The 25 bucket-list highlights of Africa

Traditionally unloved, Africa is on the brink of a new age of tourism.

The lowdown

You heard it here first: Africa is not a country. Yes, yes, you knew this already. But how many of the continent’s 54 countries can you point out on a map, or claim to have visited? Let’s be frank: Africa is egregiously neglected by tourists; it exists in the public consciousness as an amorphous mass characterised by poverty and conflict and redeemed only by saturated sunsets and the Big Five.

In reality, the world’s second-largest continent is exponentially more variegated than any other. It’s home to thousands of languages and cultures, myriad topographical zones, modern cities and world wonders aplenty. Moreover, it’s flourishing, according to hotel group Marriott Bonvoy in its 2025 Ticket to Travel report. Africa’s robust economic growth, a rising middle class and rapid urbanisation has seen the demand for travel and high-quality lodgings continue to expand, according to Marriott director Dorcas Dlamini Mbele. “Africa’s diverse appeal, from safaris and natural wonders to history, culture and luxury, ensures its position as a must-visit continent for global travellers in 2025, ” she says.

What’s hot

Two words: Idris Elba. The English actor’s plan to develop film studios in Ghana and Tanzania will boost local economies, reframe colonial narratives and raise the profile of these beguiling destinations. Inspired by his Ghanaian-Sierra Leonean parentage, Elba exemplifies the African diaspora’s desire to reconnect with their roots, a trend that’s given rise to “heritage tourism”. And since Africa is the cradle of humankind, visitors of all ancestries will be edified by its offerings.

But don’t expect to find a fossilised continent: there’s a swing towards high-octane adventures (dubbed “bravecations”), multi-gen holidays and genuine eco-tourism. And while safaris will never go out of fashion, there’s “a growing appetite for journeys that move at a different pace, explore lesser-known regions, and allow for deeper connections,” says Lara Behrens of Bench Africa. “This year it’s about embracing the journey, not just the destination.”

What’s not

Africa’s conflict zones areas receive plenty of airtime; check SmartTraveller for alerts. Uganda’s punitive same-sex laws make it an iffy destination for LGBTQ travellers; a safer bet is South Africa, whose constitution was the first in the world to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Over-tourism is blighting the annual wildebeest migration in the Serengeti and the Masai Mara; the wildlife every bit as enchanting in the off-season. Always check with your travel doctor for advice on vaccines and antimalarials. Finally, bear in mind Africa’s immensity when conflict and disease occur. A coup or an ebola outbreak 2000 kilometres from your bolthole is unlikely to endanger you. See smartraveller.gov.au

Five must-visit countries

South Africa

For most Australians, this “world in one country” is an entree to the continent. It whets skittish appetites with sophisticated metropolises, Michelin-worthy eats and safaris that are more hedonistic than untamed. Happily, the gateway city of Johannesburg is a direct flight from Sydney (on Qantas) and Perth (on South African Airways). See southafrica.net; qantas.com.au; flysaa.com

Tunisia

On the continent’s opposite end, Tunisia is emerging from relative obscurity to claim its podium spot beside stalwart North African destinations Egypt and Morocco. Here you’ll find labyrinthine medinas and resorts lazing on translucent bays. Beach-lubbers are lured inland to Bedouin oases, olive groves plump with fruit and ancient structures such as Kairouan and the city of Carthage – among nine World Heritage-Listed Sites in this slip of a country. See discovertunisia.com

Ghana

Chocolate, coffee and clothes. Need I say more? Ghana spearheaded heritage tourism with the Year of Return, a 2019 campaign marking the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans in the US, many of whom were taken from these shores. Now the follow-up strategy, “A decade of African Renaissance”, is building momentum with a focus on the homegrown edibles we all love and the electrifying fashion, arts and music scene we ought to adore. See visitghana.com

Angola

Progress is afoot in this long-isolated country. New hotels and tours are springing up, and national parks in the country’s south-east, where Cuando Cubango’s rivers flow into the Okavango Delta, have been folded into Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, the world’s largest transboundary conservation area. On the coast, visitors surf the Atlantic and dip their toes into the Namib Desert, which spills over from Namibia and forms part of Iona National Park. See angola-uncharted-safari.com; africanparks.org

