South Africa Travel Guide

A world in one country - from berg to bush to beach to battlefields - with friendly people.

South Africa offers the international tourist a wide range of national parks and game reserves across it length and breadth for tourists to experience game viewing in which everything from the big five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) not to mention hippo, crocodile, cheetah, zebra, wildebeest (gnu) and a vast array of different breeds of antelope, including springbok and impala may be seen. The parks are also present a paradise for serious bird watchers. Coupled with this, whales and dolphins may be seen respective either lazing not far beyond the breakers in the oceans or surfing in on the waves and cutting away just before they break on sandy shores of rocky coves. The National and Game Parks have very different characteristics depending where they are located in the country, ranging from semi desert in the Karroo, Mountain Zebra, Camdeboo and Gemsbok National Parks, to the grass and bushveld mosaic in the Kwazulu-Natal Parks of Hluhluwe-Mfolozi, Mkuze, Tembe and Pinda to the bushveld of the Kruger National Park with its flanking upmarket private parks of Sabi Sand, Londolozi, MalaMala, Thornybush, etc., to the grasslands set amongst the yellow sandstone crags of the Golden Gate National Park, to the grassland of the Ukhahlamba-Drakensberg Trans-frontier Park straddling KwaZulu-Natal and Lesotho and with its Yellowwood scarp forests on its steep south facing slope valleys.
The scenery of the country ranges from the pristine white sand beaches and knarred, twisted and buckled mountains of the Western Cape, dating from when the Falklands were torn from the African continent (then Gondwanaland), to the stark and serene beauty of the Karoo with it unique vegetation and iselbergs, to the majestic basalt topped mountains of the high Drakensberg (+- 3000 metres)with their deep valleys with crystal clear waters, to the subtropical forests of KwaZulu-Natal coastal belt, to the bushveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo which stretches the length of the Kruger National Park – a reserve larger than many countries. And yet this is not even half of it!
The climate, in Northern hemisphere terms, is nearly always pleasant. A winter’s day is generally warmer than a summer’s day in Europe. Rainfall generally occurs in winter in southern Cape with the rest of the country experiencing the majority of its rainfall in summer, and then it is often short and sharp where after the sun comes out again. It is not for nothing that South Africans generally prefer a braai (barbeque) any day to a formal inside meal.
A variety of accommodation is available for tourist from the most luxurious (and expensive) to the good clean but reasonably priced; be this within the national parks, along the highways and byways, or in the international cities of Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.
Food to suit most, if not all tastes, is available throughout the country. To many locals eating out is a national pastime so finding a suitable restaurant should not be a problem! Many of the parks however require the tourist to bring in their own food as only limited food is available in the park. Best to check beforehand! With the odd exception, the local water may be drunk without any fear of after affects. Bottled water is however available for those who would rather not take the chance.
South Africa is served by an excellent infrastructural network with freeways or motorways in and beyond all the major cities; high class roads link them and offer the opportunity for those that would prefer to self drive with hire cars from Avis, Budget, Tempest and others. Major and International Airports serve the country and is by far the easiest and quickest way to travel around a country as large as South Africa. Apart from South African Airways and British Airways, there are budget airlines such as Kulula, Mango and One Time where a considerable saving may be made. While there are Greyhound and other bus services, this is perhaps the least favoured means of travel. There are however many tour bus company, both large and small, which the tourist may utilise if they are less adventurous and would prefer to leave their direction and choice of accommodation to others.

Eye opening experiences in an amazing country

South Africa is an amazing country to visit and I recommend it to everyone that I can. I was there studying abroad so I had almost 5 months to experience what I did. I stayed in Stellenbosch for most of my time there, but I did travel on an outside (of my study abroad group) trip to Kruger National Park that was incredible. I also traveled along the Garden Route for a week, which was beautiful. Cape Town was such a fun city to explore - lots of shopping, restaurants, a waterfront area and a lively nightlife. Although I stayed in a part that was settled, there were still plenty of areas that were very rural. I miss South Africa and recommend it as a vacation destination!

A GENUINELY DIFFERENT SAFARI:WOLHUTER

The Kruger Park is somewhat overvisited but this safari will show you the real bush in a different way. You travel in the usual 10 seater Land rover with a genuinely knowledgeable guide. Each night you camp in the open, protected by an electric fence connected to the batteries of the safari vehicles. You sleep in tents that are set up for you, luggage and all, in a new location each night. The food is cooked over a log fire by a wonderful, inventive cook and there is plenty of it as well as plenty of whatever you fancy to wash it down with. Occasionally you will have a night game drive during which all the nocturnal animals, the one you miss in daylight, are all visible and active. Other than that there are usually game drives very early in the morning, after a cup a real coffee, followed by a freshly cooked breakfast of your choice when you get back to camp a couple of hours later. The rest of the day is quite leisurely and usually ends with another game drive in the cool of the evening. Every member of the team seems to want to ensure you see all that is to be seen and that you enjoy it. Toilet facilities are ample and straightforward but don't go expecting things to be at a 5* level. The tents and beds are comfortable, the food is delicious and the whole atmosphere jovial and convivial.

Where else in the world can you within a 1000km radius see wildlife and scenic beauty as found in the Kruger Park, Kalahari, Busmanland, Garden Route, the Drakensberg, West Coast and round it of with the wine routes around Cape Town. We really enjoyed our time

Besides the Kruger (and all the hundreds of private game reservers around), you have the Kalahari, Cape Town with Cape-Dutch vineyards, Garden Route, Drakensberg, Soweto and the West Coast. What more can you ask for within a 1000 km?

South Africa is simply the best place in the world for viewing wildlife in luxury while still being close to civilisation.

From A to Z, SA has everything I saw at the zoo as a child, but wild. no fences. no feeding times. no safety of your own backyard.. maybe one of those things isn't true, but SA is definitely a once in a lifetime destination for any tourist.

South Africans are exceptionally welcoming and are eager to share with you the bounty of their land. The biodiversity of the region is astounding and sure to please visitors of all ages.

A cultural meltingpot of the world's history in an amazingly eclectic country.

My time in South Africa was spent in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Johannesburg is a big city with lots of neat markets and was a perfect starting point for the trips I've done in southern Africa.
Cape Town is amazing! The culture and history are overflowing in every part of the city. There is just so much iconic history in Cape Town that I would recommend taking one of the city tour buses - it was a great way to take it all in and learn a lot. The preservation of old buildings and the demolished areas of District 6 portray a city comfortable with its past and interest in educating the masses.
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, nestled amongst the mountains represent a stunning collection of botanical knowledge. The gardens have rolling green lawns with Fynbos, proteas, and cycads everywhere. Proteas have the most amazing flowers and I would recommend going at time when the majority are in bloom - well worth the wait to see their brilliance.
Table Mountain is a must. It is an iconic natural feature and provides stunning views of the city.
From night clubs and posh bars to amazing food and incredible scenery. Cape Town has been the highlight of my trips to South Africa and I highly recommend it for everyone.

Everything is good. I was at the north of SA next to the frontier of botswana. The only thing I regret it's a lot of farms or safari have some fences compare to botswana where all animals is free. Except that it's a very good destination, I didn't get the chance to go to kruger park but I heard a lot of comments that it's awesome.