Nature places in Africa

The main attraction in Kakum National Park is the canopy walk. Seven suspension-bridges span over the top of trees in the primary forest. If you're not fond of heights, it can be a bit terrifying tumbling across the swinging and wobbling bridges, but they are proper made. Unless you want to join local church groups, try to come on a weekday. Beside the canopy walk, you can also do a jungle walk with guide who will eagerly point out plants and explain their use - and if you're lucky, you might also see a few monkeys.

Perfectly round Lake Bosomtwe is the result of a water filled meteorite crater. 8 km in diameter, it's the largest natural lake in Ghana. It's located amid lush greenery and hills rising some 400 metres above its shores, making the lake a superb place to unwind from the hectic streets of Kumasi. If nothing else, it's a great lunch spot. Locals still hold the lake sacred and traditions have it that nothing made of metal is allowed to touch the water. To complicate things further the only permissible form of transport on the lake used to be traditional boats paddled with small calabash scoops not much larger than a grown man's hand. However, realising the tourist potential of the lake, these taboos are quickly losing their importance.

Mole National Park is considered to be the cheapest safari destination in Africa, with walking safaris costing as little as 5 USD. But that's, of course, not the only reason to visit Mole. Mole National Park is Ghana largest wildlife sanctuary and one of the best places in West Africa for game watching. Though there are big cats (leopards and very few rare lions), the star attraction are the elephants. As there are waterholes near the park headquarter and the motel/lodge, there are pretty good chance to spot elephants on walking safari, particularly in the dry season (October - March). Game drives, both day and night, are also possible with more chances to see some of the many antelopes, deers, and bucks - not to mention the naughty baboons, that will find you first.

Along the little-visited coast east of Accra, are the country's most attractive lagoons, Songor and Keta. Both are important nesting sites for turtles during the European winter, with the best chance of seeing turtles being Songor Lagoon. Keta Lagoon has the added quality of being the most important site in Ghana for marine birds, with hundred of thousands of individual birds descending on the lagoon, fleeing the cold winter of the north. Contact Ramsar Wetlands or the tourist information in either Adu Foah or Keta to arrange tours. If you're only looking for an outing on the water, there are plenty of local fishermen who will happily take you out for a few hours.

One of only a handful long-term research projects on primates in Africa, the Japanese-Guinean facilities in the village of Bossou offer some of the best chimpanzee spotting opportunities on the continent. The forest-covered hills surrounding Bossou have a large congregation of chimpanzees, and the research centre is working together with the local communities not only to protect the primates but also to replant large areas that have been excessively deforested in the past. Established in the 80's the research centre also trained a large number of guides who are experts of tracking the apes. While there's no guarantee of seeing wildlife, the odds are as good as they get here. The fees paid by visitors are split between the guides, the research centre, and the local communities.

Guinea might well deserve to be renamed Monde de Chutes (World of Waterfalls). The country's mountainous highlands to the north – particular the Fouta Djallon – could be explored for weeks, visiting a new spectacular waterfall every day, without running out of new falls to explore. The list of our favourites is long, so we will only mention a few. Highest is the 120 m single drop Chutes de Ditinn, where a short hike will reward you by a swim in its plunge pool. The spectacular Chutes de Kambadaga has two drops, each more than 40 m high. Adding to Kambadaga's excitement, a rickety swing bridge cross the river, just 50 metres before the first drop. At Chutes de Kinkon's 60 m drop visitors can play around on the very wet and slippery stones right next to the drop. If they dare. Here is nothing to stop daredevils from plunging dramatically to their deaths. Also worth a visit are Chutes de la Salaa, Chutes de la Soumba, Voile de Marée and many more. Avoid touring the waterfalls at the very end of the dry season.

Eighty-some islands and islets make up West Africa's largest archipelago. Only some of the islands are inhabited, others are used solely for farming or fishing, and some again are considered sacred – one these latter ones, permanent structures is forbidden. Any visit to the archipelago requires either plenty of time or money. The choice of transportation here are, in descending order of expensiveness, private chartered plane, chartered speed boat, negotiating the use of someone's pirogue or public pirogue. Once the time has been taken out of the calendar (or the money has been taken out of the bank), the archipelago is an almost endless row of paradise islands. Bubaque is the usual starting point. From there the island of Rubane host a range of sacred forests, Orange is home to rare saltwater hippos, João Viera and do Meio is nesting sites for sea turtles, and all hide abandoned beaches that otherwise only seem to exists in tourist magazines. Just to add to the fun dolphins play in the waters all around the islands, which is about as close as sport fishers come to Heaven on Earth.

Bubaque Island is home to the largest and, without a doubt, the most important town in the Bijagós Archipelago. The island isn't just important to locals. For tourists and travellers who hope to go further out into the archipelago, Bubaque is the first stop. It's from here most transportation to the outlying islands depart, and it's the only place in the archipelago there are any facilities in the form of shops, restaurants and entertainment (read: a handful of bars and a night club). Home to Guinea-Bissau's only real tourism industry, here's also a broad range of accommodation. Although the most comfortable cater almost excusably to European sport fishers. Visitors who sit around waiting for a departure and not fluent in the fishing-lingo should consider renting a bike and make the 30 km round-trip across the island to it's best beach, Praia da Bruce.

5 km of unspoilt, human-free tropical beach (you'll have to share all that sand with a handful of cows) sounds like your thing; we have a place that will get your heart pumping with excitement. The coastal village of Varela is blessed with a truly fantastic beach that is all but deserted. Actually, it has two such beaches. The main beach stretches north, for more than 5 km towards Senegal, while a smaller beach to the south sits in a lovely, palm-fringed cove. The reason for the paradise's absent of tourists? First of all, very few visitors bother to come to Guinea-Bissau. Secondly, Varela sits at the end of an appalling bad road, on which it takes the one daily minibus, four hours to navigate just 45 km. But the hardship of getting here is definitely worth it.

Kakamega Forest may not feature on the itinerary of many first-time visitors to Kenya, but for those with a bit of time on their hands, or self-drivers travelling between Kenya and Uganda, might want to take a couple of days to explore this remnant of a once huge forest, extending well into the Congo and covering much of western Kenya. The main attraction here is the huge array of butterflies and birds, although Colobus monkeys and the faint chance of seeing a pangolin also draw visitors. There are a number of guided walks in the area, although it is worth just exploring on your own as well - the guided walks are interesting, but overpriced. Butterflies enjoy the sunlight, and simply by driving some kilometres past the main entrance to the reserve you are likely to spot flocks of them by the side of the road. The forest also provides a refreshing change of scenery from the shrubs and open spaces of most of Kenya's other parks and reserves, and cultural dances and story-telling (from members of the Luhya tribe) sessions can be organised.