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The natural beauty of the most famous places in Africa never fails to inspire awe in those lucky enough to travel to them.
Experience the beauty of Victoria Falls
Locals call it Mosi-oa-Tunya - The Smoke that Thunders - and in full flood you'll understand why: the rumble made by the Zambezi River tumbling 100 metres into the Batoka Gorge is heard long before you reach the Falls themselves, and its spray is visible from 30km away.
A full mile wide, Victoria Falls is one of Africa's most famous sights. Accessible from both the Zambian and Zimbabwean sides of the river, Victoria Falls is at its most dramatic from March to May when it is an unbroken cascade of water, decorated by sunlit rainbows. At the height of the dry season - from August to November - only the major channels remain and the Zambian side dries up almost completely.
But there's more to the area than just the Falls - this is Africa's undisputed adventure capital. Adrenalin-seekers come here for epic white-water rafting and bungee jumping but there's also game viewing, bird watching and canoe safaris as well as elephant-back safaris - browse all the top Victoria Falls activities.
Witness Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain
The indigenous Khoikhoi people called it Hoerikiwaggo – The Mountain in the Sea – but it’s better known as Table Mountain, the most famous landmark in South Africa.
More complex in shape than its front-on view suggests, Table Mountain is part of a range that ends at Cape Point. Numerous hiking trails snake their way up and all over Table Mountain but the cable car provides the easiest ascent. The mountain and ocean views from the top are nothing short of spectacular.
Table Mountain’s appeal also lies in its unique flora. Known as fynbos, the diversity of flowering plants is staggering – nearly 1 500 species can be found on the mountain, the same number found in the British Isles. Among the most common animals found on Table Mountain are dassies, which look like rabbit-sized guinea pigs and are, amazingly, distantly related to the elephant.
Go on an Okavango Delta safari of a lifetime
This extraordinary wetland is one of the most famous places in Africa when it comes to wildlife. A freshwater oasis in Botswana’s unforgiving Kalahari, the Okavango Delta is a vast maze of waterways, lagoons and floodplains. Needless to say, the game viewing is amazing, not least when the Okavango’s annual flood coincides with Botswana’s dry winter season.
Home to around a quarter of a million animals, the Okavango Delta is famous for not only water-loving species such as hippo and crocodile but its forested islands and grasslands provide habitat for huge herds of buffalo and elephant, antelope of all shapes and sizes plus a bird list that nudges an incredible 500 species. All the big predators are present, and the Okavango Delta is one of the best strongholds of the endangered African wild dog.
Protected by the Moremi Game Reserve and private concessions, there are fly-in lodges scattered across the Okavango Delta offering game drives and guided walking safaris while motor boat or canoes are used to venture into the permanent, deep swamps.
Experience an adventurous Zanzibar diving holiday
Lying off Tanzania’s coast, Zanzibar is an intense melange of colour, tastes and culture that could absorb you for weeks. Ringed by sandy beaches and a number of smaller islands, the ‘Jewel of the Indian Ocean’ combines African, Middle Eastern and European influences to produce a distinct flavour as potent as the spices for which the island is most famous.
Home to a wide range of beach resorts, the snorkelling and diving conditions are superb. The outlying islands of Pemba, Mafia, Chumbe and Mnemba provide classic ‘desert island’ destinations and top dive sites but be sure to take a walk through the narrow, twisting alleys of Stone Town, a World Heritage Site and the island’s historical capital.
Great Wildebeest Migration on a Masai Mara (Serengeti) safari
One of the most famous sights in Africa is that of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest migrating across the Masai Mara and Serengeti savannah. Huge numbers of zebra and gazelle also accompany the herds, all of which makes for compulsive viewing if only for the chances of seeing Africa’s top predators in action.
Kenya’s Masai Mara is the starting point. In November, driven by the availability of fresh grazing and water, the herds head south into Tanzania’s Serengeti where they spend the next eight months running the gauntlet of crocodile-infested rivers and big cat ambushes. By July, the survivors are making the last of the perilous river crossings back into the Masai Mara.
A contiguous ecosystem with adjoining private conservation areas, the Masai Mara and Serengeti can be visited at any time of year thanks to their abundant resident wildlife, often providing close-up sightings. Red-robed Maasai tribesmen tending their cattle complete the classic East African picture.
