Top Destinations in Africa: 7 Hidden Gems

Africa
Written By Off the Beaten Travel, LLC

Looking to take a trip to sub-Saharan Africa?

Check out these travel destinations that offer safaris but much more — unique cultural experiences, wine tasting in stunning settings, rock hewn churches, castles, some of the world’s best beaches, scuba diving with whale sharks, amazing spots to see whales from the shore, mountain gorilla trekking, walks with white rhinos in their territory, delicious coffee right from the source… and much more.

We’ve lived in multiple countries in Africa & visited many others. Here are our picks for top countries to visit in Africa:

Ethiopian Orthodox Priest in a rock church in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev - all rights reserved

1. Ethiopia: One of the Top Destinations in Africa to Visit

  • Go to Ethiopia if you like: visiting historic places, amazing food, ancient churches, Yellowstone, hiking, jazz.

Ethiopia offers a fascinating, unique travel experience, and has far fewer tourists than South Africa or Kenya. Its historic rock-carved churches, castles, and natural wonders are completely different from other parts of Africa. And the food and coffee… We’ve toured the country several times together, and Megnote is originally from Ethiopia.

Top experiences & hidden gems in Ethiopia:

  • ⛪ Lalibela: Absolutely worth a trip to this UNESCO World Heritage site to see the 14th century churches that were carved from rock. We’ve been 3 times, it’s magical. It’s a 1 or 2-day trip; see our Ethiopia blog on how to visit.

  • 🍽 Ethiopian food: It’s almost worth traveling to Ethiopia just for the food. It’s unique, full of flavor and spice, and much better in Ethiopia than anywhere else. Try kitfo (ground, spiced beef), misir & gomen (spiced veggies), tibs & more.

    • See our underrated cities blog for top restaurant recommendations in Addis Ababa, including Ethiopian dancing.

Seeing the Erta Ale volcano up close is an experience of a lifetime. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved

More things to do in Ethiopia:

  • 🌋 Danakil Depression: This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Trek to the Erta Ale volcano, see active lava flows, visit out-of-this-world neon earth formations at Dallol, and see an ancient “salt mine” where locals trek with a camel caravan.

    • The only way to visit Danakil is via a tour, but there are great, affordable ones. Learn how to do it here.

  • ⛰ Bale Mountains National Park: beautiful 4,000 meter mountains, glacial lakes, and the lovely Bale Mountain Lodge to stay in the park and have cocktails and watch the sunset.

  • 𓉶 Axum: Alleged home to the Arc of the Covenant, Axum is a fascinating ancient city with UNESCO World Heritage sites that include an original 4th century obelisk, the Queen of Sheba’s palace & more. Learn more about how to visit here.

🔥 Hot Tip: Save a couple of days to explore Addis Ababa, with fantastic jazz clubs, fun bars, excellent new museums. Read more on our underrated cities blog.

✈️ Getting there & visa: Ethiopian Airlines offers direct flights from many locations, and it’s a decent airline. You need to get an Ethiopia visa online in advance if you’re not from another African country ($50).

Uganda is a hidden gem of Africa. Baby mountain gorilla in Bwindi National Park. Photo: Max Christian, Unsplash.

2. Uganda: East Africa’s Hidden Gem

  • Go to Uganda if you like: safari, good weather year-round, gorillas, Crater Lake, mountain hiking.

While everyone goes to Kenya or South Africa to safari, or maybe Tanzania, almost no one visits Uganda comparatively. And yet…. Uganda is less expensive, its national parks are under visited but world class, you can do gorilla trekking, and the people there are extremely friendly. I daresay, maybe the friendliest on earth. Yes, I’m a bit biased since I lived there for 2 1/2 years, but it is amazing.

Best things to do in Uganda:

  • 🏞 Visit Kidepo National Park, where you can hear lions roaring at night & see cheetahs, giraffes, elephants, buffalos, & more. Kidepo gets far fewer visitors than Uganda’s other national parks, so you get a more up-close, authentic experience. This is the hidden travel gem of Uganda.

