The continent of Africa offers travelers such contrasts that one could spend a lifetime in exploration and not see everything. From the mighty dunes of the Sahara and the pyramids of Egypt through the dense jungles, towering mountains and thundering waterfalls of the Equatorial region to the wild life havens on the veld and the southernmost rocks where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet, Africa has something for everyone.

The adventure can begin in the north, tracing the march of Mediterranean history and the spread of Islamic culture; or the east with the marvels of the Nile. Step off a plane in the great savannahs and see wild life as it has been since the last retreat of the glaciers. Or round the Cape of Good Hope in a cruise ship and remember the intrepid mariners who opened this route from Europe to Asia. No matter how you come to Africa, or where you start, the experience will stay with you for life, and call you back again and again.

Given the huge distances, getting around in Africa is best done by air. Cruise ships call at Mediterranean, the east coast and South African ports, and there is some interior train service, especially in South Africa. Major cities in Africa are served by international airlines as well as local air services.

Africa meets Asia at the isthmus of Suez, and looks at Europe over the Mediterranean Sea. The continent is an enormous plateau with terraced tablelands rising from the west, one after the other, ending in the mountains of the east, where the Nile and the Zaire rivers rise. The interior plateau is bordered by mountain ranges which run parallel with the coast. The Sahara lies between the Atlas Mountains on the north and the southern plateau, and the Congo basin occupies the western part of the continent. The southern plateau is much higher than the northern, having average elevations of nearly 4,000 ft (1,220 m). The Rift Valley of east Africa is a jagged rift, characterized by uninhabitable desert and fertile farmland, flat arid plains and steep escarpments. This landform is so huge it is easily seen from space.

Africa's astonishing diversity in animal species is due to its physical geography. The Sahara desert forms an almost impenetrable barrier on the north. Although the large mammals are of possibly the most famous African inhabitants, birds, reptiles, fish, and insects are also significant. Africa is of importance as a wintering ground for migrants. Each year several hundred million birds migrate to Africa from Europe and Asia.

The peoples of Africa are as different as the terrain. Before European colonization, the all the major cities were in the north. Village and regional life and culture was and remains highly developed and complex, with people defining themselves by their clan or village.

No matter how you see Africa, once is not enough, and you will find yourself returning to this continent of beauty and mystery again and again.