Africa

Africa covers about 30 million km², a fifth of the world's land, and is home to roughly 1.5 billion people speaking over 2,000 languages. The standard Mercator map makes it look about the size of Greenland; in reality Greenland would fit into it fourteen times. Cairo to Cape Town is further than London to New York, and a flight from Dakar to Nairobi takes as long as one from Dakar to Paris. The first planning rule follows from this: pick one or two neighbouring countries, not a region.

Travel writers usually split the continent into six parts. North Africa runs from Morocco to Egypt along the Mediterranean and into the Sahara, and is Arabic- and Tamazight-speaking. West Africa is the Atlantic bulge from Senegal to Nigeria plus the Sahel behind it. Central Africa is the Congo basin rainforest and its coast, from Cameroon to the two Congos. East Africa is the savannah and highland belt from Ethiopia and the Horn to Tanzania. Southern Africa runs from Angola and Mozambique to the Cape. The islands — Madagascar, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Réunion, the Comoros, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Saint Helena — are travelled as separate trips.

Each part has its own travel grammar. North Africa is close to Europe, well connected, visa-light and organised around medinas, ruins and the desert. East and Southern Africa are organised around parks: lodge nights, game drives, light aircraft and self-drive roads. West Africa is organised around cities, music and the coast, with more paperwork at each border. Central Africa is organised around a few protected areas that are reached by charter or operator. The islands are organised around one airport each.

Nine countries on this site — most of the Sahel, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Libya and the Central African Republic — carry government advice against all or most travel, and several published countries have no-go regions. This is not a reason to skip Africa; it is a reason to plan country by country, and to read official advice for every border on the route.

Africa is where our species began. The oldest known Homo sapiens fossils, about 300,000 years old, come from Jebel Irhoud in Morocco, and the fossil sites of Ethiopia's Afar, Tanzania's Olduvai Gorge and South Africa's Cradle of Humankind trace the longer human line. Rock art from the Sahara to the Drakensberg records hunting, herding and a wetter Sahara that dried out from about 5,000 years ago, pushing people to the Nile and the south.

The continent's early states were large and literate. Egypt was unified around 3100 BCE; Nubian kingdoms ruled from Kerma and Meroë; Aksum in today's Ethiopia and Eritrea minted coins and adopted Christianity in the 4th century. From the 8th century, trans-Saharan caravans carried gold, salt and scholarship between the Mediterranean and the empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhay, whose cities — Timbuktu, Djenné, Gao — became centres of Islamic learning. On the east coast, Swahili city-states such as Kilwa, Lamu and Zanzibar traded with Arabia, India and China, and in the south Great Zimbabwe built stone enclosures without mortar.

From the 15th century the Atlantic slave trade shipped about 12.5 million Africans to the Americas, reshaping West and Central Africa; the forts of Gorée, Cape Coast, Elmina and Ouidah are its memorials. In the 1880s European powers divided almost the whole continent between them at and after the Berlin Conference, drawing borders through kingdoms and language groups. Only Ethiopia, which defeated Italy at Adwa in 1896, and Liberia, founded by freed American slaves, stayed formally independent.

Independence came in a wave: Libya in 1951, Sudan, Morocco and Tunisia in 1956, Ghana in 1957, most of francophone Africa in 1960, the Portuguese colonies in 1975 after long wars, Zimbabwe in 1980 and Namibia in 1990. South Africa's apartheid system ended with the 1994 election of Nelson Mandela; the same year the genocide against the Tutsi killed about 800,000 people in Rwanda. Eritrea split from Ethiopia in 1993 and South Sudan from Sudan in 2011.

The 2020s brought both growth and new crises. The African Continental Free Trade Area began trading in 2021; mobile money, new railways and airlines changed daily life. At the same time, military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and elsewhere led the three Sahel juntas to leave ECOWAS in 2025 and form the Alliance of Sahel States, war broke out in Sudan in April 2023, and fighting in eastern DR Congo escalated. For travellers the result is a continent that is easier to reach and move around than ever in some places, and closed in others.

