proved that it's full of character and excitement. The second largest continent seems to offer the perfect dose of everything, including steep inclines, colorful skies, and vast grasslands. An excellent example of how diverse the African landscapes are is the challenging hike to the Mount Mulanje, Malawi.
Set at almost 9,900 feet, the climb to its top is certainly no joke. Also, this unique location boasts a proper combination of breathtaking rolling hills and rivers - and none of that is too typical for Africa's otherwise hot temper.
12 Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
You haven't come all the way down to the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya to sit down and do nothing exciting, have you? Well, this African country is widely famous for its adrenaline-packed horseback riding tours and traditional safari camps located in one of Kenya's best viewing areas. Whether you're a rookie or a skilled rider, you'll surely enjoy seeing the land and wildlife of Kenya while riding a horse. As exotic as it is, the area is also part of the annual wildebeest and zebra migration.
11 Valley Of The Kings, Egypt
With its monumental statues and outstanding temples, just north of Aswan, the Valley of the Kings is another excellent location that's totally worth the visit. The road itself into the valley is gradual but dry, so we'd recommend that you bring a few bottles of water along the way. Once you've arrived there, you'll inevitably run into tourist bazaars selling everything from refreshing drinks to snacks. The Valley of the Kings - or also known as "The Place of Truth" - is home to over sixty spectacular royal tombs.
10 Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya
As one of Kenya's most beautiful and famous national parks, Lake Nakuru National Park is home to pink flamingos being the area's most exciting attraction. With its vibrant pinkish nuances and magical bird spectacles, Lake Nakuru is flanked by beautiful waterfalls and acacia forests. Here, at the Lake Nakuru National Park, adventurers may have the chance to see rhinos, hippos or giraffes roaming around the park. Although there was an increase of the water levels in 2014, which forced many of the park's residents to flee, Lake Nakuru National Park is still famous for its decent number of pink flamingos.
9 Bazaruto Archipelago: Mozambique
As part of Mozambique's islands, The Bazaruto Archipelago is known as the location where "horses kick up sand and play surf." Indeed, the country's coastline stretches almost 2,500 km along the crystal waters of the Indian Ocean where most of the beaches are clean as a new pin. But even though the country's stunning archipelago is blessed with natural beauty, the area's biggest attraction is the horses kicking up sand right on the edge of the blue water.
8 Nxai Pan National Park, Botswana
If you're curious to find out why this place is so special, then allow us to walk you around Botswana's Nxai Pan National Park. Upon entering the park, you'll see the beautiful Baines baobabs that sit nearby the entrance of the park. The Baines baobabs are named after the artist and explorer, Thomas Baines. As you wander through the colorful park, make sure to stop for a second to enjoy the endless, salt-rich pans of the Kalahari desert, which is home to large herds of giraffes.
7 Fish River Canyon, Namibia
Located right in the far south of Namibia, this marvelous Fish River Canyon is over 26km wide, 160 km long and 550m deep. When compared to other legendary canyons around the world, this grand rift virtually shares the size of the steep-sided Grand Canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, USA. This spectacular location is perfect for exploration during the dry season when the rift is characterized by stunning turquoise pools of flowing water. Come around and get ready to dip into 1,5 billion years of rich geologic history.
6 Meet Some Rhinos At The Solio Reserve, Kenya
How about meeting a bunch of rhinos at the Solio Reserve in Kenya? So far, we've explored Africa's most exceptional national reserve parks with unusually large herds of giraffes, gorillas or pink flamingos, so it's time for you to wander through Kenya's Solio Reserve as well. This national reserve park, in particular, is home to over 250 black and white rhinos as most of the species are listed as critically endangered. This spectacular reserve, nestled in a valley between the Aberdare Mountains and Mount Kenya, is thought of as the best location to see the rarest rhinos.