  • 🦍 Go mountain gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest or Mgahinga National Park in southwestern Uganda. This is a really special experience, as you track the gorillas as they move around in the dense mountain forest. Mgahinga receives fewer visitors, so we recommend that park a bit more.

    • You’ll need to book ahead of time, as this is a popular activity.

Walk with white rhinos in the Ziwa Sanctuary in Uganda, a top destination in Africa. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved

More things to do & hidden gems in Uganda, a Top Destination in Africa:

  • Relax on Lake Bunyonyi, a magical blue lake where you can paddle around in a dugout canoe, relax, and stay in a small resort. One of the deepest lakes in Africa, Bunyonyi is in Southwestern Uganda near the gorilla trekking sites, so you can combine the two activities.

  • Hike Mt. Elgon, a beautiful volcanic mountain that you can trek for 4 to 5 days, sleep in a cave under a waterfall, and explore the volcanic caldera. I did this and it was a fantastic experience — we barely saw any other people.

    • 🔥 Hot tip: Combine this with nearby Sipi Falls, a 225 foot (75m) waterfall in a spectacular setting. You need to book guides & porters with the Ugandan Wildlife Authority.

  • 🦏 Walk with white rhinos. A hidden gem is the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, one of the very few places in the world where you can track rare white rhinos in a wilderness sanctuary.

🔥 Hot Tip: Combine mountain gorilla tracking in southwestern Uganda with a visit to charming Lake Bunyonyi. And don’t sleep on Kampala - it’s a vibrant city with many fun bars, world class Indian food and local roasted pork.

Hermanus has some of Africa’s best beaches. Photo by Tayla Kohler on Unsplash.

3. Hermanus, South Africa: South Africa’s Hidden Gem

  • Highlights: Whale watching, surfing, wine tasting

Everyone knows about Cape Town or Durban on South Africa’s coast, but Hermanus is the hidden gem. A stunning area where the mountains meet the sea and where whales mate in the bay, Hermanus is known by some as the Malibu of Southern Africa. But the best part is that it’s a far more affordable version. Hermanus is only a 90 minute drive from Cape Town on the Western Cape, but is much quieter.

Things to do in Hermanus, a Top Destination in South Africa:

  • 🐋 Whales! Hermanus is known by many as the whale capital of South Africa. Right whales migrate from Antarctica to Hermanus from June to December as they mate, give birth, and raise their calves. They congregate in Walker Bay in Hermanus, and there’s even a whale festival in Hermanus in September that’s worth checking out.

  • 🐋 Incredible whale watching without getting sea sick: Hermanus is arguably the best spot in the world to see whales without getting on one of those boats that make many people (including us) sea sick. There are spectacular spots to watch the whales from land:

    • Hermanus Cliff Path (which is also a nice little hike) and

    • Gearing’s Point. There are, of course, boat tours as well, if you want to get closer in the water. Just note that the waves can be rather high around here.

  • 🏖 Relax or surf at the beach: Hermanus has several good sandy beaches and is a world class surfing spot because of the waves.

    • Grotto Beach is the calmest, stretches for 11 miles, and is good for families because of the calmer water.

    • 🏄‍♂️ Onrus Beach and Voelklip Beach are the best surfing spots, with Onrus hosting an annual surfing competition in December.

More things to do & hidden gems in Hermanus:

🍷 Go wine tasting: Hermanus is close to several wineries. We recommend

Dine at farm to table restaurants: Hermanus is close to the bountiful Hemel en Aarde (Heaven and Earth) Valley, so it has farm fresh food at several good restaurants.

  • Check out The Wine Glass (restaurant) which has an awesome wine selection (including flights) and fantastic wine and food pairings. Plus it’s just next to Gearing’s Point, one of the best whale watching spots.

  • The Pear Tree Bistro just nearby has fresh seafood (their poke bowl is just wow) as well as vegan options, and is one of the best spots in town.

  • The Saturday farmers market, the Hermanus Country Market, is worth checking out as well.

