Africa

The last of the seven wonders of the ancient world stands right on the edge of Cairo, as if guarding the desert from the city's creeping urban sprawl. You may have seen the images a thousand times beforehand but nothing beats your first face-to-face meeting with the impeccable geometry and sheer bulk of this mammoth funerary complex. Battered by the passing of time, from the Sphinx' chipped nose to the graffiti of past explorers, these age-old structures have not lost their ability to awe.

The mighty Victoria Falls is worth crossing the continent for, whether it's to laze in the aptly named Devil's Pool (take the precarious walk, literally out across the top of the falls to this natural infinity pool, to see what we mean) or to get active with all manner of adventures from white-water rafting to bungee jumping within sight and sound of the falls, known locally as 'the smoke that thunders'. It's a beautiful, beautiful place, not to mention one of the most awe-inspiring sights on the continent.

Follow a white-robed pilgrim down a dark passageway, hear the hypnotic thud of a muffled drumbeat, smell the sweet aroma of incense and emerge into a sliver of daylight just in time to see a priest in royal robes, holding a cross of silver, enter a church carved into and out of the rust-red rock. Lalibela is a place of pilgrimage where the buildings are frozen in stone and the soul is alive with the rites and awe of Christianity at its most ancient and unbending.

The sweeping savannah of the Masai Mara, studded with acacia trees and cut through by the occasional red-dirt road, is the perfect theatre for the world’s most spectacular display of wildlife. Gangly giraffes, ambling elephant herds and skittish zebras are just some of sights you’re pretty much guaranteed to see. The drama is at its most intense in July and/or August, the start of the tragicomic wildebeest migration, when vast numbers of the hapless animals fall prey to rushing rivers, pacing lions and scavenging hyenas.

The Okavango in Botswana is an astonishing, beautiful and wild place. Home to wildlife spectacles of rare power and drama, the delta changes with the seasons as floodwaters ebb and flow, creating islands, river channels and pathways for animals that move this way and that at the waters’ behest. No visit to the delta is complete without drifting in a traditional mokoro (dugout canoe). Exclusive and remote lodges are an Okavango speciality, and self-drivers can find outstanding campsites in the heart of the Okavango’s Moremi Game Reserve.

Whether it's your first visit or your 50th, Zanzibar's Stone Town never loses its touch of the exotic. First you'll see the skyline, with the spires of St Joseph's Cathedral and the Old Fort. Then wander through narrow alleyways that reveal surprises at every turn. Linger at dusty shops scented with cloves; watch as kanzu-clad men play the board game bao; admire intricate henna designs on the hands of women. Island rhythms quickly take over as mainland life slips away.

Ancient meets modern in the medinas (old, walled city-centres) of Morocco, and those of Fez and Marrakesh sit at the top of any traveller’s list. Narrow alleys hide centuries-old riads restored into fabulous guesthouses, while the delivery man outside unloads his donkeys while chatting on his mobile phone. Fez is the oldest of the two, with celebrated mosques and the longest and most-winding streets, while in Marrakesh all paths seem to converge on the Djemaa el-Fna square, which springs to life daily with 1001 nights' worth of attractions.

There is something about the Kalahari. Perhaps it owes its unmistakable gravitas to its sheer vastness; Africa’s largest protected wilderness area is a place where the San inhabitants once roamed free and still guide travellers out onto their ancestral lands. The presence of black-maned Kalahari lions doesn’t hurt either. Whatever the reason, this is not your average desert; it's home to ancient river valleys, light woodland and surprising concentrations of wildlife around its extensive network of salt pans. And then there is the silence of the Kalahari night…

There are few places in Southern Africa that can compete with the wildlife prospects in extraordinary Etosha National Park. A network of water holes dispersed among the bush and grasslands surrounding the pan – a blindingly white, flat, saline desert that stretches into the horizon – attracts enormous congregations of animals. A single water hole can render thousands of sightings over the course of a day – Etosha is simply one of the best places on the planet for watching wildlife.

Strolling through the bush single file with a rifle-carrying scout in the lead, there’s no Land Rover engine sounds, no obstructed sight lines and no barrier between you and the wildlife, both predator and prey. Animals scurry in the underbrush upon your approach, which means the focus is on the little things, including a CSI-like investigation of animal dung. Even simply sitting under a tree looking over a plain filled with munching grazers is an opportunity for a quasi-meditative immersion in the park.

