Must-see attractions in Africa

  • Jardin Majorelle

    Gueliz & Ville Nouvelle

    French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé bought Jardin Majorelle in 1980 to preserve the vision of its original owner,…

  • Night view of Djemaa el Fna square, Marrakech

    Djemaa El Fna

    Marrakesh

    Roll up, roll up for the greatest show on earth. Everywhere you look in Djemaa El Fna, Marrakesh’s main square (pronounced "jema" – the "d" is silent),…

  • Musée Yves Saint Laurent

    Gueliz & Ville Nouvelle

    This captivating museum, opened in 2017, showcases finely selected collections of haute couture clothing and accessories that span 40 years of creative…

  • Bahia Palace

    Marrakesh

    La Bahia (The Beautiful) is an 8000-sq-metre, floor-to-ceiling extravagance of intricate marquetry, plasterwork and zouak (painted wood), and certainly…

  • Koutoubia Mosque in the southwest medina quarter of Marrakesh, Morocco; Shutterstock ID 533973463

    Koutoubia Mosque

    Marrakesh

    Five times a day, one voice rises above the din of Djemaa El Fna as the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer from the Koutoubia Mosque. The mosque's…

  • MARRAKECH, MOROCCO. 11 th June, 2017: saadian tombs view, The mausoleum comprises the interments of about sixty members of the Saadi Dynasty that originated in the valley of the Draa River; Shutterstock ID 663962023

    Saadian Tombs

    Marrakesh

    Saadian Sultan Ahmed Al Mansour Ed Dahbi was just as extravagant in death as he was in life. After the "golden king" built Badia Palace in the 16th…

  • Decorated columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall in the Amun Temple enclosure in Karnak, Egypt; Shutterstock ID 2287618019; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Amun Temple Enclosure

    Luxor

    Amun-Ra was the local god of Karnak (Luxor) and during the New Kingdom, when the princes of Thebes ruled Egypt, he became the preeminent state god, with a…

  • Boulevard of Broken Dreams

    Timgad

    Algeria

    One of the finest Roman sites in existence, the ruins of Timgad stretch almost as far as the eye can see over a plain that in winter is cold and desolate…

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    St Catherine's Monastery

    Sinai

    This ancient monastery traces its founding to about AD 330, when Byzantine empress Helena had a small chapel and a fortified refuge for local hermits…

  • The Temple of Edfu, Egypt - from the Ptolemaic period.
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    Temple of Horus

    Southern Nile Valley

    This Ptolemaic temple, built between 237 and 57 BC, is one of the best-preserved ancient monuments in Egypt. Preserved by desert sand, which filled the…

  • Painted bas relief of Osiris and Isis wearing the headdress of Hathor at the Temple of Seti I.
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    Temple of Seti I

    Northern Nile Valley

    The first structure you’ll see at Abydos is the Great Temple of Seti I, which, after a certain amount of restoration work, is one of the most complete,…

  • Souq of medina at night

    Medina

    Tunis

    This sprawling maze of ancient streets and alleyways is one of the most impressive medieval medinas in North Africa and one of Tunisia's great treasures…

  • Trajans Kiosk on Philae Island near Aswan, Upper Egypt.

    Temple of Isis

    Southern Nile Valley

    Built to honour the goddess Isis, this was the last temple built in the classical Egyptian style. Construction began around 690 BC, and it was one of the…

  • Chalk formation in White desert, Egypt
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    White Desert National Park

    Western Desert

    Upon first glimpse of the 300-sq-km national park of the White Desert, you’ll feel like Alice through the looking-glass. About 20km northeast of Farafra,…

  • Southern Carmine Bee-eater in the air in South Luangwa.
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    South Luangwa National Park

    Zambia

    For scenery, variety and density of animals, South Luangwa is the best park in Zambia and one of the most majestic in Africa. Impalas, pukus, waterbucks,…

  • LUXOR, EGYPT - FEBRUARY 5 2016 - Unique shot of the Ramesses VI tomb in Valley of the Kings. Obtaining permission for taking images there is painstaking but worth it.; Shutterstock ID 467883095; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Keith; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Southern Egypt temples article
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    Valley of the Kings

    Luxor

    The west bank of Luxor had been the site of royal burials since around 2100 BC, but it was the pharaohs of the New Kingdom period (1550–1069 BC) who chose…

  • Ruins of the largest colosseum in North Africa. El Jem,Tunisia. UNESCO; Shutterstock ID 112264382

    El Jem Amphitheatre

    Tunisia

    This Unesco World Heritage–listed colosseum was the second-largest in the Roman world (after Rome's); it was 149m long by 124m wide, with three tiers of…

  • Pyramids of Giza during sunset.

    Pyramids of Giza

    Giza

    The last remaining wonder of the ancient world; for nearly 4000 years, the extraordinary shape, impeccable geometry and sheer bulk of the Giza Pyramids…

  • Katavi National Park, Tanzania
Lioness (Panthera leo) resting chin on cub's back - stock photo

    Katavi National Park

    Western Tanzania

    Katavi National Park, 35km southwest of Mpanda, is Tanzania’s third-largest national park (together with two contiguous game reserves the conservation…

  • A guide briefs tourists before canopic jars which contained the organs of the ancient Egyptian New Kingdom Pharaoh Tutankhamun (1332-1323 BC) at his tomb KV62, displayed with the Tutankhamun collection at the Egyptian Museum in the centre of Egypt's capital Cairo on November 6, 2022. - The resting place of Egypt's pharaoh Tutankhamun has become the world's most famous tomb, its discovery 100 years ago among the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time.

