Destination: South Africa
It is no wonder that South Africa draws more visitors than any other country in sub Saharan Africa. World class wildlife watching, cosmopolitan cities, stunning natural panoramas and vibrant cultures make the country appealing to almost every taste and budget.
One world within one country
Geographically, its extremes include the arid semi desert of the Karoo, the snow capped peaks of the Drakensberg Range, the lush subtropical coast of KwaZulu-Natal and the fertile temperate valleys of Western Cape. Within the space of a day, you can journey from vineyard-clad hillsides in the Western Cape to the vast open spaces of the Kalahari; from Cape Town’s waterfront chic to isolated Zulu villages; from elephant-spotting in Kruger National Park to the sublime seascapes of the coast. South Africa is often called “one world within one country.”
KwaZulu-Natal
Rough and ready, smart and sophisticated, rural and rustic. KwaZulu-Natal has its metropolitan heart in the port of Durban and its nearby historic capital, Pietermaritzburg. The beaches along this coast attract local holiday makers. To the north is Zululand, home to some Africa’s most evocative traditional settlements and cultural sites. The region also boasts of alluring national parks and isolated, wild coastal reserves. The heritage listed uKhahlamba-Drakensberg mountain range features awesome peaks, unforgettable vistas and excellent hiking opportunities.
Some of Africa's most famous game and nature reserves are situated in northern KwaZulu Natal. An extensive network of Nature and Game Reserves give refuge to several hundred bird species as well as many antelope variants and the elusive Big Five; lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino.
The Burning Sight of Dawn, Drakensberg.
Photography by Daniel Carvalho
Johannesburg
Jo’burg is without a doubt the great big beating heart of South Africa. Often the stage on which the epic of this extraordinary nation has been played out, the colossus of Jo’burg – with all its thrills and foibles – is today a fascinating, multitudinous city, where all the ups and downs of 21st-century South Africa can be witnessed.
Durban
Stretching along a swathe of butter-yellow sand, South Africa’s third largest city offers a lively, if slightly tacky, pre-packaged seaside holiday. The beachfront, with its multi km stretch of high rise hotels, remains a city trademark. The city centre, peppered with some grandiose colonial buildings and fascinating Art Deco architecture, throbs to a distinctly African beat.
Cape Town
Cape Town occupies one of the world's most stunning locations, with an iconic mountain slap bang in her centre. As beautiful as the surrounding beaches and vineyards can be, it's the rugged wilderness of Table Mountain which grabs everyone's attention. Cape Town is an old pro at showing visitors a good time. There are plenty of great wildlife spotting opportunities, from the penguins at Boulders to the antelopes, buffaloes and black rhinos at Solole Game Reserve.
Robben Island
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years of his life in exile on Robben Island, about 12 kilometres from Cape Town. For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, was a place of exile and imprisonment where rulers sent those they regarded as outcasts and troublemakers. Since 1997 Robben Island has been a museum acting as a focal point of South African heritage. In 1999 the island was declared a World Heritage Site.
The Garden Route
The Garden Route is perhaps the most internationally renowned South African destination after Cape Town and the Kruger National Park, and with good reason. Within a few hundred kilometres, the range of topography, vegetation, wildlife and outdoor activity is breathtaking. Roughly encompassing the coastline from Mossel Bay in the west to just beyond Plettenberg Bay in the east, it caters to all kinds of travellers and all manner of budgets.
The Constantia Wine Estate.
Fast Facts
Visa Free: 90 day entry permits issued on arrival to citizens of most Commonwealth countries, most Western European countries, Japan and the USA.
Currency: South African Rand (ZAR)
Capital: Pretoria (administrative), Bloemfontein (judicial) and Cape Town (legislative)
Language: 11 languages; English, Afrikaans, Ndebele, Sepedi, Setswana, Sotho, Swati, Tshivenda, Xhosa, Xitsonga, and Zulu.
Tipping: A guideline for visitors is the following: Porters R5 per item, taxis 10%, waiters and waitresses in restaurants 10-15%.Ranger in the game reserves usually would get a tip (from around 50 rand per day), the same applies to guides (about 20 rand per day).