🔥 Hot tip: Go between June and December to take advantage of whale mating season. Just remember, it’s the southern hemisphere, so June/July will be the coldest months, and December the warmest ones.

❤️ Best romantic spots: If you’re looking for great romantic getaway in this area of South Africa, check out this great blog from our friends Bernie and Petra at Travel Buddies Lifestyle.

✈️ Getting there & visa: The best way to get to Hermanus is to fly to Cape Town and rent a car to drive the 90 minute journey to Hermanus. U.S., U.K., Canadian, or European Union citizens do not need a visa to visit South Africa for up to 90 days.

Zanzibar has some of the best beaches in the world. Photo by Humphrey Muleba

4. Tanzania: Safari, Beach, Mountains, A Top Destination in Africa

  • Go to Tanzania if you like: Kenya, South Africa, safaris, Caribbean beaches, Hawaii, mountain climbing, Ecuador, Switzerland.

When I (Sasha) lived in Uganda, I would always tell people to visit Tanzania. I’ve traveled there several times myself, both by road and plane, and loved the combination of beach, safari, mountains, and friendly people. And it definitely felt less touristy than neighboring Kenya.

Best things to do in Tanzania:

  • 🦁 Safari: Tanzania has arguably the world’s best safari park in the Serengeti. The best time to go is the Wildebeest Migration, which is usually in late May or June, but that’s also when big crowds come to the park, so that’s a tradeoff to consider. See the photo below by Bibhash Banerjee.

  • 🏖 Zanzibar beaches: This is one of our favorite islands in the world — we’ve been 4 times. There are gorgeous beaches, and our top recommendation is Paje and Nungwi in the east, which are not so touristy and have gorgeous water. See our beaches blog for more info about all of Zanzibar’s beaches.

  • Zanzibar town (aka Stone town): is also wonderful, with small, windy streets & fascinating culture and food.

    • Take a spice tour, a 1 to 2 hour tour where you see & sample the plants that make spices such as cloves, lemongrass, etc. Sensory memory of a lifetime & great off the beaten travel.

    • Stay at the lovely Emerson on Hurumzi hotel (formerly Emerson and Green). It’s one of the most memorable hotels we’ve ever stayed at in in the world, with completely unique rooms, including breakfast on your own private balcony overlooking the town.

    • For a great 7-day Zanzibar itinerary, check out this blog from Next Trip Loading.

  • Mt. Kilimanjaro: Kili is the highest mountain in Africa, and you can hike to the top without technical mountain skills or training. The normal trek takes 6-7 days, which I recommend because of the need to properly acclimatize.

More things to do in Tanzania:

You can do two or all three of those things on one trip, in fact. Kilimanjaro takes 5 to 7 days to climb, and you can do it without prior mountaineering experience. Zanzibar is a very short plane ride or ferry trip from Dar es Salaam, the biggest city in the country. Or you can fly directly from Europe. The spectacular beaches and vibrant Swahili culture are fantastic.

  • 🔥 Hot Tip: Combine a safari and beach trip, and even a Mt. Kilimanjaro climb if you’re up for it.

    • Bring layers. Keep in mind that the weather is VERY different in each of those areas. Zanzibar is hot and humid, and Kilimanjaro is quite cold — and freezing if you get to high elevations.

  • 🔥 Hot Tip 2: Stay and eat at a unique place in Zanzibar, a Japanese-Zanzibari place in Paje with some of the freshest sushi I’ve ever tasted — Paradise Beach Bungalows. It’s a once in a lifetime experience. When we stayed there, they asked us in the morning, “what kind of sushi do you like? We’ll try to catch it today and serve it you for dinner.”

✈️ Getting there & visa: The biggest city where flights go is Dar es Salaam, but you can also book a flight directly to Kilimanjaro International Airport or Zanzibar. If you do go to Zanzibar, we recommend the short flight, which is only 40 minutes and cheap, as the ferry docks are not fun arrival points.

Nairobi vibrant nightlife hidden gem Africa

Nairobi has a vibrant nightlife, great restaurants, and a national park in the city. Photo by Mustafa Omar on Unsplash

5. Nairobi, Kenya: One of the Best Cities in Africa

  • Feed giraffes, get your dancing shoes on, and experience vibrant Kenyan culture.

