Accommodation
Editor's Choice: Game Reserves
Game reserve rest camps are protected enclosures within the confines of the park. Accommodation is usually in thatched huts known as rondavels, or in small cottages. Some camps have air-conditioned accommodation. Most rondavels and cottages are self-contained, with private baths and showers, and sometimes kitchens. Some camps have luxury air-conditioned accommodation. Conservation Corporation Africa (CCA) was founded in 1990 to develop sustainable wildlife reserves, achieved through low-density, high-quality tourism. Its lodges are bywords for luxury and elegance, but equally important is CCA’s work to promote biodiversity, invest in the local rural economies and restore land.
Accommodation
South Africa offers a wide range of accommodation from luxury 5-star hotels to thatched huts (rondavels) in game reserves. ‘Time-sharing condominiums’ are developing in popular resorts. Comprehensive accommodation guides giving details of facilities, including provision for the handicapped, are available at all SATOUR offices and from regional tourist offices. Information covers hotels, motels, farm holidays, game park rest camps, caravan and campsites and supplementary accommodation such as beach cottages, holiday flats and bungalows. Rates should always be confirmed at time of booking. It is forbidden by law to levy service charges, although phone calls may be charged for.
Hotels
All hotels are registered with the South African Tourism Board, which controls standards. 800 hotels are members of The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (FEDHASA).Grading: Hotels are graded 1 to 5 stars according to the range of facilities on offer, plus an optional classification band grading the level of services and hospitality: Burgundy: Acceptable standard of services and hospitality in addition to the required facilities. Silver: Superior services, hospitality, quality and ambience.
Guest houses/Bed & Breakfast
There are very few towns that do not offer this type of accommodation. Advance bookings during the summer season (October to April) are becoming essential, especially in the Western Cape region.
Self-catering
Holiday flats, resorts and health spas are available along main routes, notably the Natal/Cape coasts and in Mpumalanga, limpopo and the Drakenberg. Grading: Self-catering accommodation is graded 1 to 5 stars according to the facilities available and the level of services and hospitality.
Camping/Caravanning
There are over 800 camp and caravan sites in the country; camping is not allowed outside of them. Caravan parks are to be found along all the tourist routes in South Africa, particularly at places favoured for recreation and sightseeing. The standard is usually high. Many caravan parks have campsites. A number of companies can arrange motor camper rentals, with a range of fully-equipped vehicles. Grading: Camp and caravan sites are classed as self-catering accommodation (see above).
Farm Holidays
There is a wide range of guest farms open to tourists offering stays in various ecological regions. Opportunities exist for adventure activities such as horse riding, mountain-biking and fishing, as well as agricultural activities like bee-keeping and cattle-ranching. Full details can be obtained from SATOUR (see Top Things To Do).
Backpacker Hostels
Located all over the country, hostels are cheap, clean and well-run places to stay. Buses often offer door-to-door services between hostels. Rooms are dorms with a shared shower. Self catering facilities are provided.
Accommodation Information
The Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (FEDHASA) PO Box 71517, Brynston, South Africa Tel: (11) 799 7676. Website: www.fedhasa.co.za Conservation Corporation Africa (CCA) website: www.ccafrica.com
Business
• GDP: US$527.4 billion (2005 est) .• Main imports: Machines, plastic products, chemicals and also vehicles. • Main exports: Mineral raw materials (gold, diamonds, platinum), agricultural produce, chemical products, machinery, electric appliances and vehicles. • Main trade partners: China, France, Germany, Iran, Japan, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, UK and USA.
Economy
The South African economy dominates the southern part of the African continent. Agriculture is strong enough to allow South Africa virtual self-sufficiency in foodstuffs: livestock is reared extensively, and sugar, maize and cereals are produced in large quantities. Specialised products such as wine and fruit are exported in large quantities. The industrial sector has traditionally been based on mining. The country has considerable deposits of common minerals such as coal, but also of valuable metals and ores which are in high demand but are scarce everywhere else except the Russian Federation: these include chromium, manganese, vanadium and platinum. Its most valuable minerals, however, are gold and diamonds, of which South Africa has long been both the world’s largest producer and exporter. Gold alone accounts for one-third of the country’s entire export income. The only key mineral that South Africa lacks is oil. Recently, however, the traditional dominance of agriculture and mining has been supplanted by manufacturing and service industries. Manufacturing industry is concentrated in metal-based industries, mainly steel and heavy engineering, with machinery and transport equipment as the principal products. Manufacturing now accounts for around 20 per cent of total economic output. Some advanced technological industries have also emerged in recent years. In the service sector, both financial services and tourism have expanded rapidly and both are now mainstays of the South African economy. The Mandela government initially committed itself to a gradual economic transition through its Reconstruction and Development Programme, whose principal aim was to tackle the gross inequalities inherited from the apartheid regime. Progress was tempered, however, by the Government’s insistence on fiscal restraint. The Government has since designed a scheme under which major economic assets – notably the mines – will be transferred to ‘black empowerment entities’ over a 10-year period. Inflation in 2005 was 3.1 per cent and annual growth was 4 per cent. Few inroads have been made into the high level of unemployment, officially at 26.2 per cent in 2004. Perhaps the greatest long-term problem, especially as regards its impact on the workforce, is the very high level of HIV/AIDS infection in the country. South Africa is the dominant member of the local Southern African Customs Union (with Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland); it has also joined the Southern African Development Community and the Organisation of African Unity.
Business Etiquette
Suits are usually expected to be worn for meetings. Appointments are generally necessary and punctuality is expected. Business cards are widely used. Office hours: Mon-Fri 0830-1630.
Conferences/Conventions
There are roughly 815 conference venues in South Africa. The main conference venues are in Pretoria and Johannesburg, though facilities exist in all other major towns, provided mainly by hotels and universities. The Conference and Incentive Promotions Division of SATOUR exists to promote South African venues and to ensure high standards of service and facilities for conference organisers. Contact SATOUR for details (see Top Things To Do).
Commercial Information
South African Chamber of Business (SACOB) 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Gauteng, South Africa Tel: (11) 446 3800.Website: www.sacob.co.zaDepartment of Trade & IndustryPrivate Bag X84, Pretoria 0001, , South Africa Tel: (12) 394 9500. Website: www.dti.gov.zaSouthern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) PO Box 414, Kloof 3640, South Africa Tel: (31) 764 6977.Website: www.saaci.co.zaCape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry 19 Louis Gradner Street, Cape Town 8000, South Africa Tel: (21) 402 4300.Website: www.capechamber.co.za
Climate
Climate
South Africa’s climate is generally sunny and pleasant. Winters are usually mild, although snow falls on the mountain ranges of the Cape and Natal and occasionally in lower-lying areas, when a brief cold spell can be expected throughout the country.
Required clothing
Lightweight cottons and linens and rainwear. Warmer clothes are needed for winter.
Communications
Telephone
IDD is available. Country code: 27.
Mobile telephone
Roaming agreements exist with international mobile phone companies. Coverage extends to most urban areas.
Internet
Internet cafes are present around the country.
Post
Airmail to Europe takes up to seven days. Post office hours: Generally Mon-Fri 0830-1630, Sat 0800-1130. Some transactions may not be carried out Mon-Fri after 1530 or Sat after 1100. The smaller post offices close for lunch 1300-1400.
MEDIA
South Africa's many broadcasters and publications reflect the diversity of the population as a whole. Well-established state-run and commercial TV networks broadcast nationally, and hundreds of thousands of viewers subscribe to pay-TV services operated by major cable and satellite company Multichoice. Deregulation in 1996 led to a proliferation of radio stations. The constitution provides for freedom of the press, and this is generally respected in practice. Press: The main newspapers are in English and Afrikaans, and include Cape Argus, The Citizen, Daily Dispatch, Mercury, Sowetan and The Star (website: www.thestar.co.za). TV: SABC is a state broadcaster operating three national TV networks; E.tv is a free-to-air commercial network; M-Net is a pay-TV network. Radio: SABC is a state broadcaster with 20 regional and national services in 11 languages. Other radio channels are: YFM, 702 Talk Radio and Channel Africa.
Contact Addresses
Location
Southern Africa.
Time
GMT + 2.
South African Tourism Board (SATOUR) in the UK
Street address: 6 Alt Grove, Wimbledon, London SW19 4DZ, UK Postal address: PO Box 49110, London SW19 4DXTel: (020) 8971 9364 or (0870) 155 0044 (tourism enquiry line and brochure request). Website: www.southafrica.net
South African High Commission in the UK
South Africa House, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DP, UK Tel: (020) 7451 7299. Website: www.southafricahouse.com Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700. Consular section: Mon-Fri 0845-1245 (appointments only).Website: www.southafricahouse.com
South African Consulate in the UK
15 Whitehall, London SW1A 2DD, UK Tel: (020) 7925 8900/01/10 or (020) 7925 8916 (appointment booking line). Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0845-1245 (appointments only).Website: www.southafricahouse.com/Consulate.htm
Embassy of the Republic of South Africa in the USA
3051 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA Tel: (202) 232 4400 .Website: www.saembassy.org
South African Consulate in the USA
Street address: 4301 Connecticut Ave, NW, Van Ness Building, Suite 220, Washington, DC 20008, USAPostal Address: 3051 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USATel: (202) 274 7991.Opening hours: 0900-1200.
South African Tourism Board (SATOUR) in the USA
500 Fifth Avenue, 20th Floor, Suite 2040, New York, NY 10110, USA Tel: (212) 730 2929. Website: www.southafrica.net
Duty Free
The following goods may be imported into South Africa by passengers over 18 years of age without incurring customs duty: 200 cigarettes and 50 cigars and 250g of tobacco; 1l of spirits or liquor and 2l of wine; 50ml of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette; other goods up to a value of ZAR3000.
Restricted items
Plants and plant material without import permit, including margarine, honey and other vegetable oils.
Prohibited goods
Narcotics; flick-knives; ammunition, explosives; meat, processed cheese and other dairy products; obscene literature.
Entertainment
Food & Drink
A thriving agricultural sector yields excellent fresh produce, meat, fruit and wines and the long coastline produces very fresh and cheap. Bars/cocktail lounges have bartender service. ‘Liquor stores’ are open weekdays 0900-1800 and Sat 0900-1300, although alcohol is now available in supermarkets outside these hours and under certain circumstances on a Sunday. National specialities:• Sosaties (a type of kebab). • Bobotie (a curried mince dish, of which waterbolmmetjiebredie, made with a local water plant, is particularly good).• Potjiekos, a casserole cooked for hours in an iron pot, usually outside.• Bredies (meat, tomato and vegetable casseroles). • Biltong (seasoned dried meat). • Poetoepap, a sort of polenta made with white maize, is widely eaten with meat.• Seafood including oysters, crayfish (or rock lobster) and linefish (examples of which are Kingklip, Kabbeljou, Cob and Red Roman).National drinks:• Umqombothi, a home-brewed sorghum beer.• Excellent local red and white wines (including chardonnay), sherries, brandies and some unusual liqueurs.Tipping: Normally 10 to 15 per cent if service is not included. It is customary to tip porters, waiters, taxi drivers, caddies and room service. By law, hotel rates do not include a service charge.
