Africa’s Adventure Travel Hot Spots (Part 2 of 2)

1. Kenya

Kenya has huge untapped potential for adventure activities, with hiking and climbing inland and diving, windsurfing, kite surfing and snorkelling along the coast.

Relaxing on the shores of Lake Kivu by Sharon McKellar

One cannot mention Kenya without mentioning safaris. “Safari” is Swahili for “journey” and Kenya has arguably some of the best game viewing on the planet.

But we’re talking adrenaline charged adventures here, so we thought you might want to skip the jeep and experience your safari from an entirely different and more thrilling perspective.

Migration from the air by Serengeti Balloon Safaris

Balloon Ride Over The Maasai Mara

Your journey begins in the Savannah darkness. As the birds start singing and the first ray of sunlight peaks through the trees, you climb in, lift off and rise above the plains. Surrounded by silence, floating above the tree tops, animals are scattered in every direction, from hippos swimming in the river, to lions, zebras, wildebeest, hyenas,elephant troops, jackals and buffalo, all beginning their daily rhythm of survival.

The Wildebeest Migration up close

Ride With The World Famous Wildebeest Migration

From July to October, thousands upon thousands of wildebeest and zebra head into the Maasai Mara for their annual journey to greener pastures. Their passage runs in a clockwise circle and the animals cover a distance of 1800 miles. In hot pursuit are lions, cheetahs and the occasional leopard racing for the kill.

The best place to see the migration in action is along the Mara River.

Riding up close to elephant, lion and buffalo, or galloping with wildebeest and zebra are life changing experiences.

Remember watching this thrilling spectacle on National Geographic? Now you are part of the action!

Horseback safari along the mara river by Offbeat Safaris

Offbeat Safaris (offbeatsafaris.com) offers horseback safaris across the Maasai Mara, Laikipia and Amboseli, choosing the best routes over 5-10 days.

Climbing Nelion, Mt. Kenya by Franco Pecchio

Climb Every Mountain

Apart from Mount Kenya, there are climbing opportunities in the Aberdare, Cherangani and Mathews ranges, in Hell’s Gate National Park and on the Rift Valley volcanoes, including Longonot and Suswa.

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Note: If you intend to do any serious climbing in the country, you should make contact with the Mountain Club of Kenya

Photograph Under Sea Landscapes

The immense coral reef is a major draw. The underwater scenery is spectacularly varied, with shallow coral gardens and blue-water drop-offs sinking as deep as 200m. There are few rivers to bring down sediment, so visibility is generally excellent.

2. Rwanda

Virunga Volcano Trek by Virunga National Park

Beautiful Rwanda is often called ‘The Land Of A Thousand Hills’ for its endless mountains, the most majestic of which is the Virunga volcanoes in the far northwest of the country.

Trekking in Rwanda searching for gorillas

Experience The Ultimate Wildlife Encounter

Hidden amongst the jungle are some of the world’s last remaining mountain gorillas. 

The delta consists of 15,000km of waterways to explore in your mokoro

“To stand within a few metres of these magnificent yet peaceful primates is the very essence of adventure travel, especially as it involves trekking at altitude with no paths, often for at least three hours.”

Check out our gorilla trekking tours.

Young gorilla climbing a branch in Parc National des Volcans, Rwanda

Other adventures in Rwanda include walking and cycling tours along the Congo Nile Trail.

Hiking into the canyon at Hell's Gate National Park, Naivasha, Kenya by Darko Vrcan

3. Mozambique

With the longest coastline on the continent and beautiful beaches, Mozambique is only recently getting a reputation for adventure travel.

The action is centred on Mozambique's spectacular marine wildlife, which includes wild dolphins, whale sharks and manta rays.

Play with wild dolphins in Mozambique

Get Up Close And Personal With Dolphins And Baby Whales

White Pearl Resorts offers ocean safaris where you can encounter pods of silvery, glistening Bottlenose Dolphins. (Interaction with the dolphins is strictly monitored and controlled in line with conservation guidelines.)

Humpback whales also visit on their annual migration and in the latter part of the season you may be lucky enough to watch the newborns as they learn to breach and play.

