HomeEditor's ChoiceThe Most Beautiful Images of Africa
Editor's Choice

The Most Beautiful Images of Africa

By Lola Bailey
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Shot after the rain in the beautiful city of Chefchaouen, Morocco

A continent of 54 countries, Africa has a place for everyone. From Namibia’s stereotype-defying landscapes to West Africa’s pulsating and colourful festivals, the world’s second largest continent must be visited at least once in a lifetime.

Rhumsiki Rock, Cameroon 

Rhumsi Rock, Cameroon – one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world

Lake Naivasha Kenya 

Flickr.  The lake is home to over 400 different species of bird – and hippos

Avenue of the Baobabs, Madagascar 

Avenue of the Baobabs, Madagascar  – baobab trees can live for more than 2,000 years

Lake Bogoria, Kenya

Lake Bogoria is a saline, alkaline lake that lies in a volcanic region in a half-graben basin south of Lake Baringo, Kenya

Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, Madagascar

Flickr CC. An extensive area of limestone massif. A UNESCO World Heritage site

Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya 

Spot the Taurotragus Oryx

Great Wildebeest Migration, Maasai Mara, Kenya

The Great Wildebeest migration, Maasai Mara, Kenya. It is the most spectacular natural event in the world

The red sand dunes of Sossusvlei, Namibia

These sands originated in the Kalahari millions of years ago

Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

The majestic Kilimanjaro towers over arid savannah punctuated with umbrella thorn trees to deliver a classically African image

Table Mountain, South Africa

Flickr CC. Table Mountain is the most photographed mountain in South Africa; it is renowned for its abundant biodiversity

Blyde River Canyon, South Africa

The third largest canyon on Earth, 26km long

Piton de la Fournaise, Réunion

The volcano assets of the island of Reunion; the volcano is one of the most active on the planet

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls is one of the world’s largest waterfalls

Hoggar Mountains, Algeria

The dramatic Hoggar landscape of southern Algeria

Fontainhas, Cape Verde

Village of Fontainhas on Santo Antao Island, the Republic of Cabo Verde

Namaqualand, South Africa

The wildflowers of beautiful Namaqualand. Via Wikipedia CC

Tundavala Gap, Angola

By Jbdodane, Flickr CC. Located in the Huila province of Angola,Tundavala Gap is a geological attraction and refers to a viewpoint in the rim of the Serra da Leba escarpment

Naxi Pan National Park, Botswana

Nxai Pan National Park is a national park in north-eastern Botswana, consisting of Nxai Pan, which is one of the Makgadikgadi Pan salt flats. Via Wikipedia CC

Lake Malawi

An African Great Lake and the fifth largest freshwater lake in the world. Lake Malawi is home to more species of fish than any other lake

Lake Abbe, Djibouti and Ethiopia

Lake Abbe, Djibouti. A surreal, otherworldy, moon-like landscape

Okavango Delta, Botswana

Aerial shot of the Okavango river

The White Desert, near Farafra, Egypt

The ‘White Desert’ is near Farafra, Egypt. Image credit Flickr CC  

Underwater waterfalls, Le Morne, Mauritius

Sand and silt on the ocean floor run off in a way that makes it look like they’re pouring down a waterfall — or like the entire island is being sucked down a vast drain

Spitzkoppe Granite Peaks, Namib desert

The Spitzkoppe (from German for “pointed dome” is a group of bald granite peaks. The granite is more than 120 million years old

Deadvlei, Namibia

Literally the ‘dead marshes’ of Namibia, Deadvlei’s 900-year-old, zombie-like camelthorn trees point skeletal branches at the vast expanse of blue sky. Worth noting is the contrast between the cracked white of Deadvlei and the red sand dunes that surround it. There is actually a hard line where one finishes and the other begins

Traditions

Hausa Durbar festival for Eid, Kano, Nigeria

An annual parade performed by galloping, ornately dressed horsemen, Emirs in their ceremonial robes and lute players wearing headdresses. Celebrates the horse culture of northern Nigeria. Image credit Nairaland

Bamileke masquerades, Cameroon

Bamileke dancers perform in Batié, West Province

Maasai warriors, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

The Maasai ‘jumping dance’ or adumu, a recognisable ritual of Maasai culture. Adumu forms part of a series of rituals that make up the eunoto ceremony – eunoto marks the initiation of junior members of the tribe into manhood

Surma tribe, Ethiopia

Surma comprises three ethnic groups: Chai, Timaga and Suri Baale, all of which can be found in southern Ethiopia. Some of the traditions associated with the Suri are the lip plate, decorative scarification, face painting with white clay paint (usually white dots on the face) and floral head dresses