Nightlife
Cinemas show a variety of international films. In the large cities, there are regular plays, operas and symphony concerts. The local music scene is thriving, and there is a unique South African ‘township’ jazz style, exponents of which can be seen in all large cities. There are a number of nightclubs and discos open until late. The large hotels usually have live music or cabaret.
Shopping
Upmarket boutiques and supermarkets generally coexist with a mass of street traders selling arts, crafts and anything else profitable. Stores are modern. Special purchases include Swakara hand-crafted gold, coats, gold, diamond and semi-precious stone jewellery, leather, suede and fur goods, ceramics and crafts, of which there are now a bewildering variety including many from the rest of the continent. Local wine, brandy and liqueur are cheap and usually excellent. Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700, Sat 0900-1400, although there is an increasing trend to open later and all weekend in major tourist spots.
General Information
Area
1,219,192 sq km (470,693 sq miles).
Population
46 million (UN, 2005).
Population Density
36.8 per sq km.
Capital
Pretoria (administrative). Population: 1.98 million (2001). Cape Town (legislative). Population: 2.89 million (2001). Bloemfontein (judicial). Population: 119,698 (2001).
Geography
The Republic of South Africa lies at the southern end of the African continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and is bordered to the north by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland and totally encloses Lesotho. South Africa has three major geographical regions, namely plateau, mountains and the coastal belt. The high plateau has sharp escarpments which rise above the plains, or veld. Despite two major river systems, the Limpopo and the Orange, most of the plateau lacks surface water. Along the coastline are sandy beaches and rocky coves, and the vegetation is shrublike. The mountainous regions which run along the coastline from the Cape of Good Hope to the Limpopo Valley in the northeast of the country are split into the Drakensberg, Nuweveldberg and Stormberg ranges. Following the 1994 elections, South Africa was organised into nine regions. These comprise the Western Cape with its provincial and national capital of Cape Town, the Eastern Cape with its provincial capital of Bisho, the Northern Cape with its provincial capital of Kimberley, KwaZulu-Natal with its provincial capital of Pietermaritzburg, the Free State with its provincial capital of Bloemfontein, the North West Province with its provincial capital of Mmabatho, Limpopo (formerly called the Northern Province) with its provincial capital of Polokwane (formerly called Pietersburg), Mpumalanga with its provincial capital of Nelspruit, and Gauteng with its provincial capital of Johannesburg.
Government
Republic. Gained independence from the UK in 1910. Head of State and Government: President Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki since 1999. Recent history: Under the terms of the new Constitution, which was adopted on 8 May 1996 and entered into force on 4 February 1997, legislative power is vested in a bicameral Parliament, comprising a National Assembly and a National Council of Provinces (formerly the Senate). The National Assembly is elected by universal adult suffrage under a system of proportional representation and has between 350 and 400 members. The 90-member National Council of Provinces comprises six permanent delegates and four special delegates from each of the provincial legislatures. The President, who is elected by the National Assembly from among its members, exercises executive power in consultation with the other members of the Cabinet. South Africa has held three successful national elections as well as local polls since the first genuinely inclusive national election in South Africa, which was held in February 1994. Thabo Mbeki was elected by Parliament to a second five-year term in April 2004, following the landslide general election victory of his ruling African National Congress (ANC). Mr Mbeki took over as President when Nelson Mandela stepped down in mid-1999. Mbeki’s administration is struggling with two major domestic problems – a huge violent crime wave and an HIV-AIDS pandemic, which afflicts over 10 per cent of the adult population. Mbeki’s persistent refusal to come to terms with the true nature of the HIV virus has drawn massive international criticism as well as being the subject of furious arguments between Mbeki and Mandela.
Language
The official languages are Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Siswati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga.
Religion
Most inhabitants profess Christianity of some form and belong to either Catholic, Anglican and other protestant denominations, Afrikaner Calvinist churches or African independent churches. There are also significant Hindu, Muslim and Jewish communities, and traditional beliefs are still practised widely, sometimes in conjunction with Christianity.
Electricity
220/240 volts AC; 250 volts AC (Pretoria), 50Hz. Three-pin round plugs are in use.
Social Conventions
Handshaking is the usual form of greeting. Normal courtesies should be shown when visiting someone’s home. Casual wear is widely acceptable. Formal social functions often call for a dinner jacket and black tie for men and full-length dresses for women; this will be specified on the invitation. Smoking is prohibited in public buildings and on public transport.
Health
Health
1
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers over one year of age arriving from infected areas. African countries and the Americas formerly classified as endemic zones are considered by the South African authorities to be infected areas.
2
Visitors may wish to consider precautions against cholera, depending on the area in South Africa being visited.
3
Vaccination against typhoid is advised. An outbreak of typhoid occurred in the town of Delmas, Mpumulanga in September 2005.
4
Malaria risk, predominantly in the malignant falciparum form, exists throughout the year in the low altitude areas of Limpopo, Mpumalanga Province (including the Kruger National Park) and northeastern KwaZulu/Natal as far south as the Tugela River. The risk is highest from October to May. Resistance to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine has been reported. It is strongly recommended that visitors to these areas take anti-malaria tablets before entering these zones. The recommended prophylaxis is mefloquine (World Health Organization) or chloroquine plus pyrimethamine (South African High Commission).
Food & drink
Mains water is considered safe to drink in urban areas but may be contaminated elsewhere and sterilisation is advisable. Milk is pasteurised and dairy products are safe for consumption. Local meat, poultry, seafood, fruit and vegetables are generally considered safe to eat.
Other risks
Measels has been present in the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces. Bilharzia (schistosomiasis) is endemic in the north and east and may be present elsewhere. Avoid swimming and paddling in fresh water; swimming pools that are well chlorinated and maintained are safe. Hepatitis A occurs and hepatitis B is hyperendemic. Dengue fever, onchocerciasis (river blindness), trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) and filariasis are present. Rabies may be present. For those at high risk, vaccination before arrival should be considered. If you are bitten, seek medical advice without delay. For more information, consult the Health appendix.
Health care
Medical facilities are good in urban areas but limited elsewhere. Doctors and hospitals often require immediate cash payment. Comprehensive health insurance is recommended. A leaflet on health precautions is available from the South African High Commission (see Passport/Visa Information).
History and Government
History
Evidence of human and humanoid occupation of South Africa extends back two million years. Stone Age artefacts date from 40,000 years ago, from which time there appears to have been a continuous human culture. This culture has been identified as being related to that of the Khoisan people and it lasted until the arrival of the Europeans and the Bantus, who largely absorbed them. The Bantu population of the region arrived as a result of the great southward migrations of Bantu people across central and southern Africa, which occurred circa 300 BC to the 16th century AD. This largely displaced the Bushmen (whose aboriginal culture – still surviving in the Kalahari – is rivalled only in Australia) and the Khoikhoi (‘Hottentots’). The European discovery of South Africa was roughly contemporaneous – the Portuguese navigator, Bartholomew Dias, discovered the Cape of Good Hope in 1488. In 1652, Dutch settlers, under Commander Jan van Riebeeck, arrived to start a victualling station for the Dutch East India Company. Numbers were swelled by French Huguenots in 1688 and again in 1820, by British settlers, after the British occupation of the Cape. During the 18th and 19th centuries, British and Boer settlers fought a series of wars with the local tribes. Control of the Cape region was also a matter of dispute between the Dutch and the British. The latter finally gained control in 1806 and, dissatisfied with their new rulers, the Boer pioneers, or Voortrekkers, moved northwards to establish the independent republics of the Orange Free State (now Free State) and the Transvaal (now Gauteng), bringing them into contact (and sometimes conflict) with the indigenous Africans – the Sotho and Nguni, in particular. In 1869, diamonds (and, later, gold) were discovered in the Transvaal (now Gauteng), attracting huge numbers of fortune hunters, many of them British. President Paul Kruger of the Transvaal (now Gauteng), fearing British domination, invoked strict franchise requirements. Britain’s attempts at intervention resulted in the Anglo-Boer War; the British victory in 1902 eventually resulted in the establishment of the Union of South Africa in 1910. In 1948, the National Party came to power and cemented the policy of apartheid – officially the separate development of all racial groups but effectively the creation of semi-autonomous ‘homelands’ for non-whites and the preservation of white supremacy elsewhere. Four ‘homelands’ (Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei and Venda) were created, comprising 13 per cent of all land in the country. Although officially styled ‘independent’, the ‘homelands’ were not recognised internationally and were entirely dependent politically and economically on South Africa. The principal black opposition movement was the African National Congress (ANC). The bulk of the ANC’s organisation and resources, including its military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, (‘Spear of the Nation’) worked in exile. The most important black political force outside the ANC has been Chief Buthelezi’s Inkatha movement, with a power base in the Zulu areas in the southeastern province of KwaZulu-Natal. Successive Governments dealt with black opposition with simple and brutal repression. Although, in public at least, the international community reacted strongly against apartheid and maintained economic sanctions against South Africa, there was simultaneously extensive and largely clandestine support from the West for the South African Government and its economy. The problems for the South Africans started in the mid- to late 1980s. In February 1989, the hard-line national party President, PW Botha (known as ‘The Great Crocodile’), gave way to his education minister, FW De Klerk, who had an equally uncompromising reputation but, in the event, turned out to be relatively flexible and pragmatic. The new Government faced constant large-scale agitation by the ANC but also growing pressure from the white-dominated business community, who were starting to realise that the apartheid regime had no long-term viable future. The economy had been in near-crisis for some time and South Africa’s foreign creditors were demanding wholesale changes in domestic policy to safeguard their investments. Over the next 12 months, the De Klerk Government removed the ban of the ANC, the South African Communist Party and 30 other anti-apartheid groups, and released the jailed ANC leadership including, after 27 years of imprisonment, its leader, Nelson Mandela. Mandela and his ANC colleagues immediately started negotiating a final political settlement with the white Government. The ANC is not a unitary movement but a coalition of numerous diverse interests; Mandela has described it as “an African parliament". More significant was the deep schism that emerged between the ANC and Inkatha, which frequently exploded into violence and threatened to destabilise the entire process. Despite several close calls, all three main parties (ANC, Inkatha and the National Party) entered into a process, which, by the end of 1993, had laid out a blueprint for a new constitutional future for South Africa. De Klerk kept the majority of the whites on board. The most dangerous white racist organisation, the Afrikaner Weerstandbeweging (AWB, Afrikaner Resistance Movement) self-destructed and hard-line whites have since confined themselves to dreaming up implausible projects to establish ‘white homelands’ in remote parts of the country. The centrepiece of the political settlement was the first genuinely inclusive national election in South Africa, which was held in February 1994. The ANC won 63 per cent of the poll, the National Party 20 per cent and Inkatha 11 per cent. Nelson Mandela became the country’s President with Thabo Mbeki and De Klerk as Deputy Presidents. The new Government faced a series of mammoth tasks in reversing the legacy of a half-century of apartheid, including the provision of decent standards of housing, education, health and other basic services for the great majority of the population whose needs had been ignored. The practical necessity of not alienating domestic industrialists and international financiers meant that the Government could not move as quickly as it might have wished. The manifold injustices of the apartheid era were dealt with, for the most part successfully, by the deliberations of the ‘Truth and Reconciliation Commission’, which has uncovered much detail about the murkier aspects of that period. Inkatha continues to hold sway in KwaZulu-Natal, where there have been occasional but increasingly infrequent outbreaks of political violence. The ANC dominates the political scene in the rest of the country. The National Party (now called the New National Party) left the Government after the introduction of a new constitution in 1996, since when it has become a marginal force. The leading white-dominated party is now the Democratic Party, which ploughed a lonely furrow as a white liberal opposition during apartheid. Before the June 1999 elections, Mandela passed the leadership reins to his heir apparent, Thabo Mbeki, who led the ANC to a comfortable victory. Inkatha and the National Party were confined to less than 10 per cent of the vote. Mbeki and the ANC party also won comfortably in the 2004 elections. Mbeki’s administration is struggling with two major domestic problems – a huge violent crime wave and an HIV-AIDS pandemic, which afflicts over 10 per cent of the adult population. Mbeki’s persistent refusal to come to terms with the true nature of the HIV virus has drawn massive international criticism as well as being the subject of furious arguments between Mbeki and Mandela. The details and ramifications of this are beyond the scope of this brief history but this is undoubtedly the single largest problem facing the whole of Southern Africa.Abroad, South Africa has pursued an independent foreign policy, dealing with a number of regimes that are out of favour with the West (Cuba, Iran and, until recently, Libya) but whose support for the ANC during apartheid – when the UK, USA and others were supporting the regime – was not forgotten. It has also pursued stronger relations with other major developing countries, notably Brazil and India, in an attempt to form some kind of counterweight to the overwhelming power of the West. Relations with the Europe and the USA are nonetheless stable. In sub-Saharan Africa, Mbeki – under the rubric of the Millennium Africa Plan – has intervened in a number of regional conflicts. These include Ethiopia/Eritrea, Burundi and Congo (Dem Rep). Closer to home, the Government has shown a sometimes uncertain touch – a blundering intervention in neighbouring Lesotho in 1998 was followed by inconclusive engagements in Angola and Congo (Rep). Most recently, Mbeki has been confounded by the increasingly anarchic situation in Zimbabwe. Here again, the historical legacy of mutual support among liberation movements during the dark days of apartheid and UDI has made Mbeki reluctant to take any measures against the Mugabe regime (see Zimbabwe).