The towering red dunes of Sossusvlei rank among the most beautiful desert landscapes on earth. They're also one of the more improbable: the sands originated in the Kalahari millions of years ago and are now reclaiming land from the sea. The valley is dotted by hulking dunes, and interspersed with unearthly, dry vleis (low, open landscapes). Clambering up the face of these constantly moving giants is a uniquely Namibian experience, and as you survey the seemingly endless sand sea that surrounds you, you'll feel as though time itself has slowed.

Sitting in the continent’s southwest corner, Cape Town is one of those places that travellers don’t want to leave. The city is heavily peppered with fine restaurants, theatres, museums and galleries; the suburbs boast encounters with penguins, seals and baboons. The coast caters to beachgoers, surfers and photographers with its white-sand beaches and craggy ocean-sprayed cliffs. And sitting amid it all is the ever-visible form of Table Mountain, a hub for adventure activities including hiking, climbing, mountain biking and abseiling.

Hit West Africa’s trendiest nightlife venues and swing your hips to mbalax, the mix of Cuban beats and traditional drumming that forms the heart and soul of the Senegalese music scene. Relax with a lazy day at the beach and feast on fresh-off-the-boat seafood, or explore the workshops of Senegal’s most promising artists at the Village des Arts. Finally, climb up one of Dakar’s 'breasts' to contemplate the controversial, socialist-style African Renaissance Monument and take in sweeping views across the city.

No matter how well versed you are with the history of the slave trade, nothing can prepare you for the experience of visiting Ghana’s slave forts. Standing in the damp dungeons or being shut in the pitch-black punishment cells will chill your blood, and the wreaths and messages left by those whose forebears went through the ordeal are poignant. Cape Coast Castle and St George's Castle are the two largest and best-preserved forts, but there are many smaller ones along the coast too, which tell the same sorry tale.

With more than 100km of trails, a majestic mountain range, three challenging peaks and epic landscapes, this national park is a trekker’s paradise. Walkers will be rewarded with a dip in natural swimming pools and wonderful accommodation. You could also spend a couple of nights under the stars: the park office rents out everything you need to mount your very own expedition, from guides to cooks, porters and even camping equipment. Just don’t forget a warm sleeping bag.

It's one of the most thrilling wildlife encounters on the planet; nothing can really prepare you for that first moment as you stand just metres from a family of mountain gorillas. It’s an utterly humbling experience – particularly that first glimpse of the silverback, whose sheer size and presence will leave you in awe. Or the glee as you watch adorable fuzzy-black babies clowning about. The term ‘once in a lifetime’ is often bandied about, but gorilla tracking in Uganda's Bwindi, Rwanda or DRC is a genuine one that you’ll cherish forever.

This emerald jewel in Malawi's crown is fringed by golden beaches and offers travellers an underwater palace to swim among brilliantly coloured chiclid fish. On this 'interior sea', measuring 587km long and 84km wide, is a hidden idyll straight from a Bond movie: Likoma Island. With its towering cathedral, the country's finest backpacker hostel and one of Africa's most chichi boutique hotels, Likoma is the ultimate escape. Think turquoise coves, scuba diving, candlelit beach dinners and rock-carved rooms…and you're halfway there.

Of Gabon's myriad spectacular national parks, Loango is undoubtedly the most impressive. Heaving with elephants, hippos, gorillas, buffaloes, monkeys and crocodiles, Loango offers long journeys through island-studded lagoons, nature hikes through virgin rainforest and lonely walks along empty beaches. Whether you visit the luxuriously appointed north of the park, with its eye-wateringly expensive safari lodges, or choose a far cheaper Do-It-Yourself approach in the charming hamlet of Setté Cama in the south, the impressive wildlife, the vast Eden-like empty spaces and the charming locals will be the same.

There are no crowds and few vehicles, but Mozambique Island is hardly silent. Echoes of its past mix with the squawking of chickens, the sounds of children playing and the calls of the muezzin to remind you that the island is still very much alive. Wander along cobbled streets, past graceful praças rimmed by once-grand churches and stately colonial-era buildings. This Unesco World Heritage site, with its time-warp atmosphere and backdrop of turquoise seas, is a Mozambique highlight, and not to be missed.

Whitewashed Cape Dutch architecture dots an endlessly photogenic landscape of rolling hills and vines in neat rows. The Winelands is the quintessential Cape, where world-class wines are the icing on the proverbial cake. Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl, the area's holy trinity of wine-tasting towns, host some of the southern hemisphere's oldest, largest and prettiest wine estates. But this is not the only wine region – head to Tulbagh for sparkling wines, the heights of the Cederberg for crisp sauvignon blancs, and Rte 62 for robust reds and port.