Islam and Christianity each claim roughly 40–45% of Africans, with a belt of mixed countries across the middle. North Africa, the Sahel, Somalia, Djibouti, the Comoros and the Swahili coast are Muslim; most of Southern, Central and coastal West Africa is Christian; Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Côte d'Ivoire are split roughly between both. In daily life faith is visible and public: calls to prayer, Friday closures, Sunday services that fill whole streets, and religious slogans painted on minibuses.

Africa's Christianity is older than Europe's in places. Egypt's Coptic Church traces itself to the 1st century, and Ethiopia's Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates from Aksum's conversion in the 4th century. Its rock-hewn churches at Lalibela, fasting calendar (over 180 fasting days a year for the devout, which is why Ethiopian menus are rich in vegan food) and festivals such as Timkat in January and Meskel in September are among the continent's great sights. Pentecostal and independent churches are the fastest-growing faiths today.

Islam arrived with Arab armies in the north in the 7th century and with traders across the Sahara and along the Indian Ocean. Sufi brotherhoods shape West African Islam: Senegal's Mouride brotherhood, founded by Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, draws millions to Touba for the Grand Magal pilgrimage. In Muslim-majority countries, Ramadan changes opening hours and restaurant availability; Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha (Tabaski in West Africa) close businesses and fill buses.

Traditional religions persist alongside both faiths and often blend with them. Vodun in Benin and Togo is an official religion with a national holiday on 10 January; ancestor veneration, diviners and healers are part of life in much of the south and centre. Treat shrines, sacred forests and ceremonies as you would a church: ask before entering or photographing, and follow what your guide says about dress and behaviour.

The practical rules are simple. Dress modestly away from beaches, and more so in Muslim areas; remove shoes where others do; ask before photographing anyone praying or any ceremony; and do not argue religion or politics with people you have just met. Homosexuality is criminalised in over 30 countries, often justified on religious grounds, so same-sex couples should be discreet.

Africa's language map is the most diverse on earth: Nigeria alone has over 500 languages, and many Africans speak three or four. For a traveller, five lingua francas do most of the work. French is the working language of about 20 countries from Senegal to the Congo, Madagascar and the Maghreb. English serves the east, the south and Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and The Gambia. Arabic dominates North Africa, Sudan and Chad. Portuguese covers Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé. Swahili is spoken by over 100 million people from Kenya and Tanzania into Uganda, Rwanda and eastern DR Congo.

Regional languages matter just as much on the ground. Amharic is Ethiopia's working language; Hausa is a trade language across northern Nigeria and Niger; Wolof dominates daily life in Senegal and The Gambia; Lingala is the language of Kinshasa's music; Zulu and Xhosa are widely spoken in South Africa; Malagasy unites Madagascar. Local Arabic varies a great deal: Moroccan Darija is hard for Egyptians to follow, and many Moroccans switch to French with visitors.

Greeting is the key skill. In West Africa a greeting can run through the health of your family, your work and your journey before anyone mentions business; cutting it short is rude. 'Salaam alaikum' works across Muslim areas, 'jambo' or 'habari' in Swahili country, 'sawubona' among Zulu speakers, 'selam' in Ethiopia and 'bonjour' in francophone countries. A few words in the local language change prices, service and the tone of every encounter.

Written addresses are less useful than landmarks in much of the continent. Drivers navigate by 'near the Total station' or 'behind the big mosque'; share a map pin or a what3words code, and keep your hotel's phone number handy for the driver to call. WhatsApp is the default channel for hotels, guides and drivers almost everywhere south of the Sahara.

Starches are the base of most meals south of the Sahara, eaten with a sauce or stew and often by hand. In East and Southern Africa it is a stiff maize porridge — ugali in Kenya and Tanzania, nshima in Zambia and Malawi, sadza in Zimbabwe, pap in South Africa. In West and Central Africa it is fufu, banku, attiéké or foutou, made from cassava, yam, plantain or fermented maize. Ethiopia and Eritrea eat injera, a sour flatbread of teff, on which every stew is served.