Government
Under the terms of the new constitution, which was adopted on 8 May 1996 and entered into force on 4 February 1997, legislative power is vested in a bicameral parliament, comprising a National Assembly and a National Council of Provinces (formerly the Senate). The National Assembly is elected by universal adult suffrage under a system of proportional representation and has between 350 and 400 members. The 90-member National Council of Provinces comprises six permanent delegates and four special delegates from each of the provincial legislatures. The President, who is elected by the National Assembly from among its members, exercises executive power in consultation with the other members of the cabinet.
Money
Currency
Rand (ZAR) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of ZAR200, 100, 50, 20 and 10. Coins are in denominations of ZAR5, 2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.
Currency exchange
Money can be changed at banks, bureaux de change, some hotels, and larger shops and restaurants. Automated foreign exchange machines and ATMs are available at various locations. Proof of identify may be requested; therefore, it is advisable to carry a passport.
Credit & debit cards
MasterCard and Visa are preferred. American Express and Diners Club are also widely accepted. Some ATMs will give cash advances with credit cards. Credit cards are not accepted at petrol stations. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other facilities which may be available.
Traveller's cheques
Valid at banks, hotels, restaurants and shops. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take traveller's cheques in Pounds Sterling or US Dollars.
Currency restrictions
The import of local currency is limited to ZAR5000 in cash. The export of local currency is limited to ZAR500 in cash. The import and export of foreign currency is unlimited provided it is declared upon arrival or departure.
Exchange rate indicators
DateAt time of publishing£1.00=ZAR10.63$1.00=ZAR6.03
Banking hours
Mon-Fri 0900-1530, Sat 0830-1100.
Overview
‘A land of flowers, wine and whale song’
Covering a huge swathe of land, washed by the Atlantic and Indian oceans, South Africa has enormous wealth above and below ground, making it one of the richest natural storehouses on the planet. With staggeringly beautiful rural areas such as the Cape Winelands, the towering dunes of the Wild Coast, the magnificent game parks of Kruger and Zululand, and the Kalahari and Karoo deserts, barren for much of the year but a carpet of flowers in spring, the possibilities for tourists are endless. Alternatively, visit sophisticated cities such as Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town, or charming historic towns like Stellenbosch or Pietermaritzburg. Even once infamous townships such as Soweto are now growing into vibrant cities in their own right. South Africa is a ‘rainbow nation’ of many colours and cultures, encompassing Zulu, Tswana, Khosa, Sotho, Indian, Afrikaans and those of British origin. The scars left by the apartheid years are slowly healing, but have left huge inequalities between rich and poor. Despite this, the people are charming hosts, most speak English and all have a fascinating story to tell. The crime rate is still far too high, but with a little common sense, travellers can have a perfect, safe holiday.
Melissa Shales
OverviewII
Covering a huge swathe of land, washed by the Atlantic and Indian oceans, South Africa has enormous wealth above and below ground, making it one of the richest natural storehouses on the planet. In 1869, diamonds (and, later, gold) were discovered, attracting huge numbers of fortune hunters. President Paul Kruger of the Transvaal (now Gauteng) invoked strict franchise requirements. Britain’s attempts at intervention resulted in the Anglo-Boer War; the British victory in 1902 established the Union of South Africa in 1910. In 1948, the National Party came to power and cemented the policy of apartheid – officially, the separate development of all racial groups but, effectively, the creation of semi-autonomous ‘homelands’ for non-whites and the preservation of white supremacy. Four ‘homelands’ were created, comprising 13 per cent of all land in the country. Black opposition to apartheid was brutally repressed. In public, the international community reacted strongly against apartheid and maintained economic sanctions against South Africa, but there was largely clandestine support from the West for the South African Government. In February 1989, FW De Klerk became national party President. South Africa’s foreign creditors were also demanding wholesale changes in domestic policy to safeguard their investments. Apartheid no longer seemed viable, and it lost support from the white-dominated business world. The De Klerk Government removed the ban of anti-apartheid groups, and released the jailed ANC leadership including, after 27 years of imprisonment, its leader, Nelson Mandela. By 1993, all three main parties (ANC, Inkatha and the National Party) had laid out a blueprint for a new constitutional future for South Africa, the centrepiece of which was the first genuinely inclusive national election in South Africa, held in 1994. Nelson Mandela became the country’s President. As the attention shifted away from politics, the focus once again landed on South Africa's magnificent landscape; its desert dunes, savannah, subtropical forests and white-sand coast. Its game viewing equals the best in Africa: where else can you find both penguins and elephants? There are over 1000 bird species, and the Western Cape alone has one of the richest floral kingdoms in the world. The country's fascinating human and cultural history does not just start in Apartheid, but stretches back to the aboriginal San (Bushmen) and Khoikhoi, through the black African peoples to the latest arrivals, the Afrikaans and British. Archbishop Desmond Tutu named the newly integrated South Africa ‘the rainbow nation’. It is a fitting name for a country with 11 official languages and people of all colours, race and creed, living in a vividly coloured and sculpted landscape. No wonder its cities are so cosmopolitan. The South Africans are charming hosts; most speak English, and all have a fascinating story to tell.
Passport/Visa
Passport/Visa
Passports
Passport valid for at least 30 days after the intended date of departure required by all.Note: All passengers must have a passport with at least one blank page for their entry stamp. Passengers who also require a visa must have a passport with two blank facing pages, one for the visa and one for their entry stamp (see Visa application requirements below).
Visas
Required by all except the following for business and tourist purposes: (a) 1. nationals of countries referred to in the chart above for stays of up to 90 days, except nationals of Cyprus, Hungary, Poland and Slovak Republic who may stay for up to 30 days and nationals of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovenia who do require a visa;(b) nationals of Andorra, Argentina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Chile, Ecuador, Iceland, Israel, Jamaica, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, St Vincent & the Grenadines, San Marino, Singapore, Switzerland, Uruguay and Venezuela for stays of up to 90 days; (d) nationals of Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Costa Rica, Gabon, Guyana, Hong Kong (SAR) (Holders of Hong Kong British Nationals overseas passports and Hong Kong special passports), Jordan, Korea (Rep), Lesotho, Macau (SAR), Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Namibia, Peru, Seychelles, Swaziland, Thailand, Turkey and Zambia for stays of up to 30 days; (e) transit passengers continuing their journey by the same or first connecting aircraft provided holding onward or return documentation and not leaving the airport (advance notice of overnight stay is required) except for nationals of Bangladesh, Cameroon, China (PR), Congo (Kinshasa), Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russian Fed, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan and Ukraine who must obtain a transit visa before travelling. Note: Unaccompanied children under the age of 18 years must hold written consent from their parents when travelling alone.
Types of visa and cost
Visitors, Transit: £35. Study Permits: £43 (depending on level of education). Business: £125. Some nationals (including the UK, India and Zimbabwe) are exempt from visa fees. Other nationals must apply for a visa with the appropriate fee. All fees are subject to change without notice; please check with Embassy or Consulate to confirm costs.
Validity
Dependent on length of stay requested. Permits may be extended if done so 30 days prior to expiry of original permit.
Application to
Consulate (or consular section at Embassy or High Commission); see Passport/Visa Information. Applicants in countries where South Africa is not represented may send their applications to the embassy in the nearest country.
Application requirements
(a) Valid passport with at least two blank facing pages (passengers who do not need a visa should have a passport with at least one blank page). (b) Two passport-size photos (must be 45mm by 35mm). (c) One completed application form. (d) Fee (payable by cash, bank draft or postal order). (e) A stamped self-addressed special delivery envelope if applying by post. (f) A valid vaccination certificate, if required by the Act. (g) Proof of sufficient funds to cover visit and return tickets. (h) Statement/documentation confirming purpose of visit. (i) Onward/return tickets. (j) Yellow fever certificate if travelling to, from or through the endemic zone. Transit: (a)-(j) and (k) Sufficient documentation for admission to destination.
Working days required
Four days. Up to 10 days for postal applications.
Temporary residence
Temporary residence permits encompass Study, Work or Workseeker Permits. Contact the nearest Consulate (or consular section at Embassy) for further details.
