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By Mark Stratton
JUNE 19, 2024

Africa Overview

Africa’s diversity is so overwhelming a lifetime of travel is required to truly understand what makes this continent tick; for too long, holidays to Africa have fixated on a staple of Cape Town and the wine route, safari, or cultural visits to Morocco and pharaonic architecture Egypt. Consequently, misconceptions linger about much of the lesser-known continent. Does everybody outside these tourist hotspots live in poverty? Is it dangerous? Of course, just as in Europe, there are no-go areas - the war in Sudan is a case in point. 

The exciting arrival, however, of more expeditionary small ship voyages is helping to address some of Africa’s blind spots. This may further be accelerated in the foreseeable future by the routing of vessels away from the Suez Canal down through Eastern Africa due to shipping attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. It diverts ships via lesser-known West Africa, which still has limited port facilities or tourist infrastructure to support even small expedition vessels. Yet this will change as consumers desire to see more of this great continent, which is served by an ever-growing and adventurous portfolio of cruise offerings.

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Africa interactive map

East Africa West Africa

East Africa

East Africa guide coming soon...

West Africa

West Africa offers a rich and diverse experience for expedition cruises, blending vibrant cultures, historical landmarks, and unique ecosystems.

Traveller Snapshot: Why Visit?

Africa’s wildlife is magnificent, both on its great plains and during excursions along South Africa’s coast to see penguins and dolphins. Small ship adventures now delve into Africa’s superb cultural life, which, in places, remains unadulterated, like Benin, with its exotic voodoo culture. The cultural heritage can be riotously colourful, especially along the Indian Ocean coast, where Stone Town in Zanzibar and Lamu retain strong links to bygone days.

When to Visit?

The best time to visit West Africa largely depends on the specific countries you plan to visit and the activities you wish to engage in. Generally, the region experiences tropical climates with distinct wet and dry seasons. The wet season runs from November to April, and the dry season from May to October.

Weather: The dry season is typically the best time to visit most West African countries. During this period, rainfall is minimal, making it easier to travel and enjoy outdoor activities. Wildlife viewing is often better as animals gather around water sources. Expect hot and dry conditions, especially from December to February when the Harmattan winds blow from the Sahara, causing cooler mornings and evenings.

Wildlife: The best months for wildlife viewing in West Africa typically coincide with the dry season when animals congregate around water sources, making them easier to spot.

Scenery: The best weather is typically from November to April, with countries like Senegal, Ghana, and the Gambia offering beautiful coastal experiences.

Weather: The dry season is typically the best time to visit most West African countries. During this period, rainfall is minimal, making it easier to travel and enjoy outdoor activities. Wildlife viewing is often better as animals gather around water sources. Expect hot and dry conditions, especially from December to February when the Harmattan winds blow from the Sahara, causing cooler mornings and evenings.

Wildlife: The best months for wildlife viewing in West Africa typically coincide with the dry season when animals congregate around water sources, making them easier to spot.

Scenery: The best weather is typically from November to April, with countries like Senegal, Ghana, and the Gambia offering beautiful coastal experiences.

Weather: The dry season is typically the best time to visit most West African countries. During this period, rainfall is minimal, making it easier to travel and enjoy outdoor activities. Wildlife viewing is often better as animals gather around water sources. Expect hot and dry conditions, especially from December to February when the Harmattan winds blow from the Sahara, causing cooler mornings and evenings.

Wildlife: The best months for wildlife viewing in West Africa typically coincide with the dry season when animals congregate around water sources, making them easier to spot.

Scenery: The best weather is typically from November to April, with countries like Senegal, Ghana, and the Gambia offering beautiful coastal experiences.

Weather: The dry season is typically the best time to visit most West African countries. During this period, rainfall is minimal, making it easier to travel and enjoy outdoor activities. Wildlife viewing is often better as animals gather around water sources. Expect hot and dry conditions, especially from December to February when the Harmattan winds blow from the Sahara, causing cooler mornings and evenings.

Wildlife: The best months for wildlife viewing in West Africa typically coincide with the dry season when animals congregate around water sources, making them easier to spot.

Scenery: The best weather is typically from November to April, with countries like Senegal, Ghana, and the Gambia offering beautiful coastal experiences.

