Africa’s on everyone’s bucket list, and rightly so. Hop in a jeep and try and spot the big five, canoe along hippo infested waters or take part in adventure sports. Don’t worry if you cant fit everything in the first time as it is one of those places that really gets in your blood, making you want to return time after time.
Best Africa Tour Companies
These are the top rated tour operators and travel companies offering trips in Africa.
Travel to Africa
Popular destinations to visit include:
Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Other slightly more off the beaten track locations can include:
Benin, Bukina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cote D’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Eswatini and Togo.
Small Group Overland Adventure Tours
Africa is such a vast and varied continent that it’s hard to know where to begin. But with a bit of forward planning and a few sensible precautions, you can have the adventure of a lifetime! If you’re an experienced traveller, there are some fascinating places to explore off the beaten track.
There are lots of amazing tours allowing you to see individual African countries, or travelling overland and taking in multiple destinations on one trip. Some operators offer overland adventure tours in Africa, with departures in Egypt, Kenya and South Africa and travelling through the whole continent – epic!
In Eastern Africa, beach-lovers will be spoilt for choice – some of the best beaches in the world can be found on Africa’s Indian Ocean coast. Kenya has been a home from home for the British for centuries, and the coastline around Mombasa has many popular resorts which offer beach hotels to suit all pockets and tastes. For palm-fringed perfection, head north to the Lamu archipelago, Kenya’s oldest living settlement and once a hive of trading activity. This brings a vibrant cultural mix to this traditional Swahili homeland dotted with secluded bays and sleepy fishing villages.
Extend your Kenyan adventure with a trip to the picture-perfect Seychelles or the tropical paradise of Mauritius – or take a slow boat, via the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam, to the exotic spice island of Zanzibar, where you might be lucky enough to spot the rare red colobus monkey.
The wildlife comes in a larger size at Hermanus, on South Africa’s Western Cape, which is one of the best places in the world for whale watching. These magnificent creatures were once hunted but are now protected. The history of whaling is documented in the Old Harbour Museum, and the town is the only place in the world to employ a ‘whale crier’, who sounds his kelp horn when a whale has been sighted. The annual whale festival is held at the end of September, when the mating season brings the local herd into the bay.
There are lots of trips to Southern Africa which are perfect for anyone who wants to pack a lot, into a relatively short space of time. Most tours last around around 2 weeks and travel through Southern Africa taking you to spot the elusive Big 5 in the legendary Kruger National Park, as well as tracking rhinos, in Matobo national park and cruising through the winding waters of the Okovango Delta before scooting over the border to explore the less travelled terrain of Zimbabwe.
The temperate Mediterranean coastline of northern Africa is in every sense a very long way from the wild capes of the south. Tunisia is still a popular choice for European travellers looking for a refreshing cultural contrast without a long-haul journey, while from Morocco you can practically touch the tip of Spain, although its best beaches are mainly to be found on the long Atlantic coast stretching to the Western Sahara. Oualidia has been dubbed ‘Morocco’s St Tropez’, partly because of the wealthy French expats who have helped to put this unspoilt gem on the map. Here you can escape from the dust and heat of the cities and indulge in fabulous fresh seafood, swim in a beautiful tidal lagoon and admire pink flamingoes, avocets and storks in one of the richest birdlife habitats in Morocco.
Africa Safari Tours
As one of the most sought after adventures on the planet, an African safari will take you straight through the heart of some of the largest, and most exciting terrain to be found anywhere in the world.
Adventures don’t come much more electrifying than this; feel your heart beat through your chest as you come up close to some of the biggest, most powerful animals on the planet, including the notorious ‘Big 5’, the lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo.
If you’re desperate for that authentic safari experience and like the idea of sleeping in the wild, there are lots of trips with different levels of comfort available to book all year round.
Head to Kenya, one of Africa’s safari hotspots, where you’ll get to see flamingos stopping for a drink in Lake Nakuru, while exploring the wild plains of the Masaai Mara National Reserve, all in the shadow of the mighty Mt Kilimanjaro.
In Tanzania you can sleep beneath the stars in the great African outdoors, where the only alarm clock you’ll need is the sound of elephants rustling around for food on near by river banks. There is a unique opportunity to mingle with the wildlife of Africa in its natural habitat. Explore the Great Rift Valley and meet local Masaai tribes before settling down for another night around a camp fire in the wilderness.
Taking in the best game viewing in South Africa’s Western Cape, including Namibia’s Etosha National Park, the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park in Botswana and the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation area in Tanzania, this is not just any safari experience; it’s the adventure of a lifetime.
Africa is synonymous with adventure, so reach for your bush hat, dust off your safari suit and don’t forget to pack your compass!