11 Safest Countries in Africa (and Where to Go)

masai mara national park kenya

More and more people all over the world are turning to Africa when they make plans for their next vacation.

And this is not surprising.

Everyone is familiar at least to some extent with the opportunities provided by the continent to potential tourists.

It is no secret that nature in Africa is the most preserved and intact, the climate in most of the continent is warm all year round and the savannahs are home of the largest herds of wild animals in the world.

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Another advantage is that prices in Africa are much lower compared with those in developed countries.

Here one can feels like a king with quite a decent amount of money.

With other words – if you want to escape at least for one or two weeks of the expensive and too urbanized Europe and America, you have to look south of the Mediterranean.

There are however some drawbacks.

In many African countries, poverty creates internal conflicts.

The lack of access to quality health care make some diseases such as malaria prevalent.

However, Africa is really charming, and the large number of countries on the continent (53) make the choice for tourists really difficult.

For this reason we tried to be helpful by offering you a list of 11 countries that offer some of the best conditions for tourism and we have added a short description of what exactly you can expect there.

1. Kenya

masai mara national park kenya
Kenya is the most popular tourist destination in eastern Africa.

It has some gorgeous beaches with bright white sand and coral reefs which break down the large waves of the Indian Ocean far from the shore.

The country is well known worldwide for its numerous national parks and wildlife.

The most famous is probably Masai Mara National Reserve.

It is located in south western Kenya and is home to a huge variety of wildlife – crocodiles, elephants, hippos, lions, hyenas, crocodiles, leopards, antelopes (wildebeest, Impala, etc.), zebras, buffalo and the highest representative of the local fauna – Masai giraffe that may reach the record 5,5 and even 6 meters height!

2. Egypt

Egypt is well known among European tourists.

The reasons are many – its close location to Europe, its magnificent resorts such as Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada and its excellent opportunities for swimming and diving, even during the coldest months of the year – January and February.

Besides the crystal waters of the Red Sea, Egypt is famous for its millennial culture.

The Egyptian pyramids are one of the most wonderful structures of antiquity.

The majestic pyramids and tombs, painted in all sorts of hieroglyphs will help you to get to know the incredible world of unearthly rich pharaohs.

You will get an idea about what the world looked like thousands of years ago in an era when these lands were the center of the human civilization and Egypt inspired respect for its power and wealth.

3. SAR

ngorongoro crater
South African Republic is perhaps the most diverse country in Africa.

On one side in SAR you will see many developed and modern cities such as Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria, which with their skyscrapers, museums and shopping centers remind of America and Europe.

On the other side you will become witness of poverty that is difficult to remain unnoticed in the background of these bright cities.

The climate also varies from mild Mediterranean in the southern-most parts of the country to hot tropical in the north.

Here also two oceans meet – the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean.

South Africa is the best place for surfing on the continent, but offers also excellent opportunities for safari tourism. Most impressive is the Kruger National Park.

What variety and all this within the borders of just one country!

But beware – the coasts of South Africa are known as one of the places with the highest number of great white shark attacks in the world!

4. Morocco

Morocco is known as the most colorful African country.

The homeland of the Moors is world famous for its cities, which seem to have came up out of fairy tales.

Marrakech is perhaps the most famous city in the country.

Set amidst almost fiery red Martian landscapes of Morocco, this is a real desert oasis of flowers, palms and tropical shrubs.

The warm climate and abundant sunshine make it suitable for tourism all year round and especially during the winter months when you will avoid the unbearable summer heat.

Mosques, squares and palaces will give you so many impressions, so you will never forget what you saw.

Walking along the narrow streets and color markets you will see hundreds of colorful stalls offering all sorts of souvenirs, exotic spices, perfumes, carpets, clothes and all tinted in thousands of colors and hues.

5. Madagascar

lion masai mara kenya
The largest African island of Madagascar is very exotic and attractive tourist destination.

It has beautiful and very scenic coastline with fabulous beaches, but what makes the island world famous is its amazing wildlife.

Due to the geographical isolation of Madagascar from the rest of Africa, here you will find a wide variety of primates that evolved separately from the mainland species.

