Looking for information on travelling in Africa? Here you’ll find links to our travel guides covering 35 African countries, with practical advice on what to do, what to eat and drink and how to get there. You’ll also find links to our guidebooks for each destination, written by expert authors whose first-hand knowledge and on-the-ground research help travellers get beyond the obvious and experience the real Africa.
Africa is a continent of extraordinary diversity. From the wildlife-rich savannahs of East and Southern Africa to the deserts of the Sahara, the rainforests of Central Africa and the vibrant cultures of West Africa, no two destinations are alike. Whether you’re planning a safari, a trekking adventure, a beach escape or a cultural journey, Africa offers experiences on a scale found nowhere else on Earth.
More than any other continent, Africa has captured the imagination of travellers for generations. Its vast landscapes, remarkable wildlife and rich cultural heritage continue to inspire exploration, while the warmth and hospitality shown to visitors remain among its greatest attractions. Across the continent, travellers will find both world-famous destinations and lesser-known places that reward those willing to venture a little further.
Africa’s main attraction is, of course, the wildlife but even if there were no wild animals in Africa there would still be an infinite number of reasons to visit: the extraordinarily colourful tribal people, the diving and snorkelling in the Indian Ocean, and the hiking trails (including those scaling the highest tropical mountain in the world, Mount Kilimanjaro).
If beaches are your thing, there are the white sands of Zanzibar or the endless stretches of beach in Mozambique where you can swim with whale sharks. Central Africa has rivers to float down and countless miles of rainforest concealing endangered animals such as gorillas and okapi. North Africa has its Roman ruins, and West Africa has it all: beaches, wildlife and tribal cultures. Then there are the Indian Ocean islands: Madagascar with its unique wildlife and more splendid beaches in Mauritius and the Seychelles.
Use the links below to explore our Africa travel guides and discover the destinations, experiences and guidebooks that will help you plan your next adventure.
Our online Africa travel guides
What makes us Africa experts?
Quite remarkably – apart from locally produced books on South Africa and Kenya – Bradt published the first guidebook to Africa. That hiking guide, Backpackers’ Africa, was published in 1977 and went into four editions, running parallel with Bradt’s growing series of detailed books on the most visited countries in the region. Our list of guides to both popular and ‘difficult’ countries covers over 70% of the African continent, and most of these guides are the only single-country ones available. Indeed, we have four-times greater coverage of Africa than any other guidebook publisher.
Giving back
The obvious appeal of Africa is not the only reason Bradt has focused so closely on the region. We have also been motivated by the wish to help countries recovering from civil strife to get back upon their feet, and are proud that Bradt guides have played a part in encouraging tourism to destinations emerging from turmoil.
After the genocide of 1994, Rwanda’s tourist industry came virtually to a standstill; yet the country urgently needed its income in order to recover. Bradt’s Rwanda played – and continues to play – a vital role in the successful re-growth of Rwanda’s tourism. It was touching to know that the book was also used by Rwandans themselves, returning from exile to a homeland many of them had never known.
Janice Booth, original author of Rwanda: The Bradt Travel Guide
Two examples stand out here – Rwanda and Mozambique – both of which are now mainstream tourist destinations. But there are other nations with much to offer the more adventurous tourist that are still struggling to regain their former visitor numbers: Angola, with its coast and wildlife; Congo, with its mountain gorillas and beautiful scenery; Sierra Leone, with its glorious beaches; and even Somaliland, so often confused with Somalia, which bravely survives as a democracy, unrecognised by most of the world. To be the first to tell the world that such places are safe and indeed inspiring for tourists is risky, but demonstrates our belief that tourism can and should be a power for good.
Expert authors
The other reason for our focus on this continent lies in our author, Philip Briggs, who is based in South Africa. Philip wrote to Hilary Bradt in 1988 offering to write a guide to his favourite regions of the continent, East and Southern Africa. When the bombshell news came through in 1990 that President de Klerk was releasing Nelson Mandela and recognising the ANC, Hilary contacted Philip and asked him to prepare a guide to the ‘new’ South Africa.
It was an immediate best seller and Philip went on to write 14 books for us, including our most successful: Ghana, Uganda, Malawi and Ethiopia. He is undoubtedly our most popular author and can lay strong claim to being the world’s very best guidebook writer on Africa.
Wildlife coverage
Africa is, of course, primarily a wildlife destination, and we have led the way to a better appreciation of its animals by publishing a series of wildlife guides which describe not only the animals themselves but their behaviour and how they fit in to their ecosystem.
So Southern African Wildlife, East African Wildlife and Madagascar Wildlife differ from field guides in that they are aimed at understanding rather than identification. And it is not by chance that we have two narrative books on the huge game parks which characterise the continent in the popular imagination. Brian Jackman is arguably Britain’s leading travel writer on the subject, so we are proud to publish his Marsh Lions and Savannah Diaries.
See our full range of wildlife books here.
What others have said about our Africa coverage
Bradt Travel Guides simply have the best wildlife coverage of any of the popular guidebooks.
Getting the most out of Africa’s celebrated wildlife is about more than just turning up and ticking it off. The greatest rewards come with real knowledge and experience, which is why Bradt’s guides – written by passionate experts, who have explored Africa’s wildest corners – open up the continent’s natural treasure trove like no others.
Mike Unwin, author of Bradt’s Swaziland and Southern African Wildlife
Bradt guides are my trusted companions on all adventures into Africa … For meticulously researched, well presented information on Africa you cannot beat a Bradt guide.
Our Africa guidebooks
Articles on Africa
The best safaris in Africa
Rock on: the most impressive rock art in Africa
What you need to know about Kassena architecture
Gorilla trekking in Uganda and the ultimate East African safari