Passport/Visa Information
South African High Commission in the UKSouth Africa House, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DP, UK Tel: (020) 7451 7299. Website: www.southafricahouse.com Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1700. Consular section: 0845-1245 (appointments only).South African Consulate in the UK15 Whitehall, London SW1A 2DD, UK Tel: (020) 7925 8900/01/10 or (020) 7925 8916 (appointment booking line). Website: www.southafricahouse.com/Consulate.htmOpening hours: Mon-Fri 0845-1245 (appointments only).Embassy of the Republic of South Africa in the USA3051 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA Tel: (202) 232 4400.Website: www.saembassy.orgSouth African Consulate in the USAStreet address: 4301 Connecticut Ave, NW, Van Ness Building, Suite 220, Washington DC, 20008Postal Address: 3051 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington,DC 20008, USA(202) 274 7991.Opening hours: 0900-1200.
Public Holidays
Public Holidays
Below are listed the Public Holidays for the January 2006-June 2007 period. Jan 1 2006 New Year’s Day. Mar 21 Human Rights Day. Apr 14 Good Friday. Apr 17 Family Day. Apr 27 Freedom Day. May 1 Workers’ Day. Jun 16 Youth Day. Aug 9 National Women’s Day. Sep 24 Heritage Day. Dec 16 Day of Reconciliation. Dec 25 Christmas Day. Dec 26 Day of Goodwill. Jan 1 2007 New Year’s Day. Mar 21 Human Rights Day. Apr 6 Good Friday. Mar 28 Family Day. Apr 27 Freedom Day. May 1 Worker’s Day. June 16 Youth Day.
Note
Holidays falling on a Sunday are observed the following Monday.
Resorts & Excursions
Introduction
South Africa is a stunning country of magnificent landscape, from desert dunes to rolling farmlands, savannah bush, subtropical hardwood forests and superb white sand coast. It has game viewing to equal the best in Africa from Kruger in Mpumalanga to the Zululand area of Kwazulu-Natal, and a host of small parks and reserves in the Northern Provinces and Eastern Capes. Where else can you find penguins and elephants living in the same country? There are over 1000 bird species in the country, and the Western Cape alone has one of the richest floral kingdoms in the world, with over 23,000 plant and flower species and spectacular displays that coat the desert in colour. The country also has a fascinating human and cultural history, stretching back to the aboriginal San (Bushmen) and Khoikhoi, through the black African peoples to the latest arrivals, the Afrikaans and British. It has never been an easy history – tribal wars raged long before the punishing and bitter conflicts between black and white, from the Zulu Wars to the Boer War and the segregation of apartheid society. Archbishop Desmond Tutu named the newly integrated South Africa ‘the rainbow nation’. It is a fitting name for a country with 11 official languages and people of all colours, race and creed, living in a vividly coloured and sculpted landscape.
The Western Cape
This area of outstanding natural and floral beauty, in the southwestern corner of the country, stretches from the remote rocky outcrops beyond Lambert’s Bay in the west to the mountains of the southern peninsula. The first area to be colonised by Europeans, it is particularly famous for its wines.
Cape Town
South Africa’s legislative capital is situated at the foot of Table Mountain, the famous flat-topped mountain with views out across the peninsula to the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It is possible to walk up, but for the less intrepid, there is an excellent cablecar. The main hub of the city centre is the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, the beautifully restored old Victorian harbour which offers free entertainment, a wide variety of shops, museums - including the excellent Aquarium - taverns and restaurants. Boat trips leave from here for harbour tours or the notorious Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and many other nationalist leaders were imprisoned. The relics of early colonial government are centred on Government Avenue, with many fine old buildings and museums, including the Parliament Buildings; Groote Kerk (mother church of the Dutch Reformed faith); the Cultural History Museum; National Museum; National Gallery; Bertram House; and Company’s Garden, planted in 1652 to provide food for passing sailors. Nearby sights of interest include Bo-Kaap (the home of the Islamic Cape Malay people, confusingly of mainly Indonesian origin); the Castle of Good Hope in Darling Street, built in 1666; the Old Townhouse on Greenmarket Square, housing a permanent collection of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings; and the early 18th-century Koopmans de Wet House. Those interested in learning more about black and ‘Cape-coloured’ culture should visit the District Six Museum, Buitenkant Street, and take one of the many excellent guided tours of the outlying townships of Crossroads, Langa and Khayelitsha. It is probably not safe for tourists to venture into these areas on their own.Cape Town also has excellent sporting and shopping facilities. The Baxter Theatre and Artscape Theatre Complex offer a mix of local and international fare. Nightlife is concentrated in the V&A Waterfront, Sea Point, and parts of the central business district, notably around Long Street. Further out, the Cape-Dutch homestead of Spier and Ratanga Junction theme park both offer a variety of entertainment from classical to jazz concerts.
Excursions
South of Cape Town, a long peninsula stretches south, lined by fishing villages and holiday resorts, including Fish Hoek, Hout Bay, Kommetjie, Llandudno, Muizenberg and Simonstown, a delightful Victorian town with a couple of interesting museums and the only colony of penguins to live on the African mainland. Inland, the magnificent Cape-Dutch farm, Groot Constantia, was one of the first wine farms in the Cape, while the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, created by Cecil Rhodes in 1895 on the lower slopes of Table Mountain, is one of the finest botanical gardens in the world. In the summer there are open-air concerts. Nearby Chapman’s Peak has spectacular views, but the scenic drive from Hout Bay is currently closed due to landfalls, and you need to walk the last section to the summit. About one hour’s drive from Cape Town, the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve covers the southern tip of the Cape peninsula, with a profusion of flowers, birds and animals, culminating in Cape Point, where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic.
The Winelands
North of Cape Town, the winelands are a stunning region of vineyards, old Cape-Dutch villages and mansions. Many of the vineyards have excellent restaurants; most offer tastings and some provide bed and breakfast. Stellenbosch, a major centre of wine production, is also one of South Africa’s oldest villages with a great many attractive buildings, including the excellent Village Museum. The local tourist office provides details for a historic walking tour. Tiny Franschhoek originally hosted refugee Huguenots from France, who brought their wine-growing skills to South Africa. It now has an excellent Huguenot Museum. Paarl is home to several small museums and the KWV Wine Cellars. In the Breede Valley area, the charming little towns of Tulbagh, Worcester, Wellington and Ceres all have fine old buildings, interesting small museums, beautiful scenery, vineyards and fruit orchards.
The West Coast
The fertility of the southern Cape region gradually gives way to the rugged and beautiful West Coast, which has abundant shellfish, and numerous fishing villages, including Lambert’s Bay, a good surfing spot. Inland, the sculpted sandstone Cederberg mountains separate the west coast from the arid Great Karoo Desert, which bursts into a mass of flowers every October to November.
The South Coast and Garden Route
East from Cape Town, the coastal area known as the Overberg includes attractive resort towns such as Somerset West and Hermanus, probably the best place in South Africa for whale watching; Cape Agulhas, the less than inspirational cape which is actually the southerly tip of Africa; the wreck-strewn cliffs around Arniston; and Elim, a 19th-century Mission village whose principal profession is still growing and drying flowers. Swellendam, 215km (130 miles) from Cape Town, is a charming Cape-Dutch village, rich in fine old buildings, several of which make up the excellent Drostdy Museum. From here onwards, the south coast becomes known as The Garden Route because of the wealth of forests that used to line the coast. There are a couple of areas of hardwood forest left, but even with so much development, this is a wonderful area for holidays, with excellent beaches, good swimming and plenty of activities on offer.Mossel Bay was one of the first harbours visited by European sailors and the town now has an excellent museum charting the maritime history of the coast. Wilderness is a pretty little resort sandwiched between the dunes and the reedy lakes of the Wilderness Natural Reserve, an excellent place for birdwatching and canoeing. Knysna is a comfortable tourist town situated between the lush inland Knysna forests and the horseshoe-shaped Knysna Lagoon. It has several interesting small museums and a nearby game farm. South Africa’s trendiest resort, Plettenberg Bay, has magnificent beaches, the Robberg Nature Reserve, where you can usually see seals and dolphins and Monkeyland, a sanctuary dedicated to primates of all sorts. An equally beautiful - but startlingly different - route, called the ‘inland route’, runs parallel to the coast, on the far side of the mountains. This leaves Cape Town via the Winelands, continuing through market gardening towns, such as Ashton, Robertson and Montagu, well known for wine and olives, into the Little Karoo, the scrubby extension of the Great Karoo Desert. Most people choose a mix of the two routes: crossing the Outeniqua and Swartberg Mountains over a series of dramatically beautiful switchback passes, of which the most beautiful is undoubtedly the Swartberg Pass to Prince Alfred; and the more common Outeniqua Pass from George to Oudtshoorn, famous for its ostrich farms, as well as the Cango Caves.
The Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is South Africa’s hidden gem, much of it little known and underexplored by tourists, but with an extraordinary variety of cultural history and scenic beauty, ranging from the vast, dry Great Karoo to the fertile agricultural lands of the Little Karoo and the ‘Settler Country’ around Grahamstown and, above all, the magnificent cliffs and coves of the Wild Coast. The Eastern Cape is also home to two of the country’s major seaports, East London and Port Elizabeth, and several excellent small game reserves, including Addo Elephant Park. The area around East London is the homeland of the Xhosa people, many of whom, including Nelson Mandela, have played a crucial role in recent South African history.
Port Elizabeth
‘PE’, as the city is known locally, is unremarkable, being dominated by industry and freeways and subject to strong winds for most of the year. The City Hall and Market Square are worth a visit, containing a replica of the Dias Cross, originally placed by the Portuguese navigator Bartholomew Dias. There are several other interesting buildings, including a memorial to Prester John, the Campanile Clock Tower and the Donkin Lighthouse, while the old part of town, above the city centre, has some attractive Victorian houses. The Museum, Oceanarium and Snake Park are also on the seafront at Humewood. The King George IV Art Gallery & Fine Arts Hall has an excellent collection of 19th- and 20th-century art and Castle Hill Museum, in the city’s oldest house, has a fine collection of Cape furniture. Settler’s Park Nature Reserve at How Avenue abounds with indigenous flora and St George’s Park has open-air exhibitions and craft fairs, as well as theatrical productions. South of the city are good beaches, such as King’s Beach and Humewood Beach. The latter features the Apple Express, one of the few remaining narrow-gauge steam trains, which runs on occasion from Humewood to Thornhill.