Malawi

Compressed like an appendix between the bulky girth of Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania, this slender country has quietly transformed its wild spaces with large-scale wildlife reintroductions and tourism infrastructure development. Volunteer on a citizen science project with Biosphere Expeditions, or bookend a safari with a beach holiday at Likoma Island on Lake Malawi. See biosphere-expeditions.org; benchafrica.com.au

Five must-see cities

Stone Town (Zanzibar City), Tanzania

The tangled streets and coralline ragstone dwellings of this UNESCO World Heritage-Listed Old Town on Unguja Island are imprinted with the lore of their Arab, Indian, European and African occupants (among them enslaved people memorialised at the East Africa Slave Trade Exhibition). Singer Freddie Mercury of Queen fame is celebrated at the museum located in his boyhood home. Once you’ve explored Stone Town, immerse yourself in the hinterland’s spice plantations and float above coral reefs off the island’s eastern shore. See bunniktours.com.au; freddiemercurymuseum.com

Kigali, Rwanda

The hills of Rwanda’s capital city gaze down on neighbourhoods swept clean of plastic bags (it’s illegal to bring them into the country) and beautified by “umuganda”, community service clean-up and greening programs. While history is curated with great care at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, a modern tech, arts and culture wave is helping rejuvenate the city; the three converged at last year’s inaugural Kigali Triennial art showcase. See visitrwanda.com/tourism

Johannesburg, South Africa

Few cities are as culturally, linguistically and artistically as diverse as Jozi (the name by which South Africa’s largest metropolis is commonly known). Board a hop-on-hop-off bus and peruse the 70-plus public artworks exemplifying this variety and the creative energy that fuels it. See citysightseeing.co.za/en/joburg; visit.joburg/Home/Home

Antananarivo, Madagascar

The attractions in “Tana” (the diminutive for this tongue-twisting capital city) help contextualise the Malagasy, Indonesian and French cultures underpinning Africa’s largest island: Manjakamiadana, the 19th century fortified palace constructed for Queen Ranavalona I; the preeminent contemporary art venue Fondation H; and Musee de la Photo, where history is explored through archival photographs and film. See fondation-h.com/en/home; photo-madagascar.com

Nairobi, Kenya

This “place of cool waters” is a microcosm of Kenya’s manifold riches. Settle into one of its superb hotels and set off for Daphne Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage or a mini safari in Nairobi National Park. Don’t miss the city’s first-class shopping scene; leave space in your bag for handcrafted homewares, textiles and art. See sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/nursery-visit; kws.go.ke/nairobi-national-park

Five must-see sights

Ancient Thebes, Egypt

Egyptologists made a breakthrough recently when they unearthed the first pharaoh’s tomb since Tutankhamen’s was located more than a century ago. The new discovery – the burial site of Queen Hatshepsut’s husband King Thutmose II – in the Western Valleys of the Theban Necropolis amplifies the significance of the many antiquities flanking the Nile River near Luxor. See adventureworld.com/en-au

Goree, Senegal

Millions of enslaved people passed through the Door of No Return, which led from the Maison Des Esclaves (House of Slaves) to docked slave-trading ships. A short ferry ride from Senegal’s capital, Dakar, this World Heritage Site is now both a repository of that unspeakable history and a crucible for the region’s art and textile industry. See sitesofconscience.org

The Great Nile Migration, Ethiopia

Gambella National Park plays host to part of the world’s largest land mammal migration during which six million antelope – white-eared kobs, Mongalla gazelle, tiangs, Bohor reedbuck – pass through en route to and from South Sudan each year. Ethiopia’s largest remaining elephant population and the critically endangered Nubian giraffe also assemble here. See anafricancanvas.com; africanparks.org

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Zambia

Mosi-oa-Tunya – “the smoke that thunders” – is more than just a plummeting curtain of water. The World Heritage site straddles two countries and encompasses eight serpentine gorges and a plenitude of islands; the onrushing Zambezi River keeps the fringing rainforests perpetually quenched. See zimparks.org.zw/victoria-falls-national-park; travelafricayourway.com.au

Chefchaouen, Morocco

Sky and city fuse in a dazzling sweep of blue in this city huddled in the foothills of Morocco’s Rif Mountains. Several theories exist as to the colour daubing facades, alleyways and decorative details. Most poignant is the belief that Jewish people arriving from Europe in the 1930s chose it in tribute to the blue thread sewn into their prayer shawls to symbolise the heavens. See bypriorarrangement.com