Wodaabe men, Niger

Wodaabe culture (Wodaabe nomads can be found in Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon) privileges white eyes and white teeth. Once a year, for the famed Gerewol fertility festival, Wodaabe men participate in a dance competition amongst themselves to attract the attention of the wives of their fellow tribesmen (yes, wives). Makeup and eyeliner is worn to accentuate eyes and teeth

Chouara Tanneries, Fez, Morocco

The city of Fez hosts three ancient leather tanneries, but Chouara is the oldest, at 1,000 years old, and the largest

Art and Architecture

Nubian architecture, Sudan

Ornamentation is typically on the outside, drawing attention to the importance of the home. Doors usually open into either an interior courtyard or a reception room

Ndebele paint tradition, South Africa

An Ndebele artist at work. Ndebele paint tradition is noted for its incorporation of bold geometric patterns and bright colour combinations. It is the women of the Ndebele who both carry the tradition of painting and do the painting themselves, passing the tradition on to the next generation of women

The Blue Gate of Fez – Porte Bab Boujeloud

Built in 1913, this towering gateway with its mosaic tiles is the most recognisable portal to Fes el-Bali, the world’s biggest surviving medieval city. The blue colour of the entrance represents the colour of the city of Fes, by contrast, the reverse side is green

Tiébélé artwork, Burkina Faso

The Kassena people of Tiebele, south of Burkina Faso, keep the traditions of their ancestors alive through these unique decorations

Monuments and buildings

African Renaissance Monument, Senegal

The African Renaissance Monument stands at 171 ft in height and is the tallest statue in Africa (it’s much bigger than the Statue of Liberty, to give you some perspective). The child in the picture looks ahead to a hopeful future, whilst the woman extends an arm behind to acknowledge a difficult past. Image credit

Cooling towers, Soweto, South Africa

Cooling towers, Soweto, South Africa

Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast

Basilica of our Lady of Peace, consecrated by Pope John Paul II. Yamoussoukro is the de jure capital of Ivory Coast

Great Mosque of Djenné, Mali

Designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988, the Great Mosque of Djenné has been deemed one of the greatest achievements of the Sudano-Sahelian architectural style. It remains one of the most famous landmarks on the continent, and is the world’s largest mud-brick structure. Photo by Ruud Zwart, CC

Monument of the Martyr –Algeria/Monument to the unknown soldier

Monument of the Martyr, commemorates Algeria’s war for independence; in particular, it memorialises the unsung heroes who died in the Algerian struggle for independence. Three towering, concrete palm fronds shelter the ‘eternal flame’ underneath. By each palm leaf is a statue of a soldier, each representing a stage of Algeria’s struggle. Photo by Boumediene, CC by SA 3.0

Church of Saint George, Ethiopia

The carved stone churches of Lalibela are shrouded in mystery and myth. Ethiopians believe they were created with the help of angels by King Lalibela over 100 years ago. Above is the Bet Giorgis church, the House of Saint George, patron saint of Ethiopia. Image credit

Abu Simbel, Egypt

The site of the Abu Simbel temples, built by King Ramses II

The Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

The world-famous Pyramids of Giza comprise three 4th-dynasty pyramids (c.2575-c.2465 BCE). Their designations correspond to the kings for whom they were constructed: Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure

Ancient Pyramids of Meroe, Sudan

The Pyramids of Meroë are part of the larger group of Nubian pyramids, built at the time of the Kushite Kingdom over a period close to a millennium. Photo by By TrackHD – Own work, CC BY 3.0

Roman ruins of Libya

Ruins of the Severan Basilica, Leptis Magna, Libya. Leptis Magna was a prominent city of the Carthaginian Empire and Roman Libya. The ruins are among the best preserved in the Mediterranean

African Edens

Zanzibar, Tanzania

Zanzibar, Tanzania

Praslin, Seychelles

Praslin, Seychelles

Le Morne Brabant, Mauritius

Le Morne, Mauritius

Bureh Beach, Sierra Leone

Bureh beach

Assinie Beach, Cote d’Ivoire

Asinine, Cote d’Ivoire

Mahajanga, Madagascar

 

Mahajanga, Madagascar

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Lola Bailey
Nigeria-born Lola Bailey has been a professional copywriter and editor for almost a decade, Lola has written for household names like Carphone Warehouse, Deloitte, Boehringer Ingelheim, the Royal British Legion and Lucid group plus lots of other businesses and agencies. A proud African, she is at her happiest reading books that improve her craft and being with her family. She also loves to travel and plans to see much more of Africa in the years to come.

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