This South Africa Travel Guide introduces you to this fascinating country. South African holidays will indeed inspire and surprise you.

South Africa is a rich and diverse country teeming with natural beauty, unique and fascinating cultures and an amazing historical heritage.

This is the land where 2 oceans meet, where warm weather lasts for most of the year, and where the magnificent Big Five of Africa roam

South African Holiday Routes: South Africa is an expansive country, so self drive tours to explore this fascinating country will be impossible in just one day. From the vibrance of the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town and the majesty of the Cape Winelands, to the wildlife of the Kruger Park and the beauty of the Panorama Route, there is so much to discover in South Africa during a self drive vacation.

A self-drive South African holiday is indeed a cost efficient way to explore the area, but also affords the chance to do so at your own leisure, taking in as much of the country as you like. The route you take is your prerogative, as well as car hire, accommodation, activities etc. Self drive tours allow you to fulfill your personal interests at your own pace and choose a tour itinerary to suit your individual needs.

5 reasons to go:

• South Africa is home to some of the premier game reserves and national parks in the world, including Kruger National Park
• Here you can enjoy a combination of experiences - nature, history, culture, wildlife, all in one country
• The wonderful climate makes South Africa a year round travel destination
• Great value for money
• An ideal family destination

Cape Town & Garden Route - Internationally acclaimed as one of the premier capital cities of the World, Cape Town nestles in one of the most dramatic scenic settings anywhere on earth. Backed by the imposing Table Mountain and overlooking Table Bay, Cape Town is a cosmopolitan mix of culture, business, industry, leisure and history.

Cape Town has so much to offer from entertainment, restaurants, culture, adventure, sandy white beaches, nature and beauty to the proximity of one of the world’s top wine producing areas.

Just over the mountains from Cape Town, the Cape Overberg is filled with fynbos, beautiful beaches, rolling wheat fields and farmlands, and its waters are the breeding ground for the southern right whale.   Between June and November each year courting, mating and calving whales can be viewed from the rocky cliffs.

The Garden Route is South Africa’s Garden of Eden where tranquil lagoons, sparkling lakes and lush green forests are wedged in a narrow temperate zone between majestic mountains and the spectacular coastline.

From the Tsitsikamma National Park in the west to Port Edward in the north east, the Eastern Cape is the home of the Xhosa nation, of whose royal family former president Nelson Mandela is the most famous descendant.  Steeped in history, the province now has over a million hectares of malaria free game viewing.

Kwa-Zulu Natal -  The majestic Zulu Kingdom is known for its proud history, dynamic cultures, breath-taking beauty, sandy beaches and warm all year round climate along the coastline and part of the interior.    The Elephant Coast includes South Africa’s first World Heritage Site of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, as well as the Hluhluwe / Imfolozi Reserve which is famous for waving the white rhino from extinction

Besides the Big Five that park has an astonishing variety of wildlife and is home to the largest population of southern white rhino in the world.

The uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park has been declared a World Heritage Site for both its outstanding natural environment as well as the ancient San rock paintings found in the caves and overhangs in the area.  The peaks of the mountain range rise to heights of over 3000 metres and are often snow-capped in winter, and the surrounding scenery is spectacular.

Mpumalanga -  Subtropical Mpumalanga, meaning “the place where the sun rises” is bounded by the Kruger National Park, Swaziland and Mozambique to the east and the spectacular Drakensberg Mountains to the west.  The region is one of contrasts, with Highveld grasslands dominating the western boundary with Gauteng, moving eastwards through subtropical fruit growing areas of the Greater Escarpment and into the bushveld  of the world renowned Kruger National Park and adjacent private game reserves.  The wildlife, birds and plant life to be found in these parks are all truly representative of Africa and the scenery is majestic and endless.

Another highlight of this region is the scenic beauty of the Panorama Route with its exquisite waterfalls and dramatic landscapes, including the Blyde River Canyon, and the museum town of Pilgrim’s Rest, intriguingly frozen in its Victorian heyday of gold mining activities.

Limpopo -  With the Limpopo River forming its northern border and also lending its name to the province, this in an area of ancient mystique, dramatic landscapes and unspoilt wilderness.  Here you can see ancient baobab trees, lush wooded mountain valleys, scorching bushveld and intriguing areas steeped in culture and heritage.

The natural attractions of Limpopo are definitely its strongest asset, and these range from the big game reserves, including the northern half of the Kruger National Park, to the gentle swells of the hoothills of the Drakensberg with its waterfall, wooded slopes, hot mineral springs and serene mountain scenery.

Other regions -  There is more to South Africa than just the main attraction areas, and for the more adventurous traveller there are so many other places worth a visit.

The Central Karoo is one of the world’s most unique arid zones and is a globally envied rarity.  Once a swamp, the Karoo is now an incredible semi-desert rich in fossils.  With vast, sweeping plains and seemingly endless azure mountains in the distance, the landscape is dotted with grazing sheep, and the area is home to the largest variety of succulents found anywhere on earth.

The North West has some of South Africa’s finest game reserves which include the Big Five, as well as fascinating geological and archaeological treasures.   The Pilansberg National Park, located in the crater of an extinct volcano,  is an outstanding feature of the province.

The Free State has wonderful panoramic landscapes that dramatically change from the flat corn and sunflower fields to the magnificent sandstone canyons and peaks of the Golden Gat National Park which is located on the northern Lesotho border.

Noted for its wildlife parks and reserves, the Northern Cape is home to fascinating and strange fauna and flora, and includes the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – a magnificent unspoilt stretch of semi desert which at 3.7 million hectares in size if one of the largest nature reserves in the world.  The Augrabies Falls National Park is located where the Orange River thunders through a ravine and drops into a huge pool 56 metres below, creating the sixth largest waterfall in the world.  The Northern Cape also plays host to one of the true miracles of nature, where the barren, dry landscape explodes into a display of intense colour as the wild desert flowers bloom after the first spring rains.