South Africa Safari Holidays - The Kruger National Park is
one of the most famous safari destinations in the world. With its
network of National Park run guest houses and rest camps, it allows the
visitor to self-drive around much of the park in their own cars on an
excellent network of tarmac roads. Around the park in private
comcessions such as Sabi Sands, are many exclusive (and some very
expensive) private lodges, that offer an unforgettable safari
experience.
For those with children, or just passing through Johannesburg and
looking for something a bit closer, there is the Pilanesberg. This
National Park still offers the opportunity to see the Big 5 - Lions,
leopards, rhino, elephants and Cape Buffalo, but is also Malaria free.
Another
popular option is to stay at one of the Game Reserves located in the
Cape Provinces, allowing them to be combined easily with Cape Town.
These private reserves are fenced and cover many thousands of hectares,
giving a true safari experience and with a high chance of good
game-viewing. The Addo National Park in the Cape actually claims to
offer the Big 7! – The usual 5 + whales and sharks.
Touring on the Garden Route
- The Garden Route is the coastline of the Eastern and Western Cape
Provinces, between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. Rugged scenery, remote
bays and beaches, lush lagoons and quaint towns combine to create a
wonderful setting for a touring holiday.
Cape Town - Most
people who visit South Africa visit Cape Town. Its location is
spectacular, with Table Mountain rising behind it, Dutch-style
farmsteads mingling with modern houses on its slopes. A visit to its
waterfront can be combined with a day trip to the Cape of Good Hope or
the nearby wine estates of the Cape Winelands.
There is a huge choice of accommodation options from small guest-houses
to luxury hotels. Wherever you stay, Cape Town is unlikely to
disappoint.
Battlefield Tours - It is increasingly popular
to visit the Anglo Zulu War and Anglo Boer war battlefields in KwaZulu
Natal, South Africa. On these you will toyr around visitng places such
as Roukes Drift, Isandlwana and Ladysmith. These can be done as a
self-drive or a guided tour.
When To Go
The climate of South Africa is temperate and generally pleasant.
Classified as “semi-arid”, South Africa’s weather tends to be fairly
mild, thanks to the influence of its vast ocean borders.
The
best time to visit depends more on what you plan to do, rather than the
weather. For example, the best time for viewing game is from August to
October (spring time). Summer can be very hot in the lowveld, and more
mild at higher altitudes, although rain and mist are likely in the
mountains. Be aware that December and January (especially around the
holidays) are peak season months and resorts and national parks book up
well in advance so reservations are advised.
Top Tips
- Always keep valuables concealed in pockets or bags in the main cities.
- Choose a safari destination that is malaria free if travelling with children to avoid the need for Malaria tablets.
- Get
to the Table Mountain cable car early to avoid the main rush. Watch out
for weekend and holidays when the locals all go up as well!
South Africa Holidays in focus
Kruger National Park - South Africa’s largest game reserve
is the Kruger National Park, covering nearly 19,000 sq. kilometers (over
7,300 sq. miles). The park was created in 1898 in order to protect
wildlife and today is a world leader in environmentalism, ideal for
South Africa holidays.
Entrance to the park is via one of 8 main gates: Paul Kruger, Numbi,
Malelane, Crocodile Bridge, Punda Maria, Orpen, Phabeni, Phalaborwa and
Pafuri. The park is so large that its land has been classified into 6
different eco-systems! Accommodations within the park include camps
with huts, cottages and campsites, bush lodges and luxury private game
lodges.
Most people visit Kruger Park on a South Africa holiday to
view animals, but it’s interesting to know that there are almost 2,000
species of plants, over 500 species of birds and over 300 species of
trees, as well as varieties of fish, amphibians and reptiles within the
park boundaries. As for game, all of the “Big Five” animals can be seen:
lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros (both the
black and white rhino are considered Big Five). By the way, these
animals are considered the Big Five because they are difficult to hunt,
and not because of their size! There are more different species of
mammals in Kruger Park than any other game reserve on the African
continent.
