Back to grid

Best destinations to visit in January in Africa

Back to grid
Cape Town
Mountains, Beaches and a Vibrant Culture
7.6
A lively coastal city lies below the flat top of Table Mountain, with beaches and vineyards close by. January is mid summer with long, sunny days, so beach time and hikes are easy to plan. Cape Point and the penguins at Boulders Beach are popular day trips.
Highlights:
  • 🍽️ Explore the V&A Waterfront and dine by the sea
  • 🚡 Ride the cable car for breathtaking city views
  • 🥾 Hike to the top of Table Mountain
Knysna
A Coastal Gem on the Garden Route
6.8
Unlike nearby beach towns, this one sits beside a large lagoon. A narrow sea entrance runs between two cliffs called the Knysna Heads. Oysters, boat cruises and waterfront restaurants are popular in the warm weather of January. Forests and hiking trails lie just inland from the water.
Highlights:
  • 🦪 Taste fresh oysters at a waterfront restaurant
  • 🌿 Explore Featherbed Nature Reserve’s trails and viewpoints
  • ⛵ Sail across the Knysna Lagoon to the Heads
Kilimanjaro National Park
Africa's Rooftop Adventure
7.4
Climbers follow the Swahili saying pole pole, which means slowly, to help the body adjust to altitude. Routes are walked with licensed guides and porters from nearby communities. January and February are among the drier months on the mountain, with clearer views. The summit stands at 5,895 metres and is very cold.
Highlights:
  • 🌅 Watch the sunrise above the clouds from Stella Point
  • 🌿 Hike through rainforest trails filled with colobus monkeys
  • 🏔️ Climb to Uhuru Peak, the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro
Zanzibar
Turquoise Waters and Spice Perfume
7.4
Weather is hot and mostly dry in January. The Indian Ocean is warm enough for long swims. Beaches on the north and east coasts have white sand and clear water. Stone Town has old Swahili houses, carved doors and spice markets. Dhow boat trips and snorkelling are easy to arrange.
Highlights:
  • 🐒 Visit Jozani Forest to see rare red colobus monkeys
  • 🤿 Snorkel in the clear waters of Mnemba Atoll and spot vibrant marine life
  • 🏰 Explore Stone Town's narrow streets and historic sites
Stellenbosch
Wine, Heritage and Mountain Views
7.5
Governor Simon van der Stel founded this town in 1679 beside the Eerste River. White gabled Cape Dutch houses and old oak trees remain in the centre. Nearby wine estates offer tastings. January is a warm month for lunches outdoors. The university gives the town a youthful feel.
Highlights:
  • 🥾 Hike Jonkershoek Nature Reserve trails for stunning views
  • 🏛️ Explore historic Dorp Street's Cape Dutch architecture
  • 🍷 Tour the famous Spier Wine Farm and taste award-winning wines
Swakopmund
Coastal charm meets desert horizons
8.9
A seaside town where desert dunes lie beside the cold Atlantic has a calm feel and German colonial buildings. The coast is much cooler than inland Namibia in January. Visitors try sandboarding, quad biking and boat trips to see dolphins and seals. Cafes serve German style cakes.
Highlights:
  • 🤿 Scuba dive among vibrant coral reefs
  • 🐪 Ride camel across the white dunes
  • 🏖️ Sail on the Atlantic coast at sunset
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Nature's Untamed Sanctuary
7.1
A highland area in northern Tanzania includes the Ngorongoro Crater, a large volcanic caldera with wildlife all year. The southern plains near Ndutu are where wildebeest herds give birth, usually in January and February. Lions and hyenas follow the herds. The crater floor is a good place to see black rhinos.
Highlights:
  • 🛖 Visit a Maasai village and learn their traditions
  • 🐘 Spot the Big Five in one morning safari
  • 🦁 Descend into Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Gorilla Encounters in Ancient Forest
8.3
This forest in southwest Uganda is thought to be over 20,000 years old and became a national park in 1991. About half of all mountain gorillas live there. Trekking is easier in the drier weeks of December to February, although the steep paths can still be muddy.
Highlights:
  • 🐦 Birdwatch over 350 species including rare Albertine endemics
  • 🥾 Join guided nature walks on scenic forest hiking trails
  • 🦍 Trek with endangered mountain gorillas in their habitat
Franschhoek
Wine, Mountains and Gourmet Living
7.4
A small town in a narrow valley has dozens of wine estates within a short drive. French Huguenot settlers arrived in the late 1600s. Their influence remains in street names and food. Summer days are warm and dry. The Franschhoek Wine Tram is a hop on hop off route between estates.
Highlights:
  • 🏛️ Visit the Huguenot Memorial Museum and monument
  • 🌿 Explore beautiful gardens at Babylonstoren Farm
  • 🍷 Taste exquisite wines on the Franschhoek Wine Tram
Amboseli National Park
Elephants Against Kilimanjaro's Backdrop
7.9
A national park in southern Kenya lies just north of the Tanzanian border, directly facing Mount Kilimanjaro. Wildlife is easy to see on the open plains during the short dry spell in January and February. Mornings are often clear enough to see the snow capped summit. Large elephant herds feed in the swamps.
Highlights:
  • 📸 Photograph flamingos and pelicans at Amboseli’s shimmering lakes
  • 🌅 Take a sunrise safari and spot lions, zebras, and giraffes
  • 🐘 Watch herds of elephants roam with Mount Kilimanjaro as backdrop
Volcanoes National Park
Majestic volcanoes rise over misty valleys
8.5
A park of about 160 square kilometres in northwest Rwanda covers five of the Virunga volcanoes. Guided treks take small groups to mountain gorilla families in bamboo and forest. Golden monkeys and the hike to Dian Fossey's old research camp are other options. Paths are usually less slippery from December to February.
