Africa destination guide FAQ
Your Africa questions, answered.
The same ground the Africa destination guide covers — travel tips, the best months, local culture and where to go — set out as the questions people actually ask us before they book.
Planning a trip to Africa
- Pick one region per trip — what does that mean for a trip to Africa?
- Morocco, East Africa and the Indian Ocean islands are long flights apart. A fortnight that tries to combine a safari and the Atlas Mountains spends four days in airports. Two weeks in one region, or a safari paired with an island week on the same side of the continent, works far better.
- Safari and beach is the classic pairing — what does that mean for a trip to Africa?
- The reason it endures is practical: a safari is early mornings and long drives, and most people want to stop moving afterwards. Kenya or Tanzania into Zanzibar, or South Africa into Mauritius or the Seychelles, are the routings with the shortest connecting legs.
- Internal flights are part of the cost — what does that mean for a trip to Africa?
- Safari camps are reached by light aircraft with strict soft-bag and weight limits — confirm the current limit directly with the camp before you pack. Budget for those legs and pack in a duffel, not a hard case. Confirm the transfer mode, last departure and baggage rules for the exact island with the operator; no universal daylight-only rule is verified.
- Health paperwork needs a month's notice — what does that mean for a trip to Africa?
- Malaria prophylaxis, yellow fever certificates for some routings and routine vaccinations all need lead time. Check requirements with your own doctor and foreign office, since rules vary by country and by where you have travelled before arriving.
- Check each accommodation’s staff and inclusions — what does that mean for a trip to Africa?
- Ask each Marrakech riad directly what staffing its rate includes, and confirm with each safari camp whether full board and game drives are included before comparing prices. Read what the rate covers before comparing two numbers — they rarely mean the same thing.
The best time to visit Africa
- When is the best time to visit Africa?
- January to March: Ask each southern Africa camp directly about current game-viewing conditions in this window. Check current Marrakech forecasts for medina walking, and confirm current Seychelles sea and weather conditions with the property. April to June: Check current Marrakech forecasts before booking this window. Ask East Africa camps directly about current rainfall and road conditions, and confirm current Seychelles sea conditions with the property. July to September: Ask each East and southern Africa camp directly about current game-viewing conditions and its latest view on migration timing before booking. Check current Marrakech forecasts, and ask the riad whether it has a pool if heat is a concern. October to December: Ask each safari camp directly about current conditions and availability for October. Check current Marrakech forecasts for November, and enquire with the Seychelles property as early as possible for December dates. Rates on every villa move with these seasons, and the live partner panels on each listing show what a given week actually costs.
- What is Africa like in January to March?
- Ask each southern Africa camp directly about current game-viewing conditions in this window. Check current Marrakech forecasts for medina walking, and confirm current Seychelles sea and weather conditions with the property.
- What is Africa like in April to June?
- Check current Marrakech forecasts before booking this window. Ask East Africa camps directly about current rainfall and road conditions, and confirm current Seychelles sea conditions with the property.
- What is Africa like in July to September?
- Ask each East and southern Africa camp directly about current game-viewing conditions and its latest view on migration timing before booking. Check current Marrakech forecasts, and ask the riad whether it has a pool if heat is a concern.
- What is Africa like in October to December?
- Ask each safari camp directly about current conditions and availability for October. Check current Marrakech forecasts for November, and enquire with the Seychelles property as early as possible for December dates.
Local culture and etiquette in Africa
- Dress with the place in mind — what is expected of visitors?
- Morocco is relaxed with visitors but covered shoulders and knees are appreciated in the medina and expected at religious sites, which non-Muslims generally cannot enter. Safari camps are informal; neutral colours are practical rather than a dress code.
- Bargaining is a conversation, not a contest — what is expected of visitors?
- In Moroccan souks a price is an opening. Take it in good humour, settle at something both sides are content with, and walk away politely if you are not buying. Shouting a number and leaving is read as rude rather than shrewd.
- Ask before photographing people — what is expected of visitors?
- This holds across the continent and particularly in markets and villages. A refusal is not personal, and a small payment is sometimes expected in tourist areas — agree it before, not after.
- Tipping is customary and largely in cash — what is expected of visitors?
- Guides, trackers and camp staff are tipped at the end of a stay, usually in local currency or US dollars, and camps publish guidance. In Morocco small tips for the riad staff and drivers are normal. Carry cash; card acceptance thins quickly outside cities and resorts.
Where to go in Africa
- Which places in Africa should I build a trip around?
- Marrakech — Riads behind unmarked doors in the medina, the Atlas Mountains an hour away, and the best months either side of summer. North Island, Seychelles — A private island in the Indian Ocean with granite boulders and a handful of villas — ask the property directly for its current view on the calmest sea conditions. The Masai Mara and Serengeti — The great migration moves with the grass; ask the camp directly for its current view on crossing timing before booking. The Okavango Delta, Botswana — Water-based game viewing by mokoro — ask the camp directly for its current view on flood timing before booking. Cape Town and the Winelands — Table Mountain, Atlantic beaches and Stellenbosch vineyards — check current forecasts before booking a specific window. Zanzibar — The usual beach week after an East African safari; ask the property directly for its current view on the driest months.
- How do I book a villa in Africa?
- In Africa we currently hold villas in Marrakech and North Island, Seychelles. Recorded listings are not guaranteed exact matches on partner sites. Use the Stay22 partner search for your dates and confirm the exact accommodation, total price and terms before booking. For the places in this guide where we do not yet list a villa, treat the guide as planning advice rather than an offer.