Africa Travel Guide

Africa has 53 sovereign countries—the most on any continent—and is the second largest continent in terms of both land area and population. Africa is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, by the Red Sea to the northeast, and by the Indian Ocean to the southeast.

Despite the tendency by Westerners to refer to "Africa" as if it's a country, Africa is a vast continent spanning over 5,000 miles north-south and 4,800 miles east-west (not including islands) and contains a wide aura of peoples, skin colors, religions, and cultures.

Africa contains the world's longest river—the 6,650km-long Nile River running from Burundi to Egypt—while the Congo River is the second largest in terms of discharge as well as the deepest with a depth of over 230m (750ft) in some spots.

Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro is the world's tallest free-standing mountain at 5,890m (19,340ft). Djibouti's Lake Assal is the second lowest point on Earth, the saltiest lake outside Antarctica, and one of the hottest places on Earth.

There are endless possibilities for adventure. You can purchase crafts in markets, venture into the Sahara with a Tuareg caravan, visit pygmy villages, hike through jungle to watch gorillas, relax on tropical islands in the Indian Ocean, snack on monkey or python "bushmeat", travel down a river in a dugout "pirogue", travel across savanna on a colonial-era railway, and much more. And for safaris, there is Kruger National Park.

Tragically misunderstood by most people in the West as a land of poverty and corruption, war and famine, and simply as a land of suffering—a misconception only bolstered by the media and the numerous NGOs on the continent—Africa today is a vast continent with many bustling metropolises, friendly people, and amazingly diverse and beautiful landscapes. While there are plenty of places resembling the stereotypical Africa of war, famine, and poverty, much of the continent is peaceful, well-fed, and of working class. One of the most picturesque cities is Cape Town in South Africa.