Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. The US State Department raised São Tomé and Príncipe to Level 3, “Reconsider Travel,” on 8 April 2026, citing political unrest risk tied to legislative elections expected in late September 2026, along with very limited medical and evacuation capacity.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. The US State Department raised São Tomé and Príncipe to Level 3, “Reconsider Travel,” on 8 April 2026, citing political unrest risk tied to legislative elections expected in late September 2026, along with very limited medical and evacuation capacity.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. The US State Department raised São Tomé and Príncipe to Level 3, “Reconsider Travel,” on 8 April 2026, citing political unrest risk tied to legislative elections expected in late September 2026, along with very limited medical and evacuation capacity.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. The US State Department raised São Tomé and Príncipe to Level 3, “Reconsider Travel,” on 8 April 2026, citing political unrest risk tied to legislative elections expected in late September 2026, along with very limited medical and evacuation capacity.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. The US State Department raised São Tomé and Príncipe to Level 3, “Reconsider Travel,” on 8 April 2026, citing political unrest risk tied to legislative elections expected in late September 2026, along with very limited medical and evacuation capacity.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. The US State Department raised São Tomé and Príncipe to Level 3, “Reconsider Travel,” on 8 April 2026, citing political unrest risk tied to legislative elections expected in late September 2026, along with very limited medical and evacuation capacity.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Before you book: Nigeria’s Lagos, Abuja, and Cross River/Calabar circuit, the three bases in this itinerary, is workable with sensible precautions, but several other regions carry active “do not travel” or “reconsider travel” guidance: the northeast (Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, an active insurgency), the northwest and north-central Middle Belt (Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna, Niger, bandit kidnapping), the Niger Delta (militancy and kidnapping around oil operations), and parts of the southeast (Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, separatist unrest).

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Before you book: Nigeria’s Lagos, Abuja, and Cross River/Calabar circuit, the three bases in this itinerary, is workable with sensible precautions, but several other regions carry active “do not travel” or “reconsider travel” guidance: the northeast (Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, an active insurgency), the northwest and north-central Middle Belt (Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna, Niger, bandit kidnapping), the Niger Delta (militancy and kidnapping around oil operations), and parts of the southeast (Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, separatist unrest).

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Before you book: Nigeria’s Lagos, Abuja, and Cross River/Calabar circuit is workable with sensible precautions, but several other regions are under active “do not travel” or “reconsider travel” guidance: the northeast (Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, an active insurgency), the northwest and north-central Middle Belt (Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna, Niger, bandit kidnapping), the Niger Delta (militancy and kidnapping around oil operations), and parts of the southeast (Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, separatist unrest).

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Before you book: Nigeria’s Lagos, Abuja, and Cross River/Calabar circuit is workable with sensible precautions, but several other regions carry active “do not travel” or “reconsider travel” guidance: the northeast (Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, an active insurgency), the northwest and north-central Middle Belt (Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna, Niger, bandit kidnapping), the Niger Delta (militancy and kidnapping around oil operations), and parts of the southeast (Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, separatist unrest).

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Before you book: Nigeria’s Lagos, Abuja, and Cross River/Calabar circuit is visitable with sensible precautions, but several regions are under active “do not travel” or “reconsider travel” guidance: the northeast (Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgency), the northwest and north-central Middle Belt (Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna, Niger, bandit kidnapping), the Niger Delta (militancy and kidnapping tied to oil operations), and parts of the southeast (Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, separatist unrest).

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Before you book: Nigeria’s main visitor circuit, Lagos, Abuja, and Cross River/Calabar, is workable with sensible precautions, but several other regions carry “do not travel” or “reconsider travel” guidance: the northeast (Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, an active insurgency), the northwest and north-central “Middle Belt” (Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kaduna, Niger, armed banditry and kidnapping), the Niger Delta (militancy and kidnapping tied to oil operations), and parts of the southeast (Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia, Ebonyi, separatist unrest).

