Posted on Wednesday, 1 May 2019

Africa is home to a vast array of breathtaking locations - from the Egyptian pyramids to the vast Serengeti Plains. But there are many lesser known yet equally impressive destinations that deserve your attention. If you're seeking adventure, then these spellbinding African places are worth considering...

Sossusvlei Dunes

The Sossusvlei Pan is edged by glorious red sand dunes and is found in the Namib Desert, in the Namib-Naukluft National Park of Namibia. "Sossusvlei" means "dead-end marsh" - and it's easy to see why. If you're looking for a truly wild desert landscape that looks like another planet, plan a trip to the Sossusvlei Dunes.

Great Mosque of Djenne

If the universes of Game of Thrones and Star Wars were melded together, it would probably be home to buildings like this. The stunningly unique Great Mosque of Djenne dates from 1907, but a mosque has been on this site - in some form - since the 13th century. It was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988, along with the "Old Towns of Djenné".

Spitzkoppe, Namibia

This otherworldly group of bare granite peaks (or inselbergs) are found between Usakos and Swakopmund in the Namib Desert of Namibia. The rock here was formed 120 million years ago and the highest peak is 1728m above sea level. A dazzling array of bushmen artworks adorn these stunning peaks, which were used by Stanley Kubrick as the backdrop for the "Dawn of Man" sequences in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Surfing hippos in the Gabon

Loango National Park in western Gabon has been described as 'Africa's Last Eden' by naturalist Mike Fay, thanks to the abundance of wildlife found here. It's easy to spot humpback and killer whales along Loango's 100km coastline, whose hinterland is home to beautiful forests, savannas, wetlands and lagoons. If you're lucky, you may spot a surfing hippo, although some would call it merely 'paddling'. The white sandy beaches are also occasionally graced by elephants, gorillas and leopards.

See the ‘surfing' hippos here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvyBmXn7Euc

Draa Valley

Flowing from the High Atlas Mountains, the Draa River is Morocco's longest, at 680 miles. The Draa Valley itself is a sight to behold, not least because of its numerous and dramatic kasbahs. But don't miss the many stunning rock art engravings, etched by our ancestors many thousands of years ago.

Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya

One of the Rift Valley's vast soda lakes, Lake Nakuru is located 1,754m above sea level. The lake is famously visited by flamingoes in search of algae. However a surge in water levels in 2013 prompted them to go elsewhere for their green, gooey food. However, while the flamingoes are now a rarity, you'll still find lots of other birdlife, together with warthogs, baboons and both eastern black and southern white rhinos.

Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls, located on the Zambezi River at the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe, could hardly be described as 'lesser known' - but it's just so beautiful we had to list it. The first European to arrive at Victoria Falls was, famously, Doctor David Livingstone, who named it after his queen. However, locals use the name interchangeably with Mosi-oa-Tunya— "The Smoke That Thunders". It boasts the largest sheet of falling water in the world, thanks to the combination of its 1,708m width and its 108m height.

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