The @africa.explores account on Instagram has published proposals and photographs of dream places on the continent, signifying that Africa is not just safaris and beaches. A wake-up call for travellers looking for open spaces, silence and nature in its purest form. They are lesser-known travel destinations.
In the heart of the Algerian Sahara, Tassili n'Ajjer offers incredible scenery: a vast plateau of sculpted rocks, canyons and ancient rock art from past civilisations, as witnessed by its caves and prehistoric paintings.
To the north, in Ethiopia, the Danakil (Dallol) Depression, one of the most inhospitable and hottest places on earth, displays vividly coloured sulphuric lakes, fumaroles and salt flats that give a sense of being in an unknown world. These almost unreal volcanic landscapes offer countless sensations of isolation, overwhelming silence and dazzling natural beauty.
Exploring these remote corners is not just a getaway: it is to enter terrestrial galaxies where time seems to stand still, speaking to the geological and cultural history of the planet. Deep silence, infinite horizons, scorching heat or icy sunrises; any of these destinations promises a unique experience, a reunion with oneself and pure nature.
In the south, Namibia concentrates some of the continent's most masterful scenery: in the Namib Desert, the Sossusvlei and Deadvlei dunes rise up to 300m in reddish dunes that contrast with whitish honeycombs and petrified logs; a silent, almost surreal desert, inhabited by species adapted to the morning dew. Further west, the Skeleton Coast combines towering dunes merging with the Atlantic Ocean and half-buried shipwrecks, a ghostly landscape of remote beauty.
In the far northwest, the Kaokoveld region shares the imposing living traditions of the Himba and waterfalls in the middle of the aridity, such as those of Epupa, painted by baobabs and acacias on the banks of the Kunene River. At their feet, wildlife adapted to the extreme aridity - such as oryx, springbok and amazing insects capable of capturing water from the dew - add a tinge of authentic life to the desert landscape.
Source: @africa.explores | 11-06-2025