Weather: The dry season is typically the best time to visit most West African countries. During this period, rainfall is minimal, making it easier to travel and enjoy outdoor activities. Wildlife viewing is often better as animals gather around water sources. Expect hot and dry conditions, especially from December to February when the Harmattan winds blow from the Sahara, causing cooler mornings and evenings.

Wildlife: The best months for wildlife viewing in West Africa typically coincide with the dry season when animals congregate around water sources, making them easier to spot.

Scenery: The best weather is typically from November to April, with countries like Senegal, Ghana, and the Gambia offering beautiful coastal experiences.

Weather: The dry season is typically the best time to visit most West African countries. During this period, rainfall is minimal, making it easier to travel and enjoy outdoor activities. Wildlife viewing is often better as animals gather around water sources. Expect hot and dry conditions, especially from December to February when the Harmattan winds blow from the Sahara, causing cooler mornings and evenings.

Wildlife: The best months for wildlife viewing in West Africa typically coincide with the dry season when animals congregate around water sources, making them easier to spot.

Scenery: The best weather is typically from November to April, with countries like Senegal, Ghana, and the Gambia offering beautiful coastal experiences.

Weather: The wet season brings heavy rainfall, especially in the southern regions. This season is less ideal for wildlife viewing but great for seeing lush landscapes. The central and southern regions experience two rainy periods, while the north typically has one continuous wet season.

Wildlife: Many migratory birds return during the wet season, making it an excellent time for birdwatching.

Scenery: The wet season brings lush landscapes and fewer tourists. It can be a good time to visit if you prefer a more tranquil experience and don’t mind occasional rain. The landscape is lush and green, offering beautiful scenery and opportunities for landscape photography.

Weather: The wet season brings heavy rainfall, especially in the southern regions. This season is less ideal for wildlife viewing but great for seeing lush landscapes. The central and southern regions experience two rainy periods, while the north typically has one continuous wet season.

Wildlife: Many migratory birds return during the wet season, making it an excellent time for birdwatching.

Scenery: The wet season brings lush landscapes and fewer tourists. It can be a good time to visit if you prefer a more tranquil experience and don’t mind occasional rain. The landscape is lush and green, offering beautiful scenery and opportunities for landscape photography.

Weather: The wet season brings heavy rainfall, especially in the southern regions. This season is less ideal for wildlife viewing but great for seeing lush landscapes. The central and southern regions experience two rainy periods, while the north typically has one continuous wet season.

Wildlife: Many migratory birds return during the wet season, making it an excellent time for birdwatching.

Scenery: The wet season brings lush landscapes and fewer tourists. It can be a good time to visit if you prefer a more tranquil experience and don’t mind occasional rain. The landscape is lush and green, offering beautiful scenery and opportunities for landscape photography.

Weather: The wet season brings heavy rainfall, especially in the southern regions. This season is less ideal for wildlife viewing but great for seeing lush landscapes. The central and southern regions experience two rainy periods, while the north typically has one continuous wet season.

Wildlife: Many migratory birds return during the wet season, making it an excellent time for birdwatching.

Scenery: The wet season brings lush landscapes and fewer tourists. It can be a good time to visit if you prefer a more tranquil experience and don’t mind occasional rain. The landscape is lush and green, offering beautiful scenery and opportunities for landscape photography.

Weather: The wet season brings heavy rainfall, especially in the southern regions. This season is less ideal for wildlife viewing but great for seeing lush landscapes. The central and southern regions experience two rainy periods, while the north typically has one continuous wet season.

Wildlife: Many migratory birds return during the wet season, making it an excellent time for birdwatching.

Scenery: The wet season brings lush landscapes and fewer tourists. It can be a good time to visit if you prefer a more tranquil experience and don’t mind occasional rain. The landscape is lush and green, offering beautiful scenery and opportunities for landscape photography.

Weather: The wet season brings heavy rainfall, especially in the southern regions. This season is less ideal for wildlife viewing but great for seeing lush landscapes. The central and southern regions experience two rainy periods, while the north typically has one continuous wet season.

Wildlife: Many migratory birds return during the wet season, making it an excellent time for birdwatching.

Scenery: The wet season brings lush landscapes and fewer tourists. It can be a good time to visit if you prefer a more tranquil experience and don’t mind occasional rain. The landscape is lush and green, offering beautiful scenery and opportunities for landscape photography.