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Travel advisory: The US State Department rates Djibouti Level 2 for terrorism, with a Level 3 “reconsider travel” zone within about 10km of the Eritrea border in the Tadjoura and Obock regions (landmines, border tension), and the UK FCDO advises against all travel to that border strip.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Travel advisory: The US State Department rates Djibouti Level 2 for terrorism, with a Level 3 “reconsider travel” zone within about 10km of the Eritrea border in the Tadjoura and Obock regions (landmines, border tension), and the UK FCDO advises against all travel to that border strip.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Travel advisory: The US State Department rates Djibouti Level 2 for terrorism, with a Level 3 “reconsider travel” zone within about 10km of the Eritrea border in the Tadjoura and Obock regions (landmines, border tension), and the UK FCDO advises against all travel to that border strip.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Travel advisory: The US State Department rates Djibouti Level 2 for terrorism, with a Level 3 “reconsider travel” zone within about 10km of the Eritrea border in the Tadjoura and Obock regions (landmines, border tension), and the UK FCDO advises against all travel to that border strip.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Seven days is the realistic ceiling for a single Lesotho loop out of Maseru: both lowland spokes, one highland dam, and a run north, without doubling back on any road you’ve already driven. The 6-day plan covers most of this; this one adds a proper lowlands day before heading into the highlands, and the 5-day and 4-day plans are shorter cuts of the same route.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Six days is enough to add a north spoke to the 5-day plan’s lowlands, Semonkong, Malealea, and highland dam. The 7-day itinerary is the fullest version of this same route. Book these before you go

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Five days is where the central highlands become realistic alongside the two lowland spokes. The 4-day plan covers Semonkong and Malealea and stops there; this one adds a fifth day out to the Lesotho Highlands Water Project dams.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Travel advisory: The US State Department rates Djibouti Level 2 for terrorism, with a Level 3 “reconsider travel” zone within about 10km of the Eritrea border in the Tadjoura and Obock regions (landmines, border tension), and the UK FCDO advises against all travel to that border strip.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Four days is enough to do both of Lesotho’s classic highland spokes properly instead of picking one. The 3-day plan only has room for Semonkong; this one adds a Malealea pony trek on the way back through Ramabanta.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Three days is the shortest version of a Lesotho trip that actually gets into the highlands. The 2-day plan stays in the lowlands around Maseru; this one trades the second lowland stop for a night at Semonkong instead.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Travel advisory: The US State Department rates Djibouti Level 2 for terrorism, with a Level 3 “reconsider travel” zone within about 10km of the Eritrea border in the Tadjoura and Obock regions (landmines, border tension), and the UK FCDO advises against all travel to that border strip.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Two days in Lesotho is really one full day around Maseru and a second day out to a single nearby site, not a taste of the whole country, and that’s fine for a short trip.

Burkina Faso is a US State Department Level 4, Do Not Travel country, the highest of the four advisory tiers, and the UK’s FCDO advises against all travel to the entire country, with no exception for the capital. So the honest answer to “should I go” is no. If you are reading this anyway because you are an aid worker, journalist, visiting diaspora, or here on essential business, two days is not a sightseeing trip: it is Ouagadougou only, moving between a secure hotel and a short list of central-city sights with someone managing your security, and even the capital carries a real threat level.

Burkina Faso rates Level 4, Do Not Travel, the US State Department’s highest advisory tier, and the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to the country, full stop, with no safe region carved out, not even the capital. That is the answer before anything else on this page: a three-day trip here is not a normal city break, and almost nobody takes one for leisure right now. This itinerary nests inside the 2-day Ouagadougou itinerary , keeping the same central-Ouagadougou-only route and adding one slower third day; it does not add Bobo-Dioulasso, the Sindou Peaks, or any national park, because none of those are reachable safely from the capital right now.

Burkina Faso is a US State Department Level 4, Do Not Travel country, the highest of the four advisory tiers, and the UK’s FCDO advises against all travel to the entire country, with no exception for Ouagadougou or anywhere else. So the honest verdict for four days is the same as for two or three: this is not a normal itinerary. If you are going anyway, for aid work, journalism, essential business, or to see family, four days is still entirely Ouagadougou, run on a diaspora and aid-worker rhythm rather than a tourist one, with the rest of the country covered only as a future “when peace returns” section, not a plan.