West of Port Elizabeth
The Eastern Cape portion of the Garden Route (see also Western Cape) notably includes the Tsitsikamma Coastal National Park, the remnant of a once-massive indigenous forest, home to immense native trees such as yellowwoods. Jeffreys Bay is a world-renowned surfer’s paradise. Heading north, miles and miles of sandy beaches run all the way up the coast. The Alexandria State Forest is a reserve that runs along the coast and contains a hiking trail along the beach. East from here is Dias Cross, the location of one of Bartholemew Dias’ stone crosses and a desolate paradise for beach lovers. Inland, the Karoo is a vast and beautiful upland area with spectacular sunsets: drier, hotter and colder than the coasts. The novelist Olive Schreiner made the area famous and her house at Cradock has been restored. The Mountain Zebra National Park is worth a visit, on the northern slopes of the Bankberg range. The Addo Elephant National Park, 72km (45 miles) north of Port Elizabeth, was created in 1931 to protect the last of the eastern Cape elephants. Recently massively expanded, it offers an excellent range of game, including black rhino, buffalo and antelope and more than 170 bird species. There are also several private reserves nearby, including the excellent Shamwari and Kwandwe, both of which have very upmarket accommodation and ‘Big Five’ (elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo) game viewing. The town of Graaff-Reinet, situated in the heart of the Karoo Nature Reserve at the foot of the Sneeuberg Mountains, is one of the finest surviving Cape-Dutch towns in South Africa, with many attractive 18th- and 19th-century buildings, as well as parks and museums. Just 5km (3 miles) outside the town, it is possible for visitors to drive into the Valley of Desolation along a twisting single-track road that eventually climbs into the mountains. From the viewpoints, it is possible to look down over Graaff-Reinet across towering red and ochre outcrops of rock. The nearby town of Nieu Bethesda is worth a visit for the Owl House, a remarkable sculpture garden by eccentric artist Helen Martins, subject of a play by Athol Fugard.
Settler Country
East of Port Elizabeth, Kenton-on-Sea and Port Alfred are pretty little holiday towns, the latter on the mouth of the Kowie River – canoeing trips can be undertaken from Port Alfred to Bathurst, home of The Pig and Whistle, the oldest pub in South Africa (1831). A short distance inland, Victorian Grahamstown is home to one of South Africa’s best universities and hosts a giant annual arts festival each July. The town has many fine buildings, amongst which the most interesting are the Cathedral of St Michael and St George, situated in the triangular Church Square, the 1820 Settlers Monument (after the first British to settle the area), Fort Selwyn, and rows of shops and houses on Church Square, Artificers’ Square, Hill Street and MacDonald Street. The town also has several excellent museums, including the Albany Museum, History Museum, Natural Sciences Museum and the International Library of African Music. Local development projects offer traditional Xhosa meals. Fort Hare University, in the nearby town of Alice, was the country’s first black university, founded in 1916. King William’s Town is not only a fine Victorian town, with many beautiful houses and the excellent Kaffrarian Museum, but is the birth and burial place of nationalist leader, Steve Biko. One hour’s drive from Grahamstown is the village of Hogsback, situated in the striking Amatola Mountains. It is an ideal place to walk in the forest of yellowwood, stinkwood and Cape chestnut trees along trails to magical waterfalls – the most spectacular being the aptly-named Bridal Veil and Madonna and Child.
East London and the Wild Coast
East London, built on the mouth of the Buffalo River, is not only South Africa’s fourth-largest port, but a popular seaside resort with a subtropical climate, fine beaches and some of the best surfing in South Africa. There is excellent swimming at Eastern Beach, Nahoon Beach and Orient Beach. The city is not particularly pretty, but it does have some interesting museums and monuments - notably, the East London Museum (with the world’s only Dodo egg and a stuffed coelacanth); the Gately House Museum, built in 1878; the Anne Bryant Art Gallery, with an interesting collection of contemporary South African art; an excellent Aquarium; fine Botanical Gardens; 19th-century Fort Glamorgan; and the Hood Point Lighthouse. Latimer’s Landing has a wide range of good shops and restaurants. Heading west, the Wild Coast’s history (as a black ‘homeland’) and lack of roads have left it gloriously undeveloped. This is a spectacularly beautiful area of wild cliffs and hidden coves, many parts of it inaccessible to normal vehicles. The main road runs inland through the Eastern Cape’s uninspiring capital, Umtata, with occasional dirt roads winding down to the water’s edge. Nelson Mandela was born in and has retired to Qunu, 34km (20 miles) west of Umtata on the East London road. The main tourist town in the area is Port St Johns, the closest thing South Africa has to a hippy hangout. Both here and at various coves and rivermouths along the coast are small, hideaway lodges perfect for those who want to relax or fish away from the crowds. Just before the Kwazulu-Natal Border, the Wild Coast Sun, with its casino and waterpark, is an abrupt introduction to the more developed coast near Durban. To the north is the southern end of the Drakensberg Mountains. South Africa’s only ski resort, Tiffendel, is near the small village of Rhodes, where trout fishing, hiking and pony-trekking are all possible.
KwaZulu-Natal
Perhaps the most diverse province in South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal contains approximately one-quarter of the South African population and ranges from semi-tropical and tropical coastlands to snow-capped peaks in the Drakensberg. In an otherwise arid country, it has the same rainfall as the United Kingdom.
Durban
Growing at an alarming rate, Durban is South Africa’s third-largest city, a mix of cultures including a large Indian community and a new influx of Africans from countries to the north. Because of the almost tropical climate, swimming is possible all year round, although the city’s beaches are becoming increasingly crowded. The central beach area, called the Golden Mile, actually stretches for 6km (4 miles) from the Umgeni River to the Point. Along it are a wide variety of souvenir stalls and family entertainments, from the excellent u'Shaka (aquarium) to funfairs, a snake park and mini-golf. This stretch has also increasingly become a target for muggers, and there are safer and quieter beaches north and south. Colonial Durban has its heart in Francis Farewell Square, surrounded by a number of fine Victorian and Edwardian buildings, including the City Hall (which now contains the Natural Science Museum and Durban Art Gallery, featuring a fine collection of black South African art and craft). Not far away is the African Arts Centre, where much local art is for sale. To the north is Central Park. To the west of the centre is the Indian District, characterised by markets, mosques, temples and well-preserved buildings from the turn of the century, including the Juma Musjid Mosque. At the other end of the Madressa Arcade is the Emmanuel Cathedral. To the north is the Victoria Street Market, filled with spices, curios and fresh produce. To the north, the Botanical Gardens offer cool respite. The other major attractions of Durban lie along the Victoria Embankment and beyond, and include the Yacht Mole, the Ocean Terminal Building (relic of the age of sea travel) and the Sugar Terminal, the nexus of KwaZulu-Natal’s massive sugar industry. Further out west is the suburb of Cato Manor, a fascinating mix of shanties and temples including the Shree Alayam Second River Hindu Temple, which has a firewalking festival in autumn. Scattered around the town and suburbs are several other interesting small museums, such as the Killie Campbell Collection, an excellent African cultural collection in an old Cape-Dutch mansion, the little Kwamuhle Museum of local 20th-century history, the Natal Maritime Museum and the Old Court House.
Excursions
Inland: Just north of Durban, the Valley of a Thousand Hills is a popular excursion for locals, with plenty of bijou shops and tearooms; the Assagay Safari Park and Phezulu are basic, child-friendly places offering a crocodile farm, snake park, children’s zoo and Zulu dancing. The Paradise Valley Nature Reserve is a wonderful place to walk off the beaten track. THE SOUTH COAST: South of Durban a series of beach resorts, including Amanzimtoti, Scottsburgh, Port Shepstone and Margate, have run together to create a ribbon of fun, sea and sand aimed at the family market, with plenty of timeshares, self-catering apartments and fast food. Things to do include a crocodile farm, the Banana Express railway and the Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve, a scenic collection of forests and steep gorges leading down to the beach, covered in dense forest. The offshore Aliwal Shoal and Protea Banks are some of the best dive sites in South Africa. THE NORTH COAST: North of Durban is a similar string of slightly more upmarket resorts. Umhlanga Rocks is the home of the Natal Sharks Board, which offers audiovisual presentations and shark dissections to those with a taste for gore. Ballito offers a wide range of water and land sports, while just to the north, 19th-century Zulu king, Shaka, used to throw his enemies off the cliff at Shaka’s Rock. Other small towns in the area include Salt Rock, which has a small crocodile farm, Crocodile Creek, the sugar-cane community of Tongaat, and Shaka’s capital, Stanger, home to an interesting small museum.
The Midlands and Drakensberg
Between Natal’s coast and the mountains, there is an area of undulating wooded hills and grassy plains with scattered villages and lush farmland, known as the Natal Midlands. There are a number of small game reserves with a huge variety of animal and bird life in the Midlands and the foothills of the Drakensberg, while local rivers offer excellent fishing. Pietermaritzburg, joint state capital (with Ulundi) is the largest city in the area. Although founded by the Voortrekkers, the town’s architectural heritage is mostly Victorian, best seen in the area around Church Street. There are several excellent museums including the Natal Museum, Macrorie House Museum, Tatham Art Gallery and Voortrekker Museum. The city is particularly attractive in September when the azaleas are in bloom. The Botanic Gardens enable visitors to look at a range of indigenous flora. Within easy reach of Pietermaritzburg are the Howick Falls, the Karkloof Falls and the Albert Falls Public Resort and Nature Reserve. The Drakensberg is South Africa’s largest mountain range and the official southern end of the Great Rift Valley, which slices north across Africa for 6000km (3728 miles). Its name, which means ‘Dragon Mountains’ in Afrikaans, stems from the jagged backbone of saw-toothed peaks. It is a refreshing place with cold mountain streams shaded by ferns and ancient yellowwood trees. The mountains are capped with snow in winter. The area provides good walking, climbing and riding while the peaks are the realm of eagles and bearded vultures. Popular climbs include Champagne Castle, Cathkin Peak and Cathedral Peak. In the nearby caves are good examples of the rock art of the Bushmen who, until a century ago, inhabited the area. The Main Caves, in the Giant’s Castle Game Reserve, boast more than 500 rock paintings in a single shelter. The reserve, which flanks the border with Lesotho, is dominated by a massive basalt wall incorporating the peaks of Giant’s Castle (3314m/10,873ft) and Injasuti (3459m/11,349ft) and is home to eland, other antelope and a variety of birds, including Cape vulture, jackal buzzard, black eagle and lammergeier. Just to the north, the Royal Natal National Park is one of Natal’s most stunning reserves. Its dramatic scenery includes the Amphitheatre, an 8km- (5 mile-) long crescent-shaped curve in the main basalt wall. It is flanked by two impressive peaks, the Sentinel (3165m/10,384ft) and the Eastern Buttress (3047m/9997ft). Even higher is Mont-aux-Sources at 3284m (10,775ft). It is the source of the Tugela River which plummets 2000m (6562ft) over the edge of the plateau. Hikers should enjoy following the spectacular Tugela Gorge.
The Battlefields
The northern part of KwaZulu-Natal is mainly rolling grassland, spiked by occasional rocky kopjies (hills) which became the bloody frontline in a whole series of wars between the Zulus, Afrikaans and British (1830–1902). Ladysmith was the site of a devastating siege during the Anglo-Boer War. The Town Hall still shows the scars, while the old Market Hall next door is an excellent Siege Museum. Behind it, the Cultural Centre is dedicated to local cultures and heroes, including former World Boxing Champion, Sugarboy Malinga, and the band, Ladysmith Black Mambazo. There is another excellent museum, the Talana Museum, in Dundee, site of the first battle of the Boer War. This is also the best place from which to visit Isandlwana, Fugitive’s Drift and Rorkes Drift, where a devastating series of battles between the British and Zulus in January 1879 led to the desperate defence of Rorke’s Drift mission station by a garrison of 139. Before the battle began, 35 were already wounded. It resulted in the most Victoria Crosses in a single engagement in the history of British warfare and was filmed as Zulu, starring Michael Caine. The mission is now an interpretive and arts centre. Also nearby is the battlefield of Blood River, scene of a famous victory by the Afrikaaners over the Zulus in 1838. Further east, the little Afrikaaner town of Vryheid (Freedom) was founded in 1884. Today, it is still a pretty little town, with three small museums, the Lukas Meijer House, the Old Carnegie Library and the Nieuwe Republiek Museum. Three major battles of the Anglo-Zulu War were fought nearby.Just to the south, little-known, but game-rich, Itala Game Reserve (29,653 ha/73,243 acres) has spectacular golden grasslands, rocky kopjes and wooded valleys and is home to all major species except lion.
