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Africa

Curated by Our Guild Explorers · Updated August 2026

Three country books, twelve city guides and honest advice on the seasons — the Guild's chapter on Africa, three books and growing.

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The three great pyramids of Giza rising from the desert outside Cairo

The pyramids of Giza, on the western edge of Cairo. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The Guild's chapter on Africa

Africa is not one journey but fifty, and the three the Guild has written so far sit at the continent's northern and southern ends: the pharaonic Nile, the walled cities and dunes of Morocco, and the Cape with its mountains, vineyards and game reserves. All three are reachable from the United States on a direct or single-stop flight, all three are comfortable and well practised at looking after visitors, and all three cost less on the ground than Europe does. We will not pretend to cover a continent of fifty-four countries: this chapter is three books today, and growing.

Books on the shelfEgypt, Morocco, South Africa — three, and growing
Flying timeAbout 10–11 hours to Cairo or Casablanca from the US East Coast; 15–16 to Johannesburg
MoneyEgyptian pound, Moroccan dirham, South African rand — all cheaper than Europe on the ground
HemisphereEgypt and Morocco share our seasons; South Africa reverses them
EntryEgypt: visa on arrival or e-visa. Morocco and South Africa: no visa under 90 days

The countries on the shelf

Three country books today — Egypt, Morocco and South Africa — each with its own city guides and a best-time-to-go page.

EgyptBOOK 1

Egypt is the oldest tourist destination on earth and still the most astonishing — the Giza pyramids standing at the edge of a city of some twenty million people, and the temples of Luxor and Aswan an hour's flight south. Most visitors pair a few days in Cairo with a Nile cruise, which has the advantage of doing the moving for you. The State Department notes that US citizens may obtain a 30-day tourist visa on arrival for a fee paid in US dollars cash, or apply for an e-visa in advance.

MoroccoBOOK 2

Morocco is the shortest step from Europe into somewhere entirely different: the great square at Marrakech coming alive at dusk, the tanneries and thousand-year-old university of Fes, the Atlantic light at Tangier and Agadir, and the Sahara a long day's drive beyond the Atlas. It is a country best taken slowly — with a guide for the medinas and a driver for the mountain passes. American visitors need no visa for stays of under 90 days.

South AfricaBOOK 3

South Africa manages the rare trick of offering a comfortable, first-world road trip and a genuine safari inside the same fortnight. Cape Town sits beneath Table Mountain with the winelands an hour inland; the great game reserves are a short flight to the northeast. Remember that the seasons are upside down here — the dry winter months are the best for watching game, while Cape Town is at its finest in the southern summer. No visa is required for American stays under 90 days, but your passport needs two consecutive blank pages.

Elsewhere in Africa

The Guild has not written books for the rest of the continent, and we will not imply otherwise. If you are looking further afield in the meantime, these are the hotel searches readers ask for most.

Not yet writtenAFRICA

No Guild book exists for these yet. These links open a hotel search on Trip.com, our booking partner — they are not Guild guides, and we have marked them so.

When to go

The three countries on this shelf sit in three different climates, so there is no single answer — but there is a rule of thumb: go to North Africa in the cool half of the year, and to South Africa when you have decided between safari and the Cape.

Egypt — October to April

The cool season is the season. Cairo and Luxor are pleasant, the Nile cruises run at full strength and the desert nights are cold enough for a jacket. From June to September Upper Egypt is brutally hot — regularly well above 100°F at Luxor and Aswan — and sightseeing has to be done at dawn. The Red Sea resorts, by contrast, work year-round.

Morocco — March to May, September to November

Spring and autumn are the sweet spots: warm days in Marrakech and Fes, wildflowers or harvest in the countryside, and the Sahara comfortable rather than punishing. High summer bakes the imperial cities, though the Atlantic coast at Essaouira and Agadir stays breezy. Winter is mild by day on the coast, cold at night in the desert, and brings snow to the High Atlas.

South Africa for safari — May to September

The dry winter months are the classic game-viewing window. The bush thins out, the grass is low and the animals gather at what water is left, which makes them far easier to see. Mornings are genuinely cold in an open vehicle, so bring layers. This is also the season with the least malaria risk in the northeast.

South Africa for the Cape — November to March

The southern summer is when Cape Town is at its best: long dry days, the winelands in full leaf, and the beaches usable if you can bear cold Atlantic water. It is also the busiest and priciest stretch, particularly over Christmas and New Year. The famous southeasterly wind blows hardest in December and January.

Questions readers ask about Africa

How many African countries does the Guild cover?

Three: Egypt, Morocco and South Africa. Each has a full country book, guides to where to stay in its main cities, and a month-by-month best-time-to-go page. That is a small corner of a continent of fifty-four countries, and we would rather say so plainly than imply a coverage we do not have. More books are being written, and they will appear on this page as they are finished.

When is the best time to visit Africa?

It depends entirely on which end of the continent you mean. For Egypt and Morocco, travel in the cool half of the year: roughly October to April for Egypt, and March to May or September to November for Morocco. For South Africa the seasons are reversed from ours — the dry winter, May to September, is the best time for safari, while November to March is the southern summer and the finest stretch for Cape Town and the coast.

Do American travellers need a visa for these countries?

For Egypt, yes: the State Department notes that US citizens may obtain a 30-day tourist visa on arrival for a fee that must be paid in US dollars cash, or apply for an e-visa beforehand, and your passport must be valid for six months. Morocco requires no visa for visits under 90 days. South Africa requires no visa for stays under 90 days, but asks for two consecutive blank visa pages and a passport valid for 30 days beyond your departure. Confirm all of this with the relevant official authority before you travel, as requirements change.

Is Africa a comfortable place for an older traveller?

The three countries on this shelf are, with sensible planning. Nile cruises are among the gentlest ways to travel anywhere — you unpack once and the scenery comes to you. South Africa has excellent roads, familiar hotel brands and lodges that are used to guests who would rather not climb into a jeep at 5 a.m. every morning. Morocco needs a little more thought: medina streets are uneven and often unsuitable for wheeled luggage, so ask your riad about porters and access before you book.

Ready to plan your African trip?

Compare hotels, flights and tours across Egypt, Morocco and South Africa — booked through Trip.com.

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Africa · a shelf of the The Guild Travel Library
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