Issue 11 | ...Celebrating the world’s richest continent | http://www.nomadafricamag.com | 13Top 10 | Africa’s Least Visited Countrieshe list is compiled with sta-
tistics from the World Bank
who calculate overnight
stays by International visi-
tors. I have found Africa an
incredibly hard continent to
compile statistics for, many
countries don’t provide up-
to-date information and I’ve had to
source from several other places. I have
been unable to locate statistics for South
Sudan as tourist figures are joined to-
gether with Sudan. Somalia has been ex-
cluded due to a lack of accurate data and
information.Equatorial Guinea- Average International visitors per
annum (approximate) 6,000.
Equatorial Guinea is officially the least vis-
ited country in Africa! Despite efforts to
boost tourism by offering US/American
Samoan citizens visa-free entry, this still
hasn’t attracted many visitors.
This country is rather unique as it’s split
into two parts, Rio Muni is on the main-
land, whereas Bioko is an island in the
middle of the Gulf of Guinea, which
houses the country’s capital city Malabo.
Equatorial Guinea had been colonised by
both Portugal and Spain. Only recently, oil
has been discovered and is bringing sub-
stantial wealth to the country.
Like many other African nations, the
country is now promoting itself as an eco-
friendly destination with opportunities to
see incredible beaches and wildlife.
São Tomé & Principe- Average International visitors per
annum – 10,000*
São Tomé achieved independence from
Portugal in 1975, ever since it has strug-
gled to find ways to boost the economy
and now relies on exports of cocoa to help
with its finances. These two tiny islands
are situated in the Gulf of Guinea to the
west of Gabon and south of Nigeria.
Although there are regular flights linking
the island with its former rulers, once you
arrive, you’ll need a visa, which must be
applied for prior to arrival, making a visit
to São Tomé and Principe a little more
complicated than you’d like it to be. I’m
sure many of the 10,000 visitors discov-
ered the incredible clear waters place by
doing one of the magical diving trips.
Comoros- Average International visitors per
annum – 21,000
This figure was stated in a World Travel
& Tourism document
It’s unlikely you’ve ever heard of this is-
land, if you have you’ll either be a French
national or a complete travel geek! The
Comoros is an island nation off the coast
of East Africa, just north of Madagascar.
As one of the world’s poorest nations it’s
no wonder that the Comoros islands are
so far off the tourist map, simply due to a
lack of infrastructure and opportunities.
If you decide to visit the Comoros islands
you won’t be disappointed, you’ll have
the opportunity to trek to the crater of
the Karthala volcano or even swim with
dolphins. At certain times of the year,
there’s potential to see giant sea turtles
laying eggs on Moheli island.Mauritania- Average International visitors per
annum – 29,
Firstly, Mauritania doesn’t seem to have
released any official tourism figures since
2008; even their official Government
website no longer works, making me sus-
picious if they even want to receive
tourists.
However, this country has never at-
tracted mass tourism due to its strict laws
and a visa regime that makes North Korea
look like Disneyland! There are quite a few
unique things to do or see, including hop-
ping on the world’s longest cargo train,
which looks like a really cool but dirty ex-
perience.
It’s advised not to travel here at the mo-
ment due to several tourists being kid-
napped and also a few terrorist attacks
having taken place by Al-Qaeda militants.
Guinea-Bissau- Average International visitors per
annum – 30,000 *UN Data
A former Portuguese colony, Guinea-Bis-
sau is located in West Africa between
Senegal and Guinea. It’s a shame that
more people don’t visit this country, the
jewel for tourism potential lies within its
20 tropical islands. On many of these Is-
lands, you’ll have the opportunity to see
t