Zululand
In the mid-19th century, the Tugela River formed the boundary between British Natal and Zululand. Eshowe (‘the sound of wind in the trees’), now a pretty little farming town, has a Zulu royal pedigree. Fort Nongqayi (1883) is now the Zululand Historical Museum, while the Vukani Museum has the world’s largest collection of traditional Zulu arts and crafts. The 200 hectare (494 acre) Dhlinza Forest is a small but beautiful patch of indigenous hardwood forest. In the nearby hills are several Zulu cultural villages, including Shakaland, Pobane, KwaBhekithunga, Stewart’s Farm and Simunye, all providing food and accommodation, a tour of a village, discussion of lifestyle and medicine and dance displays. North of the little market town of Melmoth, Mgungundlovu (‘the place of the great elephant’) was the capital of King Dingane (c.1795–1843). The city was destroyed by the Afrikaans, but has now been partially rebuilt as a museum. Ulundi, joint capital of KwaZulu-Natal and still home of the Zulu monarchy, has relatively little for the tourist, but the site of the former royal capital, Ondini, is now the fascinating KwaZulu Cultural Museum. Much of the northerly part of KwaZulu-Natal is made up of a series of interlinked public and private game reserves that together form one of Africa’s finest concentrations of wildlife. In addition, it has a startlingly beautiful coast, with silver sand beaches (shared with turtles), vast sand dunes and offshore coral reefs. The 38,682 hectare (95,545 acre) Greater St Lucia Wetland Reserve is a loose collection of wilderness areas around Lake St Lucia, including Mapelane, the St Lucia Game Reserve, False Bay Park, Sodwana Bay National Park, Cape Vidal State Forest, Sodwana State Forest, St Lucia Marine Reserve (stretching 5km/3 miles out to sea), the Maputaland Marine Reserve, and the Mkuzi Game Reserve. It covers five distinct ecosystems varying from dry thorn scrub to tropical forest and bordered by giant dunes, beaches and tropical reefs, has ‘Big Five’ game viewing, and is the only place in the world where hippos, crocodiles and sharks share the same lagoon. It also has superb birdwatching and diving and, outside the National Park, excellent fishing. The 96,000 hectare (237,120 acre) Hluhluwe-Umfolozi National Park offers a broad range of habitats, from rocky hillside to open savannah grass and thick woodland, supporting some 86 species of mammal and around 425 recorded bird species. This is the Eden of almost all white rhinos in the world, thanks to a carefully controlled breeding programme that has restocked much of the rest of Africa. Between here and St Lucia is the privately owned 17,000 hectare (42,000 acre) Phinda Resource Reserve. In the far north, near the Mozambique border, Lake Sibaya is the largest natural freshwater lake in southern Africa (77 sq km/30 sq miles), offering good bird watching, fishing and hiking. Beyond this, are the Ndumo and Tembe Game Reserves, with excellent wildlife, including a large rhino population and a variety of birds, and the magnificent coastal and marine Kosi Bay Nature Reserve; access is by 4-wheel-drive only.
Free State
The central Free State metamorphoses from grassland interspersed with small granite outcrops in the west to magnificent sandstone hills in the east. The capital of this province is Bloemfontein, an imposing but unattractive town which has some surprisingly good museums, including the National Museum, the old Fourth Raadsaal (parliament) of the old Free State Republic, the National Afrikaans Literary Museum, and the Oliewenhuis Art Gallery. By far the most interesting is the National Women’s Memorial and War Museum, telling the chilling story of the Boer War and the British concentration camps (where 26,370 women and children died) from the Afrikaans perspective. Outside Bloemfontein, the southern Free State is home to the Gariep Dam, a massive 374 sq km (144 sq miles) reservoir, built for irrigation and hydroelectric power. However, the State’s most interesting scenery lies in the eastern highlands, on the Lesotho border. From Bloemfontein, hills rise steadily as one heads past Thaba’nchu, the old seat of the Basotho kings, to Ladybrand, the main route into Lesotho. North from here are Ficksburg, which has an annual cherry festival in spring and the new-age settlement of Rustler’s Valley, which hosts an annual music festival in autumn. Further to the northeast is the Golden Gate National Park, verging on the KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg, characterised by massive weathered sandstone cliffs tinted a multitude of shades of red, yellow and orange.
Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga (the ‘land of the rising sun’) covers the highveld plains and mountains from Gauteng to the borders with Swaziland and Mozambique. This is one of the key tourist destinations in South Africa, home, with Limpopo, to the world-famous Kruger National Park, a massive reserve the size of Wales and among the best places in Africa to see the ‘Big Five’, as well as thousands of other species. The park features a wide range of accommodation, from camping (in fenced enclosures to keep lions out) to self-catering huts and cottages. Surrounding the park, in a series of linked game reserves called Sabie Sand, Manyeleti, Klaserie, Timbavati and the Umbabat, there are numerous private concessions, less crowded but considerably more expensive than the National Parks camps. These small, luxury camps provide vehicles and guides, and offer facilities such as walks, night drives and off-road game-spotting not allowed within the park proper. As animals wander freely throughout the area, the game viewing is as good as in the main park.
The Escarpment
The other main area of interest to tourists is the escarpment just to the west of the Kruger boundary. This marks the edge of the African continental plateau with a series of dramatic mountains and plunging cliffs. The road along the rim of the escarpment provides spectacular views of the landscape below, including The Pinnacle, a massive, free-standing granite column; God’s Window, a viewing point over the Lowveld 1000m (3300ft) below; Lisbon Falls and Berlin Falls. It then turns to run along the rim of the Blyde Canyon (26km/16 miles long and 350–800m/1050-2400ft deep), passing Bourke’s Luck Potholes, a series of strange rock formations created by the swirling action of pebble-laden flood water. There is a spectacular five-day hiking trail along the canyon called the Blyderivierspoort Hiking Trail, beginning at God’s Window. The surrounding area has several attractive market towns, such as Sabie, situated against the backdrop of Mauchsberg and Mount Anderson, with an abundance of waterfalls and wild flowers; Graskop, a forestry village perched on a spur of the Drakensberg escarpment; and Pilgrim’s Rest, a gold-rush town with many historic buildings. Nearby, the Mount Sheba Nature Reserve embraces 1500 hectare (3705 acres) of ravines and waterfalls. Nelspruit, the provincial capital, features the Lowveld National Botanical Gardens on the banks of the Crocodile River, specialising in Cycads, as well as other semi-tropical Lowveld vegetation.
Limpopo (formerly Northern Province)
This province is bordered by Botswana and Zimbabwe to the North and Mozambique to the east, and contains a large section of the Kruger National Park (see the Mpumalanga section). This northern section is generally drier and has far fewer tourists than the southern section but still has excellent game viewing. Access is via the copper-mining town of Phalaborwa, which has some interesting prehistoric sites, or Hoedspruit, home of the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre and Cheetah Project. Just west of the park, the Letaba area is a lush green farming district with excellent walking, riding and bird-watching amongst the tea plantations and Magoeboeskloof Mountains. To the north of Letaba, near the Zimbabwe border, are Venda and Gazankulu, largely rural peasant communities with a reputation for arts and crafts. The mystical South African artist Jackson Hlungwane, who has pieces of his remarkable sculpture in South African and European galleries, is based here. This is also the home of the Rain Queen, said to have been Rider Haggard’s inspiration for She, and the Modjadji Forest, the world’s largest collection of cycads (50-million-year-old palms). In the west, the Waterberg mountains and the Soutpansberg provide excellent opportunities for hiking, riding and nature watching, and there are several private game ranches in the area. In the far south, near the Gauteng border, Warmbaths unsurprisingly contains warm mineral springs. In the centre of the province are Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg), the provincial capital, notable for the Bakone Malapa Museum, and Potgietersrus, an attractive old Afrikaaner town, with a rare breeds breeding centre.
Gauteng
The economic hub of South Africa, Gauteng means ‘place of gold’ in Sotho. Built on the gold reefs, it is heavily urban, containing the cities of Johannesburg, Pretoria and a scattering of satellite towns, many of them heavily industrial.
Johannesburg and Soweto
The discovery of gold near Johannesburg in 1886 turned a small shanty town into the bustling modern city that is today the centre of the world’s gold-mining industry and the commercial nucleus of South Africa. The city is currently undergoing a fundamental transformation as planners in the post-apartheid era struggle to integrate wealthy ‘white’ areas to the north, a decaying inner city, and the poverty-stricken ‘black’ townships to the south. The city is, as well as being a potentially dangerous place to live and stroll about, the cultural centre of South Africa, with a post-apartheid influx of traders from the north enhancing its cosmopolitan character. The Central Business District (CBD) is characterised by a stark contrast of skyscrapers and bustling street markets; most businesses catering to affluent clients have moved out to the northern suburbs. A spectacular view of the city is available from the Observatory on the 50th floor of the Carlton Centre. To the west, of some historical interest, is the Rand Club, haunt of mining magnates past and present. Also west of the centre, Newtown has been the focus of an urban renewal project which includes the excellent Museum Africa, several excellent restaurants, the Market Theatre, a famous centre of alternative theatre during the apartheid era and after; and the South African Breweries’ Centenary Centre. More mainstream theatre, music and dance can be seen at the Civic Theatre in Braamfontein, also the location of the Gertrude Posel Gallery, one of many small, university-run museums, housing a collection of traditional African art. Just outside the centre is Hillbrow, home to, amongst others, large communities of immigrants from the rest of Africa; a landmark is the massive Ponti building, dubbed ‘petit Kinshasa’ by locals. To the north of the CBD lies Yeoville, more bohemian and considerably safer. The centre of Yeoville life is Rockey Street, lined with cafes and bars where visitors can while away the days in relative peace. The north of Johannesburg consists of affluent leafy suburbs. Directly north of the city centre, Parktown was the home of the so-called ‘Randlords’, the 19th-century Gold Rush millionaires, whose houses are still an imposing sight. Nearby is a series of wonderful open spaces containing notable landmarks, such as the Johannesburg Zoo, Zoo Lake (across the road) and the South African National Museum of Military History. North of this are Rosebank, teeming with upmarket bars, restaurants and shops; and Sandton, probably the wealthiest part of Johannesburg and to all intents and purposes, now the city centre.