A major regional hub for East Africa, Nairobi is a very dynamic city with lots of personality, classy restaurants, world class cafes, a giraffe zoo, and even a national park inside the city. East African jazz and Kenyan hip hop are great to listen to, and Kenyan beer is very good (as are cocktails at the best bars). Nairobi is a top destination in Africa for city hoppers.

Nairobi is also the gateway to Kenya’s natural wonders, including the Masai Mara National Park (home to some of the best safaris in Africa), the paradise island of Lamu, Mt. Kenya, the Swahili coast at Mombasa and Diani Beach, and more.

Best things to do in Nairobi:

  • 🦁Go on a safari inside the city: Nairobi National Park is unique as an actual safari park within a major city. If you don’t have time to go to the Masai Mara or Tsavo, Nairobi NP has lions (we saw them fighting!), buffalo, leopards, zebras, and more.

  • 🍽 Enjoy fine dining. Our top restaurant picks are:

    • The Talisman (huge variety of food at this farm to table restaurant in a beautiful setting)

    • INTI Nikkei (very high quality dishes in this unique Japanese & Peruvian restaurant with a fabulous 20th floor view)

    • Ankole Grill (excellent grilled meats and steaks, which Kenya is famous for).

More things to do in Nairobi:

  • Stroll around Uhuru Park. Uhuru Park in the center of the city is once again a lovely large urban park after a recent renovation in 2022. It’s a meeting spot for locals and now has a food court, a kids play area, and is home to the new Nairobi Festival.

  • 🏙 Have a fun night out. Quench your thirst and put your dancing shoes on, because Nairobi is one of the liveliest cities after dark on the continent. Our top tips for going out are:

🦒 Feed the giraffes: The Giraffe Center in Karen is a ton of fun. They have a dozen giraffes and you can feed them in a lovely setting.

✈️ Getting there & visa: There are direct flights to Nairobi from New York on Kenya Airways and many flights from Europe.

  • You need a visa to enter but can easily get one online in advance before arriving Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Addis Ababa's new national library, a hidden gem in Ethiopia

Addis Ababa's new national library is a hidden gem in Ethiopia. Photo: Sasha Lezhnev, all rights reserved

6. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Another of Africa’s best cities

  • Unique Culture, Amazing Food, & Surprising Nightlife

Ethiopia is chock full of culture, wonderful food, history, and unique nature experiences and is a hidden gem for cities to visit in Africa. Many of those are outside the capital city of Addis Ababa, but Addis is also a vibrant city full of life. If you’ve made it to Ethiopia, you’re already pretty well off the beaten track. But here are some tips to make your experience in Addis Ababa memorable.

Top things to do in Addis Ababa, a Top Destination in Africa:

  • Spend the day at Unity Park. This newly opened area is the best urban park we’ve been to in Africa. There’s a good zoo, the old imperial palace, Ethiopian cultural exhibits, spectacular views of the city, and more. Plan on spending most of the day here — there’s a lot to do in the park.

  • Explore a local market. Mercato (or merkato) or Shola Market are huge semi-open air markets, very lively, and fun places to explore and “window shop.” This is awesome off the beaten travel.

  • 🍺 Have the cheapest & maybe the most fun happy hour of your life. Yeshu Tower Beer Garden. Drink local beer on draft and watch soccer at this bar at Ethiopia’s national soccer stadium. It’s SUPER cheap, around 40 cents a beer, but very good quality. Yes, you read that right. This is the hidden travel gem of Addis.

More things to do in Addis Ababa:

  • 🎷Ethiopian jazz night. Fendika (pictured) is one of our favorite jazz clubs anywhere in the world. Listen to local musicians playing a fusion of Ethiopian and western jazz on local and international instruments in a cloth-ceilinged venue with a fire pit and local Tej honey wine. Photo by Sasha Lezhnev.

