Looking for some of the best hikes in Africa? Hiking in Africa requires more energy than standard walks because of the challenging terrains, and your body uses a lot of energy while hiking to scale through rough, rocky, and hilly trails.
Hiking also serves as great cardio because it gets the heart pumping due to the rough and uneven trails. It helps reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol, stroke, and cancers. Hiking also has good health benefits.
Below are some of the best hiking trails known in Africa.
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest existing mountain in Africa, standing at 19,341 feet above ground level; it is located in Tanzania. It has six well-trodden routes, and the hike takes about five to eight days to reach the summit and descend back down, depending on how long the routes are.
Hiking The Hoerikwaggo Table Mountain
The table mountain hike takes about five or six days to complete the trail. It offers a range of cultural experiences to pick from.
Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai, also popularly known as mount Moses due to Moses receiving the Ten Commandments on this mount according to the bible.
Hiking Mount Sinai is more of a day trip because it takes about 4 hours to complete. With a height of 7,497ft above ground level, it is in located Egypt on the Sinai Peninsula. It has two hiking trails; The Camel Trail and The Steps of Repentance.
The Simien Mountains, Ethiopia.
The Simien Mountains, located in Ethiopia with numerous summits, stand at 4,000m above ground level. It is also well-known for its landscape and unique wildlife such as the GeladaBaboons, ibex, lammergeyer, and the Ethiopian Wolf. The mountain has a very diverse trail that gives a one – eight-day hike.
The Drakensberg Mountains
The Drakensberg Mountains offers a variety of hiking options which range from a few hours to multi day’s expeditions. It stands as the highest mountain range in South Africa and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Gorilla Trekking In Virunga
The Virunga Mountain is located in Central Africa and is shared by Rwanda, Congo, and Uganda. The mountains can also be located in the three national parks situated in the three countries mentioned earlier. These national parks are the Volcano National Park in Rwanda, the Virunga National Park and the Mgahinga National Park in Uganda.
Gorilla trekking can be enjoyed while hiking the Virunga Mountains in Mgahinga National Park. You will also access the Hirwa Gorilla Famil or the Nyakagezi gorilla family.
Hiking In Ranomafana Forest
Hiking the Ranomafana Forest is one way to enjoy the landscape and see the wildlife. The forest is located in Madagascar and is home to many rare wildlife and 11 species of lemurs, like the aye-aye, which is known as the world’s largest nocturnal primate.
Ol Doinyo Lengai, Tanzania
The Ol Doinyo Lengai, which translate as ‘Mountain of God’, is a sacred mountain to the Massai people. From the top. From the peak of the mountain, which is 10,000 feet above ground level, you can see the beautiful sunrise views of the entire pit. The entire hike can take six-seven hours to reach the summit and return to the ground.
Danakil Depression, Ethiopia.
The Danakil Depression, located in northeastern Ethiopia, is one of the hottest, lowest, and driest places. It is surrounded by desert and is a highly volcanic area. Lying as deep as 100m below sea level, it houses one of the six active lava lakes in the world.
Mount Olokwe, Kenya
Mount Ololokwe has served as an attraction to tourists visiting Kenya; while hiking, you can also view the beautiful African landscape.
Mount Longonot, Kenya.
The extinct volcano of Mount Longonot takes about four-five hours for a full tour. The trails are steep and eroded, and it sounds at 2,776m above ground level. It is located in the Great Rift Valley of Kenya, and it is treated as a part of the Mount Longonot National Park and protected by the Kenya Wildlife Service.
Mount Elgon, Uganda.
Mount Elgon is standing at the height of 14,176ft above ground level and holds the record for the mountain with the most extended base in the world. The mountain is less populated, which makes it easy for spotting wildlife.
Robberg Peninsula, South Africa.
The Robberg Peninsula is located near Plettenburg Bay and offers some of the best hiking trails. The hiking allows you to witness the beautiful landscape of the mountain, the seal colony.
Otter Trail, South Africa.
The Otter Trail is a well-known and beautiful hike spot in South Africa. It offers a diversity of tour experience
Livingstonia, Malawi
Livingstonia is a small town located in the mountains, and some missionaries founded it in the late 1800s, and it is located 900 meters above the lake. An additional incentive is a mini-museum that provides knowledge about the history of Livingstonia.
Mount Mulanje, Malawi
One of the best-hiking destinations in South Africa is Mount Mulanje; the trails of Mount Mulanje is so diverse that they can be explored from a day to six days. The best time to hike in Mount Mulanje is during the dry season between April to August.