Highlights:
  • 🏞️ Stroll through scenic Lake Kivu shoreline
  • 🐒 Spot golden monkeys in Nyungwe forest canopy
  • 🦍 Hike Volcanoes National Park's gorilla trail
Maasai Mara
Endless savannahs echo with wildlife rhythms
8.6
Compared with the busy months of July to October, this reserve in southwest Kenya is quieter in January. Most of the wildebeest herds are in Tanzania then, but resident lions, elephants and giraffes are easy to find. Lodges often have lower prices and fewer vehicles at sightings.
Highlights:
  • 🏕️ Camp under starlit sky, hear lions roar
  • 🎈 Ride a hot air balloon over Serengeti plains
  • 🐘 Witness the Great Migration across Mara River
Kalahari Desert
Endless dunes whisper ancient desert secrets
7.2
San trackers lead guided walks in Botswana's Kalahari and share skills their communities have used for thousands of years. January is in the green season, when the plains are covered in fresh grass. Springbok and gemsbok often have young at this time. Days are hot, so walks start early.
Highlights:
  • 🚙 Ride a 4x4 through rugged sand trails
  • 🐾 Spot black-footed ferrets in their natural habitat
  • 🌌 Camp under starlit skies at Sossusvlei dunes
Botswana
Safari paradise with diverse landscapes
7.7
The Makgadikgadi Pans are the remains of an ancient lake that dried up thousands of years ago while in January summer rains fill them so zebra herds move to fresh grass at Nxai Pan. This green season has fewer visitors and lower lodge rates while the Okavango has baby impala and nesting birds.
Highlights:
  • 🌅 Watch elephants gather at waterholes during sunset
  • 🦁 Spot wildlife on a safari in Chobe National Park
  • 🛶 Glide through the Okavango Delta on a traditional mokoro canoe
Egypt
Ancient wonders meet desert landscapes
8.0
January has cool dry days and chilly nights, which makes it a comfortable month for walking among the tombs of the Valley of the Kings in Luxor and the huge columns of Karnak. Nile cruise boats run between Luxor and Aswan with guests on the sun deck in pleasant weather.
Highlights:
  • 🏛️ Explore the ancient temples of Luxor and Karnak
  • 🏊‍♂️ Float effortlessly in Siwa’s salt lakes
  • 🌅 Stand in awe before the Great Pyramids of Giza
Garden Route
Scenic vineyards and coastal cliffs
January is warm and sunny on this scenic coast in South Africa, but it is also a busy holiday month. Rooms and hire cars should be booked early. Popular stops include Tsitsikamma National Park, the Wilderness lakes and the beaches at Plettenberg Bay. Dolphins are often seen from the shore.
Highlights:
  • 🍤 Savor fresh seafood at a coastal village
  • 🏞️ Explore Tsitsikamma National Park’s canopy walkway over cliffs
  • 🚗 Drive scenic Garden Route, stop at Knysna Heads
Kenya
Safari paradise meets coastal charm
6.6
Kenya is named after Mount Kenya, which the Kikuyu people call Kirinyaga, meaning mountain of whiteness, while in January the country has dry sunny weather between the short and long rains. Game drives in Tsavo are dusty but animals gather at waterholes while Diani and Lamu have warm calm beaches.
Highlights:
  • 🦁 Go on a Big Five safari in Amboseli National Park
  • 🏔️ Climb Mount Kenya and enjoy panoramic alpine views
  • 🦓 Witness the Great Migration across the Maasai Mara plains
Namibia
Desert wilderness meets wildlife wonders
6.9
Between the Atlantic Ocean and the Kalahari Desert, Namibia has a hot rainy season in January, when summer storms turn the plains of Etosha green and animals have their young. Climbers go up Big Daddy dune at Sossusvlei before sunrise to avoid the heat, while the coast stays cool and foggy.
Highlights:
  • ⚓ Visit the eerie shipwrecks along Namibia’s Skeleton Coast
  • 🐘 Spot wildlife on a safari through Etosha National Park
  • 🏜️ Climb the towering red dunes of Sossusvlei at sunrise
Seychelles
Tropical paradise with pristine beaches
7.7
Creole cooks in the Seychelles grill red snapper and serve it with rice, coconut curry and spicy chutney at seaside cafes after a day on the sand. January has warm humid weather with passing showers and green hills, so beaches such as Anse Source d'Argent on La Digue are bright between storms.
Highlights:
  • 🥾 Hike the scenic Copolia Trail on Mahe Island
  • 🐢 Encounter giant tortoises on Curieuse Island
  • 🏖️ Visit Anse Source d'Argent, famed pink sand beach
Tanzania
Wild safaris meet tropical beaches
7.7
Tanganyika and the island of Zanzibar joined in 1964 to form Tanzania, a country where wildebeest herds graze on the southern Serengeti plains with newborn calves in January. Rain showers keep the countryside green and lodge rates lower, while Lake Manyara has forest, hippos and birds.
Highlights:
  • 🐘 Explore wildlife in Ngorongoro Conservation Area
  • 🦁 Go on a safari in Serengeti National Park
  • 🗻 Climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak
Zambia
Wild safaris meet thundering waterfalls
7.1
On the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls has rising water in January as the rains build towards the peak flow around April, so the spray and roar grow each week. Elsewhere the bush is green and lodge rates are low, while South Luangwa has birds and newborn impala.
Highlights:
  • ⛵ Drift along the Zambezi River on a sunset cruise
  • 🦁 Take a safari in South Luangwa National Park
  • 🌊 Experience the thunderous spray of Victoria Falls up close
Feedback