From the lush Cape Winelands to the pristine beaches along the Cape Town coastline, South Africa is chock-full of attractions for explorers and adventurers who want to experience the best of Africa.
Beach tours and game viewing safaris feature prominently among the South Africa holidays attractions, and so are Table Mountain hiking adventures.
South Africa is home to some of Africa’s best wildlife reserves some of which are privately owned. Kruger National Park, Shamwari Game Park and Addo Elephant Park are among the most popular South Africa national parks.
Kruger, the country’s oldest and the biggest wildlife conservation area, is the most popular South Africa safari destination.
If you intend to take a South Africa beach holiday, Clifton Beach (the most popular beach in the area), Boulders Beach, Sandy Beach, Camps Bay, Noordhoek and Kalk Bay may be ideal destinations for you. Between July and November whales can be spotted along the southern coast of South Africa shores.
If you fancy diving with sharks you will find it worthwhile to visit Gansbaai (situated 2 hours from Cape Town). Here, a number of operators run cage diving trips around the stretch of water between Dyer Island and the mainland – usually referred to as the world’s shark diving capital.
South Africa Weather/When To Go:
South Africa, being a large country, has diverse climatic regions that makes it an all year-round tourism destination. In general the country’s weather is sunny and hot during the summer period (December to April), and mild during winter months (May to October).
South Africa holidays are best taken during winter because the foliage is at its thinnest making it easier to view the animals.
Quick Facts About South Africa:
Time: GMT/UTC + 2
Borders: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho.
Area: 1, 221, 037 sq km
Seasons: Cape Town: cold & wet (May to August); sunny & warm (September to May); Durban & Johannesburg: dry (May to September); wet (October to April).
Population: 46.9 million
South Africa Visa: Free, 90-day entry permits issued on arrival to citizens of most Commonwealth countries (including Australia and the UK), most Western European countries, Japan and the USA.
Telephone: Country code 27; international access 09
Capital: Pretoria (administrative), Bloemfontein (judicial) and Cape Town (legislative).
Languages: English, Afrikaans, Ndebele, Sepedi, Setswana, Sotho, Swati, Tshivenda, Xhosa, Xitsonga, and Zulu.
Currency: Rand