    Egyptian Museum

    Cairo

    One of the world’s most important collections of ancient artefacts, the Egyptian Museum takes pride of place in Downtown Cairo, on the north side of Midan…

  • It is the most remarkable construction of the necropolis of Saqqara, south of the city of Memphis. Some tourists walk next to the pyramid..Saqqara, Egypt. March 27, 2008

    Saqqara

    Cairo Outskirts & the Nile Delta

    Covering a 7km stretch of the Western Desert, Saqqara, the huge cemetery of ancient Memphis, was an active burial ground for more than 3500 years and is…

  • Ram-headed sphinxes ,Karnak Temple, Luxor, Egypt.
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    Karnak

    Luxor

    Karnak is an extraordinary complex of sanctuaries, kiosks, pylons and obelisks dedicated to the Theban triad but also to the greater glory of pharaohs…

  • Blue Wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus in Serengeti.

    Serengeti National Park

    Northern Tanzania

    Few people forget their first encounter with the Serengeti. Perhaps it's the view from the summit of Naabi Hill at the park's entrance, from where the…

  • Flowers in the Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens below Table Mountain.

    Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

    Cape Town

    Location and unique flora combine to make these 5.28-sq-km botanical gardens among the most beautiful in the world. Gate 1, the main entrance at the…

  • Trees in front of Victoria Falls, Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe

    Victoria Falls National Park

    Victoria Falls (town)

    Here on the Zimbabwe side of the falls you're in for a real treat. Some two-thirds of Victoria Falls are located here, including the main falls themselves…

  • Mt. Kilimanjaro from Amboseli National Park.

    Mt Kilimanjaro National Park

    Northern Tanzania

    Since its official opening in 1977, Mt Kilimanjaro National Park has become one of Tanzania’s most visited parks. Unlike the other northern parks, this…

  • Constitutional Court on Constitution Hill.

    Constitution Hill

    Johannesburg

    Do not leave Jo'burg without visiting Constitution Hill. One of South Africa's most important historical sites, the deeply moving and inspirational…

  • Kairouan, Tunisia - August 30, 2015: Almost all the stalls in Souq El-Blaghija market are closed after midday that's why it could be used as parking for cycles and scooters.

    Medina

    Tunisia

    Kairouan’s medina feels like it ebbs and flows to a different rhythm to modern Tunisia. Long protected by its monumental walls and babs (gates), most of…

  • Herd of Springbok passing in front of a red dune in Sossusvlei, Namibia; Concept for traveling in Africa and Safari

    Sossusvlei

    Namibia

    Sossusvlei, a large ephemeral pan, is set amid red sand dunes that tower up to 325m above the valley floor. It rarely contains any water, but when the…

  • Chimpanzee, Mahale Mountains, Tanzania.
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    Mahale Mountains National Park

    Western Tanzania

    It’s difficult to imagine a more idyllic combination: clear, blue waters and white-sand beaches backed by lushly forested mountains soaring straight out…

  • Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, mountain gorilla

    Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

    Southwestern Uganda

    Home to almost half the world’s surviving mountain gorillas, the World Heritage–listed Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of East Africa’s most…

  • Young woman sitting at the edge of Victoria Falls, Livingstone, Zambia, Africa

    Devil's Pool

    Livingstone

    One of the most thrilling experiences – not only at the falls but in all of Africa – is the hair-raising journey to Livingstone Island. Here you will…

  • Cairo, Egypt - October 26, 2019: Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo; Shutterstock ID 1557780782; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Museum of Islamic Art

    Cairo

    This museum, on the edge of Islamic Cairo, holds one of the world’s finest collections of Islamic art and is Egypt's (and one of the entire Middle East's)…

  • Mozambique, Bazaruto Archipelago. Divers kit up on a zodiac, ready to explore the stunning coral reefs off Benguerra Island.

    Bazaruto National Park

    Bazaruto Archipelago

    This1400-sq-km park protects the five islands of the Bazaruto Archipelago, plus surrounding waters. Thanks to this protected status, and to the…

  • The Sunken Rock Hewn church of Bet Giyorgis (St  George), Lalibela, Northern Ethiopia, Ethiopia, Africa

    Bet Giyorgis

    Lalibela

    When you think of Lalibela, you're thinking of Bet Giyorgis. Resting off on its own, St George’s Church is Lalibela’s masterpiece. Representing the apogee…

  • Tarangire National Park

    Northern Tanzania

    Welcome to one of Africa's most underrated parks. Thanks to its proximity to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, Tarangire is usually assigned only a day visit…

  • Sousse, Tunisia - September 1, 2015: The painted medieval gates to the old fortress serving as archaeological museum.

    Sousse Archaeological Museum

    Sousse

    Located inside the 11th-century kasbah, this museum showcases an extraordinary collection of 2nd- and 3rd-century Roman mosaics, one of the best in the…

  • Fishing boats and Cape Coast castle

    Cape Coast Castle

    Cape Coast

    Cape Coast’s imposing, whitewashed castle commands the heart of town, overlooking the sea. Once one of the world's most important slave-holding sites, it…

  • Leopard (Panthera pardus) crossing road with tourists in jeep in background
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    Kruger National Park

    South Africa

    In terms of wildlife alone, Kruger is one of the world's greatest national parks. The diversity, density and sheer numbers of animals is almost…

  • Île aux Aigrettes

    Mauritius

    This popular ecotourism destination is a 26-hectare nature reserve on an island roughly 800m off the coast. It preserves very rare remnants of the coastal…