Burkina Faso rates Level 4, Do Not Travel, the US State Department’s highest advisory tier, and the UK’s FCDO advises against all travel to the entire country, with no exception for the capital. So the honest verdict on a 5-day trip is the same as on a 2-day one: this is not a sightseeing itinerary, and the extra days do not buy you more of the country. If you are here anyway as an aid worker, journalist, diaspora visiting family, or on essential business, five days means five days inside Ouagadougou: two days of central-city essentials, then three days shaped by staying put rather than by new destinations.

Burkina Faso is a US State Department Level 4, Do Not Travel country, the highest of the four advisory tiers, and the UK’s FCDO advises against all travel to the entire country, with no carve-out for Ouagadougou or anywhere else. So the honest verdict for six days is the same one that applies at two: this is not a normal itinerary, and stretching the count to six days does not buy safe access to more of the country.

Seven days is the longest stretch this site covers for Burkina Faso, and the honest answer does not get more permissive the longer the trip runs. The US State Department rates the entire country Level 4, Do Not Travel, its highest tier, citing terrorism, crime, kidnapping and health risk, an advisory dated 4 May 2026. The UK’s FCDO advises against all travel to Burkina Faso outright, with no carve-out for Ouagadougou or anywhere else.

Cape Verde is ten islands scattered across open Atlantic water, so a two-day trip that promises “the highlights of Cape Verde” is selling something impossible. There’s no road between islands, no quick hop that doesn’t cost you half a day, and every domestic flight or ferry eats into the two days you actually have. The honest version of this itinerary picks one island and stays there: Sal, for the beach, the wind, and the salt pans, and skips Santiago’s capital, Fogo’s volcano, and Santo Antão’s hiking entirely, because none of them fit in 48 hours alongside anything else.

Cape Verde is ten volcanic islands scattered across open Atlantic water, and three days is not enough to see two of them properly, let alone three. This itinerary picks one island, Sal, and stays there: Santa Maria’s beach, the Pedra de Lume salt crater, and a full day out on the water, no domestic flight burned on a rushed hop to Boa Vista or Santiago that would eat half the trip in transfers.

Cape Verde is ten volcanic islands scattered across open Atlantic water, not one landmass you drive around, so the real decision in a four-day trip isn’t what to see, it’s which islands to skip. Four days is enough for exactly one honest pairing: São Vicente’s Mindelo, for music and a proper harbor city, plus Santo Antão’s ribeiras next door, linked by an actual ferry instead of a flight you’d spend half a day chasing.

Five days is enough for two islands, not four or five. Cape Verde is ten volcanic islands scattered across open Atlantic water, not one landmass you can loop by road, so a “5 day Cape Verde itinerary” that stacks a beach stop, a volcano climb, and a capital city tour into one week is describing a trip nobody actually finishes without missing a flight. The honest version pairs São Vicente’s harbor city, Mindelo, with Santo Antão’s hiking trails next door, linked by a single 60-minute ferry, not a domestic flight.

Six days buys you three islands in Cape Verde, but only if you accept that one of those days is mostly spent getting between them. This is a ten-island Atlantic archipelago, not one landmass with a ring road, so island-hopping isn’t a shortcut here, it’s the entire itinerary. The honest six-day route starts in São Vicente’s Mindelo for music and a proper harbor city, crosses to Santo Antão by ferry for the ribeira hikes, then flies on to Fogo to climb an active volcano and drink wine grown inside its own crater.

Seven days in Cape Verde does not buy you five islands, whatever a packing list implies. This is ten volcanic islands scattered across open Atlantic water, not a country you drive across, and every flight or ferry between them costs a real half-day, not a rounding error. The honest seven-day route uses two of those transfers, not four: start in São Vicente’s Mindelo for music, cross to Santo Antão by ferry for the ribeira hikes, then fly on to Santiago for Cidade Velha’s colonial history.

