In this blog post, I highlight some of the adventure activities you can undertake during your vacation in Africa. You can do some of these activities as an add-on to a typical vacation package. Others however need more time, meaning that you will have to take them as a stand-alone package.

• Swimming with Sharks
Forget about the movie with a similar title, I mean literally swimming with the sharks. Well…not so literally, at least you will be in a “protective” cage.

The Great White Shark: You can "swim" alongside this fierce predator

You cannot have a more adrenaline-filled experience with the sharks than in the “great white shark capital” itself – the region around Dyer Island and Gansbaai in South Africa. The other places you can have similar adventures include False Bay and Mossel Bay, not so far away from Cape Town.

• Sky Diving
If you find it thrilling to throw yourself out of a mechanically sound airplane at over 7000 ft above the ground, then you will surely find lots of fun in South Africa or Kenya. South Africa obviously has the wider choice of sky diving clubs and drop zones. Its scenery and weather are also great and should therefore make for exhilarating jumps.

Though Kenya has fewer skydiving opportunities, the annual Diani boogie has gained a lot of popularity, attracting more than 100 international skydivers every year. Experienced skydivers particularly enjoy the long free fall time (of up to 60 seconds) made possible by the warm tropical updrafts. If you have no previous skydiving experience, you can opt for a tandem fall, where you are tied to an accomplished diver as he takes the free fall. Visit the official website of Skydive Kenya to book your place in the next Diani international boogie.

• Endurance Trekking – Fish River Canyon
We have very many great treks and hikes in Africa, among them the Simien mountains in Ethiopia, Mt Elgon in Uganda, and the Drakensberg mountains in South Africa. Then we have what I consider the ultimate hiking trail – the Fish river canyon in Namibia. Ian Belcher, a reporter with the guardian.co.uk calls it “the hottest walk on earth“.

The trek is so hard that you are required to present a medical certificate proving that you are medically fit before you attempt the hike. You also have to be of above average fitness levels. Once you are inside the canyon, nobody can evacuate you, you have to walk your way out. Fortunately, there are other easier guided treks near the canyon for those not up to the task.

• Desert Expeditions

Giant sand dune at Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert

Imagine standing in the middle of a sea of sand, and the only land features you see around you are massive sand dunes. No trees, no rivers, no buildings, nothing at all. Well, if you fancy such a scene, you should one day take an excursion deep into one of Africa’s deserts. Sahara desert, being the largest desert in Africa, would be a good start.

The hot deserts of Africa are however harsh and dangerous environments. On your own, you cannot venture too deep without putting your life at the risk. Fortunately, you can have a moderately safe desert adventure formally organized through a tour operator. Some of the popular ones include camel treks into the sahara, quad biking in the kalahari, and excursions to the giant sand dunes at Sossuvlei in the Namib desert.

• Mountain Climbing

Mt Kilimanjaro is the most obvious choice for mountain climbing in Africa. Despite being Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro is considered easy and mostly non-technical. So much that anyone of average fitness can make it to Uhuru peak (the highest peak) without any special equipment. But do not be deceived, it is no walk in the park. You can read my personal experience in Kilimanjaro to get an insight of how easy/hard it is.

There are several routes up the mountain. Some, especially the Umbwe route, are more difficult than others. But if you want a really technical climb in Mt Kilimanjaro, you can attempt the “dangerous” and rarely attempted Mawenzi peak. You’d need a special permit, and rock climbing/ice climbing equipment for this.

Other mountains in Africa that you may consider climbing are Mt Kenya in Kenya, the Rwenzori Mountains (Uganda), Mt Meru (Tanzania), the Atlas mountains (North Africa) and the Simien mountains (Ethiopia). Mt Kenya is the second tallest mountain in Africa, and is generally more technical to climb than Kilimanjaro due to its rugged terrain. You can trek all the way up to Lenana point (altitude 4985 meters), but you’d have to be a technical climber to get get to the other peaks – Batian (5199 meters) and Nelion (5188 meters).

• Bungee Jumping at the Bloukrans Bungee
If you’re travelling from outside of Africa, it would of course make no sense to come all the way to Africa just to bungy jump. But when you come to South Africa, jumping from the Bloukrans bridge may be a great way to get an adrenaline rush after your safari.

The Bloukrans bungee is not just another bungee; It is the world’s highest commercially operated bungee jump. It stands at 216 meters above the Bloukrans river.

• Plus many more
You are not limited to the adventure activities I have mentioned above. There plenty of other “normal” and extraordinary adventure options for you including:

• Scuba Diving
• Snorkelling (Egypt, Mozambique, Zanzibar, Mauritius)
• Abseilling (Table Mountain in Cape Town)
• White Water Rafting (Kenya, South Africa, Zambia)
• Overland trips from Cairo to Cape Town or vice versa
• etc.

