Africa offers almost every adventure that a discerning traveler looks for. We have come up with the the top things to do lists to compile the top adventures to undertake while on holiday in Africa. Though most people associate Africa with safaris as the main highlight of visiting this continent, there are endless experiences during your trip. You can take village stays, local community tours, purchase crafts in local markets, venture into the Sahara with a Tuareg caravan, visit the pygmy villages in Central Africa, hike through jungle to watch the gorillas, enjoy leisure within the tropical islands in the Indian Ocean, snack on exotic treats, travel down a river in a dugout canoe, travel across savanna on a colonial-era railway, and much more.

Check out the collection of things to do while in Africa;

Wildlife Safari – This is the major thing that comes up in people’s minds. Africa is the birthplace of the word of safari and it is the mother of all safari-kind of travel.

Ideals for wildlife safaris include

• Big Five Safaris – Go onto the wild safari parks of Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa looking for the big five animals
• Gorilla Trekking – take a hike to see the andangered mountain gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda or the Democratic Republic of Congo
• Chimpanzee Tracking & Primates Watching
• Bush walking – Take a foot safari and explore one of the many trails

Water Adventures; There are many water based tourism activities that one can engage in Africa.

These include

• White water rafting,
• Kayaking,
• Cruises, etc
• Fishing – a huge coastline, many rivers the place to fish
• Jet boating – the thrills of high speed boating
• Sailing – hire a yacht or just learn

Desert Experiences

Camel riding – try our a Camel trip in the outback
Caving – explore one of the many caves on the African continent

Golfing – the best courses and places to learn to play golf
Horse riding – take a horse riding lesson or tour

Trekking

• Rock climbing – where to rock climb and abseil

Safaris

Climbing

Africa does not have tall, jagged mountain ranges comparable to the Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, or Alps and there are very few mountains requiring technical gear. The Atlas Mountains across Morocco, Algeria, & Tunisia; the Drakensberg in South Africa & Lesotho; the Semian Mountains in Ethiopia; and the Rwenzori Mountains between Uganda & the DRC are the only considerable mountain ranges on the continent, all with numerous peaks which can be easily climbed. Additionally, there are some tall volcanoes along the Great Rift Valley, on the Indian Ocean islands, & in Cameroon. Some of the continent’s most climbed or unique mountains are:

• Mount Kilimanjaro (5895 m) in Tanzania near the Kenya border is the continent’s highest peak, the world’s tallest free-standing mountain, and perhaps the most climbed mountain on the continent, owing to its accessibility and the lack of need of technical gear. The range of scenery one passes from base to peak makes it a destination almost all climbers have on their wishlist.
• Mount Kenya (5199 m) is Kenya’s tallest mountain and also popular climb with many non-technical walking and climbing routes through lush scenery and is less than 100km from [airobi. The surrounding national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Jbel Toubkal (4165 m) near Marrakech, Morocco is the tallest peak in the Atlas Mountains and can be climbed without technical gear in summer.
• Mount Cameroon (4040 m) in Cameroon is an active volcano that rises straight out of the ocean and is covered in tropical forest and almost always shrouded in clouds/mist. Fast-paced hikes to the top and back are possible in a day.
• Mount Nyiragongo (3470 m) in the DRC on the Rwanda border is one of just 3-4 volcanoes in the world with a lava lake in its crater. A climb takes ~8 hours and involves camping on a ledge at the top—a safe 700 m above the lake—for the night (of course, the steaming, bubbling lava is more spectacular at night).

Abseiling and rock climbing can be done in many parts of Africa, with many opportunities in South Africa.

Trekking & hiking

Most of Africa’s mountain ranges and highlands are suitable for trekking. The Drakensberg in South Africa & Lesotho, Ethiopian Highlands, and Mali’s Dogon Country are the most popular trekking destinations in Africa and most guidebooks to these countries describe the most popular routes. In the dense jungles of the CAR & DRC treks, almost always organized, to pygmy settlements are available. Established trekking routes exist in the forests of Guinea’s Fouta Djallon highlands and Cameroon.

The Aïr Massif in Niger is popular for hiking around its sand scraped rock formations and oases, usually short distances from your camel or vehicle transport. Hiking can also be done in many forests with established paths. In Uganda, Rwanda, & the adjacent DRC, hiking to see the endangered mountain gorilla is a major tourism draw, although permits are US$500 to spend hours hiking through tropical forests to spend 1 hour in close proximity to the gorillas.

Sport fishing

Diving

There are a good number of great scuba diving sites across Africa. The Red Sea off Egypt offers clear, tranquil waters. Diving in the Indian Ocean is common off all islands and on the continent from Kenya south. Diving in South Africa is most famous for “shark dives”, where divers are lowered in cages to watch sharks feed on bait, although other diving opportunities exist. Few locations inland are popular with divers; Lake Malawi—which is clear, deep and filled with unique species—is the only lake with a significant number of dive operators.

Relax on a beach

Africa has a very long coastal line with thousands of beautiful beaches as it is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.

Ecotourism

Sports

Football is the most widespread and popular sporting event with games between countries usually drawing tens of thousands of patriotic, cheering fans filling basic stadiums. Watching a football match in Africa is a must; try to dress in the colours of the home team and join the cheering celebration with your neighbours! The quadrennial African Cup of Nations (Angola in 2010) is the continent’s premier championship. South Africa played host to the first African FIFA World Cup in 2010.

Rugby is played by several former British colonies in Southern & Eastern Africa.