The Central African Republic is not a normal two day trip, and any itinerary that pretends otherwise is selling you something false. The US State Department rates the country Level 4, Do Not Travel, its highest category, citing unrest, crime, kidnapping, landmines and terrorism. The UK’s FCDO advises against all travel to the whole country except Bangui, and against all but essential travel to Bangui itself, airport included. In two days you are realistically doing one thing: the capital, plus a day trip to Boali Falls.

The US State Department rates the Central African Republic at Level 4, Do Not Travel, its highest advisory tier, and the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to the whole country except Bangui, and against all but essential travel to Bangui itself. That is the starting fact for this itinerary, not a footnote at the bottom of it. What three days here can honestly deliver, run through a specialist operator rather than planned independently, is narrow: Bangui itself under local guidance, plus the one genuine day trip out of the capital, Boali Falls.

The Central African Republic sits under a US State Department Level 4, Do Not Travel advisory, its highest tier, citing unrest, crime, kidnapping, landmines and terrorism. The UK’s FCDO advises against all travel to the whole country except Bangui, and against all but essential travel to Bangui itself, airport included. Four days is the shortest length at which this itinerary’s one genuine draw, the Dzanga-Sangha forest reserve, actually fits: a day in Bangui, then a charter flight south for Dzanga Bai’s elephants and either a gorilla trek or a BaAka forest day.

The US State Department rates the Central African Republic at Level 4, Do Not Travel, its highest tier, citing unrest, crime, kidnapping, landmines and terrorism. The UK’s FCDO advises against all travel to the whole country except Bangui, and against all but essential travel to Bangui itself, airport included. Five days is the shortest realistic window in which Dzanga-Sangha, the country’s one genuine wildlife draw, actually fits: a day in Bangui for arrival and permits, then a charter flight southwest for the forest reserve’s elephants, gorilla trekking, and a BaAka forest day.

The US State Department rates the Central African Republic at Level 4, Do Not Travel, its highest tier, citing unrest, crime, kidnapping, landmines and terrorism. The UK’s FCDO advises against all travel to the whole country except Bangui, and against all but essential travel to Bangui itself, airport included. Six days buys a fuller Dzanga-Sangha expedition than the four or five-day plans allow: two days in Bangui, including the Boali Falls day trip, then a charter flight south for two full days at the reserve, covering Dzanga Bai twice, a gorilla trek, a BaAka forest day and the Sangha River.

The US State Department rates the Central African Republic Level 4, Do Not Travel, its highest tier, citing unrest, crime, kidnapping, landmines and terrorism. The UK’s FCDO advises against all travel to the whole country except Bangui, and against all but essential travel to Bangui itself, airport included. Seven days is the fullest itinerary this cluster supports: two days around Bangui, then five full days at Dzanga-Sangha covering repeat visits to the elephant clearing, a full gorilla-trekking day, and a dedicated BaAka forest day with unhurried river time.

Two days in Zimbabwe is Victoria Falls, full stop, not a safari. Any itinerary that also tries to squeeze in a Hwange game drive or a Mana Pools flight inside 48 hours is selling a rushed, overpriced compromise, the transfer alone eats the day this country doesn’t give you. What you actually get in two days is the falls themselves, on the Zimbabwean side of a site shared with Zambia, plus one evening on the Zambezi.

Three days in Zimbabwe gets you one thing done properly: Victoria Falls and the town built around it. It does not get you a safari, whatever a rushed itinerary promises online. Hwange sits three to four hours up the road and Mana Pools is a light-aircraft hop away; neither fits into a trip this short, so save them for the 4-day or 5-day version of this plan. What three days buys you is the falls themselves, a night on the Zambezi, one real adventure activity, and a single honest taste of wildlife before you fly home.

Four days is the shortest plan in this series that includes an actual safari, not just a longer look at the falls. Two days at Victoria Falls, then a transfer to Hwange National Park for two more, Zimbabwe’s biggest park and the one with elephant herds numbering in the thousands. Skip any operator selling four days as “Falls plus a game drive add-on,” that’s a day trip dressed up as a safari.