Five must-do experiences

Bat migration, Kasanka, Zambia

The world’s biggest mammal migration occurs between October and January each year when millions of fruit bats descend on a swamp forest in a remote corner of western Zambia. Climb into treetop hides to watch the bats arising from their roosts at dawn, and blackening the skies upon their evening return. See classicsafaricompany.com.au

Vodoun Festival, Ouidah, Benin

The annual Fete de Vodoun (Voodoo Festival) is an intoxicating melange of music, dance and ancient ritual. Benin is the birthplace of voodoo, in which ancestors, including those who were enslaved, are invoked. The International Museum of Memory and Slavery is one of four new cultural and art museums that will open in Benin over the next few years. See intrepidtravel.com

Ngamba Island, Uganda

Chimpanzees rescued from trafficking and the bushmeat trade now have the run of Ngamba Island, an hour’s cruise from Entebbe across Lake Victoria. Conservationists conduct important behavioural research, and tourists contribute to the work of the Chimpanzee Trust, which manages the sanctuary. See ngambaisland.org; benchafrica.com

Coral superhighway, Seychelles

If heaven were condensed into a single image it would surely be snapped in this archipelago, located on a “coral superhighway”, a vast coral larvae-distribution system, in the Indian Ocean. In May FIFA’s Beach Soccer World Cup will be held in the capital, Victoria, and in December Aqua Expeditions launches its first cruise in the region. See tourism.gov.sc; aquaexpeditions.com

Fish River Canyon, Namibia

Stand on the rim and gawp at the enormity of Africa’s largest canyon, a 160 kilometre-long fissure writhing through hard-baked earth. To see it from every angle, hike the five-day, 88-kilometre Fish River trail. The canyon is part of the |Ai- |Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, which also straddles South Africa. See sanparks.org/parks/ai-ais-richtersveld

Five must-do journeys

Roof of Africa, Lesotho

Altitude, and wraparound views, will take your breath away on the vertigo-inducing traverse from KwaZulu-Natal to the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. Scale the Sani Pass in a four-wheel drive, or join Basotho herdsmen as they navigate the mountains on ponies. See roofofafricatours.com

Mobile safari, Botswana

Safaris are more visceral when you’re separated from nocturnal howls and growls by a mere wafer of canvas. Leave behind only tracks (and a piece of your heart) as you move imperceptibly through the eastern edge of the Okavango Delta and into Chobe National Park. See benchafrica.com.au

Trail of two oceans

Tanzania, Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola East and west are stitched together on this 15-day, 4300 kilometre luxury rail journey that passes through four countries en route from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Lobito in Angola. The train pauses along the way for game drives, walking tours and a fly-in safari. See rovos.com

Gorilla tracking, Republic of the Congo

Western lowland gorillas are less well-known than their mountain gorilla counterparts, but the joy of encountering them in the wild is immeasurable. And there’s no roughing it back at camp: the lodges in Odzala-Kokoua National Park provide all the sybaritic pleasures one expects of a luxury safari. See classicsafaricompany.com.au

Cruise West Africa

Tick off 15 African countries – among them, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe and Liberia – on a 37-day cruise up the west coast, from Walvis Bay to Lisbon. Highlight of the voyage? Docking at Bijagos Archipelago, a saltwater hippo-inhabited biosphere reserve off the coast of Guinea Bissau. See silversea.com

Did you know?

• Africa has the hottest place on earth in Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression, with peak temperatures exceeding 48 degrees, and coloured landscapes from the various minerals, acid pools, volcanic activity and poisonous gases.
• The Congo River is so deep, up to 219 metres, that some scientists believe it has two layers, flowing in opposing directions. While it passes through mostly the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo, it is the only river in the world that crosses the equator twice.
• Mali used to be known as Timbuktu and was once one of the world’s richest cities. Its 14th century emperor ruler was believed to be one of the wealthiest men in history, and had libraries that probably held more books than any libraries in Europe.
• Africa was where time was first quantified into a 24-hour day when the ancient Egyptians used sun dials and water clocks to divide time, and provide the basis for our measurements used today.
• Madagascar has baobab trees, just like northern Western Australia and the Northern Territory, that local legend says the gods planted upside-down because they kept walking around.