Africa

Africa is not a country, and no single image can hold it. It is fifty-four nations and a billion and a half people; it is the snows of Kilimanjaro and the dunes of the Namib, the souks of Marrakech and the rooftop bars of Nairobi, the gorillas of the Virungas and the wildebeest rivers of the Serengeti. To travel here is to give up the idea that you can ever see it all — and to be richer for trying.

The oldest story

This is where humankind began. From the rock art of the Sahara to the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, the pyramids of Egypt and Sudan to the stone city of Great Zimbabwe, Africa holds some of the deepest history on Earth — and some of its youngest, fastest-moving cultures, too.

The vibe

Every region is its own world. North Africa leans Mediterranean and Saharan; the West pulses with music and markets; the East pairs Swahili coast with great savannahs; the South offers winelands, dramatic coastlines, and big-sky wildernesses. Cities like Cape Town, Lagos, Nairobi, and Cairo are creative engines; the wild places between them remain some of the last great ones.

Why now

Better air links, growing conservation tourism, and a new generation of African-owned lodges and guides mean it has never been easier — or more rewarding — to travel the continent on its own terms.