Five days in Zimbabwe is the shortest trip that earns the word safari. Two days cover Victoria Falls properly, two more put you inside Hwange for the elephant herds, and the fifth day forces an honest choice: fly on to Mana Pools for a walking safari or drive south to Matobo for rhino tracking near Bulawayo. Neither is a casual add-on you bolt onto the end of a Hwange stay; each is its own leg with its own transfer, and pretending otherwise is how five-day itineraries turn into exhausted six-day ones.

Six days is where a Zimbabwe trip stops being “the falls plus a game drive” and turns into an actual safari circuit: two days at Victoria Falls, two at Hwange National Park for the elephants, then two more at Matobo Hills near Bulawayo for rhino tracking and San rock art. It is not one base with day trips. It is three separate legs, each reached by a real transfer, in a country where the distances between parks are genuinely large and most of the trip runs on lodge and operator logistics rather than a rental car.

Seven days is the length where this trip stops being a safari with a falls attached and becomes a genuine four-leg circuit: two days at Victoria Falls, two at Hwange National Park for the elephants, two more at Matobo Hills near Bulawayo for rhino tracking and rock art, then a seventh day south to Great Zimbabwe, the stone city the country is actually named after. That is four separate legs and four real transfers, not one lodge with day trips bolted on, and treating it as anything less is how a week-long Zimbabwe trip turns into an exhausting loop nobody enjoys.

Zimbabwe is worth it if you want a genuine multi-day safari and Victoria Falls trip and can accept that it is pricey, park-based, and mostly done fly-in or through an operator. It is not a cheap casual add-on to a Cape Town or Johannesburg trip, and it is not a country you tick off in a long weekend. The payoff is Victoria Falls itself, shared with Zambia and UNESCO-listed since 1989, plus a safari circuit built around Hwange’s elephant herds, Mana Pools’ walking safaris, and Matobo’s rhino tracking.

Two days in Accra will not show you Ghana, and any itinerary that pretends otherwise is the real tourist trap. What two days will show you is Accra done properly: Jamestown’s lighthouse and boxing gyms, the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, Independence Square, Makola Market, a half-day at Labadi Beach, and Osu after dark. Bring cedi (GHS), not dollars or CFA francs, a yellow fever certificate (mandatory for entry), and malaria pills (also mandatory, this is a year-round risk here, not a rural add-on).

Accra is Ghana’s anglophone capital on the Gulf of Guinea, priced in cedis (GHS), not CFA francs and not dollars, and increasingly run on mobile money rather than cash or card. Three days covers the honest 2-day Accra core, Jamestown, the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, Independence Square, Makola, Osu and Labadi Beach, plus a real day-3 push out to the Cape Coast and Elmina slave-trade castles. The actual tourist trap here isn’t a single overpriced stall; it’s the operator who sells that heritage day trip as a relaxed outing when it’s really two three-hour drives bolted onto a handful of hours on site.

Four days in Accra means two honest days in the capital, then an overnight to Cape Coast, Elmina, and Kakum, not a rushed day trip bolted onto the end. Ghana’s capital runs on cedis (GHS) and MTN Mobile Money, not CFA francs and not dollars, and English is the official language, so skip the phrasebook. Bring a valid yellow fever certificate, since Ghana will not let you in without one, and start antimalarial prophylaxis before you land, because malaria runs year round here, Accra included.

Accra itself is honestly a two-day city: Jamestown, the Nkrumah Mausoleum, Makola, Osu, a beach afternoon, and you have seen the real version of the capital. Five days works because the third day buys the actual main event, an overnight out to Cape Coast and Elmina, the two heaviest and most important sites in the country, done properly instead of rushed through in a single exhausting round trip. Day five adds the Akuapem hills at Aburi, cooler and greener than the coast.

Six days in Accra, Ghana’s anglophone capital on the Gulf of Guinea, is enough to do the city honestly and add its best day trip properly. Two days cover Accra itself: Jamestown, Independence Square, the Nkrumah Mausoleum, Makola Market, Osu at night, genuinely the ceiling for a city that rewards culture and history more than polish. The real trap is what most tour operators sell next: a rushed single-day round trip to Cape Coast and Elmina Castle, three hours each way, that spends more time in a van than at the sites.