The Garden Route - Touring the “garden
route” on a South Africa travel adventure, a 200 kilometer itinerary,
one passes some of the most beautiful coastline in the world. The exact
starting and ending point of the route depend on whom you ask, but if
you drive from Mossel Bay in the west to Plettenberg Bay in the east,
you will have experienced, the garden route and its range of topography,
vegetation, wildlife and outdoor activity options.
Highlights
include the giant trees in the Tstisikamma Forest, the ostrich farms in
Oudtshoorn, the moutains and gorges of the Klein Karoo and the limestone
caverns and chambers known as the Cango Caves.
The Drakensberg Mountains
- The Dutch “voortrekkers” named it the Dragon Mountain, and the Zulu
name for the Drakensberg mountains is uKhahlamba, which means the
Barrier of Spears. Forming the boundary between South Africa and the
Kingdom of Lesotho, the majority of the range lies within the
KwaZulu-Natal province. Access to the range is via the Sani Pass where
you can have a drink at the highest pub in Africa, located at 3,000
meters above sea level.
The region is now a park and has been
declared a World Heritage Site, with a bounty of biological diversity,
spectacular scenery including the world's second-highest waterfall, the
Tugela Falls (Thukela Falls), and tens of thousands of rock paintings
depicting the day to day activities of the San people, also called
Bushmen. These paintings form the largest collection of its kind in the
world.
Activities in the Drakensburg range (other than drinking
at the high-altitude bar) include hiking, bird watching rock or ice
climbing, abseiling, and white water rafting. Skiing is also available.
Swimming with sharks - Cage diving gives one the unique
opportunity to view the incredible great white shark in its natural
environment, and South Africa is one of the best places in the world to
have this experience. A seal colony is one of the great white’s food
sources, and tour operators target these areas where sharks are
naturally present. A cage is suspended from the side of the boat, and
participants are submerged (either breathing through an air hose, or
simply taking a deep breath and ducking into the water). The sharks are
attracted when the operator “chums” the waters with a mixture of mashed
fish. The most popular areas to cage dive with great white sharks are
False Bay, Mossel Bay and Gansbaai and the best time for viewing is
during the summer months.
Cape Town and the Western Cape -
The second most populous city in South Africa, Cape Town is a major
vacation destination for overseas tourists, visitors from within the
country and elsewhere in Africa.
An infamous Cape Town features
is Robben Island, the island prison where South African presidents
Nelson Mandela and Kgalema Motlanthe, among others, were imprisoned
during the apartheid era.
Highly recommended is an ascent to
the top of Table Mountain, a flat topped mountain that is often
enshrouded in a thick cloud layer known as the “tablecloth”. Reach the
top either by hiking or by riding the cableway, and don’t forget to send
a postcard from the summit!
The Western Cape is becoming quite
well-known for its wine growing region, with scenic valleys nestled
between mountains producing excellent, export-quality wines. The history
of wine making in South Africa dates back to the late 1600’s when
French Huguenots arrived in the region and began making wine with the
Dutch farmers who had recently settled there and began cultivating the
land. Visit Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl and be sure to taste
Pinotage, a red wine which is the signature varietal of South Africa.
Classic Itineraries
- Game viewing in Kruger National Park
- Hiking in the Drakensburg Mountains
- Cage diving with the great white sharks
- A drive along the Garden Route
- Climbing Table Mountain in Cape Town, followed by wine tasting
South Africa Tour Overview
The Republic of South Africa is located at the southern tip of the
African continent and borders Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique,
Swaziland and the Kingdom of Lesotho which, interestingly, is entirely
surrounded by South Africa. The Atlantic Ocean lies to the west, and the
Indian Ocean to the east. The southernmost point on the African
continent is found in South Africa, but contrary to popular belief, this
point is not the Cape of Good Hope, but is in fact little known Cape
Agulhas.
The history of South Africa is long and varied, with
many bloody battles. The country contains some of the world’s oldest
archaeological sites with fossils dating back 3 million years. In more
modern terms, its colonial history began in 1652 when the Dutch East
India Company established a rest-stop where Cape Town lies today.
