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Travel to South Africa

Truly the ‘Rainbow Nation’, South Africa has risen above its tumultuous apartheid past to become one of the leading tourist destinations on the African continent. The country’s magnificent biodiversity and abundant plant, bird and animal life has been fantastically preserved and protected, and draws a stark contrast to the bustling urban centres with their profuse cultural and recreational offerings.

It is a melting pot of cultures, languages and traditions, and it is characterised simultaneously by integration and distinct differences, a factor which makes the country all the more fascinating.

The seaside city of Cape Town, extending out from the base of the breathtaking, flat-topped Table Mountain, is undoubtedly South Africa’s most stunning urban destination. Located on a skinny peninsula that is surrounded by the merging of the Indian and Atlantic oceans, the Cape is blessed with incomparably lovely beaches and azure waters. On its most southern tip is the Cape Point Nature Reserve, a striking, wind-whipped wilderness, and inland, to the north, are the gentle, rolling wine lands of Stellenbosch and Franschoek.

On South Africa’s eastern coast, the gorgeous Garden Route area draws an endless stream of visitors to its long sandy beaches, serene lagoons and indigenous forests. Farther up the coast, Durban is a laid-back, sub-tropical city that boasts good weather all year round and is a water sports paradise popular with surfers, body boarders, sailors and scuba divers.

The racy city of Johannesburg is known as ‘The City of Gold’ due to abundant gold deposits and its status as the country’s economic centre. Jo’burg is a heady mix of fast-paced business transactions, a pulsating social scene, and elements of danger, with violence and hijackings uncomfortably frequent occurrences. On the outskirts of the city is the famous township of Soweto, which played a central role in the apartheid struggle. Tours into the township are popular and can be booked in the city.

Pretoria is a calm, lovely city, with purple jacaranda trees lining its streets. Its history is inextricably tied up with that of the Voortrekker movement, and the city encompasses several significant monuments, old buildings and museums that are worthy of a visit.

Safety is a major cause for concern in South Africa, as the legacy of apartheid lingers on in the many poverty-stricken townships that are spread throughout the country. Crime is common and often violent, and visitors should be extremely careful in both the cities and the rural areas. When visiting South Africa, we strongly recommend you take out travel insurance.

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