Accra itself is an honest two-day city. Jamestown, Independence Square, the Nkrumah Mausoleum, Makola Market, Osu, and a half-day at Labadi Beach cover the core before you start repeating the same few neighbourhoods. Seven days works because of what sits outside the city, not more of the city. Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle, three hours west, are the standout addition, heavy sites of memory that earn an overnight rather than a rushed day trip, with Kakum’s canopy walk next door.

Accra is Ghana’s capital on the Gulf of Guinea, and it earns its keep on substance rather than polish: Jamestown’s old harbor streets, the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum, jollof and waakye stalls, and the Cape Coast and Elmina heritage coast three hours west. It runs on the cedi (GHS) and mobile money, not dollars or CFA francs, and English is the official language, not French. Two entry rules are non-negotiable: a yellow fever certificate, and, for most non-African passports, an e-visa arranged before you fly.

Accra is not a wall-to-wall sightseeing capital, and no honest writeup pretends otherwise. Ghana’s capital, on the Gulf of Guinea, is a hot, humid, traffic-choked city of roughly 2.5 million with a genuinely worthwhile handful of stops: Jamestown’s old harbor, the Nkrumah Mausoleum, Makola Market, Osu’s restaurants, Labadi Beach for an afternoon. Two days covers the city core, honestly. The real headline act, Cape Coast Castle and Elmina Castle, sits about 3 hours west by road and isn’t part of Accra itself, whatever a rushed itinerary implies.

Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, not a country of its own, and two days here is Stone Town plus a small taste of the coast, not a tour of the archipelago. Anyone selling you a 2 day plan that also fits Nungwi, Jozani, and Mnemba Atoll is lying about drive times. The honest version: a full day in Stone Town (skip the House of Wonders, it is closed), a half day spice tour, and either a second Stone Town day or a short beach run.

Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, not a country of its own, and three days is Stone Town plus exactly one beach base, not a tour of the whole archipelago. Currency is the Tanzanian shilling, USD covers most tourist transactions, and the island is roughly 99% Muslim, so shoulders and knees stay covered off the beach. The honest version: a day in Stone Town, a spice tour with a Jozani Forest stop on the transfer out, then one full beach day, tide table permitting.

Four days here is Stone Town done properly, one beach base you actually settle into, and one real day trip, not a checklist of everything the island offers. Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, not a country of its own: the currency is the Tanzanian shilling, USD spends fine in tourism, and the island is roughly 99% Muslim, so shoulders and knees stay covered off the beach. Give Stone Town 1 to 1.

Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, not a country of its own, and five days is enough to stop rushing it: one day in Stone Town, a spice tour, one beach base, and both of the island’s real day trips, Jozani Forest and Mnemba Atoll, instead of picking just one. Currency is the Tanzanian shilling, USD covers most tourist transactions, and the island runs roughly 99% Muslim, so shoulders and knees stay covered off the beach.

Six days in Zanzibar is enough to stop sampling and actually commit to something: Stone Town’s real sights, both marquee day trips, and a genuine switch to a second coast, not a rushed lap through everything the island offers. Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, not a country of its own; the currency is the Tanzanian shilling, USD spends fine in tourism, and the island is roughly 99% Muslim, so shoulders and knees stay covered off the beach.

Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, not a country of its own, and a full week is enough to stop treating it as one long beach resort: a day in Stone Town, a spice tour, one beach base with both of the island’s real day trips, Jozani and Mnemba, and a second coast for genuine contrast instead of a wasted extra transfer. Currency is the Tanzanian shilling, USD covers most tourist transactions, and the island runs roughly 99% Muslim, so shoulders and knees stay covered off the beach.

