Best places to visit in Africa
43 destinations across 20 countries, each with its seasonal window and budget tier.
Accra, GhanaHighlife nightlife and Atlantic forts, dry-season harmattan days
Ait Benhaddou, MoroccoMud-brick ksar on the old caravan road, golden-hour walls
Andasibe, MadagascarIndri calls at dawn in eastern rainforest, spring lemur season
Arusha, TanzaniaSafari gateway: dry-season game drives, calving season in the south
Aswan, EgyptNubian villages and felucca sails on the calm upper Nile
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, UgandaMountain-gorilla treks through misted equatorial rainforest
Cape Town, South AfricaTable Mountain hikes and Cape beaches in dry southern summer
Chefchaouen, MoroccoBlue-washed Rif mountain lanes, cool hillside springtime
Chobe, BotswanaDry-season elephant herds massing along the Chobe riverfront
Dades Valley, MoroccoSwitchback gorge road and rose valley, spring-green oases
Dahab, EgyptRed Sea free-diving off the Blue Hole, laid-back Bedouin coast
Damaraland, NamibiaDesert-adapted elephants and ancient rock art in stark red hills
Essaouira, MoroccoAtlantic ramparts and gnawa rhythms on a breezy trade-wind coast
Fès, MoroccoThe medieval medina, mosaic workshops, shoulder-season calm
Franschhoek, South AfricaCape Dutch wine estates and harvest tables in warm valley light
La Digue, SeychellesGranite boulders over Anse Source d'Argent, calm inter-monsoon seas
Laikipia, KenyaPrivate conservancies with rhino and wild dog, low-crowd safari
Lamu, KenyaCar-free Swahili island of dhows and coral-stone lanes
Luxor, EgyptKarnak temples and Valley tombs in bearable winter warmth
Maasai Mara, KenyaWildebeest herds and big cats on golden Mara grassland
Marrakech, MoroccoMedina souqs and riad courtyards in spring-bloom shoulder season
MauritiusLagoon reefs and volcanic peaks, dry cool-season snorkeling
Merzouga, MoroccoErg Chebbi dune camps, cool nights under Saharan stars
Mindelo, Cape VerdeMorna music bars and Atlantic bays, breezy dry-season nights
Ngorongoro Crater, TanzaniaA collapsed-caldera floor packed with big game, dry-season clarity
Nyungwe Forest, RwandaCanopy walks and chimp treks in montane rainforest, dry trails
Okavango Delta, BotswanaFlood-season waterways and dry-season wildlife, safari at its peak
Oran, AlgeriaBelle Epoque boulevards and rai music, warm breezy spring on the sea
RéunionVolcano hikes and forested cirques, clear cool dry-season trails
Sabi Sands, South AfricaLeopard-dense private reserve by Kruger, dry-season game drives
Saint-Louis, SenegalFaded colonial island and jazz festivals on the Senegal River
Sao Tome, Sao Tome and PrincipeCocoa plantations and empty jungle beaches on the equator
Serengeti, TanzaniaGreat-migration river crossings across the northern plains
Sidi Bou Said, TunisiaBlue-and-white cliff village above the Gulf, mild sea-breeze season
Siwa Oasis, EgyptSalt lakes and palm springs in a remote Berber oasis
Sossusvlei, NamibiaRust-red dunes and cracked white pans, cool clear-sky mornings
South Luangwa, ZambiaWalking safaris and leopard sightings in the dry-season bush
Stone Town, TanzaniaSwahili-Omani alleys and spice markets, dry-season trade winds
Swakopmund, NamibiaGerman-colonial coast where dunes meet cold Atlantic fog
Tozeur, TunisiaDate-palm oasis and film-set dunes on the Sahara's edge
Victoria Falls, ZambiaFull-thunder falls after the rains, spray visible for miles
Volcanoes National Park, RwandaGorilla families on green Virunga slopes, drier trekking months
White Desert, EgyptWind-carved chalk formations glowing under desert stars