Excursions
To the south is the city’s only amusement park, Gold Reef City, built on the site of a gold mine, with underground tours as part of the attraction. Soweto, the massive black ‘township’ to the south, is home to some 4.5 million of the province’s poorest people, and also to many shebeens (informal bars) and thousands of churches representing hundreds of mainline and independent African denominations. The safest way to visit Soweto is as part of an organised tour. Tourists are welcome and there is plenty to see. As well as shebeens and music venues, tours include visits to nationalist landmarks such as Freedom Square, used for rallies, the Hector Peterson Memorial, dedicated to the first child to die in the uprisings, and Nelson and Winnie Mandela’s home, now a small museum. Further afield, Heidelberg is a small town with an interesting Transport Museum. North of Sandton, are the Johannesburg Lion Park, Snake Park, Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve and Lesedi Cultural Village. Sterkfontein, in the Magaliesberg mountains, is home to the Wonder Caves, one of the world’s most important prehistoric sites; 2.5 million-year-old Australopithecus africanus was first discovered here.
Pretoria
Named after the Voortrekker leader, Andries Pretorius, the town council recently discussed proposals to change the name to Tshwane and ward the town city status. Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa, known as the ‘Jacaranda City’ because of the flowering trees lining its streets in October and November. Church Square is the centre of the city, and a space of historical importance, while Church Street and its neighbours are lined by some fine 19th-century buildings including Paul Kruger’s House, the Groote Kerk, Melrose House, the old Raadsaal (parliament) of the Boer republic of Transvaal, and the State Theatre, which features a programme of fairly mainstream dance, music and drama. There are also several excellent small museums in the city, including the Pretoria Art Museum, the studios of local artists’ Coert Steynberg and Anton von Wouw, now both museums, the Museum of Science and Technology and the bizarre but fascinating Correctional Services Museum. The Union Buildings, overlooking the suburb of Arcadia, are one of the pinnacles of British Imperial architecture, designed by Sir Herbert Baker. They are still the administrative seat of the national government and are famous as the site of Nelson Mandela’s 1994 inauguration as President. A little further out, the Voortrekker Monument is an imposing granite tower built to commemorate the Boer victory over the Zulus at Blood River. Not politically correct these days, it is still a solemn and moving monument, and the little museum beside it is fascinating. Pretoria Zoo is definitely worth a visit and has a cable car for a bird’s eye view of the big cats.
EXCURSIONS
Just out of town, within easy day-trip distance, are several exceptional sights, including the De Wildt Cheetah Farm; Cullinan Diamond Mine (book ahead if you want to do the tour); Pioneer Museum and Willem Prinsloo Agricultural Museum (both ‘living’ museums with costume-clad characters and displays of farming activities); and two fine old houses, the homes of former president, Jan Smuts, and randlord Sammy Marks.
North-West Province
This province’s most famous feature is Sun City, gamblers’ mecca and host to major golf tournaments and star-studded concerts. Its most spectacular hotel, The Lost City, is an H Rider Haggard-like fantasy. Adjacent, the Pilansberg Game Reserve covers around 137,000 hectares (338,540 acres). Several farms and an extinct volcanic crater were included in one of the largest rehabilitation exercises ever carried out. This is now an excellent ‘Big Five’ reserve and the third-largest game park in South Africa. In the far north of the province, on the Botswana border, is the excellent, little known Madikwe National Park, which offers excellent walking safaris. South from Sun City are Rustenberg; the Rustenburg Nature Reserve, in the Magaliesberg, which features antelope and other game, as well as some rare birds of prey such as the black eagle and Cape vulture; and two fairly large and very dull towns, Klerksdorp and Potchefstroom, the latter home to one of the oldest Afrikaaner universities in South Africa.
The Northern Cape
This vast and barren wilderness stretches from the west coast north to the Namibian and Botswana borders and east to the Free State and North-West provinces. The southwest features spectacular carpets of wild flowers in early spring, while the south is part of the Great Karoo and the north intrudes into the Kalahari Desert.In 1866, a boy found a shiny ‘pebble’ at Hopetown, 128km (80 miles) south of Kimberley, allowing a primitive and sparsely populated settlement to become the diamond capital of the world. Kimberley is not one of the world’s most exciting places, but it does have enough attractions to warrant a stop, chief amongst them the Big Hole, which is the largest manmade excavation in the world, and the Kimberley Mine Museum, with its replicas of 19th-century Kimberley at the height of the gold rush. The De Beers Hall Museum houses a display of cut and uncut diamonds; here can be seen the famous ‘616’
– at 616 carats, the largest uncut diamond in the world – and the ‘Eureka’ diamond, the first to be discovered in South Africa. Other interesting museums include the William Humphreys Art Gallery (fine art), Duggan-Cronin Gallery (photography) and McGregor Museum (a fine old mansion, with Kimberley’s history displayed). Near Kimberley is the Vaalbos National Park, a small reserve containing the extremely rare Black Rhino, and the Bultfontein Mine, offering guided tours of a working diamond mine. For those with a military bent, Magersfontein lies to the south of Kimberley, site of a catastrophic defeat inflicted on the British by the Boers early in the Boer War. Northwest of Kimberley, Kuruman was a missionary centre used by Robert Moffat and David Livingstone. It has a gushing spring known as the ‘Eye of God’
and is near the Wonderwerk Cave, an archaeological site of great importance where some of the earliest evidence of the use of fire has been found. Uppington is a pleasant town on the banks of the Orange River, on the way to the Augrabies National Park, centred on a series of dramatic waterfalls plummeting 56m (184ft) into a narrow ravine carved through the desert. The park is home to many interesting species of desert plants while local animals include baboons, vervet monkeys, rhino and antelope. Further to the north is the vast Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, which is one of Africa’s first ‘peace parks’, administered jointly by South Africa and Botswana. It is the largest nature conservation area in southern Africa and one of the largest unspoilt ecosystems in the world, supporting fauna and flora in bewildering variety. To the west, Namaqualand is a vast area of seemingly barren semi-desert, harbouring a treasure-house of floral beauty, appearing after sufficient winter rains: daisies, aloes, lilies, perennial herbs and many other flower species. The flowers are best seen from July to September, depending on when the rains fall. Calvinia and Niewoudtville are good locations for flowers. In the far north, on the Namibian border, is the remote and rocky Richtersveld National Park, accessible only by 4-wheel drive, with an extraordinary lunar landscape and wide variety of rare desert plants.
Sport & Activities
Wildlife safaris
South Africa’s wildlife sanctuaries generally fall into three categories: nature parks, private game reserves and national game reserves. Nature parks are noted more for their scenic beauty and hiking trails than for wildlife. Private game reserves offer a personalised game-viewing programme, while national game reserves are generally explored by tourists in their own vehicles. Besides game viewing from vehicles, walking, horseback, camel and canoeing safaris are becoming increasingly popular. Safaris on foot follow a network of wilderness trails in the (compulsory) company of an armed ranger. A maximum of eight people between the ages of 12 and 60 may participate per trail (which usually lasts for three nights and two days, with accommodation in designated camps). For reservations and further information, contact the South African National Parks Board (tel: (21) 428 9111; website: www.sanparks.org); or the Wildlife and Environment Society of Southern Africa (tel: (33) 330 3931; website: www.wildlifesociety.org.za).
Walking and hiking
Nature parks offer marked self-guided trails (with sleeping huts en route) or guided off-the-beaten-track trails (with an experienced, armed ranger providing information about ecology, plants and animals). Some operators also offer themed walks with a focus on, for instance, flowers (of which South Africa has nearly 24,000 species). Spectacular flower displays can be seen during August/September in the semi-desert area of Namaqualand.
Wine routes
South Africa’s 13 major wine-producing regions have signposted wine routes, of which the best include the Stellenbosch Wine Route (the country’s first, with all wineries situated within a 12km-/7.5 mile-radius of Stellenbosch); the Olifants Wine Route (200km/125 miles long, passing through the Cederberg Mountains, the unspoilt West Coast and Knersvlakte); the Klein Karoo Wine Trust (a 300km-/188mile-route through the eastern Cape Winelands); the Swartland Wine Route (a 40-minute drive away from Cape Town); the Orange River Wine Trust (comprising the northern wine-making regions, irrigated by the Orange, Vaal and Riet rivers); and the Robertson Valley (a two-hour drive from Cape Town, known particularly for Chardonnay). Regional wine maps and further details are available from the South African Tourism Board (see Top Things To Do ).
Watersports
South Africa has recently gained a reputation for whale watching and shark-cage diving (with great white sharks) on the Cape. Sharks migrate through the Cape’s False Bay from June to August and move into the Durban area (KwaZulu-Natal) from October to January. For whale watching fans, the Western Cape Tourism Board has established a Cape Whale Route to observe southern right whales, which usually swim very close to the shore. The best time to spot them is from June to September, especially in Walker Bay, where a Whale Festival is held annually during the last week of September. South Africa’s diving infrastructure and facilities are well developed. Reef diving is popular in Sodwana Bay (on the northern coast of KwaZulu-Natal), while wreck diving is widespread around the Cape. Popular inland diving sites include Wondergat, Badgat and Miracle Water. The Tsitsikamma Coastal Park offers excellent opportunities for underwater photography. Diving certificates are required. PADI and NAUI courses are available. Surfing is a popular past-time in South Africa; one of the most well-known of locations is Jeffrey's Bay (J-Bay) near Cape Town. Windsurfing and kite windsurfing can be done at Big Bay near Cape Town.
Fishing
One of the country’s most popular sports, fishing can be practised along the coast or on the lakes and rivers in the game and nature reserves. One of the world’s richest fishing grounds lies around the Cape of Good Hope, where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean currents meet and large shoals of tuna and swordfish draw increasing numbers of game fishing enthusiasts. The major trout fishing areas are the southern mountain ranges of the Western Cape and the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains (in KwaZulu-Natal). Fly fishing is best in the mountain streams and along the coastline of the Eastern Cape. One highlight on South Africa’s fishing calendar is the Sardine Run, in June, along the KwaZulu-Natal coast, where hordes of feeding game fish and sharks concentrate.
Golf
South Africa has around 500 courses, often situated in spectacular locations. The best time to play is in the cooler months from May to September. Green fees average £10-20 and a caddie costs around £7. Visitors are welcome on weekdays.
Steam trains
South Africa is one of the few remaining countries where steam locomotives are still widely used. They range from the luxury Pride of Africa to small engines on narrow gauge railways like the Midmar Steam Railway near Pietermaritzburg. For those looking for a scenic ride, the famous Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe runs along the Garden Route on a day-trip from George and Knysna and the Union Limited crosses the famous Kaaimans River Bridge, one of the most photographed railway bridges in the world.
Adventure sports
A changing range of adventure sports is available, the most famous of which probably remains bungee jumping, for which South Africa has one of the world’s highest drops – the bridge over the Blaukrans River, Western Cape. At 216m (709ft), this jump is more than twice as high as the jump of the bridge linking Zambia and Zimbabwe across the Zambezi River near Victoria Falls.
