Map of Africa
Bucket list
Whether you’re planning a honeymoon, holiday, weeding Anniversary or family vacation, Xavier safari knows the best, unique places for you to visit in Africa in and beyond.
(1)WINELANDS- SOUTH AFRICA
The Cape Winelands produce some of the world’s finest wines in the world. You can opt for a guide day trip from Cape Town to visit some of the closer vineyards or spend a few days exploring further afield. Along the way, you’ll get to encounter and enjoy the distinctive ‘Cape Dutch’ architectural style, and pinotage, South Africa’s very own grape cultivar. Explore delightful towns and villages like Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, and watch a wine master open a bottle with a saber. The ‘fairest Cape’ also produces exceptional food, and many of the wine estates have onsite restaurants where you can pair local cheeses and other delicacies with selected vintages. This is definitely a destination for foodies!
(2)SAMBURU National Reserve- KENYA
Next up on our list of the best places to visit in Africa is Samburu national reserve a unique destination located in the northern part of Kenya. Samburu National Park is the focal point for Kenya’s second-largest population of elephants, and you’ll soon notice that the people, landscapes and wildlife are all very different. The Samburu people have their own distinctive take on style, and their red shukas and hairstyles adorned with silver beads, plastic flowers and other eclectic decorations make them stand out from afar. Some ecotourism lodges employ Samburu warriors as guides, which adds a further layer of authenticity to your safari experience. Ask them to point out the Samburu ‘Special 5’ – wildlife species that are found nowhere else, including the magnificent Grévy’s Zebra and the otherworldly gerenuk antelope. eteti Elephant Sanctuary in the Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy and the exclusive Reteti house family villa – coming soon.
(3)Bwindi Impenetrable National Park- Uganda
The Serengeti ecosystem is a geographical region in Africa, spanning northern Tanzania. The protected area within the region includes approximately 30,000 km² of land, including the Serengeti National Park and several game reserves. A unique habitat is the riverine forests: a favorite spot for hippos and crocodiles. Other common animals are the long-neck giraffes, many other ungulates (hooved animals) such as the eland, zebra, topi, kongoni, impala and Grant’s gazelle are resident at any time of the year.
(4) Bwindi Impenetrable National Park- Uganda
The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a home to the mountain gorillas living a large primeval forest located in south-western Uganda in the Kanungu District. The Bwindi forest is on the edge of the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift, at elevations ranging from 1,160 to 2,607 metres.
The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park really does live up to its name! A land of rocky peaks and endless green, it’s covered in some of Africa’s oldest primeval forestry.
The biodiversity – think geckos next to gorillas next to a multitude of curious insects – garnered the spot a UNESCO World Heritage tag, while most safari goers head this way in search of colobus monkeys and chimpanzees.
The breathtaking landscapes are typical of the Albertine Rift. They rise and fall to untrodden valleys and summits, with quartzite massifs here and teak-shrouded riverways there.
(5)Epupa Falls-Namibia
On the border between Namibia and Angola, in the region known as Kaokoland, you’ll find Epupa Falls. These waterfalls are created by the Kunene River, and they are spread out over a mile. Surrounding the falls are colored rock formations, palm trees and fig trees.
Although Epupa Falls is remote and only accessible by 4×4 vehicles, it remains a popular attraction in Namibia. Most travelers who visit Epupa Falls opt to stay overnight in one of the surrounding lodges. If you want to add some adrenaline to your day, you can also try out some whitewater rafting along the river.
(6) The Fish River Canyon-Namibia
The Fish River Canyon, is located in the south of Namibia. It is the largest canyon in Africa, as well as the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia. It features a gigantic ravine, in total about 160 kilometres long, up to 27 km wide and in places almost 550 meters deep.
distinguished by the Namib Desert along its Atlantic Ocean coast. The country is home to diverse wildlife, including a significant cheetah population. The capital, Windhoek, and coastal town Swakopmund contain German colonial-era buildings such as Windhoek’s Christuskirche, built in 1907. In the north, Etosha National Park’s salt pan draws game including rhinos and giraffes.
(7)South Luangwa National Park-Zambia
South Luangwa National Park is in east Zambia’s Luangwa River valley. It’s known for its abundant wildlife. Inside the Mfuwe Gate entrance, the river is often crowded with hippos. The woodland savannah is home to hundreds of bird species. Trails from the park’s lodges wander past baobab trees, herds of elephants and rare Thornicroft’s giraffes. Spotlights are used to locate the leopard population after dark. It supports large populations of Thornicroft’s giraffe, and herds of elephants and Cape buffaloes often several hundred strong. It is one of the best-known national parks in Africa for walking safaris. Founded as a game reserve in 1938, it became a national park in 1972 and now covers 9,050 km2.
