by Leigh Kemp, 26 November 2008

Africa, with its vast game-filled plains and predators hunting their prey, has never really been considered a beach holiday destination. Recently, however, travellers are discovering that mainland Africa has some of the world's most desirable beach holiday destinations.

The beach holiday experience has always formed part of the greater safari to South Africa. From the warm lazy beaches of the KwaZulu Natal coast to the legendary surfer's paradise of Jeffrey's Bay and the postcard white sands of Cape Town, South Africa provides some of the safest and best beach holiday experiences on the African continent.

From Civil War to Paradise

Mozambique and its islands are fast gaining a reputation as top-class beach safari destinations. The Bazaruto Archipelago, including the islands of Bazaruto and Benguerra, is the best known of the Mozambique beach destinations with legendary game fishing and scuba-diving to go with the pristine beaches and beautiful lodges.

The Quirimbas Archipelago was, until a year or two ago, virtually unknown due to its location in the far north of the country. Remote and untouched, the archipelago offers some of the continent's most beautiful reefs for diving. Whale sharks and dugongs are two of the unique species that inhabit the waters of the coral islands of Quirimbas.

Beaches and the Great Safari Destinations

Arguably the best known beach destinations in Africa are the islands of the Zanzibar Archipelago off the coast of Tanzania. For many years Zanzibar has been an add-on for visitors to the game areas of Tanzania such as Serengeti and Ngorongoro.

Today, however, the new ideal of a safari and beach vacation has opened up other islands such as Pemba and Mafia, which provide beach holiday visitors with unforgettable scuba-diving, snorkelling and big game fishing.

Although there are many regions in Africa that offer ideal beach holidays, few have the variety offered by the islands and coastal resorts of Kenya. From tropical shores and bustling towns to remote islands and historical ruins, the Kenya beaches offer far more than a paradise of white sands and turquoise waters - with great reefs the Kenya coast provides some of the best scuba-diving and big game fishing on the African coast.

Unique and Unusual Beach Holidays

Some of Africa's most unusual - but no less inspiring - beaches are located far from the coast in the continent's interior. Although fresh water experiences, the great lakes of the Rift Valley provide beach holidays that rival any coastal beach holiday and can also include a wildlife experience.

Lake Malawi provides visitors with an intoxicating mix of white sands, crystal-clear water, superb diving and snorkelling and achingly beautiful scenery and Africa's deepest lake, Lake Tanganyika, caters for the most unusual beach holiday: a combination of lazing on an idyllic beach and chimpanzee tracking in the Mahale Mountains National Park.

Part of the whole Mahale experience includes relaxing on the shores of Lake Tanganyika between chimpanzee tracking, where the white sands and inviting waters, set against a backdrop of lush green indigenous forest, are food for the soul.

The ideal of a safari and beach holiday is quickly growing to be the norm and Africa has the beaches and Big 5 experiences to live up to the most discerning tastes.

Article © Copyright 2008 Go2Africa.

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