South Africa is arguably one of the most beautiful and varied
countries in the world, and as such has much more to offer
than is possible to see in one trip. The choice of destinations
within the country is expanding year by year and it is becoming
increasingly accessible. South Africa’s main attraction
is its magnificent natural beauty, represented in a multitude
of game reserves and national parks. The other major draw
is its vibrant cities, such as Cape Town, Johannesburg, and
Durban, full of the cosmopolitan populations you’d expect
from the Rainbow Nation.
Outdoor activity is very much a part
of life, be it hiking and surfing, or one of the booming adrenaline
sports. Its history too is fascinating, with numerous historical
towns, townships and battle sites worth visiting. In short,
the choice of destinations, activities and itineraries is
virtually inexhaustible, so careful planning is needed to
make the best use of your time. The tourist board calls it
‘a world in one country’ – corny but true!
The climatic, cultural and geographical differences make it
a playground for the adventurous traveller. Driving is easy,
campsites and accommodation plentiful, and even the remotest
areas are accessible. The only problem there is that there's
so much to fit in!
South Africa has over 4 000
kilometres of coastline, a constantly sunny climate and a
wonderful range of landscapes. Its shores are swept by the
cool Atlantic currents around the Cape, while the warm Indian
Ocean gives rise to a tropical feel in the east. Central South
Africa is home to the dramatic peaks of the Drakensberg (the
tail end of the African Rift Valley), the dry dusty plains
of the Kalahari and the highveld that supports the very empty
Karoo and the very full Johannesburg. It is a land of floral
kingdoms and natural beauty, with just about every African
animal in residence in the superb network of national and
privately owned parks and reserves.
While South Africa will bowl you over, it’s not without
its problems. If you want to catch a glimpse not only of the
new South Africa but also its brittle past, take a community-run tour of a township or a boat trip to Robben Island. An
understanding of past injustices and the legacy of the struggle
will enhance your travel. In fact, more foreign visitors go to Soweto
than to Kruger each day. The people of South Africa have gone
through a cycle of change for hundreds of years. The Europeans
landed at Table Bay; the Dutch (Boers) staked out the land
and began their Great Trek to the interior; while the English
dominated the towns.
A century of skirmish, conflict and casualties
ensued between the Europeans and the tribes who owned the land
that they desired so much. Lives were lost on a massive scale
during the Anglo-Boer war, after which the Union of South
Africa was established to mend the country they had almost
destroyed. But this had disastrous consequences for the black population.
Increasingly repressive legislation was introduced and apartheid
(‘being apart’) reared its ugly head in the 1940s.
Pass laws and classification forced blacks to live separate
and inferior lives. After years of struggle during one of
the most politically turbulent periods on earth, the ANC (helped
by international pressure) was democratically elected to
power in 1995 and Mandela created the ‘Rainbow Nation’.
The depth of change required was enormous but an atmosphere
of freedom and hope has settled over a new South Africa.
There is enough in South Africa to keep adventurers occupied
for months. The beautiful city of Cape Town is a hub of activity,
the most obvious one being climbing or riding the cable car
to the top of Table Mountain. The Cape beaches offer horse
trails and surfing, or you can slip down the dunes on a sand board.
Go to the Cape canyons for kloofing– a combination of trekking,
climbing and sliding down waterfalls. There are few places
more beautiful to skydive, but don’t do it after a Stellenbosch
wine tour!
Chase the whales at Hermanus, paddle with the jackass
penguins at Boulders and go cage diving with a great white
shark, or swim with them at the Two Oceans Aquarium. Explore
caves, ride ostriches and eat oysters along the Garden Route,
and bungee off the Bloukrans Bridge – the highest in
the world and the mother of all bungees. The five-day Otter
Trail runs through the fabulous Tsitsikamma National Park,
where gorges are run by wild blackwater tube ride. South
Africa has over 50 sea-kayaking routes, and there are
rafting and canoeing on the Breede, Blyde and Orange Rivers.
