5 countries to explore in 2018

Take inspiration from our travel hotlist. These are the destinations we also can't wait to visit in 2018.

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1. Tunisia

Tunisia is a North African country bordering the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara Desert.

Few realise just how wild Tunisia can be, from its blushing-pink salt lakes to vast dune seas. North of the capital, UNESCO-listed Ichkeul NP is the last-remaining of a chain of wetlands that once extended across North Africa. Thousands of species of birds migrate through every year, its brackish waters a shimmer of rouge as flocks of greater flamingos hot-step its shallows in autumn, jostling for space among white storks and cattle egrets. Heaven.

The ruins of the port city of Carthage offer a glimpse into antiquity, though those staying longer might prefer El Djem’s impressive take on Rome’s Colosseum, to the south.

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2. Morocco

Start in Tangier, a city reborn following its post-Bohemian slide into notoriety. Boutiques now pepper its old colonial neighbourhood, while the mosques of its labyrinthine medina recall an era long before you could spy Jagger et al sprawled, pupils-wide, in louche cafes. From there, a side trip to the whitewashed houses and cobbles of Chaouen in the Rif mountains offers a break from the hustle, before continuing on to the gardens and ancient kasbah of Rabat.

Outside the city, the necropolis of Chellah takes you around crumbling 2nd-century ruins now patrolled by nesting storks, before pressing on to Casablanca and its old medina. Its haze of pedlars, shrines and Moorish architecture hides the beautiful waterside Hassan II mosque – a sight fit to crown any long weekend.

3. Tanzania

Kilimanjaro (5,895m), Africa’s largest mountain, is one of every traveller's greatest achievement. The world’s highest trekking peak lures some 50,000 to attempt its summit every year, and each contender is met with an imperious frosted cone rising above the dusty plain.

For those tempted, there are half-dozen traditional routes up, each spanning around six or seven days (to acclimatise to the altitude) and usually with teams of porters in tow. But ambitious climbers are now able to join new tours up the mountain’s ‘North Face’ in 2018.

This alternative route takes seven nights and combines parts of well-known hikes like the cloud forests of Umbwe, before diverting across the lunar-like expanse of the Shira plateau. From there, hikers round the northern circuit before breaking off. The beauty of this mountain is that there is no right way; and no matter how you reach the top, you’ll never forget the journey.

4. South Africa

Whether you’re spotting wildlife wonders, road-tripping the scenic coastal Garden Route from Port Elizabeth or winding the Karoo into the foothills of the neighbouring Drakensberg Range, visitors will quickly discover that South Africa is full of life.

In the spartan Karoo desert or among the reserves and scenic trails of the lush, cool Amatola mountains, it is still possible to glimpse a virgin wild. In Addo Elephant National Park, the region also has one of the great wildlife reserves. When it was established in 1931, just 11 elephants lived there; today more than 550 roam South Africa’s third-largest park.

5. Check out Namibia

Go on a Wildlife and Culture Kaokoveld Safari. As well as rhino tracking at night, camping under the stars and likely encounters with desert elephants, lion, oryx and more, you’ll sit around campfires with local people.

Visit members of the striking Himba tribe – to learn how they live with their unique landscape and how sensitive tourism is helping them to survive.