Often described as a world in one country, South Africa certainly is big enough to cover all bases: from snowy mountains to dusty deserts; cosmopolitan cities to charming little 'dorps'; and from beautiful beaches to wildlife-rich game reserves.
South Africa is the best of both worlds: it is Africa with its beautiful scenery, glorious weather and relaxed attitude, which manifests itself in the people who are friendly and easy-going; it also has a modern infrastructure making it an easy country to visit with plenty to see and do and plenty of ways to get around.
With a vast network of excellent roads, South Africa is road trip country. Domestic flights are also dirt cheap if you're not into the whole mixtape, padkos, back roads, one-horse town meander and want to get straight to the action.
- Cape Town: to the backdrop of Table Mountain, Cape Town's white beaches and café culture, world-class restaurants, working harbour, urban nature reserves and vineyards have earned this African city a season ticket to all the "World's Favourite City" polls.
- Kruger National Park: featuring great diversity, exceptional resource management and some of the finest safari lodges in the world, the Kruger Park is the grand-daddy of many game reserves in South Africa.
- Garden Route: packed with an assortment of attractions from family beaches, charming seaside towns, forests and fynbos and the Karoo hinterland, the Garden Route is made for relaxing holidays.
- Garden Route Safari: at the eastern end of the Garden Route are a clutch of genuine, big five game reserves in pristine wilderness areas offering excellent lodges, first-rate guides and the cherry on top: malaria-free safaris.
- Cape Winelands: if the game reserves are the eastern bookend of the Garden Route, the Winelands are the western bookend. And what a bookend with charming country towns, beautiful nature reserves and of course the ever-so-picturesque vineyards.
South Africa has many many more attractions and if you want to explore beyond the highlights: Malaria-free big five safaris in Madikwe and Pilanesberg; Sun City; The Namaqualand Flowers; the Drakensberg Mountains; Phinda Game Reserve and KwaZulu-Natal; the West Coast; Richtersveld Nature Reserve and many more.
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.
Situated on the northeastern edge of South Africa, Klaserie Private Game Reserve forms part of the Greater Kruger National Park. It is one of the largest privately owned reserves in the country comprising 60 000 hectares of seemingly endless plains of unspoilt African bushveld. This scenic wilderness sanctuary is home to the renowned ‘Big Five’ as well as an impressive array of wildlife including: African elephant, black and white rhino, buffalo, African wild dog, lion, leopard, and an abundance of buck. Visitors can look forward to enjoying a variety of outdoor activities such as guided walking safaris, game drives, and thrilling wildlife tracking excursions. The reserve is known for its incredible birdlife boasting over 500 species including the endangered Southern ground hornbill and the white-backed vulture.
Hazyview is a small farming town near the Kruger National Park and a popular base from which to explore the Mpumalanga province. Known by the Zulu as ‘the place where the sun rises’, Mpumalanga has two distinct faces, the highveld - characterised by high-altitude rolling grasslands - and the lowveld - a subtropical savannah woodland area.
While the Kruger National Park rightly commands the lion's share of fame, Mpumulanga sports many lesser-known attractions: The Panorama Route takes you from Gauteng via the Blyde River Canyon through mountain forests, scenic lookouts, waterfalls, caves, lush valleys and charming *dorps*.
Officially known as the ‘Kingdom of eSwatini’ and still referred to as Swaziland, this tiny landlocked nation boasts a rich historical and cultural heritage and is Africa's last remaining absolute monarchy. Swaziland encompasses a diverse array of ecosystems featuring towering mountains and low-lying savannah, tangled rainforests and lush river valleys. Highlights of this laid-back land include the mesmerizingly beautiful ‘Valley of Heaven’, the handicraft haven of the Malkerns Valley and the Hlane Royal National Park, famed for its white rhinos, antelopes and lions. Visitors can look forward to excellent wildlife watching, rafting, mountain biking, and hiking along a network of scenic trails which traverse spectacular mountainous landscapes.
Officially known as the ‘Kingdom of eSwatini’ and still referred to as Swaziland, this tiny landlocked nation boasts a rich historical and cultural heritage and is Africa's last remaining absolute monarchy. Swaziland encompasses a diverse array of ecosystems featuring towering mountains and low-lying savannah, tangled rainforests and lush river valleys. Highlights of this laid-back land include the mesmerizingly beautiful ‘Valley of Heaven’, the handicraft haven of the Malkerns Valley and the Hlane Royal National Park, famed for its white rhinos, antelopes and lions. Visitors can look forward to excellent wildlife watching, rafting, mountain biking, and hiking along a network of scenic trails which traverse spectacular mountainous landscapes.
