Africa

Planning a route through Africa

Africa splits into regional clusters rather than one continuous route. North Africa strings Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, and Egypt along the Mediterranean and the Sahara's edge, with desert crossings linking coast to interior. West Africa runs as a coastal overland corridor along the Gulf of Guinea, from Dakar toward Lagos, with inland detours toward the Sahel. East Africa's safari circuit is the most naturally clustered: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda share overland routes built around wildlife parks and a handful of regional airports. Southern Africa fans out from Johannesburg's hub, linking South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia by road. Central Africa's infrastructure is thinner, so itineraries lean on flights between capital cities. The island nations, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Cape Verde, and Comoros, sit apart and need their own flight planning rather than joining a mainland route.

Africa's seasons split along climate bands more than the calendar. North Africa follows a Mediterranean rhythm, mild winters and hot summers, distinct from the wet and dry seasons that govern the Sahel and East Africa, where rains typically arrive in two windows around the equator. Southern Africa runs on an austral calendar, its winter falling during the Northern Hemisphere's summer, which matters for wildlife viewing since the dry season concentrates animals near water. A single trip spanning north and south often crosses two unrelated seasonal systems.

Most itineraries anchor on Kenya's safari circuit, Morocco's desert gateway, or South Africa's road network as regional hubs, a pattern worth reading against how to plan a multi-country trip.

Page reviewed 5 August 2026 · Routing notes are general guidance from Amit's travels — check current entry rules for each country before you book.