Communication Afrique Destinations

TOURISM/AFRICA: The 20 great Nature Destinations to discover (1)

Ancient traditional dwellings on the island of Santo Antão in Cape Verde.

Despite the climatic hazards of which it is a victim, Africa contains on its territory riches of incredible diversity and beauty. If only in the field of natural tourist attractions, they compete with each other. And sometimes in one and the same country. Among these, we can mention twenty (20) great Nature Destinations that are really worth the detour and deserve to be discovered.

1 – The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda
Uganda is a country that offers extraordinary diversity in terms of nature tourism. In the South-West of the country, where lowland and mountain forests meet, Bwindi Park is an important biosphere reserve. It is east of the Albertine Rift Valley and scientists agree that it is a Pleistocene refuge, with a biodiversity as rare as it is varied that is difficult to find in other altitude regions in East Africa. It thus has the largest number of tree species at such an altitude: more than 160 species of trees and more than 100 species of ferns, several species of birds and butterflies, some of which are endemic, several threatened species among which the famous mountain gorillas. That's about half of the world's population of mountain gorillas, according to specialists. Its fauna is among the richest in mammals in Africa. Covering an area of some 32,092 ha, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is an exceptionally rich protected area in Africa.

A mountain gorilla in Bwindi Forest in Uganda.
A mountain gorilla in Bwindi Forest in Uganda.

2. The Sangha River between Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Congo
The Sangha River which originates in Cameroon before crossing the Central African Republic and the Congo. In doing so, it carries its waters to the North-West of the Congo Basin at the confluences of Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Congo. In this Congo Basin, it makes it possible to regulate the floods in the Region. Thanks to its eminently important role in maintaining biological diversity, the Sangha allows a whole biodiversity of great beauty to develop. Various elements of flora and fauna such as raffia widely used by local populations, but also animals: gorillas, elephants, chimpanzees, hyenas, freshwater crabs, turtles, etc. The Site of Sangha-Mbaéré in the Central African Republic is for example, in particular the Nature Reserve is renowned for having a large vegetation cover subject to cyclical flooding and areas with rivers, marshes and lakes conducive to exploring. It should be noted, however, that the said site is an integral part of a cross-border project which includes Cameroon and Congo and whose objective is to jointly patrol in order to fight against poachers, in particular in the Dzanga Sangha Special Reserve.

3 – The Cape Verde Islands
Cape Verde or Cabo Verde is an archipelago whose various islands each offer what is specific to it. Volcanic islands, only one of them has a volcano: Fogo Island, the last eruption of which dates back to 2015. In the others, we discover some mountain vegetation, arid plains, beaches of sand etc It is such beauty that nature knows how to shape it with stone, fire, sand, and water. For lovers of landscapes and adrenaline, or even hiking, the island of Santo Antão and its Paul Valley is an unmissable invitation. The mountainous road climbs, turns, descends and so on in a jagged mountain landscape where all building space is almost occupied. Terraced fields follow terraced fields. Obviously, it is the greenest island. You have to go to the roof of the island before going down to Ponta do Sol, at the other end. We can thus see inhabitants scaling and washing their fish in the waters of the holes that the ebb and flow of the sea water has ended up digging. Each of its nine inhabited islands has specific characteristics.
The island of Santiago, which is the largest and where Praia, the capital of the country, is located, as well as the island of Maio are considered reserved for discoveries of all kinds. The islands of Santa Antao, São Vicente and São Nicolau are favorite grounds for lovers of hiking and cultural atmospheres. The islands of Sal and Boa Vista have the inclination of lovers of golden beaches and sand dunes. The island of Brava, the smallest inhabited island of Cape Verde, is characterized in particular by having one of the greenest vegetation covers in the country. The island of Fogo nicknamed "The Black Pearl" produces fire but also wine of a rare quality in Africa.

Ancient traditional dwellings on the island of Santo Antão au Cape Verde
Ancient traditional dwellings on the island
of Santo Antão au Cape Verde

4 – The Okavango Delta in Botswana
Named after the Okavango River, the Okavango Delta is located in northwest Botswana. According to scientists, this region is part of the African Rift Valley system. And it is to its geology that we owe the origin of the famous Delta from the eponymous river. There are the most endangered large mammals in the world such as the cheetah, the white rhinoceros and the black rhinoceros, the wild dog and the lion. It is the second largest Inner Delta in the world (18,000 km2) after the Inner Niger Delta (40,000 km2 at its maximum extent in Mali). It is, moreover, one of the very few in the world not to have an outlet into the sea. For many scientists, it is a large open-air laboratory and for many lovers of discovery, that is all. simply an extraordinary wonder of nature.

5 – The Tassili Desert in Algeria on the borders of Niger and Libya
The Tassili Desert, also called Tassili n'Ajjer, is located in Algeria, more precisely in the South-East. In this region where the immense sandstone plateau rises to more than 2000 meters above sea level, this territory of Algeria adjoins Niger and Libya. Covering an area of 138,000 km2, it is the first park in Algeria and includes a large part of the Tassili n'Ajjer massif, Erg Admer and Red Tadrart. It is close to the locality of Djanet, in the Wilaya of Illizi. We discover sumptuous geomorphological panoramas and "forests of rocks" of sandstone that the ravages of time have not left without wrinkles. A lunar landscape spectacle of striking and strange beauty.

Tassili Park in Algeria.
Parc du Tassili en Algérie.

In addition to the breathtaking beauty of its landscapes, the Tassili National Park, now called Tassili Cultural Park, is steeped in history, due to the many historical sources of African antiquity which it abounds. It is attested that since 10,000 years BC, human occupation of the region has allowed different populations to leave their archaeological traces there, in particular the hunters and gatherers of the Neolithic period. This is the case with dwellings, tumuli and enclosures, and other artefacts which have provided important lithic and ceramic material. Not to mention all the rock art, namely engravings and paintings, which revealed the Tassili Desert to the world as soon as they were discovered in 1933, thus contributing to its worldwide reputation. To date, nearly 15,000 engravings have been listed according to UNESCO. It has been classified as a World Heritage Site since 1982 and a Biosphere Reserve since 1986 by UNESCO. As for the Iherir Valley that the Tassili Cultural Park is home to, it has been classified as a Ramsar site since February 2, 20017.

To be continued…
By Serge Félix N'Piénikoua

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Communication Afrique Destinations