Often described as a world in one country, South Africa certainly is big enough to cover all bases: from snowy mountains to dusty deserts; cosmopolitan cities to charming little 'dorps'; and from beautiful beaches to wildlife-rich game reserves.
South Africa is the best of both worlds: it is Africa with its beautiful scenery, glorious weather and relaxed attitude, which manifests itself in the people who are friendly and easy-going; it also has a modern infrastructure making it an easy country to visit with plenty to see and do and plenty of ways to get around.
With a vast network of excellent roads, South Africa is road trip country. Domestic flights are also dirt cheap if you're not into the whole mixtape, padkos, back roads, one-horse town meander and want to get straight to the action.
- Cape Town: to the backdrop of Table Mountain, Cape Town's white beaches and café culture, world-class restaurants, working harbour, urban nature reserves and vineyards have earned this African city a season ticket to all the "World's Favourite City" polls.
- Kruger National Park: featuring great diversity, exceptional resource management and some of the finest safari lodges in the world, the Kruger Park is the grand-daddy of many game reserves in South Africa.
- Garden Route: packed with an assortment of attractions from family beaches, charming seaside towns, forests and fynbos and the Karoo hinterland, the Garden Route is made for relaxing holidays.
- Garden Route Safari: at the eastern end of the Garden Route are a clutch of genuine, big five game reserves in pristine wilderness areas offering excellent lodges, first-rate guides and the cherry on top: malaria-free safaris.
- Cape Winelands: if the game reserves are the eastern bookend of the Garden Route, the Winelands are the western bookend. And what a bookend with charming country towns, beautiful nature reserves and of course the ever-so-picturesque vineyards.
South Africa has many many more attractions and if you want to explore beyond the highlights: Malaria-free big five safaris in Madikwe and Pilanesberg; Sun City; The Namaqualand Flowers; the Drakensberg Mountains; Phinda Game Reserve and KwaZulu-Natal; the West Coast; Richtersveld Nature Reserve and many more.
Subtropical thickets, moist grasslands, savannah, even swathes of alpine glory, it's all here and a great chunk of it is beside the seaside.
There's a rich history of people power too. In the Early Stone Age the San painted the first of many thousands of images on the caves and cliff walls of what are now the Drakensberg Mountains. Then, the Zulus turned up. There's about 10 million Zulu people in KwaZulu-Natal today. They refer to themselves as 'the people of the heavens' and are the largest ethnic group in South Africa.
Just north of Ballito on the north coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Salt Rock offers a laid-back holiday atmosphere for beach lovers. Once the home of King Shaka Zulu, the riches of this destination now lie in its irresistible golden beaches, turquoise tidal pools, and warm Indian Ocean waves, and cosmopolitan restaurants. Besides swimming and sunbathing, visitors can also look forward to microlight flights, skydiving, fishing, diving, snorkelling, and excellent hikes along the coast, as well as leisurely walks along the wooden boardwalks next to the ocean for gorgeous views. The wonderful Litchi Orchard Market is a great place to sample delicious local fare and browse through superb arts and crafts.
Set among the verdant forests, hills, and valleys of the Western Cape’s Garden Route, The Crags is famous not only for its wealth of outdoor activities but its numerous wonderful sanctuaries. Visitors can enjoy canopy tours, hikes, and mountain biking routes in the jungles, and at sea, take part in water sports, whale watching and fishing. The area provides shelter and rehabilitation for many animals at venues such as the elephant sanctuary, Birds of Eden, Monkey Land, Lawnwood Snake Sanctuary, Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary, and Tenikwa Wildlife Awareness Centre. There are numerous wineries, excellent fine dining restaurants, farm stalls selling fresh produce and foods, and craft stalls to enjoy. The Crags are also within convenient distance of Knysna, Plett, and the Tsitsikamma.
For nature-lovers and food-lovers Hermanus has a good deal to offer: beautiful beaches, nature reserves, wine farms and restaurants. And the finest land-based whale watching with whales resident in the bay between July and November every year.
Enjoy wine farm-hopping, Fernkloof Nature Reserve, country markets, Voelklip Beach, Grotto Beach, Hoy’s Koppie, Klipgat Caves in Walker Bay Nature Reserve, the Big Cat Sanctuary, Galleries, Old Harbour Museum and of course plentiful dining experiences along the coast.
The list of things to do is endless and time here is simply never enough to explore it all.
Cape Town is one of the world's favourite holiday destinations. With pristine beaches, a buzzing café culture, great restaurants, a working harbour, unique nature reserves, popular landmarks and suburban vineyards there is much to enjoy.
If you plan to visit South Africa, chances are you've got Cape Town at the top of your list of places to go. And well you might, the second largest city in South Africa is easily reached from all over the world and the perfect place to start your South African holiday.
