They say there are places you must see before you die. But darling, why wait until the last minute? Southern Africa isn’t just a destination, it’s a revelation. From dunes and deltas to penguins and predators, this region is bursting with once-in-a-lifetime moments that deserve a front-row seat on your bucket list. From barefoot luxury and soul-stirring safaris to sunsets that slap with drama, southern Africa brings the fantasy, all wrapped in rich culture, warm welcomes, and landscapes that leave you breathless. So grab your travel bestie (or that fabulous someone), and let’s tick off paradise in style.
South Africa
Panorama Route
Calling all waterfall chasers and scenery snatchers! The Panorama Route is a northern beauty queen near the iconic Kruger National Park, often paired with a Big 5 safari by our savvy travellers.
This scenic 160km ribbon of road delivers vistas so divine, they’ll have you gasping and gram’ing at every stop. The ideal time to explore is between September and November, with two to three days giving you just enough time to soak in all the natural splendour.
Must-sees include:
- Blyde River Canyon: The third largest canyon globally and a top model in every travel mag. Gorge-ous (wink) views and divine hikes.
- God’s Window: A view so ethereal it’ll have you quoting The Lion King. It’s giving “everything the light touches".
- Bourke’s Luck Potholes: These natural rock formations look like abstract art curated by Mother Nature herself.
- Lisbon and Berlin Falls: Just seven minutes apart, they’re named after European capitals and serve pure forest fantasy.
- Three Rondavels: Rock formations shaped like traditional huts. Geology has never been this camp.
- Graskop and Pilgrim’s Rest: Historic towns that take you on a nostalgic journey through South Africa’s golden days.
Canyons and curves for days, the Blyde River Canyon is a gift from Mother Nature
Kosi Bay
Tucked near the Mozambique border on KwaZulu-Natal’s North Coast, Kosi Bay is a lush labyrinth of lakes, coastal dunes, and forested hills that meet ivory sands and warm, aquamarine waters.
This subtropical paradise is beloved by South Africans for its balmy climate and variety of outdoor experiences. Think snorkelling through coral gardens, lounging on unspoiled beaches, and witnessing the incredible nesting of leatherback turtles between November and January. This is our kind of turtle power. Whether you're seeking serenity or underwater sparkle, Kosi Bay is a soulful escape into one of South Africa’s most ecologically rich regions.
Cape Peninsula
We’re not playing favourites, but the Cape Peninsula might just be one of the world’s most iconic day drives. With ocean views sparkling like sapphires, cliffs plunging dramatically into deep blue, and towns each flaunting their own fabulous flair, it's an easy place to fall head over heels. Chapman’s Peak Drive is the star of the show. It's a nine-kilometre ribbon of tarmac boasting 114 flirtatious curves that tease the Atlantic Ocean.
Along the way, dip your toes in the powdery sands of Clifton and Camps Bay, indulge in a hike that takes you from mountain tops to seaside trails, and don’t forget to keep an eye out for southern right whales during their seasonal migration from June to October.
At Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town, visitors can enjoy observing the charming colony of African penguins waddling along the shore, always adorable, but strictly hands-off. It's nature’s runway, and the penguins are serving tuxedo realness.
Chapman’s Peak Drive: 114 sexy curves and not a single bad angle
Kalahari
Think deserts are dull? Think again. The Kalahari is a fiery landscape of russet dunes, silvery grasslands, and amber skies – an endless canvas of contrast and beauty. But it’s not just about the views. This arid wilderness pulses with life, from stately oryx and playful meerkats to the Kalahari’s most iconic resident: the black-maned lion.
These desert-adapted predators, alongside agile cheetahs and sly jackals, turn this wild realm into a stage of raw survival drama. With no malaria and very little light pollution, it's a dream for families, romantics, and stargazers alike. Come for the game, stay for the galaxies.
Botswana
Makgadikgadi
Step into the surreal splendour of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, a shimmering expanse that stretches to the horizon, echoing with silence and stardust. Once an ancient lake, it’s now a playground for adventure: quad biking across cracked salt flats, tracking zebra migrations, and stargazing under open skies that seem to go on forever.
Birders can delight in sightings of kori bustards, northern black korhaans, and even flamingos when the pans flood. It’s nature’s own disco ball, glittering in the midday sun and glowing with mystery at night.
Serving monochrome chic on a salt pan runway, zebras in Magkadikgadi know stripes never go out of style
Okavango Delta
The Okavango Delta is pure wilderness couture: a living mosaic of floodplains and winding channels teeming with life. From herds of elephants to elusive leopards, crocs to crimson-billed birds, this UNESCO-listed wetland offers a safari experience unlike any other.
While game drives and bush walks are fabulous, the real magic lies in the iconic mokoro experience. Drift gently in a dugout canoe as your guide poles you through water channels and past silently grazing antelope. It's quiet, meditative, and luxuriously low-key – with only the rustle of reeds and the occasional hippo grunt to break the silence. Add a remote luxury lodge (accessible only by helicopter, how VIP?), and you’ve got the safari of dreams.
When your Uber says “arriving by mokoro” and you’re totally here for the drama-free, hippo-adjacent vibes
Nxai Pan
For drama and spectacle, Nxai Pan delivers. Come between November and April to witness one of Africa’s most under-celebrated wildlife phenomena: the zebra migration. Thousands of striped beauties, accompanied by predators, make their way across fossil lakebeds and open plains. It’s a monochrome safari masterpiece.