  • 🍺 Try Ethiopian craft dark beer. Selo Tella bar is a new, very local brewery to try tella, traditional Ethiopian beer, they have several different kinds to sample.

  • 🍽 Eat tasty, unique Ethiopian food. Ethiopian food is to die for in many ways. Our top picks are Agyet, an Ethiopian Gurage restaurant specializing in Kitfo (ground spiced meat) and Habesha 2000 (touristy but tasty food and cultural dancing).

✈️ Getting there & visa: There are direct flights from the U.S. and Europe on Ethiopian Airlines (a 12 to 13 hour flight from New York or DC), or you can fly via Dubai or Qatar.

  • You must get an Ethiopia visa online in advance if you’re not from another African country ($50), but this actually makes arrival at Addis Ababa airport much easier.

Short trips: The real highlights of Ethiopia are outside Addis, so you’ll want to venture outside the city if you have time. See the section above for info about trips to Lalibela, Harrar, the Danakil Depression, and the Simien Mountains.

Sierra Leone has a lovely coastline. Photo by Bea Meitiner

7. Sierra Leone: Hidden Gem of West Africa

  • Visit before it gets overrun! Beautiful beaches, chimpanzees & colobus monkeys, mountain hiking, historic slave forts.

Sierra Leone on West Africa’s coast is an up-and-coming hidden gem in Africa. When Sasha visited 20 years ago just at the end of the war, he thought, one day, this will be a wonderful tourist destination. 20 years later, it’s starting to become one. It got the name from a Portuguese explorer in the 15th century, which means Lion Mountains.

To be sure, Sierra Leone isn’t a 5-star resort destination, it’s more for adventurous travelers. But it’s also not touristy or spoiled by large developments, making it a fascinating place to visit & a hidden travel gem. And the sunsets over the Atlantic are amazing — see the photo below by Bea Meitiner.

Top things to do in Sierra Leone:

  • 🏖️ Enjoy the beach. Sierra Leone has a gorgeous coastline. Our top recommendations for beaches are:

    • John Obey: gorgeous sandy beach surrounded by mountains (pictured above).

    • River No. 2: relaxing beach with smaller waves only 20 minutes from Freetown. There’s a mini resort, and locals go to hang out here. It’s good for swimming. This is the spot Sasha thought would lead Salone, as it’s called locally, to be a tourist destination.

More things to do in Sierra Leone:

  • See the chimps. Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary is a fantastic place where you can trek to see rescued chimpanzees. It’s about half an hour from the capital Freetown.

  • Visit Bunce Island: A 45 minute boat ride from Freetown, Bunce is a fascinating place to visit. It was one of the main slave points in West Africa, and you can see the ruins of the former fort and learn all about the trade up-close.

  • Learn to cook local food: We loved Sierra Leone’s food, which has a lot of spice, fresh seafood, and fresh, organic ingredients. Learn how to cook it in this class by Salone Hidden Gems.

🔥 Hot Tip: If you want to see primates in the wild, Tiwai Island is a fantastic destination. There are 11 species there, from colobus monkeys to chimpanzees.

✈️ Getting there & visa: All visitors except citizens of African Union countries must obtain a visa before entering Sierra Leone — via the embassy in your home country, which normally takes 4-5 days, and you can do so by mail if needed. The fee is currently $160 for US citizens, and there are varying fee schedules for other citizens.

  • International flights to Sierra Leone go through Europe or Morocco. You can get a direct flight from Paris, Brussels, or Casablanca.

Did we miss any hidden gems? Send in yours & get featured

Hi! We’re Sasha & Megnote

We’ve traveled to 50 countries on 5 continents & have been full-time travelers for the past 2 years with our now 5-year-old son. He now teaches us how to skateboard…

We got engaged in Bolivia, started a nonprofit in Uganda, and love outdoor adventures (& a good pisco sour).

We’re writing the book Travel More, Spend Less to help people get to full-time travel.

We’re passionate about finding hidden travel gems & off the beaten path destinations, and we want to share our tips with you.

Come explore with us!

Off the Beaten Travel, LLC
Previous

8 Best Things to Do in Uzbekistan