Places To Visit In Africa

 

#1 Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Located in Tanzania, Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s tallest mountain at about 5,895 meters (19,340 feet). 

It is the largest free-standing mountain rise in the world, meaning it is not part of a mountain range.

Also called a stratovolcano (a term for a very large volcano made of ash, lava, and rock).

Kilimanjaro is made up of three cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. 

Kibo is the summit of the mountain and the tallest of the three volcanic formations. 

While Mawenzi and Shira are extinct, Kibo is dormant and could possibly erupt again. 

Scientists estimate that the last time it erupted was 360,000 years ago. 

The highest point on Kibo’s crater rim is called Uhuru, the Swahili word for “freedom.” 

The mountain is also known for its snow-capped peak; however, scientists warn that the snow might disappear within the next 20 years or so.

#2 Victoria Falls

Located on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe, the Zambezi River cascades into one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. 

“Vic” Falls became known to Europeans after the famed explorer David Livingstone discovered it in 1855, although, presumably, it was known to Africans long before David Livingstone was around.

Known in the Lozi language as Mosi-oa-Tunya, “Thundering Smoke,” and in Tonga as Shungu Namutitima, “Boiling Water,” the waterfalls are a major tourist attraction that draws approximately one million visitors each year.

One of the main attractions for those more adventurous is a dip in the Devil’s Pool right on the edge of the waterfall. 

The view from the pool is exhilarating as 110 million gallons (500 million liters) of water rush past every minute to disappear into the thundering spray 328 feet  (100 meters) below.

#3 The Nile

The Nile is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. 

The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest river in the world though this has been contested by research suggesting that the Amazon River is slightly longer.

Of the world's major rivers, the Nile is one of the smallest, as measured by annual flow in cubic metres of water.

About 6,650 km (4,130 mi)long, its drainage basin covers eleven countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Republic of the Sudan, and Egypt.

In particular, the Nile is the primary water source of Egypt, Sudan and South Sudan.

Additionally, the Nile is an important economic river, supporting agriculture and fishing.

#4 Table Mountain, South Africa

At the southern tip of Africa, towering over the city of Cape Town, is the flat-topped sandstone feature known as Table Mountain. 

It is one of the 7 Wonders of the Natural World, and it forms the basis of Table Mountain National Park, the most visited national park in South Africa, attracting over 4 million visitors every year.

Packed into a relatively small area and almost completely surrounded by the urban sprawl of Cape Town, Table Mountain is home to an incredible 8,200 plant species, most of them endemic to the region. 

The mountain is also home to many animal species, such as mongooses, caracals, Cape foxes, and the ubiquitous dassies (rock hyraxes) that greet tourists as they reach the ascent via cable car.

The summit is 3,563 feet (1,086 meters) above sea level and runs approximately three miles (two kilometers) from side to side. 

#5 Ngorongoro Crater/Caldera, Tanzania

Situated in Tanzania, the Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest inactive, intact, and unfilled volcanic caldera and covers an area of 100 square miles (260 square kilometers). 

Although it is called a crater, it is, more precisely, a caldera formed after a massive volcano exploded and collapsed two million years ago.

The bowl of the crater is rich with life, and like many African attractions, the Ngorongoro Crater is home to an abundance of wildlife, including hippopotamuses, hyenas, leopards, lions, African buffalo, wildebeests, giraffes, and zebras, to name a few. Of note is the presence of the critically endangered black rhino.

The crater and the surrounding lands are also home to many indigenous Maasai people who have lived there for centuries and are in danger of being evicted by the government of Tanzania, which claims that Maasai overgrazing is posing a threat to conservation.

Whatever the case may be, the crater is a huge Garden of Eden in Africa and draws significant numbers of tourists.

#6 The Okavango, Botswana

The Okavango Delta or Okavango Grassland formerly spelled "Okovango" or "Okovanggo" in Botswana is a vast inland delta formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough at an altitude of 930–1,000 m[3] in the central part of the endorheic basin of the Kalahari. 

It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of the few interior delta systems that do not flow into a sea or ocean, with a wetland system that is largely intact.

All the water reaching the delta is ultimately evaporated and transpired. 

Each year, about 11 cubic kilometers (2.6 cu mi) of water spreads over the 6,000–15,000 km2 (2,300–5,800 sq mi) area. 

Some flood waters drain into Lake Ngami.

The area was once part of Lake Makgadikgadi, an ancient lake that had mostly dried up by the early Holocene.

#7 The Namib, Namibia

Namib, a cool coastal desert extending for 1,200 miles (1,900 km) along the Atlantic coast of Africa from Namibe (formerly Moçâmedes) in Angola southward across Namibia to the Olifants River in the Western Cape province of South Africa. 

It reaches inland 80 to 100 miles (130 to 160 km) to the foot of the Great Escarpment. 

The southern portion merges with the Kalahari on the plateau atop the escarpment. Its name is derived from the Nama language, implying “an area where there is nothing.”

The Namib is arid and is almost totally uninhabited, except for a small number of scattered towns. 

It is important because of the trade routes that cross it, its mineral deposits, the fisheries of the bordering sea, and its increasing utilization for recreational purposes.

The Namib Desert spans part of the west coast of southern Africa; it touches part of the countries of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa.

The Namib is divided into three successive north–south-trending strips the very narrow coastal region along the Atlantic, strongly subject to marine influences; the Outer Namib, occupying the rest of the western half of the desert and the Inner Namib, constituting the eastern portion. 

The boundaries between them consist of broad transition zones.