Grand Egyptian Museum
Credit: Aleksei Filimonov
Africa defies simple description. Spanning 54 countries, its landscapes vary widely— from Atlantic beaches and Sahara dunes to tropical forests, high-altitude urban areas, and snow-covered mountains. The diversity of languages, religions, cuisines, and customs can shift significantly between borders and even within individual cities. Its vastness implies that exploring Africa means encountering many different Africas, rather than a single, uniform continent.
BY CORNELIA POKU
Dulles International has nonstop flights to Accra, Ghana; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Cairo, Egypt; Cape Town, South Africa; Casablanca, Morocco; Lagos, Nigeria; and Lomé, Togo. Consider each of these destinations as just a starting point. This guide features local voices that go beyond famous landmarks— exploring markets, neighborhoods, museums, music venues, vineyards, beaches, and both ancient and modern traditions. Travel from Lomé’ s streets to Lagos’ s galleries and social clubs, from Ethiopia’ s highlands to Cape Town’ s coast, revealing an Africa best understood through direct experience, one encounter at a time.
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