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…
Must-see attractions in West Africa
Nigeria
The Sacred Grove is a large area of rainforest on the outskirts of Oshogbo. Within the forest is the beautiful Shrine of Oshuno, the River Goddess. In…
São Tomé & Príncipe
Once the subject of a world-famous Bacardi advertisement (you'll remember it when you see it), this picture-perfect tropical beach is located on the…
São Tomé
The Great Canine is the poster image of São Tomé, and an awesome sight. An enormous tooth of rock 663m high, it is a hardened column of magma, the remains…
São Tomé & Príncipe
The spectacular Bay of Spires is not just Príncipe's top attraction, but STP's as well. It's best seen from the water, where the postcard view of the…
Cameroon
The must-see attraction is the sultan's palace, home to the 19th sultan of the Bamoun dynasty. It has a fascinating, well-organised museum providing great…
The Gambia
Abuko is rare among African wildlife reserves: it's tiny, it's easy to reach and you don't need a car to go in. With amazing diversity of vegetation and…
Kumasi
From afar, the Kejetia Market looks like an alien mothership landed in the centre of Kumasi. Closer up, the rusting tin roofs of this huge market (often…
Claudio Corallo Chocolate Factory
São Tomé
Claudio Corallo is both an extraordinary person and a local institution. For over 40 years this native Italian has pursued an overriding passion for…
Dakar
For a quick escape from the frenetic streets of Dakar, head to peaceful Île de N'Gor, a tiny island just off Dakar's north shore. It has a few calm…
Sierra Leone
In the dense rainforest of Western Area National Park, Sri Lankan founder Bala created Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, a leafy, waterfall-framed hideaway…
Ghana
It's not everywhere you can get up close and personal with bus-sized elephants. Face-to-face encounters with these beasts, plus roving gangs of baboons,…
Centre d'Art Acrobatique Keita Fodeba
Conakry
The Centre d'Art Acrobatique Keita Fodeba is perhaps the single most amazing experience in Guinea. Every weekday morning scores of acrobats spin, twirl…
Benin
The Centre Songhai is a major research, teaching and production centre in sustainable farming. There are one-hour guided tours to visit the plantations…
São Tomé
One of the island's best beaches, a beautiful white crescent facing an emerald sea, with excellent swimming. An easy drive from the capital, it's empty…
São Tomé
So perfect it stops you in your tracks, this cute little beach is a scallop of sand wedged between long walls of rock. Swimming here is like being in your…
Lagos
Run by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, this centre has a huge tract of wetlands set aside for wildlife viewing. Canopy walkways enable you to see…
The Gambia
Two huge ibex grazing amid swirling waves, a blue tattooed lion, and a lovestruck blacksmith are just a few of the striking images awaiting visitors who…
Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary
Sierra Leone
'Big Island' in the Mende language, 12-sq-km Tiwai Island certainly packs a punch when it comes to its primate population. Set on the Moa River, the…
Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Project
The Gambia
This project forms the beating heart of River Gambia National Park. Comprised of so-called Baboon Island and several smaller islands, this is one of the…
Burkina Faso
More than 450 people live in Tiébélé's royal court, a large compound of typical sukhalas, or traditional painted houses. Children live with their…
Serekunda & Atlantic Coast Resorts
This small 51-hectare reserve makes for a lovely escape. A series of well-maintained walking trails (ranging from 900m to 1400m) takes you through lush…
Cameroon
Approached via a ceremonial gate, the compound is centred on a hugely impressive bamboo building, its conical thatched roof supported by wooden pillars…
Serekunda & Atlantic Coast Resorts
One of The Gambia's most popular tourist attractions is a sacred site for locals. As crocodiles represent the power of fertility in Gambia, women who…
Gabon
One of the most accessible of Gabon's national parks, Lopé offers rainforest and savannah teeming with apes, elephants and birds. Covering 4970 sq km, it…
Gabon
Coastline and estuary, savannah and rainforest make for a diverse array of animals and birds in this superb park. There's always something to see:…
Dakar
The is one of Senegal's best museums. Exhibitions delve into African art and culture with over 9000 objects on display. Lively displays of masks and…
Gabon
Wonderful lodges, beautiful beaches and a wealth of animals makes Pongara the perfect escape from Libreville. Lodges provide excursions to see the…
Lagos
One of Nigeria's most important artists, Nike Okundaye, runs this enormous gallery full of contemporary and traditional Nigerian arts. Nike herself is…
Yaoundé
If time is short, give the overpriced National Museum a miss, and take a passionately well-informed tour (French only) of this private collection. It’s a…
Gabon
This marine park is the domain of barnacled whales and shy sea turtles, and the land, if you listen to the locals, is hushed by the spirits of ancestors…
Lagos
Close to Bar Beach, this welcoming arts centre with a high bamboo roof has a traditional restaurant which is one of the best and most attractive places to…
Nigeria
The excellent Afi Mountain Drill Ranch near Cross River National Park is one of Nigeria's highlights, with a rainforest canopy walk, close primate…
Lagos
A rich variety of crafts from all around Nigeria and West Africa: this is a brilliant place to wander and look for affordable gifts. You can also buy…
São Tomé
In the running for island's best beach, Praia Cafė is a short walk from the pier, and should not be missed. A beautiful arc of sand, it also offers…
Senegal
Transferred to Saint-Louis in 1897, the Pont Faidherbe is the city's most significant landmark. The metal arches of this bridge linking Saint-Louis to the…
Monrovia
Originally built by the now-defunct Pan Am Airlines, this former luxury hotel and site of key political meetings is now a decayed but stunning colonial…
Senegal
Set in a former grand home allegedly used as a departure point for slaves, this is one of the most important monuments to the slave trade and features the…
Sierra Leone
There are two galleries inside the Sierra Leone National Museum – one housing a collection of cultural and historical artefacts, including Temne Guerrilla…
Sierra Leone
This wide sweep of beach has lost some of its atmosphere since the 2015 demolition of dozens of bamboo and thatch food shacks, and the numerous, ugly…