Each belt has signature dishes. North Africa has couscous (on UNESCO's list since 2020), tagines, harira soup and, in Egypt, koshari and ful medames. West Africa has jollof rice — the subject of a cheerful rivalry between Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal, whose thieboudienne is the original rice-and-fish dish — plus peanut stews, suya skewers and grilled fish with attiéké. East Africa grills: nyama choma, chapati from the Indian Ocean trade, and Swahili coconut curries on the coast. South Africa braais meat over wood and eats Cape Malay bobotie and bunny chow from Durban.

Street food is where most people eat and where visitors eat best. Choose stalls that are busy, cook to order and serve hot; be cautious with salads, cut fruit and unbottled drinks in rural areas. Tap water is safe to drink in parts of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Réunion; elsewhere use bottled or filtered water. In Muslim areas, alcohol may be limited to hotels and tourist bars.

Diets need planning. Ethiopia is the easiest country in Africa for vegans, thanks to Orthodox fasting days when meat and dairy are avoided. Elsewhere, 'vegetable' sauces often contain dried fish, stock cubes or meat, and peanuts are everywhere in West and Central African cooking. Halal food is standard in the north, the Sahel and on the Swahili coast. Carry a translated allergy card in French, Arabic, Portuguese or Swahili — each country page has one.

Coffee and tea are rituals. Ethiopia, where coffee was first used, performs the coffee ceremony — roasting, grinding and three rounds poured from a clay jebena — as a welcome. Morocco pours sweet mint tea from a height; Senegal brews ataya in three rounds, bitter to sweet; Kenya grows tea and drinks chai with milk and spices. Refusing the first cup can offend; accepting commits you to a conversation, which is the point.

Most of Africa has wet and dry seasons rather than summer and winter, and the dry season is almost always the better time for wildlife: grass is short, animals gather at water and roads work. Near the equator — Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania — there are two rainy seasons, the long rains from about March to May and the short rains around November. Southern Africa has one summer rainy season from about November to March, and a dry winter from May to October, when game viewing peaks in Kruger, the Okavango, Hwange and South Luangwa.

The Great Migration follows the rain in a loop. From about December to March, around 1.5 million wildebeest with zebra and gazelle graze the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti and Ndutu, calving mostly in late January and February. As the plains dry in April and May they move north-west; in June and July they cross the Grumeti River in the Western Corridor. From about July to October they are in the northern Serengeti and Kenya's Masai Mara, where the Mara River crossings draw the crowds, before heading south again in November. The timing shifts with the rain each year — book the region for the month, not a guaranteed crossing.

Other calendars matter too. The Okavango Delta floods in the dry season, peaking about June to August, because the water comes from Angola's rains months earlier. Victoria Falls is at full flow roughly February to May, when spray can hide the view, and lowest in October and November, when the Zambian side can be almost dry. Gorilla trekking runs all year, but trails are easier from June to September and December to February. Whale sharks gather off Djibouti from November to February and off Mozambique's Tofo much of the year; humpback whales pass Gabon, Mozambique and South Africa's coasts in the southern winter.

North Africa and the Sahara follow the Mediterranean pattern: spring and autumn are best, summer is dangerously hot inland, and desert nights are cold from December to February. Cyclones hit Madagascar, Mozambique, Mauritius, Réunion and the Comoros from about January to March. The West African rains run roughly June to October, and the dry Harmattan wind brings dusty haze from the Sahara between December and February.

Flying is the backbone of long-distance travel. Ethiopian Airlines from Addis Ababa, Kenya Airways from Nairobi, Royal Air Maroc from Casablanca, EgyptAir from Cairo, RwandAir from Kigali and the South African carriers from Johannesburg connect most capitals, but routes between neighbouring countries can still run through a hub far away. Intra-African fares are high by world standards because of taxes and limited competition; book early and consider open-jaw long-haul tickets to avoid backtracking.

