The Natural Wonders of Africa

The Natural Wonders of Africa

Africa is a continent teeming with natural wonders from torrential waterfalls and colossal mountains to immense game reserves and a deluge of migrating animals. Whether it is the topography or the wildlife, Africa has a knack of doing it bigger, longer, higher, deeper, wider, and more abundant than anywhere else on the planet.

The dilemma when planning a trip to Africa is simply how many of these amazing natural wonders you are able to fit into your relatively limited time. The positive side to this of course is it just gives you an excuse to return again and again.

Each country we visit has its own natural wonders that in many ways define the country as a wildlife and nature destination. Some of them are well known and will appear on many bucket lists whilst others are much more subtle but no less impressive.

Tanzania is home to the mighty Mt Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. Although dwarfed by its Himalayan counterparts it is still recognised as the highest free-standing mountain in the world. Further south is the Ngorongoro Crater, a caldera that was formed two to three million years ago after it exploded and collapsed. It is now teeming with wildlife and has some of the highest densities of wildlife on the continent. At 102 km² it is the largest unbroken caldera in the world. Continuous with the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the iconic Serengeti National Park. Here, along with the Maasai Mara over the border in Kenya, is home to the iconic Great Wildebeest Migration. This cyclical movement of wildebeest and other herbivores is the largest overland migration on earth.

Africa has many iconic lakes and rivers. The famous Nile River is the longest river in the world at 6,650 kilometres. It traverses across 10 countries. We love to explore the Nile River in Uganda. Raft grade 5 rapids at Jinja or witness its ferocity as it squeezes through a narrow passage to form the thundering Murchison Falls waterfall in the aptly named Murchison Falls National Park.

The African Great Lakes collectively hold the largest volume of unfrozen water of any lake system in the world. Lake Tanganyika, the world’s second largest freshwater lake by depth and volume and the longest on the planet, provides a great setting for vistas and water-based activities for those visiting the chimpanzees at Mahale Mountains National Park. Lake Victoria, the third largest fresh-water lake in the world by depth, provides a tranquil setting for those wishing to combine a trip to Rubondo Island after a traditional safari.

Zambia and Zimbabwe share some of Southern Africa’s greatest natural wonders, the mighty Zambezi River, and the world’s largest waterfall, Victoria Falls. They provide the setting for an adventurers’ playground. Canoeing, rafting and boating activities and expeditions on the Zambezi are superb ways to experience safari from a different perspective.

Zambia is also home to a migration that exceeds the Serengeti ecosystem’s Great Migration in both wildlife abundance and distance migrated. Every year from October to December approximately 10 million straw-coloured fruit bats migrate to a small swamp in the Kasanka National Park. This is the largest mammal migration in the world. Zambia is also home to the continent's second largest wildebeest migration at Liuwa Plain National Park in the remote west of the country.

Botswana is a land of beauty and contrast. The Okavango Delta is the largest inland delta in the world and at 22,000 km² is a vast tract of African wilderness teeming with a variety and abundance of game. The Kalahari Desert further south is predictably dry but in the green season the emergence of lush vegetation is the catalyst for what is now recognised as the world’s longest terrestrial mammal migration, the zebra migration. The 500 km annual round-trip trumps even the better known wildebeest migration in the Serengeti.

Namibia plays host to Namib-Naukluft National Park, the fourth largest national park in the world. Here you will find the highest sand dunes on the planet, as well as the unique Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei. Further south is yet another miracle of nature, the Fish River Canyon, the second largest canyon in the world.

These natural wonders combine with other protected areas around the continent to offer you a magical experience that will forever last in your memory.

Contact us to discuss how we can design your perfect trip packed full of Africa’s natural wonders.