(8)Okavango Delta-Botswana
The Okavango Delta is one of the most inspiring and awe-inspiring wilderness locations in Africa, if not the entire planet. The Delta is a truly unspoiled wilderness with terrain ranging from dry grasslands to swamps. Safaris and game watching are the most popular activities in the park and possible animals to be sighted include cheetahs, zebra, giraffes, elephants, crocodiles and rhinos to name only a few. Trips should be properly planned because, although the terrain here is always stunning, the seasons can dramatically effect your chances of seeing certain animals.
(9)Akagera National Park
Akagera National Park is a biosphere of savannah and riparian swamp mosaic you’d expect to find in the super-famous game parks of the East African Rift. That’s because its 1,200 square kilometers of land abut right up to the border with Tanzania, giving rise to roaming herds of giraffes, antelopes, jackals and more. Safaris are slowly becoming popular, with outfitters now organizing game drives and game walks from the smattering of lodges that exist.
And the environments are beautiful too, with the meanders of the Kagera River giving way to shimmering Lake Shakani, oodles of papyrus swamps and protected birding areas aplenty.
(10) Lake Manyara National Park-Tanzania
Lake Manyara National Park is a protected area in Tanzania’s Arusha and Manyara Regions, situated between within the Great Rift Valley. It is administered by the Tanzania National Parks Authority, and covers an area of 325 km² including about 230 km² lake surface. It’s well known for the tree climbing lions, the soda ash lake that attracts thousands and pink flamingos.
(11)Volcanos National Park-Rwanda
Volcanoes National Park is a national park consists of eight major volcanoes. Most of them are dormant, except Mount Nyiragongo 3,462 metres (11,358 ft) and Mount Nyamuragira 3,063 metres (10,049 ft), both in the DRC. Recent eruptions occurred in 2006, 2010 and May 2021. Mount Karisimbi is the highest volcano at 4,507 metres (14,787 ft). . It covers 160 km2 (62 sq mi) of rainforest and encompasses five of the eight volcanoes in northwestern Rwanda. The park also hosts the beautiful, rare and endangered golden monkeys only found in the virunga region. Other animals found in the forest include, Forest elephants, buffaloes, bush pigs, giant forest hogs, duikers. Volcanoes national park also known as Parc National Des Volcans in French and is the oldest national park in Africa which was established in 1925 to protect or conserve the endangered mountain gorillas which were facing extinction due to poaching.
(12)Masai Mara National Reserve- Kenya
Masai Mara National Reserve located in south west Kenya is a vast scenic expanse of gently rolling African savannah plains measuring 1510 square kilometers. Maasai Mara is one of the most famous and important wildlife conservation and wilderness areas in Africa, world-renowned for its exceptional populations of lion, African leopard, cheetah and African bush elephant.
(13)Victoria Falls Zambia and Zimbabwe
Victoria Falls is one of the most significant natural geographical features of the Zambezi River, and one of the world’s most famous, most beautiful, waterfall formations. located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe on the Zambezi River in southern Africa, which provides habitat for several unique species of plants and animals. It is located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe and is one of the world’s largest waterfalls, with a width of 1,708 m. The Mosi-oa-Tunya also known as Victoria Falls, is the world’s greatest sheet of falling water and significant worldwide for its exceptional geological and geomorphological features and active land formation processes with outstanding beauty attributed to the falls i.e. the spray, mist and rainbows. Victoria Falls a significant natural geographical features of the Zambezi River view on Zimbabwe side
(14)Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park, in northeastern South Africa, is one of Africa’s largest game reserves. Its high density of wild animals includes the Big 5: lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalos. Hundreds of other mammals make their home here, as do diverse bird species such as vultures, eagles and storks. Mountains, bush plains and tropical forests are all part of the landscape. All of Africa’s iconic safari Mammals like elephants, lions, leopards, cheetahs, rhinos, buffaloes, giraffes, hippopotamus and zebras thrive here. The Kruger National Park is home to over 12,000 elephants, 27,000 African Buffalo, 2,000 leopards and 2,800 lions. It’s also regarded as the best place in the world to see a leopard.
(15)Chobe National Park- Botswana
Chobe National Park is in northern Botswana near the vast, inland Okavango Delta. It’s known for its large herds of elephants and Cape buffalo, which converge along the Chobe Riverfront in the dry months. Lions, antelopes and hippos inhabit the woods and lagoons around Linyanti Marsh. The floodable grasslands of the Savuti Marsh attract numerous bird species, plus migrating zebras. The park is widely known for its large elephant population, estimated to be around 50,000. Elephants living here are Kalahari elephants, the largest in herd size of all known elephant populations. They are characterized by rather brittle ivory and short tusks, perhaps due to calcium deficiency in the soils.