In the parks, light aircraft replace roads. Scheduled bush flights from Nairobi's Wilson Airport, Arusha, Maun and Kasane drop guests at dirt strips next to their camps. They are efficient but strict: soft bags only, usually 15–20 kg including hand luggage, and seats sold in combination with the lodge. Road safaris cost less and see more of the country, but a day's drive can take the place of a day's game viewing.

Railways are having a revival. Morocco's Al Boraq was Africa's first high-speed line; Kenya's Madaraka Express runs Nairobi – Mombasa; Tanzania opened a fast electric line from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma in 2024; the Addis Ababa – Djibouti railway links the Horn to the sea; Johannesburg's Gautrain runs to the airport and Pretoria. Older colonial lines such as Tazara to Zambia are slow and irregular — worth riding, not relying on.

Road travel is where Africa is cheapest and most social, and where the risk is highest. Shared minibuses and bush taxis leave when full; long-distance coaches are safer on main routes in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Ghana. Self-drive is excellent in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana with the right car and a firm rule: no driving after dark. Overland trucks, running group trips from Nairobi to Cape Town or across West Africa, remain a classic way to see several countries with the borders handled for you.

Africa is not cheap in the places most visitors go. Safari costs are driven by park fees charged per person per day (US$70–200 in the big East African parks), lodge prices that include all meals and drives, and light-aircraft seats; a good mid-range safari runs US$300–600 per person per day, and top camps in Botswana or the Mara far more. Gorilla permits are US$1,500 in Rwanda and several hundred dollars in Uganda — check the current price. Cities, food and public transport, by contrast, can be very cheap.

Currencies are a patchwork. Fourteen countries use one of the two CFA francs, pegged to the euro: the West African franc (XOF) and the Central African franc (XAF), which are not interchangeable in daily use. The US dollar is used for visas, park fees and tips across the east and south, and is legal tender in Zimbabwe alongside the new ZiG. Bring clean, recent, untorn notes: older series and damaged dollars are refused. North Africa's dirham, pound and dinar are closed or semi-closed currencies — change what you need and keep receipts.

Mobile money has leapfrogged banks. M-Pesa in Kenya and Tanzania, MTN MoMo and Airtel Money in Uganda, Ghana and Zambia, and Orange Money and Wave in francophone West Africa are used for everything from taxis to market stalls. Visitors can usually register with a local SIM and a passport. Cards work in hotels, lodges and malls in most capitals and throughout South Africa; ATMs are common in cities but can run dry or cap withdrawals low.

Tipping is expected in the safari and tourism trades: guides, drivers, trackers and camp staff, typically in US dollars or local cash at the end of a stay — each country page gives current norms. Bargaining is normal in markets and for taxis without meters, but not in supermarkets or restaurants. Cost per day on the country grid above is a 2026 backpacker estimate; mid-range safari travel costs several times that.

Greet, then talk. Across the continent a proper greeting — with a handshake that may linger, an enquiry after family and health, and patience — is the basis of every exchange. Elders are greeted first and with more deference; in parts of West and Southern Africa a light handshake with the left hand touching your right forearm shows respect. Loud directness reads as aggression; calm persistence gets results.

Use the right hand to eat, give and receive, especially where people eat from a shared bowl. Wash hands before and after, eat from the part of the dish in front of you, and wait for the host or eldest to begin. Refusing food outright can offend; accept a little. Invitations to a home are generous and common, and a small gift — tea, sugar, fruit or something from home — is appreciated.

Photography is the most common source of friction. Ask before photographing people, and accept a no; in some places people expect a small payment, which should be agreed first. Never photograph police, soldiers, military sites, airports, bridges or government buildings, even by accident; several countries arrest foreigners for it. Drones need permits almost everywhere and are banned outright in some countries.

Dress more conservatively than the heat suggests away from beaches and resorts: shoulders and knees covered in towns, mosques, churches and villages, especially in Muslim-majority areas. Public displays of affection are frowned on in many places. Politics, religion and sexuality are sensitive subjects — listen more than you speak — and remember that insulting the head of state or defacing currency is a crime in several countries.