Wildlife

Africa has the greatest megafauna in the world. Many come to see the Big 5 – leopards, elephants, cape buffalo, lions, and rhinos. Yet there is vastly more diversity and many under-visited ecosystems to explore. Away from the savannah plains of Kenya and Tanzania, Africa’s biodiversity hotspots include the Guinean forest ecosystem, which hosts 25% of all Africa’s mammals, including primates and over one thousand species of birds. Timing can also be everything when seeking wildlife. The sardine run off South Africa’s coast around June to July is a spectacle attracting large quantities of dolphins and sharks. Others head to East Africa during the rainy onset around October to see the great wildebeest migration.

Mark Stratton

West Africa Senegal Bandia Private Reserve Giraffe 1 359

Giraffe

Giraffe in Senegal, Bandia Private Reserve.

Mark Stratton

West Africa Senegal Bandia Private Reserve White Rhino 360

White Rhino

West Africa Senegal Bandia Private Reserve, White Rhino

Mark Stratton

West Africa Senegal Sonome Lagoon Pelican 2 361

Pelican

West Africa Senegal Sonome Lagoon

Mark Stratton

West Africa Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary 9 362

Chimpanzee

West Africa Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary

Mark Stratton

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Fruitbats

Fruitbats in the trees in Freetown, West Africa

Cultural and Historical Significance

West Africa Guineau Bissau Boloma Dancers 8 351
Guineau Bissau Boloma Dancers

When the early Portuguese navigators first started ‘discovering’ Africa in 1415, they precipitated a European vanguard to change Africa both culturally and geographically forever with land grabs and slavery. Fundamentally, though, Africa’s incredible cultural diversity of 3000 tribal groupings remains strong. You will travel through Maghreb Moors lands in the northwest down to West Africa’s slave coast, passing voodoo culture and then to the Bantu-speaking cultures and the Zulus of the South. Islam and the Swahili language up the eastern coast shape coastal communities arcing northwards towards the Red Sea’s strong Arabic influence.

Adventure and Exploration

Where to begin? This is a continent of 54 nations with a wild geography of great savannah plains, mountains, paradisical beaches, turbulent wave-wracked coasts, and deserts. Somebody can find adventure in almost every corner. Some will come to dive or snorkel coral reefs, trek or experience safari, or travel through deltaic islands or up mighty river estuaries to encounter blizzards of tropical birds.

Sustainable and Eco-Conscious Travel

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Freetown Fruitbats

The arrival of expedition vessel itineraries can help to boost local economies in remoter African countries generally bypassed by larger cruise ships that only offer hermetically sealed onshore coach trips with little local contact. Spending money in countries is a far better way to contribute to the local economy rather than aid dependency. On that front, avoid handing out sweets and candies to children, who often have limited access to oral hygiene, thus creating dental issues for them down the line. 

You can make an environmental impact by examining and questioning the sustainability of your vessel’s operator. It’s sometimes self-evident. Otherwise, ask beforehand how your ship recycles its waste, how energy efficient it is, and its commitment to using local produce. Small expedition ships usually have much stronger policies in place.

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General Preparation and Research

Many African nations require visas, so if your voyage makes multiple country stops, plan early, as this process can take a while. The visa situation is very fluid. Kenya recently announced visa-free travel for all nationalities. It may be your vessel operator can process temporary visas as you go to assist with more challenging bureaucratic entry procedures, as experienced with Ghana, but have this conversation with them long before travelling. Also, consult your GP well in advance about anti-malarial tablets if sailing into areas prone to this disease, which affects so many African lives. Check out stricter rules all over the continent about being inoculated with the Yellow Fever vaccine.

Prepare for many weather conditions across Africa, especially on a long voyage. In Southern Africa, summertime is balmily warm from November to March, but winter can be fiercely cold. Vice versa, expect Mediterranean conditions in North Africa during more familiar northern hemisphere summers. In this case, mid-September to May represents a more pleasant time to travel away from the withering peak summer temperatures.

With so many cultures and religious affiliations, it’s essential to acquaint yourself with what is deemed respectable, especially in a place of worship or what is considered taboo. Most expedition voyages will have daily recaps and briefings from the expedition leader, who will observe how to conduct yourself responsibly before you call into different countries. They will also advise you on upcoming sea conditions so you can prepare if you are prone to seasickness.