Most Zanzibar Lists Have 20 Things On Them. Nine Are Real. Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, not its own country, and that shapes the trip from the moment you land: the currency is the Tanzanian shilling, USD works everywhere in tourism but bring small, newer bills, and the population is roughly 99% Muslim, so shoulders and knees stay covered off the beach. Stone Town earns 1 to 1.5 days, not a whole trip; after that this is a beach holiday with genuinely good day trips attached.

Two days in Tunisia is not a Tunisia trip, it is a Tunis-and-suburbs trip, and calling it more than that oversells what two days actually buys. You will change dollars or euros for dinar on arrival, since Tunisia’s currency cannot be bought before you fly, and everything below sits inside Tunis, Carthage, and Sidi Bou Said. That is genuinely the honest scope: the desert, the coast, and the Star Wars sets are a separate, longer trip.

Three days in Tunisia is a Tunis-and-suburbs trip plus one honest day trip out, not a lap of the whole country. Do Tunis and the Bardo, then Carthage and Sidi Bou Said by TGM, then spend day three on El Jem’s amphitheatre rather than the Hammamet beach day most 3-day itineraries default to as padding. The dinar (TND) is a closed, non-convertible currency: you cannot buy it before you land, only on arrival, so budget cash stops into the plan.

Most four-day Tunisia plans keep you in Tunis and bolt on a rushed Hammamet beach afternoon. Skip that. Four days is enough to do Tunis and its suburbs properly, add Kairouan inland, then actually relocate to Sousse for a night, base yourself there, and pick off El Jem as a short rail trip rather than a round trip from the capital. You will change dollars or euros for dinar on arrival, since Tunisia’s currency cannot be bought before you fly, and the whole loop sits well outside the country’s flagged interior and border zones.

Five days is where a Tunisia trip finally reaches an honest fork instead of faking the whole country. Do Tunis and the Bardo, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said by TGM, one inland day at Kairouan, then relocate to Sousse with El Jem folded in as a side trip, the same spine as the four day version. Day five is the actual decision: Tozeur’s desert and Star Wars film sets, or Djerba’s beaches and the Ghriba synagogue, not both, since reaching either from the Sahel coast eats most of a travel day by road.

Six days is the honest floor for the full north to south loop, not a stretch goal. Tunis and the Bardo’s mosaics, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said, Kairouan, El Jem, the Sousse and Monastir ribats, then south to Djerba over the El Kantara causeway with a Matmata detour, and Tozeur’s dunes and Star Wars sets to close it out. Dinars only, and you cannot buy them before you land since the TND is closed and non-convertible.

Seven days is the honest minimum for the whole Tunisia loop, not a stretch goal: Tunis and Carthage in the north, Kairouan and El Jem in the centre, then Sousse, Djerba, Matmata, Douz, and Tozeur strung together in the south. Anything shorter means picking a region, not doing the country. Pay in Tunisian dinar, a closed currency you can only buy after you land, never before. The standard tourist route sits outside every zone the US and UK flag as high risk; the interior mountains near Algeria and the deep desert near Libya are a different trip.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Two days in Madagascar buys you exactly one thing beyond the capital: a single wildlife walk at Andasibe-Mantadia, three hours each way on the RN2. That’s it. If you want more of the country, our 3 day version fixes the worst problem with this one by adding an overnight, and the 4 day onward starts heading south on the RN7.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Three days is the shortest length where Andasibe-Mantadia stops being a rushed dash and becomes a proper overnight, which changes the whole trip. This is Tana plus one region, done at a reasonable pace, not a whistle-stop.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Four days is Tana plus Andasibe (see the 3 day version for that core) plus one option: a long single-day push south on the RN7 to Antsirabe and back. It’s an honest add-on, not a comfortable one.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Five days is the 4 day route with one real improvement: instead of a brutal same-day dash to Antsirabe, you get an overnight there, which is a genuinely better trip for one extra day. This is still Tana, Andasibe and one RN7 town, not a whole-island tour; that needs the 6 day or 7 day version, which keep pushing south toward Ranomafana.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Six days takes the 5 day route (Tana, Andasibe, Antsirabe) and keeps going: instead of turning back at Antsirabe, you push six more hours down the RN7 to Ranomafana’s rainforest. The honest cost is Day 6, which is mostly a drive, not a highlight.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Seven days takes the 6 day route (Tana, Andasibe, Antsirabe, Ranomafana) and pushes one stage further down the RN7 to Isalo’s sandstone canyons. Read the honest fine print before you book: this itinerary does not loop back to Tana.

