From the wind-carved dunes of Namibia’s Skeleton Coast to the mist-draped peaks of Rwanda’s volcanoes, Africa serves up scenery with an outrageous level of drama. This is a continent that throws around colours, textures, and sheer geological audacity like a tik-toker with a new cellphone. But here’s the thing - just as you’re catching your breath, Africa lures you further, whispering the siren song of the untamed, the unexplored, and the absolutely-not-included-in-the-package-tour. Because if you’re going to do this properly, you need to get off the beaten track.

First up are deserts that’ll make you rethink the concept of empty.

Namibia's Namib is about as far from beige and boring as it gets. Think burnt-orange dunes so colossal they could swallow entire buildings, dead-tree valleys straight out of a surrealist fever dream, and canyons deep enough to make your existential crises feel small. Sossusvlei at sunrise is a riot of impossible hues, while the Skeleton Coast - littered with shipwrecks and ghostly seal colonies - reminds you that nature has been out here doing drama long before Instagram got involved.

Then we have mountains that laugh in the face of the Alps and Rockies... Take Rwanda, baby. The Land of a Thousand Hills is what happens when mountains and mist decide to get married and produce something absurdly photogenic. Volcanoes rise in jagged splendour, their peaks wrapped in swirling clouds that feel straight out of Tolkien’s best work. Down in the valleys, bamboo forests hide gorillas that are probably judging your fitness levels, while Lake Kivu’s shores provide the perfect vantage point for contemplating how ridiculously beautiful everything is.

Or how about Uganda's Rwenzoris? With snow and ice that would make Canada blush and all the trappings of the best hiking destination ever. And Kilimanjaro, of course. The Roof of Africa. It's highest peak. With views of forever. 

Next up - open plains that shame the American mid-west... Yes, we know the Serengeti and Masai Mara are famous. No, that doesn’t mean you should dismiss them as touristy. This vast expanse of grassland is where nature throws its biggest spectacle - the Great Wildebeest Migration. Picture 2-million wildebeest, zebras, and hangers-on legging it across crocodile-infested rivers in a full-blown, high-stakes survival drama. Meanwhile, the Kalahari in Botswana delivers a whole different kind of magic: desert lions, black-maned and utterly magnificent, padding through savannahs that turn gold in the afternoon light.

Or how about lakes that shouldn’t even exist but somehow do? Take Lake Turkana, Kenya’s jade-green anomaly. It looks like someone spilled a bucket of emerald paint across the Rift Valley. It’s a prehistoric dreamscape of volcanic islands, crocodile-infested waters, and shorelines that rarely see a footprint. Over in Malawi, the eponymous lake offers up aquamarine shallows teeming with more species of fish than any other lake on earth. Snorkelling here feels like swimming through a psychedelic aquarium, minus the sad-looking clownfish and plastic castle. Ditto Lake Tanganyika. We also have Lake Victoria and Lake Tana, respective sources of the White and Blue Nile, Lake Manyara, Lake Albert, Kariba... Yup. We've got lakes. Lots of them.

How about some beach action? Yes, you heard that right. Africa’s coastline doesn’t just do beaches; it redefines them. From the sugar-white sands of Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago to the rugged, otherworldly shores of South Africa’s Wild Coast, this is where beach dreams come true - without the plastic resort vibes. Zanzibar’s turquoise waters are perfect for snorkelling with tropical fish and sipping on a coconut, while the Seychelles’ granite boulders and palm-fringed coves look like they were designed by some overachieving deity with a flair for aesthetics. 

If the concept of a jungle blows your hair back, that's good, because we've got jungles that swallow you whole (in the best possible way). For example, if your idea of a forest is a handful of polite trees lining a walking path, allow the Congo Basin to correct that notion. This is a place where the trees touch the sky, rivers pulse with life, and the air hums with a thousand unseen creatures going about their business. Central Africa’s jungles are alive with lowland gorillas, forest elephants, and birds so flamboyant they make peacocks look underdressed. And the best part? You won’t be queuing behind 20 other tourists to see any of it.

In fact, going beyond the brochure is pretty much Africa's tagline. Sure, its headline destinations are spectacular, but the real magic lies in the places that don’t make it onto most itineraries. Trade the safari crowds for Zambia’s Liuwa Plain, where hyenas outnumber humans, and the sunsets stretch into eternity. Swap the overrun viewpoints of Victoria Falls for the remote cascades of Epupa Falls in Namibia, where baobabs perch on rocky outcrops and the Kunene River crashes through red-stone gorges. It’s about going where the air is clear, the roads are few, and the landscapes do all the talking.

Africa will ruin everywhere else for you. Here's why... Once you’ve gazed over the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater, watched elephants march across the Okavango Delta’s floodplains, or felt the weight of the Milky Way pressing down on you in the Namibian night, regular scenery just won’t cut it anymore. You’ll try. You’ll visit other places. They’ll be nice. But deep down, you’ll know they lack the wild, unapologetic soul that Africa serves up in spades.

So, consider this your warning: Africa is not just a destination. It’s a full-scale assault on your senses, a reckoning with the raw power of nature, and an invitation to go further, deeper, wilder. It’s not for everyone - but if you’re ready to step off the well-trodden path, it’ll change the way you see the world. And there’s no going back from that.

Talk to us and let's get you to Africa!

Text: Sharon Gilbert-Rivett