Set just over an hour from Cape Town, within the inspiring landscapes of the Cape Winelands, Franschhoek is a heritage town and a world-renowned food and wine destination. Travellers could choose to focus their visit on any one aspect alone - nature, cuisine or culture - and find plenty to keep them busy. The estates here attract wine experts from around the globe with their Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cap Classique sparkling wine (among others). Five-star restaurants alongside the cellars are surrounded by the same jaw-dropping valley scenes that have brought artists and writers to the area for centuries. A superb literary festival takes place around May every year, and, combined with the town’s Cape Dutch manor houses, fascinating museums, and charming boutiques, makes Franschhoek a wonderful place to visit in winter. Summer provides endless hiking, cycling and other outdoor opportunities among the lush farmlands and mountains.
Set at the confluence of the Indian and Atlantic oceans and backed by the iconic Table Mountain, the bustling city of Cape Town presents an alluring combination of drawcards. Incredible powdery white beaches, highly acclaimed wine routes, and astonishingly beautiful mountain trails surround a cosmopolitan hub. This diverse metropolis is filled with superb shops and restaurants, extraordinary heritage monuments, a multitude of entertainment venues, and a spectacular, chic waterfront harbour. Highlights include the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art; Table Mountain's jaw-dropping views; Boulders Beach, where penguins might swim right up to you in the warm Indian ocean waters; the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, where you can walk along a treetop canopy among incredible native flora or watch an open-air concert at the base of the mountain; Robben Island, where visitors can see the cell where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years; and many more.
The cosmopolitan city of Pretoria, also known as ‘Tshwane’, is situated in the province of Gauteng and functions as one of three capitals of South Africa. Pretoria has been dubbed ‘The Jacaranda City’, which is owed to the annual bloom of magnificent purple blossom trees that adorn the wide avenues of the city. Discover several historic monuments, fine government buildings, and fascinating museums, and explore several interesting cultural sites. The Transvaal Museum is a natural history museum showcasing an ancient dinosaur fossil found at the nearby Cradle of Humankind; the Pretoria Botanical Gardens offers visitors a glimpse of different biomes, and the Voortrekker Monument is a famous National Heritage Site. Don’t miss the nearby Austin Roberts Bird Sanctuary as well as the beautiful Wonderboom and Groenkloof Nature Reserves.
Known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya—“The Smoke That Thunders”—Victoria Falls is one of the world’s great natural landmarks. Straddling the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe, it forms a vast curtain of water that fills the air with mist and sound. The Zimbabwean side grants the most dramatic views, where mist rises like ghostly curtains and rainbows arc through the spray. Measuring about 1,708 metres across, it is regarded as the largest single continuous sheet of falling water on Earth. The adjacent town of Victoria Falls provides a convenient base for exploring the region, with a wide range of activities from scenic flights and microlight trips to white-water rafting, bungee jumping, kayaking, and safaris into Chobe National Park.
Johannesburg is one of Africa’s largest and most vibrant cities. It is an economic powerhouse in Africa and the gateway to Southern Africa. This bustling city offers a wide range of activities, attractions and plenty to do in and around the city including nearby Pretoria. Downtown is a multi-cultural mixture of traditional medicine shops, Chinese restaurants, taxi ranks and ultra-modern skyscrapers. There are excellent museums, art galleries and organised tours of historical and political interest. The shopping is Southern Africa’s best and the many restaurants cater for all tastes. Soweto, a township steeped in history and a significant part of the Greater Johannesburg metropolitan area, is a popular tourist destination.
Bordering Botswana in South Africa’s North West Province, Madikwe Game Reserve is the fifth-largest reserve in the country and is home to a great number of animal species. It contains a wild dog reserve, and is inhabited by the world-renowned Big Five, as well as Brown Hyenas, Cheetahs, and Aardwolf. Visitors will also be surrounded by over 300 bird species, including vulture, ostrich, and the large kori bustard. The landscape is characterised by vast grasslands, woodlands, and the rugged Tshwene Tshwene hills - creating enthralling scenes that often attract photographers and artists. Visitors can look forward to sunset drinks overlooking the Madikwe Dam. Madikwe Game Reserve is one of the only reserves in South Africa that is malaria free.
