Africa doesn’t do subtle. This is a continent where you can spend the morning standing in front of pyramids older than recorded history, the afternoon tracking mountain gorillas through mist-covered forests, and the evening falling asleep to the sound of lions arguing over dinner somewhere outside your tent. It is home to sprawling megacities, forgotten kingdoms, active volcanoes, endless deserts, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and enough wildlife to make your local zoo look like a sad petting farm. If you’re looking for another predictable beach vacation, you’ve taken a very wrong turn.
At DESTINATIONS UNKNOWN, we’re more interested in the places that leave you with stories worth telling. That means wandering through ancient medinas, standing on the rim of lava-filled volcanoes, exploring abandoned mining towns and colonial relics, visiting genocide memorials and battlefields that shaped history, and chasing wildlife across landscapes so ridiculously beautiful they almost seem fake. Whether it’s the chaos of Cairo, the haunting silence of Namibia’s ghost towns, the jungles of Uganda, the dramatic cliffs of Ethiopia, or the surreal landscapes of Madagascar, Africa constantly reminds you that reality is far stranger than anything Hollywood could invent.
This collection brings together the continent’s best city breaks, cultural landmarks, dark tourism destinations, UNESCO treasures, volcanic landscapes, epic national parks, and unforgettable wildlife encounters. Some places will leave you inspired. Others will leave you uncomfortable. The best ones somehow manage to do both. That’s exactly why they’re worth visiting.
Popular Places to Visit in Africa
Map of Africa
Destinations to Explore in Africa
Latest Destinations in Africa
Pilanesberg: Come for the Lions, Photograph Another Zebra
South Africa’s Pilanesberg National Park has lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalo roaming through one of the most beautiful landscapes on Earth. Unfortunately, most of them apparently sleep whenever your camera battery is fully charged. Welcome to safari: come for the Big Five, photograph another fucking zebra.
Read moreFrom Game Drive to Game Over: The Lion That Ate My Camera
I hunted the “Big Five,” not with a weapon but a backpack full of cameras. This is the unforgettable story of the Lion that ate my camera!
Read moreSaving Baby Elephants: The Impact of the Elephant Orphanage
I came to Kenya’s baby elephant orphanage expecting an unhealthy amount of adorable. I wasn’t prepared for the emotional gut punch of realizing why these babies were there, or the incredible humans trying to fix what other humans keep fucking up.
Read moreEmbark on a Safari Adventure in Nairobi National Park
Wide open plains host a wide variety of untamed, unrestricted wildlife in Kenya’s Nairobi National Park just outside the city center.
Read morePyramids of Giza: Ancient Engineering, Modern Fuckery
The Pyramids of Giza are fucking incredible. Getting through Cairo to see them is another story entirely. Between visa-on-arrival shenanigans, relentless scams, questionable traffic laws, camel rides and an airport rideshare approaching Mach 2, Egypt makes you earn your ancient wonder.
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