Bucket List Experiences in Africa
Expand each section for a list of things I want to do and see in the different countries in Africa.
Algeria
- Explore Tassili n’Ajjer National Park
- Visit the Cathédrale du Sacré-Cœur of Oran
- Visit the Fort of Santa Cruz in Oran
Benin
- See Ganvie Lake Village in Cotonou – the largest stilt village on the continent
- Visit the Temple of Pythons in Ouidah
- Attend the Voodoo festival in the city of Ouidah
Botswana
- View wildlife at Chobe National Park – most biologically diverse national park on the continent
- Boat safari in the Okavango Delta
Burkina Faso
- Attend the Festival International des Masques et des Arts in Dédougou
Burundi
- Hike through the Bururi Forest Nature Reserve and spot chimpanzees
- See the “Source of the Nile” in Musenyi
- Visit the Gishora Drum Sanctuary outside Gitega
Chad
- Attend the Gerewol Festival in the southwest
- Explore the Ennedi Massif rock formations
Côte d’Ivoire
- Visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro, the largest Christian church in the world
- See the traditional Stilt Dancers
Democratic Republic of Congo
- Cruise down the Congo River
- Gorilla safari in Virunga National Park
Djibouti
- Explore the Abourma Rock Art site
- Visit Lake Assal, the crater lake
Egypt
- Tour the Great Pyramids of Giza
- Take an overnight Nile River cruise
- Tour the Valley of the Kings in Luxor
- Visit the Abu Simbel Temple Complex
- Snorkel in the Red Sea in Dahab
- Experience Bedouin culture
Ethiopia
- Visit the Rock-Hewn churches carved into the mountain in Lalibela
- Visit the Danakil Depression in the Afar Triangle
- Trek in the Simien Mountains
- Eat traditional wat and injera
eSwatini
- Visit the Mantenga Cultural Village in eSwatini – one of the last absolute monarchies
Ghana
- Visit the Larabanga Mosque
- See fantasy coffins
- Visit Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum, the final resting place of Ghana’s first President and Africanist
Kenya
- Visit the Maasai Mara Wildlife Reserve – the self-proclaimed “World Cup of Wildlife Viewing”
- Relax on Lamu Island in the Lamu Archipelago
Madagascar
- Tour the Madagascar Vanilla Farms
- See lemurs in the wild
- Learn about Malagasy culture
Malawi
- Visit Lake Malawi, one of the deepest lakes in the world
- Learn why Malawi is known as the “Warm Heart of Africa“
Mali
- Attend the Gouin Festival in Gouina
- Visit the Great Mosque of Djenné
- Visit the ancient city of Timbuktu
Mauritius
- Relax on the beautiful beaches of Mauritius
Morocco
- Visit the blue city of Chefchaouen
- Visit the Medina of Marrakesh
- Experience the North African Berber culture
- Eat traditional Moroccan tagine
Mozambique
- Snorkel with whale sharks by Praia do Tofo
Namibia
- Explore the Skeleton Coast
- See the sand dunes in Sossusvlei
Niger
- Attend the Air Festival that celebrates nomadic Tuareg culture
Nigeria
- Visit the rainforest area in Cross River National Park
Rwanda
- Go gorilla tracking in Volcanoes National Park
- Visit the Kigali Genocide Memorial
Senegal
- See Lake Retba, also known as the “Pink Lake”
- Visit the Island of Gorée, a UNESCO World Heritage Center
South Africa
- Climb Lion’s Head Mountain in Cape Town
- Tour Robben Island Museum off of Cape Town
Have already checked off:
- Went cage diving with great white sharks in Gansbaai ✔
- Biked through the Stellenbosch winelands ✔
- Climbed Table Mountain in Cape Town ✔
- Saw wild penguins at Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town ✔
- Visited the Museum of Apartheid in Johannesburg ✔
- Visited the Nelson Mandela House in Soweto ✔
- Went on safari in Kruger National Park ✔
Sudan
- Visit the ancient Nubian Pyramids of Meroë
Tanzania
- Relax in the Kikuletwa (Chemka) hot springs in Moshi
- Have a drink at the Old Moshi Railway Station
- Attend the Mwaka Kwoga Festival in Zanzibar
- Go snorkeling in the Indian Ocean off Zanzibar
- Safari in Ngorongoro Crater
- Visit the coffee farms near Arusha
Have already checked off:
- Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro ✔
- Relax on the beaches of Zanzibar ✔
- Visit the historic city of Stone Town in Zanzibar ✔
Tunisia
- Explore the ancient Roman ruins of Tunisia
- Attend the International Sahara Festival in Douz, celebrating Berber culture
Uganda
- Hike in the Rwenzori Mountains
- Chimpanzee trekking in Kibale
- See the tree climbing lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Multi-Country
- Visit Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River in Zambia and Zimbabwe
- Bicycle through Eastern Africa from Cairo to Cape Town