Every year at Christmas time thousands of tourists fly to various countries in Africa for exotic and relaxing holidays. Christmas in Africa is a time of outdoor fun, due to the warm summer weather. Moreover, tourists to Africa during this time will observe the magnificent scenery whether it’s along a coastline or on a big safari park with untouched wild nature.
It is worthy of note that there are more than 350 million Christians resident in Africa, so travellers and tourists alike will have the opportunity of enjoying various unique African Christmas traditions (which include dishes, cultural displays, carnivals among a host of other activities) that differ from those in their home countries. Here are the top destinations in Africa at Christmas that everyone should try and visit at least once.
Calabar, Nigeria
Calabar in Nigeria is one of the best destinations for celebrating Christmas in Africa. The whole city offers so many amazing activities to the local people and tourists during the Christmas season. Many tourists come to this city especially to attend the famous Calabar Carnival which is often regarded as Africa’s Biggest Street Party. The first Calabar Carnival was organized in 2004 in order to attract tourists into the city and the idea turned out to be very successful. The Carnival gained popularity extremely fast and now many celebrities from around Africa and even from Hollywood participate in this festival – there are lots of parties, street performances, concerts and competitions for young and older people. Calabar is probably the most exciting and fun place to celebrate Christmas in Nigeria. The Carnival begins in December.
Seychelles
A lot of tourists prefer to have a very relaxing holiday far from their usual environment and many choose to travel to the Republic of Seychelles, a gorgeous island country in Africa. During Christmas season, Seychelles weather is warm and tourists typically spend their time relaxing in the snow white beaches whilst trying to forget their home routines. With scenery so spectacular and wonderful – it’s no wonder it’s the first destination in Africa most families and couples choose to spend their vacation. A well-developed tourist industry offers high quality services that will make tourists’ stay very comfortable in addition to the exotic culture of the Seychelles. At Christmas, there are many festive activities and concerts organized by restaurants and hotels.
Cape Town, South Africa
If you want to celebrate Christmas in South Africa, the best destination to visit would be Cape Town which has magnificent beaches surrounded by mountains. There is also a rich local culture, so you will get to experience Christmas in a unique and unforgettable way. What you can do in Cape Town? You should visit the official switch-on of the festive lights on Adderley Street, see the Nutcracker Ballet and Fairy Parade, go up the Table Mountain or visit the dozens of restaurants and bars which have special entertainment programmes during the Christmas season. Another reason why Cape Town is a city that you should visit is because there is very little rain and the temperature is 25 degrees centigrade in December. Usually, there are 11 hours of sunshine a day in December in Cape Town.
Etosha National Park, Namibia
Tourists who travel to Africa have a rare opportunity to visit the national parks where hundreds of species of birds, reptiles, and mammals live in the wild. Nowadays, the national parks are very tourist-friendly and offer excellent hospitability services. For example, in Namibia, there is Etosha National Park which offers visitors accommodation in one of the five sites located within the park with lodges or camping facilities. In some of the sites there are swimming pools, restaurants and other facilities that are important for the tourists. December is the best month to visit Etosha National Park, because the weather is dry and warm. Namibia is an exotic country. It used to be a Germany colony, so when you see the Namibian Christmas cookies and decorations, they are bound to have roots with Germany.
Kenya
Kenya is another country with many opportunities for tourists during the December holidays. There are multiple national parks such as Masai Mara National Reserve, Tsavo National Park East, Amboseli National Park, etc, where one can see rare animals.
If you are not in the mood for going anywhere, you can relax in Diani Beach with a refreshing drink and swim in the warm sea. You could also ride a camel or take a bike tour in order to see how the local people live in the nearby villages.
Finally, if you decide to stay for a few days in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. There are many places such as museums and parks to visit. From Nairobi, you may easily travel to the nearby national parks and other popular destinations. Very often tourists like to cross a symbolic equator line which divides the world into two hemispheres. The weather is very pleasant in Kenya starting from mid-December after the end of the short rainy season.
Source: Afrotourism
