10 Of The Best Beaches in Africa
It’s no secret that Africa is a massive continent, with a coastline of 26,000 km. There are obviously many more than ten beautiful beaches along this extensive coastline, but here’s a just a very short and highly subjective list of some of the continent’s beaches, sourced with the intention of including at least one from each geographical region, and excluding places like Sao Tome and Principe, Zanzibar and the Cape Verde Islands, which like most islands, also have some amazing-looking beaches.
Southern Africa
Clifton 1st, 2nd or 3rd, Cape Town
Clifton, along the Atlantic seaboard of the city of Cape Town, is a series of four beaches separated by huge granite boulders and sometimes high tide. Clifton 4th is the most popular of these, and the busiest during the holiday month of December. However, just a short walk further along the beach are the other Clifton beaches, some of my favourite places to lie in the sun, and summon up the courage to take a swim in the icy sea.
Sundowners on Clifton 1st (warrenski, Flickr)
Mpande Beach, Wild Coast, Eastern Cape
The entire length of the Wild Coast, which extends from Port Edward to East London on the east coast of South Africa, has a number of beautiful and mostly quiet beaches. I spent some time at The Kraal Backpackers in Mpande a few years ago, and the beach below the hill is one of my personal favourites, mostly due to its secluded location between two hills, and the novelty factor of the cows from the nearby village that sleep there overnight.
Mpande Beach, Eastern Cape (champagne for monkeys, Flickr)
Tofo, Mozambique
I’ve unfortunately only managed to visit Mozambique once, but I’ve heard from friends that the beaches up north are exquisitely beautiful, like Tofo, which is apparently also famous for being a place where you can dive with whale sharks.
Tofo, Mozambique (Matt Stible, Flickr)
Angola
I’ve heard in passing that Angola has some beautiful beaches. As a former Portuguese colony, I’ve heard it being compared to Brazil, which according to the little I know about the South American country can only be a good thing. I’m sure there are several beautiful beaches there but the ones that came up the most in my research are the Benguela Beaches south of Luanda.
Baia Azul, Benguela, Angola (filipeb, Flickr)
West Africa
West Coast, Ghana
Another personal recommendation from an editor, Ghana apparently has some beautiful beaches. According to Lonely Planet, some of the more tranquil beach areas outside of Accra are along the West Coast, including the beaches at Busua and Dixcove.
West Coast, Ghana (Stig Nygaard, Flickr)
Robertsport, Liberia
A personal recommendation from a friend, Robertsport in Liberia is known for being the epicentre of surfing in the country, something that was captured in the documentary, Sliding Liberia.
Robertsport, Libera (oso, Flickr)
River Number 2. Beach, Sierra Leone
An entry based on reader’s suggestions for a similar article, River Number 2 beach is less than 20km from Sierra Leone‘s capital, Freetown, and is apparently an idyllic place to kick back with a fresh coconut.
River Number 2 Beach, Sierra Leone (stringer_bel, Flickr)
East Africa
Kenya
Mombasa is the second largest metropolis in Kenya, and a popular beach destination with white sand stretches just outside of the city. Further up along the coast there are also other well known beach destinations like Lamu.
Lamu Beach, Kenya (Cessna 206, Flickr)
North Africa
Oualidia, Morocco
A tidal lagoon known for its birdlife, Oualidia is a popular beach escape for people living in cities like Marrakech, and has been dubbed the “St.Tropez of Morocco”.
Oualidia Beach, Morocco (klausk, Flickr)
Bay of Dahab, Egypt
The Red Sea in Egypt is a popular diving destination, and well known for the beaches at Sharm el-Sheikh. In the Bay of Dahab further north though are beaches like Laguna, known for its watersports and apparently more bohemian feel.
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