Africa
Green Travel
Guide

Africa: An Overview

Find inspiration to visit Africa with our Africa green travel guide! Africa is considered the oldest inhabited continent on Earth. Surprisingly, it is home to more countries than any other continent in the world.

Given how vast the African continent is, it boasts a wide range of regions full of natural wonders. For example, you can find deserts, highlands, savannas, rainforests, lakes, and of course, beautiful coastlines. Each of these different regions offers unique experiences for the green traveller.

Africa is home to over 225 national parks. Many are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Not to mention, within these national parks, you can experience the unique fauna of Africa. For example, you can observe the coveted “Big 5” during a wildlife safari: leopards, lions, rhinos, Cape buffalo, and elephants.

Besides, Africa also offers big underwater thrills for scuba divers, camel riding in the Sahara Desert, hot air ballooning, and much more. Keep reading our Africa green travel guide for more information on visiting this unique part of the world.

When to visit Africa

Africa sprawls across half the globe. Hence, deciding when to visit will depend on what you want to do and the countries you’d like to experience. So, you will need to be mindful of the climate and weather patterns of your preferred destinations.

As you can imagine, including everything that Africa has to offer in this Africa green travel guide would be a monumental task. So, we’ve included only general information to help you plan your trip.

In terms of the weather, most of Africa lies within the tropics. Desert conditions dominate in Northern Africa and parts of Southern Africa. As you move further south, the regions change into grasslands, semiarid, and human subtropical. The central African region is home to Africa’s rainforests.

If you’re keen to explore the Sahara Desert, the best time to do so is in winter. In fact, most of the continent experiences less humidity and pleasant warmth in winter, becoming cooler as you travel south. Remember that Africa is in the southern hemisphere, so the seasons are opposite to what you may be used to.

Winter is also the dry season, with the wet season being summer. The wet season usually lasts from the end of April to mid-July. There is a shorter one in September and October too.

Keep reading our Africa green travel guide for more information on what you can expect when visiting Africa. I have organised this guide according to the different regions of this expansive continent.

What to expect when visiting Africa

As mentioned, Africa is home to the largest number of countries in the world. Each of these countries offers unique experiences and an array of diverse natural areas for the green traveller to explore.

As you can imagine, including everything in this Africa green travel guide would be nearly impossible. With this in mind, we have organised this guide according to the different regions of this expansive continent.

North Africa refers to the northern-most region of the African continent. For the purpose of this Africa green travel guide, it includes the countries of Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and Western Sahara.

The Northern Africa map below shows drop pins of each country so you can see their location relative to each other.

Northern Africa offers a wide range of nature-based experiences for you to enjoy. For example, you can go trekking or camel-riding in Algeria. Or, perhaps you prefer to visit the region’s World-Heritage national parks. There is also the option of scuba diving in the Red Sea, considered one of the top diving destinations in the world. And of course, you can also visit the largest hot desert in the world, the Sahara Desert.

West Africa is home to over 1,900 nationally protected areas, which cover around 9.6% of the region. Overall, the countries that we’ve included in this Africa green travel guide for Western Africa are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Helena, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

Specifically, the map below shows where these countries are located relative to each other.

In June of 2019, West African States adopted an action plan called ECOTOUR, which helps integrate local communities as custodians of the region’s natural resources. Most important, ECOTOUR is helping to develop ecotourism initiatives. It’s exciting to think about what the future might hold for this region! In the meantime, there are still opportunities for nature-based and green travel.

According to Lonely Planet, safaris in West Africa cost a fraction of what they cost in eastern and southern Africa. They recommend visiting Pendjari National Park, Reserve de Nazinga, Mole National Park, Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Makasutu Culture Forest.

Central Africa is home to the largest rainforests in Africa including the Congo rainforest. Not surprisingly, this area is famous for its gorillas, elephants and chimpanzees. For the purpose of this Africa green travel guide, the list of the countries in Central Africa are: Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Sao Tome and Principe.

The map below shows a drop pin for each of these countries.

Although the rainforests of Central Africa face many challenges due to illegal poaching and logging, they also offer amazing opportunities for ecotourism. For example, you can go birding and wildlife watching for elephants, cheetahs, and more. Furthermore, there is also the opportunity to trek wildlife trails in several national parks, as well as visit parts of the Sahara Desert.

Eastern Africa includes the countries on the eastern coast of the African continent. For the purpose of this Africa green travel guide, they are: British Indian Ocean Territory, Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, French Southern Territories, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Réunion, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The Eastern Africa map below highlights these countries.

Some of the nature-based activities that you can enjoy while visiting Eastern Africa include gorilla treks, cultural walks, relax in unspoiled beaches, mountain biking, among many others!

A country that particularly shines when it comes to ecotourism is Zimbabwe. They have helped drive ecotourism as an industry in Africa. And of course, we can’t forget Tanzania, where revered scientist Jane Goodall did her ground-breaking studies with chimpanzees. The Jane Goodall Institute continues to promote her vision.

Southern Africa is home to some of the most beautiful national parks in Africa. For the purpose of this Africa green travel guide, we’ve listed the following countries as part of Southern Africa: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa.

We’ve highlighted these countries on the map below.

Southern Africa is home to the world-famous Kruger National Park, which is home to the Big 5. Botswana is also home to 40% of Africa’s entire elephant population and breath-taking Okavango Delta.

Eswatini (or Swaziland) is a hiker’s Eden. The country offers visitors an intimate look into its fascinating culture. And of course, Namibia is home to the Namib Desert, the oldest desert in the world. With landscapes of such diverse beauty, Southern Africa is sure to surprise!

10 green travel experiences in Africa

Africa green travel guide:
9 eco-friendly accommodation options

To finish this Africa green travel guide, I’ve included some options for eco-friendly accommodations. Of course, this list is by no means exhaustive!

I’m sure there are other places that could be featured in this Africa green travel guide. So, I invite you to do your own research to find a place that suits your needs.

✦ Zimbabwe

✦ Madagascar

✦ Kenya

✦ Namibia

✦ Botswana

✦ South Africa

✦ Rwanda

✦ Tanzania