Where to go in Africa in October

Endless plains, big cats and the Great Migration year-round in different parts of the park.

A vast volcanic caldera packed with wildlife, one of the best places to see black rhino.

Kenya’s most famous reserve, with dense big cat populations and the migration from about July to October.

Big elephant herds with Kilimanjaro as a backdrop.

Spice island beaches and the winding alleys of UNESCO-listed Stone Town.

Africa’s highest mountain, a non-technical climb through five climate zones.

South Africa’s flagship park: Big Five, excellent roads and options for every budget.

Table Mountain, beaches, penguins, wine and food in one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

South Africa’s classic road trip of lagoons, forests, beaches and adventure.

One of the best places on earth to watch whales from the shore.

A vast inland delta where floodwaters arrive in the dry season, drawing wildlife from all around.

One of the largest elephant populations in Africa, best seen from a boat on the Chobe River.

Endless salt flats, meerkats and a zebra migration after the rains.

One of the largest waterfalls in the world, on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Zimbabwe’s largest park, with big elephant herds at waterholes in the dry season.

Walking and canoeing among elephants on the Zambezi floodplain.

The home of the walking safari, and one of Africa’s best parks for leopards.

Canoe past elephants and hippos on the Zambezi.

A great white salt pan where animals queue at waterholes in the dry season.

Some of the tallest sand dunes in the world, glowing red at sunrise.

Shipwrecks, seal colonies and desert-adapted elephants.

A vast freshwater lake with clear water and colourful fish.

Turquoise water, sand dunes and coral reefs in a protected marine park.

A laid-back beach town famous for diving with manta rays and whale sharks.

Souks, riads and the nightly theatre of Jemaa el-Fna square.

The world’s largest car-free urban area, a medieval medina still working as it always has.

Orange Saharan dunes, camel treks and nights in a desert camp.

A blue-washed mountain town in the Rif.

The last standing wonder of the ancient world, at the edge of a huge, lively city.

The world’s greatest open-air museum: temples, tombs and the Valley of the Kings.

Nubian culture, felucca sails and the colossal temples of Ramesses II.

Some of the world’s best coral reefs, a few hours from Europe.

Medieval churches carved down into solid rock, still in daily use.

Dramatic escarpments with gelada monkeys and Ethiopian wolves.

A car-free Swahili town of donkeys, dhows and carved doors.

Long white beaches and coral reefs south of Mombasa.

Rainforest where the indri, the largest lemur, sings each morning.

A dirt road lined with giant baobabs, glowing at sunset.

Granite boulders, turquoise water and some of the most beautiful beaches anywhere.

A dramatic mountain over a turquoise lagoon, with kitesurfing and forest hikes nearby.