Settlers and colonizers included the British, and a group known as the
Boers (the original Dutch, Flemish, German and French settlers) who
eventually fought the British when diamonds and gold were discovered.
Ultimately, South Africa gained independence and was declared a republic
in 1961. Still, a system of apartheid (racial segregation) remained in
place until the early 90’s and it was not until 1994 that this African
nation elected its first black African president, the famous
anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela.
The 25th largest country
in the world, South Africa covers over 470,000 sq. miles (1.2 million
sq. km). It’s highest peak is Njesuthi, in the Drakensburg range, at
3,408 m (11,424 ft) and its coastline is almost 2,800 kilometers (1,700
miles) in length.
Culture - South Africa is truly a melting
pot, and has a history of racial diversity starting with the numerous
different African ethnic groups such as the Zulu, Xhosa, Bapedi and
Venda, to name just a few. In addition to Caucasians, there are also a
fair amount of east Indians residing in South Africa. Interestingly,
people of mixed race are recognized as a distinct racial group, called
“coloureds”. The total population is close to 50 million.
There are eleven official languages, plus 8 more non-official languages,
recognized in South Africa travel, although English has emerged as the
language of commerce and science. In fact, a recent census discovered
that Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans were the most common languages spoken in
the home. With eleven official languages come an equal number of
official names for South Africa!
While the United Nations classifies South Africa as a middle-income
country, and the per capita income is the 7th highest in Africa, it also
has one of the highest rates of income inequality in the world, and
this disparity between the have’s and the have-not’s classifies the
country as a developing nation. While perhaps linked to education (or
lack thereof), financial inequality has a direct correlation to race in
South Africa, and racial tensions still run high. On a positive note,
recent affirmative-action types of efforts have seen the slow emergence
of a black middle class.
Know before you go - Visitors
travelling to South Africa must be in possession of a valid passport
(with at least two blank pages remaining), sufficient funds to cover the
duratinon of their stay, a return or onward ticket, and possibly yellow
fever certificates if traveling through an affected area on a South
Africa tour. Those holding a passport from the United States and many
European countries do not require a visa for a short stay in the
country, but all tourists should check with the South African embassy or
consulate before traveling, to ensure that a visa or other
documentation is not required.
The monetary unit is the South African Rand (ZAR) which equals 100
cents. The rand replaced the South African Pound when independence was
declared in 1961, and the currency takes its name from Witwatersrand,
the white water’s ridge” where the city of Johannesburg lies and where
the majority of the country’s gold is found.
Tourists should be
mindful when traveling around South Africa, as much of the population,
including the immigrant populations, live in poverty and rely on crime
to survive. The best way to avoid street crime is to stay away from the
townships (slum-like suburbs), or only visit these areas on a guided
tour. In addition to the usual big city precautions (don’t go
anywhere alone after dark, be careful when using ATMs, conceal your
wallet and passport…), visitors should educate themselves about other
ways to remain safe in the areas of South Africa that they will be
visiting.
Visitors should bring
malaria tablets, mosquito repellent and appropriate clothing to keep mosquitoes at bay
a GSM mobile phone
a
power converter and adapter for electronics (for 220V/230V, 15 amps,
with either 15-amp 3 prong round pin plugs or 5-amp 2 prong round pin
plugs)
sun protection
layers of clothing
appropriate
clothing for game viewing: neutral colors are recommended, but a
safari “costume” (head-to-toe khaki and a pith helmet) will not be
appreciated by locals
South Africa’s time zone is SAST, which is
UTC/GMT + 2. Daylight savings time is not observed. Remember that
South Africa is in the southern hemisphere and therefore seasons are
opposite to those in North America & Europe.
Travel:Whereas Johannesburg is the largest city, the executive
capital of South Africa is Pretoria. Other seats of power include
Bloemfontein (the judicial capital), and Cape Town (the legislative
capital).
Major international carriers arrive into the OR Tambo
International Airport (JNB), the busiest airport on the African
continent, and the Cape Town International Airport (CPT). Domestic
flights are an excellent way to move around with the country, as
distances are vast.
Tea / Coffee at Kirstenbosch Garden