The Drakensberg Mountains are a hiker’s heaven (you can
ski in the middle of winter) and pony treks go over the Lesotho
border. Other excellent hikes are at Hogsback, Cedarberg,
Blyde River Canyon and the untameable Wild Coast. Sodwana
National Park is a fantastic place to learn to dive and the wetlands
and beaches of St Lucia are a hotspot for angling, game fishing
and snorkelling. Jeffrey’s Bay is South Africa’s
premier surfing scene.
Knowledgeable guides will take you on game drives and walking
or night safaris in parks that are home to almost every African
animal. The Kruger National Park must be the finest game-rich
kingdom in the world, supplemented by bordering luxury safari
reserves. You will literally trip over rhino in Hluhluwe-Umfolozi
and be surrounded by elephant at Addo. Addo is also home to
the Big Seven: lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, rhino, shark
and whale. 4x4 enthusiasts will find adventure in the Augrabies
and Kalahari Gemsbok Parks and golfers at Sun City will be
in for a surprise when they are beaten to the green by a crocodile.
There are endless adventures and activities in South Africa
and once you start to explore, it’s difficult to stop.
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The people of South Africa have gone through a cycle of change
for hundreds of years. Evidence of human occupation of South
Africa extends back 40 000 years, when the Khoi Khoi
and San peoples occupied the land. Later they were joined by the Bantu
who migrated from the north. The Europeans landed at Table
Bay from the 17th century. The Dutch (Boers) staked out the
land and began their Great Trek to the interior, where
they established the new colonies of the Orange Free State and
the Transvaal. The British controlled the towns and coast.
A century
of skirmish, conflict and casualty ensued between the British, the Boers
and the tribes who owned the land that they desired so much.
The discovery of diamonds, and later gold in the Transvaal
at the end of the 19th century, resulted in an English invasion
which sparked the second Anglo-Boer War. Lives were lost on a massive
scale before British victory in 1902. The Union
of South Africa was established to mend the country they had
nearly destroyed.
An uneasy power-sharing between the two groups held sway until
the 1940s, when the Afrikaner National Party was able to gain
a strong majority. This had disastrous consequences for the
black people of South Africa. Increasingly repressive legislation
was introduced and apartheid (‘being apart’) reared
its ugly head. Pass laws and classification forced blacks
to live separate and inferior lives. Race laws touched every
aspect of social life, including a prohibition of marriage
between non-whites and whites, and the sanctioning of ‘white-only'
jobs, services and public places. Non-compliance was dealt
with harshly. All blacks were required to carry pass books.
In 1960 black demonstrators in Sharpeville who refused
to carry their pass books clashed with the police. The conflict left
69 people dead and the government declared a state of emergency.
Homelands were created from 1976 to 1981 as independent states
ensuring the preservation of white supremacy elsewhere. The
homelands denationalised nine million black South Africans
who now needed passports to enter South Africa: they were aliens
in their own country. The principal black opposition movement
was the African National Congress (ANC). The bulk of the ANC’s
organisation including its military wing worked in exile.
During the state of emergency which continued intermittently
until 1989, thousands of activists of the ANC and other groups
were arrested. Some died in police custody and others were
either banished from the country or imprisoned for life. Nelson
Mandela was one of these.
In the 1989 elections, the hard-line national party president,
PW Botha, gave way to the much more progressive FW De Klerk.
The new government faced constant pressure from the international
community and human rights bodies to dismantle apartheid.
Over the next 12 months, the De Klerk government removed the
ban on the ANC, the South African Communist Party and 30 other
anti-apartheid groups. They released the jailed ANC leadership
including its leader Nelson
Mandela, who had been imprisoned for 27 years. Mandela and his ANC colleagues immediately started
negotiating a political settlement with the white government.
