There’s
nearly 500,000 square miles of South Africa. And scenery, climates,
wildlife and cultures enough for a whole continent. A first visit will just
nibble at its edges. But that very sense of vastness and ‘unknowability ’ has
always been part of the spell. Follow your desire for a personal journey, one
that will change you beyond expectation, starting right here ….. Listed below are just few tempting
‘apéritifs’ . . .
WHAT
TO SEE
Cape
Town
Explore
the city’s main hub, the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a lovingly restored
Victorian harbour with free entertainment and an array of shops and museums.
Government Avenue reveals many fine old buildings and museums, including the
Parliament
Buildings and Groote Kerk
church. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, created by Cecil Rhodes, are
one of the world’s finest botanical gardens.
Cape
Winelands
A
mountain-backed setting of outstanding beauty, warmed by a grape-ripening sun,
this is a definite Cape
Town ‘must’ - easily combined with a Garden Route tour).
Their vast vineyards (many offer ‘tastings’!) frame picturesque old Cape-Dutch
towns and villages (with names like Stellenbosch, Paarl, Tulbagh, Worcester, Wellington and Ceres) and country mansions,
many of the latter doubling as stylish little hotels with excellent restaurants.
The
Whale & Garden Routes
If
you travel east from Cape Town towards Port Elizabeth you are on
the ‘Whale
Route’ to the lovely beach resort of Hermanus, in an
area where from June to September whale-watching is the thing. Beyond stretches
the glorious scenery of the famous Garden Route along the Indian Ocean coast
of Western Cape
province. Here, indigenous forests, freshwater lakes,
lagoons, sand dunes, hidden coves and long beaches are the order of the day.
Wilderness, Kynsna and the trendy resort of Plettenberg Bay are the major stopovers, the latter near to the
forests, streams and waterfalls of the Tsitsikamma National
Park. On your journey you can take in Oudtshoorn
with its famous ostrich farms and the spectacular Cango Caves. And how about staying at a private
game reserve like the excellent Shamwari or Kwandwe en route to Port Elizabeth? Both have
unforgettable 'Big Five' (elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo) game
viewing.
KwaZulu-Natal
Durban
is a big bustling city and Indian Ocean resort
set on a startlingly beautiful coast, with silver sand beaches, vast sand dunes
and offshore coral reefs. KwaZulu-Natal’s Hluhluwe-Umfolozi National
Park is a great place for bird-watching (there are
around 425 recorded species) and home to almost all white rhinos in the world.
Inland lie the famous Phinda Game Reserve, the marvellously scenic settings of
the Drakensberg Park and Royal Natal
National Park, as well as
countless memories of the battles of the Zulu and Boer
Wars.
Mpumalanga
To
the north of KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga is one of the
Republic’s most-visited regions. Its awesome mountains, panoramic passes,
valleys, rivers, cantons, waterfalls and forests all play their part, along with
many reminders of the 1870s gold rush era and a wealth of fascinating tribal
legends. But this is also ‘Big Game Country’ – home to dozens of sanctuaries
teeming with wildlife and birds. The massive Kruger National
Park is world-renowned, as now are a number of the
luxurious private reserves on its western boundary.
Sun
City
In
the Northwest province, this unique and spectacular African fantasy- themed
resort boasts an array of resort hotels, a man-made beach, championship golf
courses and much more. Nearby is
the Pilanesberg Game Reserve, now an excellent 'Big Five' reserve and the
country’s third-largest game park.
WHAT
TO DO
Cape
Town
Take
the cable-car up Table Mountain for the great views of the Atlantic and
Indian
Oceans. Sample the
entertainments and restaurants of the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront – busy by
day and night. Take a boat trip to notorious Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and other
nationalist leaders were imprisoned. Travel to Cape Point,
the extreme southwestern tip of the African continent;
and the exhilarating scenery of the Cape Peninsula National
Park. And at Boulders Beach, near the Victorian town of Simonstown, visit Africa’s
only penguin colony! The sports-minded will find options for just about every
activity listed here – from tennis and golf to sailing and
game-fishing.
Cape
Winelands
With
a selection of over 200 cellars to choose from here, you’re guaranteed to taste
some of the world’s finest wines, as well as enjoying fine dining in elegant
surroundings. Aside from exploring the many attractive little towns and
villages, you’re likely to be near opportunities for canoeing, 4x4 trails, horse
riding, and hiking, mountain-biking, rock pool swimming, fly-fishing and
golfing. Or why not try a hot-air balloon ride?
The
Whale & Garden Routes
Hermanus
is probably the best place in South Africa to go whale-watching in
season, when Southern Right Whales usually swim close to the shore. The surfing
is good, too! Along the Garden Route there’s
canoeing, fishing, cycling, golf, horse riding and boat trips through The Heads
- while the hearty can try some abseiling at The Knysna Heads and the world’s
highest bungee jump at Bloukrans Bridge! Take the ferry to the Featherbed
Nature Reserve and a 4x4 trip to the top of the Wester Head. And if scenic
steam-train rides are your thing there’s the amusing Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe from
Knysna to George. From Plettenbeg Bay you could try a ‘Tsitsikamma Tree Top
Canopy Tour’, river and sea cruises, scuba, snorkelling, game reserve visits –
or simply enjoy the fabulous beaches.
KwaZulu-Natal
Durban
makes a great one-stop shopping centre – don’t overlook its flea markets, craft
trails and oriental bazaars – and there’s no shortage of pubs, discos and
‘action’ bars, galleries and entertainments. Along the Indian Ocean coastline are sunny beaches with surfing,
snorkelling and fishing, while this is also a prime area for golfers.
Mpumalanga
The
entire area offers exceptional opportunities for bird-watching, hiking and horse
riding - and fishing in streams once panned for gold and now the haunt of eager
anglers and lazy trout.
Safaris
No
visit to South
Africa is complete without the unique thrill of
an encounter with the Republic’s superb wildlife environment, however brief. You
can enjoy an enormous choice of venues – from large ‘big name’ reserves to small
private sanctuaries with luxury lodges or camps (featuring luxury ‘tented’
accommodation for a truly memorable safari experience) - throughout
South
Africa.