Go Pinnacle Reef Diving On One Of The World’s Top Reefs

Experienced dive instructors lead you through a world of vibrant, dazzling colours of coral and brightly coloured fish in the warm, clearwaters of the Indian Ocean.

The odd shark sighting spikes the adrenaline levels somewhat. Exhilarating stuff.

Bazaruto Archipelago by Richard Moross

If you fancy being above the ocean, sail along the gorgeous azure of the Bazaruto Archipelago.

Beach riding in Mozambique by Trip Advisor

Explore The Stunning Surrounds On Horseback

Gallop along a bush trail, weave through indigenous flora and fauna and enjoy spectacular views of the ocean from high-up vantage points.

Here's a sample of African Budget Safaris tours to Mozambique.

4. Malawi

For a small country, Malawi has an amazingly diverse landscape and unspoiled beauty. In the most undiscovered parts, you can bike through the mountains, trek along the lakeshore, camp on deserted beaches and stay in lodges untouched by roads, electricity and mobile phone reception.

Climber nearing the summit of Mt. Kenya, Africa's second highest peak after Kilimanjaro.

Malawi also offers climbing, abseiling, kayaking and some of the best hiking trails in Africa.

Kayaking in Lake Malawi

Snorkel And Dive At One Of The Best Freshwater Diving Locations On Earth

Underwater is one of the best ways to experience Lake Malawi. The African Great Lakes are home to over half the fresh water fish species on the planet.

Explore Lake Malawi underwater

This diversity, coupled with dramatic underwater landscapes of rock formations, caverns and cliffs make Lake Malawi one of the best freshwater diving locations on earth.

UNESCO agreed and declared part of the lake a world heritage site.

Malawi by Danforth Yachting

Have An Epic Sailing Adventure

Lake Malawi hosts an annual, week long sailing marathon, which runs from the southern lakeshore, across to the Islands and up to Chintheche.

Word has it this is not for the faint hearted and the event attracts serious sailors from all over Southern Africa.

Kayak for miles

Kayak For Miles

Lake Malawi makes up twenty per cent of the country’s territory, so there are many hundreds of miles of coastline to discover and explore by kayak.

Other water sports include banana boating (yes it’s a thing!) tubing, water skiing and wake-boarding

Mountain biking Zomba Plateau by Malawi Tourism

Explore The Forest, Hills And Streams Of The Zomba Plateau

Roam the cool, shady forests of the plateau on horseback, mountain bike or with a trekking expedition.

Rock Climb In The Mulanje Massif

Little-used routes up the great, granite faces offer experienced climbers a variety of challenges.

(And where there is climbing… there is also abseiling!)

African Budget Safaris offers a variety of tours to Malawi.

5. Botswana

Botswana is a wildlife wonderland. With 38 per cent of its total land area devoted to national parks, reserves and wildlife management areas, animals largely roam wild and free.

Okavango delta

Explore One Of The Largest Wetland Wildernesses In The World

The Okavango Delta is formed where the waters of the Okavango river flow into the desert plains of Northern Botswana. The water spreads out over 15 000 kilometers and then, like an illusionist’s sleight of hand, disappears, consumed by the desert heat.

Its 15 000 square kilometres of lily covered lagoons and narrow waterways, created by hippos, are lined with tall reeds which glow in the bright African sun, forming one of Africa’s most iconic landscapes and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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There are several modes of transport to choose from when exploring the Okavango Delta. The most popular is paddling in a mokoro, the local version of a canoe.

The lesser known ones include walking and horseback safaris.

Riding the Kalahari in search of lion by Kaapstad.org

Stalk Lions In The Kalahari On Horseback

Yes, you can choose to take a four-wheel- drive safari or hire a private guide and a tracker, but for a real adrenaline rush, you could look for lions from the back of a horse, led by San guides.

Walking Safaris to track the elephants by Ross Huggett

Visit The Largest Elephant Corridor In The World

Chobe National Park is one of the great wildlife destinations of Africa.

Famed for its enormous elephant population, Chobe, (which encompasses nearly 11,000 sq km, roughly the size of Denmark) is the largest elephant corridor in the world and the herds along the Chobe River can number in the thousands.