Destination Africa

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With the exception of the eastern part the Kalahari Desert forms the majority of Botswana. This predominance of arid land makes for a remarkable phenomenon: The Okavango Delta is a wondrous wetland within a desert, receiving its waters from rain falling over a thousand kilometres away, and sustaining a huge diversity of fauna and flora. In the north-east of the country, the Chobe and Linyanti reserves are renowned for their predators and large concentrations of game.

Described as the ‘Warm Heart Of Africa’, this relatively little known gem of this diverse continent has so much to offer; wildlife, culture, adventure, scenery, and of course the third largest lake in Africa. Malawi, a landlocked country in southeastern Africa, is defined by its topography of highlands split by the Great Rift Valley and enormous Lake Malawi. The lake’s southern end falls within Lake Malawi National Park. Peninsular Cape Maclear is known for its beach resorts.

Namibia is a country of astonishing contrasts aptly named after the Namib – the oldest desert on the planet, and a sea of red sand along the Atlantic coastline. The many national parks and game reserves boast a huge variety of wildlife in a kaleidoscope of differing environments: the white saltpans of Etosha National Park; the red dunes at Sossusvlei; lonely beaches along the Skeleton Coast and the uninhabited wilderness of the Kunene Region.

South Africa has become one of the world’s top travel destinations, blending elements of both ‘Africa of old’ with modernity: wilderness areas contrasting with modern cities. Kruger National Park is world famous as a premier wildlife and bird viewing destination, while the coastline offers superb vistas – such as sandy beaches and sheer, forest-covered cliffs – and amazing marine encounters, from southern right whales to pristine coral reefs. This diversity is echoed in the country’s peoples and history.

 Dense, complex and remote, the 4-million-square-kilometre Congo Basin is perhaps the continent’s least explored wilderness. Two pivotal areas in this magnificent sphere – the 13 000 km2 Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the north west of the Republic of the Congo, and the 7 500 km2 Sangha Trinational, a UNESCO World Heritage site, a collaborative protected area from the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon and Central African Republic. Within the Sangha Trinational is Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve.

Ethiopia is a country with a rich heritage, beautiful people and amazing scenery. Contrary to the visions of the 1984 famine, the country is fertile, green and spectacular. It is also one of the safest countries in Africa, if not the world, and it has a history of religious and social tolerance. The country is the oldest Christian nation and maintains some of the finest Christian sites in the world. There are eight World Heritage Sites within Ethiopia, more than in any other African nation.

Kenya’s biodiversity is fascinating. Endless savannah plains and scorched deserts are interrupted by snow-capped mountains, cool highlands and equatorial forests. The scenic coastline possesses the atmosphere of a paradise island and is sprinkled with colourful coral reefs. Annually, the country plays host to the remarkable phenomenon of the wildebeest migration, the largest single movement of herd animals on the planet. The open savannah grasslands also teem with plains game and roaming predators year-round. 

Tanzania is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north; Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south; and the Indian Ocean to the east. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, is in northeastern Tanzania. Tanzania is highly biodiverse and contains a wide variety of animal habitats. On Tanzania's Serengeti plain, white-bearded wildebeest and other animals participate in a large-scale annual migration. 

Mozambique is a southern African nation whose long Indian Ocean coastline is dotted with popular beaches like Tofo, as well as offshore marine parks. In the Quirimbas Archipelago, a 250km stretch of coral islands, mangrove-covered Ibo Island has colonial-era ruins surviving from a period of Portuguese rule. The Bazaruto Archipelago farther south has reefs which protect rare marine life including dugongs.

Madagascar has been called the land in a forgotten sea. It's the fourth biggest island on earth and has a number of small peripheral islands off it's coastline. With an unparalleled mixture of endemic wildlife and plant species in a variety of habitats from rainforest to reefs, Madagascar truly is one of the greatest biodiversity regions on earth. One of the major attractions to Madagascar is the lemur, with over 100 species endemic to regions across the island.

Tanzania is an East African country known for its vast wilderness areas. They include the plains of Serengeti National Park, a safari mecca populated by the “big five” game (elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino), and Kilimanjaro National Park, home to Africa’s highest mountain. 

Offshore lie the tropical islands of Zanzibar, with Arabic influences, and Mafia, with a marine park home to whale sharks and coral reefs.

The Republic of Seychelles is a cluster of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean off Africa’s east coast. Lying just south of the equator and beyond the cyclone belt, surrounded by warm waters, Seychelles epitomises the expression “tropical island paradise.” 

Seychelles is divided into 43 Inner Islands and the Outer Islands – five groups of flat, low-lying coral atolls and reef islets, including Aldabra Atoll, the world’s largest raised coral atoll and a World Heritage Site with over 150 000 giant tortoises.