Help with Africa Adventure Safari Booking
Click here for tours & safaris in Africa offered by the Africa Guide. Africa Guide has a very wide selection of African safari packages, among them adventure safaris.

1. Wildlife safaris

An African lion: One of the most popular wild animal in Africa

If you have time for only one safari activity, then wildlife safaris are the obvious choice, especially if the closest you have ever come to an African wild animal is in a zoo. Among all African animals, the big five (lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino, and leopard) are the most popular, and perhaps most fascinating to observe. The experience of seeing them and other animals in their natural habitat is indeed very amazing. No wonder the word “African safari” is almost synonymous with wildlife safaris.

There are so many places in Africa that give you a rewarding wildlife experience, top on the list being Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya, South Africa’s Kruger national park, and Serengeti national park in Tanzania. You can also have an equally (or even more) satisfying safari experience in other less known wildlife destinations like Etosha national park in Namibia, South Luangwa national park in Zambia, and Chobe national park in Botswana .

For a first-time visit to Africa, I would recommend starting with any of the parks mentioned above. However, during subsequent travels, you can choose wildlife destinations that meet your unique tastes. If for example you are interested in the gorillas, chimpanzees and other apes, you should visit the game reserves in Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC eg. Bwindi impenetrable forest national park in Uganda.

2. Sightseeing tours:
Apart from just the animals, you will find a lot more to see in Africa, from awe-inspiring natural land features and beautiful landscapes, to many historical man-made structures. Egypt in North Africa is without doubt the favourite destination for sightseeing. All of Egypt’s great sites reflect the country’s rich history dating back to the days of the Pharaohs. The Egyptian pyramids, the Sphinx at Giza, the valley of the kings, the temples at Abu Simbel, the Karnak temple complex, and the valley of the queens, are some of the best-known sites.

It is not just in Egypt that you find pyramids from ancient days. In fact, some reports estimate that there twice as many pyramids in the Nubian region of Sudan (where the ancient Meroe kingdom was situated) than there are in Egypt. There are also many other interesting historical sites worthy seeing in Ethiopia including the Lalibela monolithic churches, the obelisks in Axum, the medieval castles in Gondar, and the walled Gondar city.  In Mali in West Africa, the ancient city of Djenne is an equally fascinating site. The city is home to the world’s largest mud brick building, the great mosque of Djenne.

Africa’s natural land features you should see include the mighty Victoria falls (Mosi oa Tunya) at the Zambia – Zimbabwe border, the giant sand dunes of Sossusvlei in Namibia, the Okavango delta in Botswana, and Fish river canyon in Namibia.

3. Cultural safaris
It is indisputable that the African culture is rich and very diverse. Among the thousands of African ethnic groups however, there are a few that stand out because of their unique way of life and traditions, the Masai tribe being the top-most. There is arguably no better way to appreciate the Masai culture than visiting a Masai village and possibly spending some nights there. This is not for the faint-hearted though. An easier alternative would be to visit a Masai village during your safari in Kenya.

Other African ethnic groups with interesting cultures and that you may want to visit include the Samburu and Turkana of Kenya, and the Swahili found along the coast of East Africa.

4. Beach luxury vacation
While several African countries have beautiful and clean beaches suited for a luxury holiday, the Seychelles Islands, Mauritius Island, and Zanzibar are perhaps the most renowned and most popular beach destinations. No wonder these three islands, more so the islands of Seychelles, are most  favoured  by honeymooners. Apart from these three Islands however, you can have an equally enjoyable beach vacation in other places like Kenya’s south coast (Diani, Chale Island etc.), north coast (Malindi, Mtwapa, Lamu Island etc), Mozambique (Bazaruto, Quirimbas etc.), the Comoros Island, among many others.

5. Mountaineering, and adventure expeditions

Mount Kenya: Africa's second highest mountain after Tanzania's Mt. Kilimanjaro

For quite obvious reasons,  Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania ranks high among Africa’s adventure destinations. Though it is the highest mountain in Africa, it is also the most accessible. You do not need any special mountaineering equipment to get to Uhuru peak, the highest peak. Any reasonably healthy person can make it to the top especially if they climb slowly. This is unlike the more rugged Mt Kenya, where the highest you can get without mountain climbing gear is Point Lenana, at 4985 meters above sea level.  Only accomplished mountaineers attempt to get to the higher peaks of Batian and Nelion.

Mt Meru in Tanzania, the Rwenzori mountain range and the Virunga mountains in Uganda and neighboring countries are some of the other African mountains suitable for climbing or trekking expeditions.

There are lots of other activities for an adventure safari in Africa. You can fly over the Victoria falls on a microlight helicopter, go for gorilla tracking expeditions in the great Lakes region, canoeing, white water rafting, and kayaking (e.g in Sagana and Nanyuki in Kenya), skydiving (e.g in the annual Diani boogie in Kenya), snorkeling and white shark diving in South Africa, overlanding from Cairo Egypt to Cape Town in South Africa, etc.