In this respect, the island of Madagascar will probably remind you of Australia.

6. Tunisia

Tunisia is located in the northern parts of the continent and is known as the country with the most beautiful beaches on the African coast of the Mediterranean.

This is the perfect destination to spend your summer vacation, especially if this is a summer vacation in the spring or autumn.

The coast is typically Mediterranean – fine sand, clean sea, limpid water and a lot of sun shine.

But the country is offering something that no one country in Europe can offer you.

Visiting Tunisia you will miss a lot if you do not make a little trip with camels to the largest desert on Earth – the Sahara.

Where the Mediterranean North Africa meets the sand dunes of the endless desert you will find yourself in the middle of nowhere.

Gradually date palms give way to the shoreless ocean of sand.

7. Tanzania

serengeti national park tanzania
Tanzania is Kenya’s southern neighbor.

Very often people argue on the question which of the two countries has more beautiful scenery and majority of them think that this is indeed Tanzania.

Although this African country is less visited by tourists than Kenya, however, can not be denied that here you will find some of the most famous national parks and reserves in the world.

The most popular are the Serengeti National Park, whose fauna just will take your breath away, and Kilimanjaro – the mountain whose shape is a symbol of Africa.

Within the Serengeti National Park is located Ngoro- Ngoro.

This is a unique place that is a real haven for wildlife.

The crater of the long-extinct volcano is now covered with lush greenery and has amazing biodiversity.

8. Botswana

okavango river delta botswana
Botswana is one of the most exciting places on the continent and has an amazing nature.

In the north western parts of the country stretches the vast river delta of Okavango.

This is a unique natural phenomenon.

The deep river is the only in the world that fails to reach a lake,a sea or an ocean and is suddenly absorbed into the 200 meter deep quicksands of the Kalahari desert.

River Delta forms numerous swamps and lagoons that are home to one of the richest animal communities on the planet.

The river did not come to these places by accident.

It gives a life of huge territories, which would otherwise be barren desert.

9. Mozambique

buffaloes masai mara kenya
It combines excellent opportunities for safari tourism and exotic island beauty.

Adjacent to the coast of the continent is located Bazaruto Archipelago.

The place offers secluded, quiet and magnificent beaches, coconut palms, a unique African style and numerous luxury villas and hotels.

When you want to go on safari you just have to skip to the mainland of Mozambique.

On the mainland you will find unique places such as the cross-border parks Chimanimani and Limpopo, which are world famous for their amazing wildlife.

Mozambique is the perfect combination of good conditions for rest and unique landmarks.

10. Zimbabwe

victoria falls zimbabve
Zimbabwe is a very beautiful country that has an amazing variety of wildlife.

The biggest attraction of this sunny African country, however, is Victoria Falls.

It is located on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, but it is thought that the view which offers the coast of Zimbabwe is more spectacular.

The waterfall is considered to be one of the most beautiful in the world and perhaps only the jewel of North America, Niagara could compete with it in respect of its splendor.

Just for one moment the calm and slowly flowing Zambezi River turns into a veritable hell, which pours hundreds of millions of gallons of fresh water per minute from a height of 107 meters.

This miracle of nature is under the auspices of UNESCO from 1989th.

11. Uganda

cheetah masai mara kenya
Undoubtedly, Uganda has one of the most beautiful and magnificent scenery on the continent.

Its natural wealth is stored within the borders of 10 national parks and many other protected areas and reserves.

In the southern part of the country is located Lake Victoria, which is the largest in Africa.

Through the southern part of Uganda passes the equator and this is perhaps one of the main reasons why the country looks like a veritable Garden of Eden.

Elephants, giraffes, antelopes, hippos, crocodiles, monkeys, lions, leopards, hyenas and many other animals pose proudly in front of the camera lens of foreign tourists.

Well-trained guides care about the visitors and do not allow them to close too much the wild animals.

The waters of Lake Victoria appear to be an attractive place for a huge variety of water birds, but probably the most easy is to notice the gentle pink colors of flamingos.

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