Heads up: some links here are affiliate links. Book or buy through them and we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only point you to things we would actually use. Madagascar is not a side trip. It is a standalone, long-haul island roughly the size of France, priced in Malagasy ariary (MGA), and covered almost entirely by lemurs, chameleons and baobabs rather than anything you’d see on a mainland African safari.

Madagascar prices everything in ariary (MGA), and the numbers look tame until you remember every national park adds a mandatory guide fee on top of the entrance ticket, cash only, no way around it. Roughly 4,250 to 4,300 MGA buys one US dollar in 2026, so a 45,000 MGA entrance fee is not the bargain it looks like once a flight, a driver-guide and a few nights get added. There are no lions or elephants at the end of any of these trips, only lemurs, chameleons and baobabs, and that is the entire point.

Two days in Seychelles gets you Mahe and one more island Two days buys you Mahe plus a single day trip to Praslin. It does not buy you La Digue, no matter how a listicle titled “Seychelles in 48 hours” wants to sell it to you. The currency is the Seychellois rupee (SCR), quoted alongside euros that are widely accepted but not legal tender, and the whole trip runs on a fixed Cat Cocos ferry schedule that you plan backwards from, not around.

Three days is the floor for a real three-island trip Three days is genuinely the shortest version of Seychelles that touches Mahe, Praslin and La Digue without lying to yourself about it. It is still a squeeze: an overnight on Praslin buys the time Vallee de Mai and Anse Lazio actually deserve, and La Digue becomes a half-day out-and-back rather than a proper visit. The Seychellois rupee (SCR) is the currency, euros are quoted everywhere but are not legal tender, and every leg of this trip runs on the Cat Cocos and Cat Rose ferry timetables, two separate operators covering two separate routes.

Four days finally gives La Digue a proper night, not a photo stop Four days is the point where La Digue stops being a rushed morning and becomes an actual overnight, which changes the trip. Anse Source d’Argent at 5pm with the day-tripper boats already gone back to Praslin looks nothing like Anse Source d’Argent at 11am. The route is still Mahe to Praslin to La Digue and back, run on the Cat Cocos and Cat Rose ferry schedules and priced in Seychellois rupees (SCR) even though euros are quoted at every counter.

Five days is where Praslin earns a second day Five days takes the 4 day route and gives Praslin the second day it actually deserves, instead of squeezing Vallee de Mai and Anse Lazio into one. That extra day is what makes room for Curieuse Island, the giant-tortoise boat trip most 4 day plans have to skip. Everything still runs on SCR (the euro is quoted, not legal tender) and on the Cat Cocos and Cat Rose ferry timetables, which do not bend for anyone’s flight.

Six days is when La Digue stops being a stopover Six days takes the extra Praslin day from the 5 day route and adds a second full day on La Digue, which is the island that rewards slow travel the most. Bicycle-only distances mean a second day is not padding here; it is the difference between one rushed lap of the marquee beach and actually reaching Grand Anse and Petite Anse too.

Seven days is the version where nothing gets rushed Seven days is enough to give Mahe, Praslin and La Digue two full days each, the first length in this family where you are not trading one island’s time for another’s. It also means an extra Mahe day up front, which is genuinely the best place to put it: the interior trails and south coast villages that every shorter itinerary here has to skip.

Is Seychelles actually worth the money? Mostly, yes, but not evenly across the country. Some of the marquee sights genuinely earn their reputation and their entry fee; a couple are gatekept, overpriced or straightforwardly skippable once you know what is actually behind the ticket. Seychelles is African, not Caribbean, priced in Seychellois rupees (SCR) even though euros are quoted everywhere, and it is genuinely expensive relative to most Indian Ocean destinations.