Travel in Africa: destinations and seasons

BeninCountry guideBotswanaCountry guideCape VerdeCountry guideEgyptCountry guideEthiopiaCountry guideKenyaCountry guideMadagascarCountry guideMauritiusCountry guideMoroccoCountry guideMozambiqueCountry guideNamibiaCountry guideReunionCountry guideRwandaCountry guideSenegalCountry guideSeychellesCountry guideSouth AfricaCountry guideTanzaniaCountry guideTunisiaCountry guideUgandaCountry guide

Travel in Africa: what you need to know

Travel in Africa covers very different destinations: North Africa, East Africa and its national parks (Tanzania, Kenya), southern Africa, and the islands of the Indian Ocean (Mauritius, Réunion, Seychelles) and the Atlantic (Cape Verde). Réunion is an overseas department of France.

The continent straddles the equator. In the north, the climate is Mediterranean on the coasts and desert in the Sahara, with large differences between day and night. Near the equator, think mainly in terms of dry and rainy seasons. In the southern hemisphere (southern Africa, Mauritius, Réunion), the seasons are reversed compared with Europe and North America: the austral summer falls during the northern winter, and it is also the cyclone season in the south-west Indian Ocean.

Which destination for which season?

The trends below are general. The table of countries by month, above, and our “when to go” guides give the detail destination by destination.

• October to April: North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt), when the heat is bearable; this is also the best season for the desert.
• May to November: the austral winter, drier and cooler, in Mauritius and Réunion; a good time for hiking in Réunion.
• June to October: dry season in East Africa, the classic period for safaris in Tanzania.
• Year-round, with nuances: Cape Verde, with its dry climate, and the Seychelles, outside the usual cyclone track, can be visited for much of the year; wind and sea conditions change with the season.

Which destination for your kind of trip?

• Beaches: the Seychelles, Mauritius, Cape Verde (Sal and Boa Vista islands), Zanzibar in Tanzania.
• Culture: Egypt, Morocco, Ethiopia, Senegal.
• Hiking: Réunion (cirques and volcano), Santo Antão island in Cape Verde, Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.
• Tight budget: once there, Morocco and Cape Verde are among the more affordable options; safaris and the Indian Ocean islands call for a bigger budget.
• Families: Réunion, Mauritius.
• Honeymoon: the Seychelles, Mauritius, a safari in Tanzania combined with the beaches of Zanzibar.

Planning your trip

• Entry requirements: passport, visa, electronic authorisation: rules differ by country and change over time. Check them for each country on your route on travel.state.gov (US) or GOV.UK foreign travel advice (UK) before booking. Some areas of otherwise popular countries are advised against: read the official advice for each destination.
• Health: depending on the destination, a yellow fever vaccination, malaria prevention or protection against mosquitoes may be needed. Kenya, for example, may require proof of yellow fever vaccination if you arrive from a country with a risk of transmission (UK FCDO, GOV.UK, and U.S. Department of State, read on 24 October 2026). See a doctor or travel clinic well before departure.
• Cyclones: according to the UK FCDO, the cyclone season in Réunion normally runs from December to April (GOV.UK, updated 22 October 2026) and in Mauritius it usually runs from November to May (GOV.UK, updated 19 October 2026). If you travel then, follow Météo-France La Réunion and the Mauritius Meteorological Services.
• Safaris: in high season, lodges in the best-known parks fill up early; book several months ahead.

Our seasonal recommendations are based on climate normals published by national weather services. To see how we select and update them, read our methodology.

Our sources

• UK FCDO, foreign travel advice for Réunion (GOV.UK, updated 22 October 2026) and for Mauritius (GOV.UK, updated 19 October 2026): cyclone seasons
• UK FCDO, foreign travel advice for Kenya (GOV.UK) and U.S. Department of State, Kenya country information (travel.state.gov): yellow fever entry requirement, read on 24 October 2026
• National weather services: climate normals
• Our methodology

Updated October 2026.