After years of struggle during one of the most politically
turbulent periods on earth, the ANC was democratically elected
to power in 1994. Mandela as president created the ‘Rainbow
Nation’. De Klerk became deputy president and he and
Mandela jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize. The priorities
for the new government were straightforward but daunting:
to provide decent standards of housing, education, and health
care to the majority black population - needs that had been
ignored under the apartheid regime. Before the 1999 elections,
Mandela announced that he would not stand for a second term
and passed the presidential reins to Thabo Mbeki. Mandela is still one of Africa’s finest statesmen and the
majority of South Africans hold great respect and admiration
for him. The depth of change required in South Africa is enormous
– poverty, unemployment and crime are problems that
will take generations to overcome - but an atmosphere of freedom
and hope has settled over a new South Africa.
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South Africa is located, as one might expect, on the southern
tip of Africa. It’s bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on
the west and the Indian Ocean on the south and east. Along
its northern border, from west to east, lie Namibia, Botswana
and Zimbabwe. To the northeast are Mozambique and Swaziland.
Wholly enclosed by South Africa is the independent kingdom
of Lesotho on the eastern side of the country.
South Africa
is one of the most geographically varied countries of the
African continent. Covering 1.2 million sq km it is with over 4 000 kms of coastline, it has a constantly
sunny climate and a wonderful range of landscapes. Its shores
are swept by the cool Atlantic currents around the Cape, while
the warm Indian Ocean gives rise to a tropical feel in the
east.
Central South Africa is home to the dramatic peaks of
the Drakensberg - the tail end of the African Rift Valley that
reaches heights of 300 metres - and the highveld that supports
the very empty Karoo and the very full Johannesburg. In the
northwest, South Africa's Kalahari Gemsbok National Park,
one of the continent's largest game reserves, extends into
the red sands and scrub grasslands of the great Kalahari Desert.
In the northeast, the highveld plateau descends to the Lowveld,
a rich and diverse game savannah that supports the world-renowned
Kruger National Park. It is a land of floral kingdoms and
natural beauty, with just about every African animal in residence
in the superb network of national and privately owned parks
and reserves. Its diverse regions offer ample opportunities
for adventure travel.
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South Africa is a big country just south of the tropic of
Capricorn, but it is the topography and surrounding oceans
that influence its climate, rather than the latitude. Although
the climate varies from region to region, it is generally
mild and sunny throughout the year and there’s really
not a bad time to visit South Africa.
Day time summer temperatures
average between 15 and 30ºC. On the whole it’s
a dry country with an average annual rainfall of 502 mm. It
generally rains in the afternoon everywhere in the country
during the summer (November to February), except in the Western
Cape, where it rains during winter. Snowfall is limited to
the highest mountain peaks, though it has snowed on Table Mountain
in recent years. KwaZulu Natal has a subtropical climate with
high humidity in summer, similar to neighbouring Mozambique.
The southern Gauteng region has hot summers with regular
thundershowers and frosty winters. The eastern part
of this region, known as the lowveld, where the Kruger National
Park is located, enjoys mild winters and scorching summers
.
The Cape interior and the Free State have similar weather
conditions to the southern Gauteng region. The Western Cape
region has a Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers
and cold, wet winters.
There are 11 official languages in South Africa: Afrikaans,
English, Ndebele, Sotho, Swazi, Tsongo, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa,
Zulu and Pedi. The English-speaking visitor will have no problem
when travelling through this country. Below are a few words
and phrases that have been translated into three of the country’s
official languages. They should be helpful in most
regions, and the local people will appreciate it if you greet
them in their own language.
Afrikaans
• Good morning - Goeie môre
• Good afternoon - Goeie middag
• Good night/evening - Goeie naand
• Thank you – Dankie
• Goodbye – Totsiens
Zulu
• Good morning - Sawubona
• Good afternoon - Sawubona
• Good night/evening - Sawubona
• Thank you – Ngiyabonga
• Goodbye – Hamba kahle
Xhosa
• Good morning - Molo
• Good afternoon - Molo
• Good night/evening - Molo
• Thank you – Enkosi
• Goodbye – Hamba kahle
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