Add baobabs that look like they’ve sprouted from myths, and antelope galore, and you’ve got a raw, remote corner of Botswana that feels gloriously untouched by time.
Ancient, iconic, and unbothered, these baobabs in Nxai Pan have been rocking tree couture
Mozambique
Gorongosa
Mozambique might be famous for its sun-kissed beaches and cerulean waters, but darling, Gorongosa is where the magic truly unfolds. This national park is the comeback queen of conservation, bouncing back from conflict with grace and grit. Expect floodplains alive with movement, cascading waterfalls, and a wildlife revival that's nothing short of miraculous.
Go on a classic game drive or opt for a walking safari if you’re feeling bold. Hike into lush mountain terrain for a refreshing plunge near waterfalls, visit the Pangolin Rescue Centre to meet the world’s most elusive cutie, and top it off with a slow-sipped brew from Mount Gorongosa’s ethically produced coffee. Rich, smooth, and deeply rewarding.
Rolling deep and dusted in drama, the Gorongosa elephants don’t stroll, they make an entrance
Namibia
Sossusvlei
Welcome to Namibia’s showstopper... a surreal desert dreamscape where ruby-red dunes rise like waves frozen in time. Sossusvlei is every photographer’s fantasy, but even without a camera, it’s utterly hypnotic.
Climb Dune 45, the icon of the Namib, for a sunrise that bathes the landscape in gold. Visit Deadvlei, where ancient camelthorn trees stand ghostly still in a basin of cracked white clay. It’s post-apocalyptic chic, honey. Then, take to the skies with a hot air balloon ride and float above the desert like royalty. And when night falls? Gaze upwards. The stars here sparkle like diamonds encrusting black velvet.
Deadvlei: where ancient trees strike a pose in the world’s most dramatic desert photoshoot
Skeleton Coast
Namibia’s wild child. The Skeleton Coast is haunting and magnificent, where red desert sands slam into the icy Atlantic with no apologies. Shipwrecks lie like abandoned dreams along the shore, while desert-adapted lions, rhinos, and elephants prove that life always finds a way.
It’s a visual symphony of contrast. One moment cinematic, the next intimate. Bring your sense of adventure and a taste for the mysterious. It’s a place that lingers in your bones. Mr Nolan, your set awaits.
Where the desert meets the drama, Skeleton Coast is giving shipwreck style with a side of sandy attitude
Caprivi Strip
Zoom in on the map and you’ll find it, a stiletto-thin strip of Namibia brushing up against Botswana, Angola, and Zambia. The Caprivi (or Zambezi) Strip is lush, unexpected, and brimming with wild surprises.
Rivers twist through green landscapes, feeding wetlands alive with crocs, hippos, and the Big 5. Birders, get your binoculars ready. Over 400 feathered species flit through this Eden. A far cry from the dry Namib, Caprivi is Namibia’s sultry, secret garden.
Zimbabwe
Victoria Falls
She’s grand, she’s dramatic, and she makes her own mist. Victoria Falls (or “Mosi-oa-Tunya,” the smoke that thunders) is one of Africa’s ultimate queens. July is the perfect time to visit: the water levels are ideal for visibility, and rainbows arch through the spray like pride flags.
Walk the scenic trails, feel the thunder in your chest, and finish off with a sunset cruise on the Zambezi. With Champagne in hand and hippos grunting nearby, you’ll feel utterly divine.
Victoria Falls: dramatic, loud, and absolutely stealing the spotlight... just how we like our icons
Hwange National Park
Zimbabwe’s largest park is a theatrical stage where elephants steal the spotlight. With enormous herds, predator showdowns, and golden savannahs that seem to glow at dusk, Hwange is safari royalty.
Stay in two different areas to experience the full spectrum of this wild beauty, from intimate waterhole moments to open plains filled with drama. It’s untamed, unapologetic, and entirely unforgettable.
Hydration station, but make it a family affair, Image Credit: Hanli Matthee
Lake Kariba
At Kariba, it’s all about mood. The vast lake ripples with mystery, especially at sunset when petrified trees rise from the water like a gothic forest. It’s eerie, artistic, and atmospheric – the kind of place that doesn’t shout, but seduces.
While you can safari here, it’s also the perfect spot to slow down, let the world fall away, and just… be.
Sunset on Lake Kariba is nature's version of mood lighting: eerie, fabulous, and ready for a close-up, Image Credit: Hanli Matthee
Mana Pools
Mana Pools is magical and completely different to other regions in Zimbabwe. Set along the Zambezi River, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is where elephants famously stand on their hind legs to reach tasty pods.
Walking safaris here are legendary, intimate, thrilling, and deeply grounding. Canoe past pods of hippos, drift beneath baobabs, and stay in one of the river-facing lodges for a romantic escape filled with whispering reeds and oh-wow sunsets.
Mana Pools hippos keeping a watchful eye, but don’t worry, they’re just checking out the new guest in town, Image Credit: Hanli Matthee
Let’s Make Those Bucket List Dreams a Reality… With Travel Experts Who Truly Get You
Now that your bucket list has been properly shaken and stirred, it’s time to stop dreaming and start packing. Our team at Out2Africa isn’t just made up of luxury travel experts. We’re proud members of the LGBTQ+ community, too. That means we get you: your tastes, your safety, your need to feel welcomed, seen, and celebrated.
Whether it’s romantic hideaways, cultural deep-dives, or Big 5 bragging rights, we’ll craft every detail with love, flair, and insider know-how. So go on. Slide into our inbox, darling. Africa is waiting, and she’s ready to serve.