Spectator sports
South Africans are ardent sports enthusiasts and the success of national teams has been a source of pride and reconciliation for all sections of the community. The South African rugby team are world class, the football team is one of the best in Africa, while the cricket team has proved it is the equal of any in the world. Visitors are made welcome at all these fixtures.
Top Things To Do
Top things to do
• South Africa’s 13 major wine-producing regions have signposted wine routes that you simply must explore. The Stellenbosch Wine Route was the country’s first, with all wineries situated within a 12km-/7.5 mile-radius of Stellenbosch. Stellenbosch is also one of South Africa’s oldest villages with a great many attractive buildings, including the excellent Village Museum. The Olifants Wine Route is 200km/125 miles long, passing through the Cederberg Mountains, the unspoilt West Coast and Knersvlakte. The Klein Karoo Wine Trust is a 300km-/188mile-route through the eastern Cape Winelands. The Swartland Wine Route is a 40-minute drive away from Cape Town. The Orange River Wine Trust comprises the northern wine-making regions, irrigated by the Orange, Vaal and Riet rivers. The Robertson Valley is a two-hour drive from Cape Town, known particularly for Chardonnay. The winelands are a stunning region of vineyards, old Cape-Dutch villages and mansions. Many of the vineyards have excellent restaurants; most offer tastings and some provide bed and breakfast. Tiny Franschhoek originally hosted refugee Huguenots from France, who brought their wine-growing skills to South Africa. It now has an excellent Huguenot Museum. Paarl is home to several small museums and the KWV Wine Cellars. In the Breede Valley area, the charming little towns of Tulbagh, Worcester, Wellington and Ceres all have fine old buildings, interesting small museums, beautiful scenery, vineyards and fruit orchards. • South Africa has recently gained a reputation for whale watching and shark-cage diving (with great white sharks) on the Cape. Sharks migrate through the Cape’s False Bay from June to August and move into the Durban area (KwaZulu-Natal) from October to January. For whale watching fans, the Western Cape Tourism Board has established a Cape Whale Route to observe southern right whales, which usually swim very close to the shore. The best time to spot them is from June to September, especially in Walker Bay, where a Whale Festival is held annually during the last week of September. Hermanus, however, is probably the best place in South Africa to go whale watching. • South Africa’s diving infrastructure and facilities are well developed. Reef diving is popular in Sodwana Bay (on the northern coast of KwaZulu-Natal), while wreck diving is widespread around the Cape. Popular inland diving sites include Wondergat, Badgat and Miracle Water. The offshore Aliwal Shoal and Protea Banks are some of the best dive sites in South Africa. The Tsitsikamma Coastal Park offers excellent opportunities for underwater photography. PADI and NAUI courses are available. •
Surfing is a popular past-time in South Africa; one of the most well-known of locations is Jeffrey's Bay (J-Bay) near Cape Town. Lambert’s Bay is another good surfing spot. The Alexandria State Forest is a reserve that runs along the coast and contains a hiking trail along the beach. East from here is Dias Cross, the location of one of Bartholemew Dias’ stone crosses and a desolate paradise for beach lovers. • One of the country’s most popular sports, fishing can be practised along the coast or on the lakes and rivers in the game and nature reserves. One of the world’s richest fishing grounds lies around the Cape of Good Hope, where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean currents meet and large shoals of tuna and swordfish draw increasing numbers of game fishing enthusiasts. The major trout fishing areas are the southern mountain ranges of the Western Cape and the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains (in KwaZulu-Natal). Fly fishing is best in the mountain streams and along the coastline of the Eastern Cape. One highlight on South Africa’s fishing calendar is the Sardine Run, in June, along the KwaZulu-Natal coast, where hordes of feeding game fish and sharks concentrate. • South Africa is one of the few remaining countries where steam locomotives are still widely used. They range from the luxury Pride of Africa to small engines on narrow gauge railways like the Midmar Steam Railway near Pietermaritzburg. For those looking for a scenic ride, the famous Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe runs along the Garden Route on a day-trip from George and Knysna and the Union Limited crosses the famous Kaaimans River Bridge, one of the most photographed railway bridges in the world. •
Bungee jump from one of the world’s highest drops – the bridge over the Blaukrans River, Western Cape. At 216m (709ft), this jump is more than twice as high as the jump of the bridge linking Zambia and Zimbabwe across the Zambezi River near Victoria Falls. If you can, do not close your eyes though – the view is absolutely breathtaking.• Go to the Victorian Grahamstown's giant annual arts festival, held each July. The town has many fine buildings, amongst which the most interesting are the Cathedral of St Michael and St George, situated in the triangular Church Square, the 1820 Settlers Monument (after the first British to settle the area), Fort Selwyn, and rows of shops and houses on Church Square, Artificers’ Square, Hill Street and MacDonald Street.
Tourist Information
South African Tourism Board (SATOUR) in the UKStreet address: 6 Alt Grove, London SW19 4DZ, UK Postal address: PO Box 49110, London SW19 4DX, UKTel: (020) 8971 9364 or (0870) 155 0044 (tourism enquiry line and brochure request). Website: www.southafrica.netSouth African Tourism Board (SATOUR) in the USA500 Fifth Avenue, 20th Floor, Suite 2040, New York, NY 10110, USA Tel: (212) 730 2929. Website: www.southafrica.net
Top Things To See
Top things to see
• Stare out from the top of Cape Town's Table Mountain, the famous flat-topped mountain with views out across the peninsula to the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It is possible to walk up, but for the less intrepid, there is an excellent cable car. • Walk around Cape Town's main hub, the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a beautifully restored old Victorian harbour which offers free entertainment, a wide variety of shops, museums - including the excellent Aquarium - taverns and restaurants. Boat trips leave from here for harbour tours or the notorious Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and many other nationalist leaders were imprisoned. The relics of early colonial government are centred on Government Avenue, with many fine old buildings and museums, including the Parliament Buildings; Groote Kerk (mother church of the Dutch Reformed faith); the Cultural History Museum; National Museum; National Gallery; Bertram House; and Company’s Garden, planted in 1652 to provide food for passing sailors. • See the only colony of penguins to live on the African mainland in Simonstown, a delightful Victorian town with a couple of interesting museums. • Be astonished by South Africa's glorious patches of flower - South Africa has nearly 24,000 species of them. The Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, created by Cecil Rhodes in 1895 on the lower slopes of Table Mountain, is one of the finest botanical gardens in the world, and open-air concerts are held there in the summer; the area between the Cederberg mountains and that which separates the west coast from the arid Great Karoo Desert bursts into a mass of flowers every October to November; Elim is a 19th-century Mission village whose principal profession is still growing and drying flowers; Namaqualand is a vast area of seemingly barren semi-desert, which secretly harbours a treasure-house of floral beauty that appears after sufficient winter rains, such as daisies, aloes, lilies, perennial herbs and many other flower species, best seen from July to September; and Calvinia and Niewoudtville, also good locations for flowers.• Enjoy some of South Africa's world-renowned beaches, such as: the horseshoe-shaped Knysna Lagoon; South Africa’s trendiest resort, Plettenberg Bay; East London, built on the mouth of the Buffalo River, a popular seaside resort with a subtropical climate, fine beaches and some of the best surfing in South Africa; Eastern Beach; Nahoon Beach; Orient Beach; Durban's city beaches, such as the Golden Mile, which actually stretches for 6km (4 miles) from the Umgeni River to the Point; the South Coast beach resorts, such as Amanzimtoti, Scottsburgh, Port Shepstone and Margate, running together to create a ribbon of fun, sea and sand aimed at the family market, with plenty of timeshares, self-catering apartments and fast food; and KwaZulu-Natal's startlingly beautiful coast, with silver sand beaches (shared with turtles), vast sand dunes and offshore coral reefs.• South Africa is lucky enough to host some of the best opportunities to observe wildlife in its natural habitat in the world. Nature parks are noted more for their scenic beauty and hiking trails than for wildlife. Private game reserves offer a personalised game-viewing programme, while national game reserves are generally explored by tourists in their own vehicles. The Addo Elephant National Park, 72km (45 miles) north of Port Elizabeth, was created in 1931 to protect the last of the eastern Cape elephants. Recently massively expanded, it offers an excellent range of game, including black rhino, buffalo and antelope and more than 170 bird species. There are also several private reserves nearby, including the excellent Shamwari and Kwandwe, both of which have very upmarket accommodation and ‘Big Five’ (elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo) game viewing. KwaZulu-Natal covers five distinct ecosystems varying from dry thorn scrub to tropical forest, is bordered by giant dunes, beaches and tropical reefs, and also has ‘Big Five’ game viewing - the only place in the world where hippos, crocodiles and sharks share the same lagoon. It also has superb birdwatching and diving and, outside the National Park, excellent fishing. The 96,000 hectare (237,120 acre) Hluhluwe-Umfolozi National Park offers a broad range of habitats, from rocky hillside to open savannah grass and thick woodland, supporting some 86 species of mammal and around 425 recorded bird species. This is the Eden of almost all white rhinos in the world, thanks to a carefully controlled breeding programme that has restocked much of the rest of Africa. Mpumalanga (the ‘land of the rising sun’) covers the highveld plains and mountains from Gauteng to the borders with Swaziland and Mozambique. This is one of the key tourist destinations in South Africa, home, with Limpopo, to the world-famous Kruger National Park, a massive reserve the size of Wales and among the best places in Africa to see the ‘Big Five’, as well as thousands of other species. Surrounding the park, in a series of linked game reserves called Sabie Sand, Manyeleti, Klaserie, Timbavati and the Umbabat, there are numerous private concessions, less crowded but considerably more expensive than the National Parks camps. These small, luxury camps provide vehicles and guides, and offer facilities such as walks, night drives and off-road game-spotting not allowed within the park proper. As animals wander freely throughout the area, the game viewing is as good as in the main park. Safaris on foot follow a network of wilderness trails in the (compulsory) company of an armed ranger. The Pilansberg Game Reserve covers around 137,000 hectares (338,540 acres). Several farms and an extinct volcanic crater were included in one of the largest rehabilitation exercises ever carried out. This is now an excellent ‘Big Five’ reserve and the third-largest game park in South Africa. In the far north of the province, on the Botswana border, is the little-known Madikwe National Park, which offers excellent walking safaris. Augrabies National Park is home to many interesting species of desert plants while local animals include baboons, vervet monkeys, rhino and antelope. • Watch the sun set spectacularly over the Karoo, a vast and beautiful upland area: drier, hotter and colder than the coasts. • The town of Graaff-Reinet, situated in the heart of the Karoo Nature Reserve at the foot of the Sneeuberg Mountains, is one of the finest surviving Cape-Dutch towns in South Africa, with many attractive 18th- and 19th-century buildings, as well as parks and museums. Just 5km (3 miles) outside the town, it is possible for visitors to drive into the Valley of Desolation along a twisting single-track road that eventually climbs into the mountains. • Take a walk in a forest of yellowwood, stinkwood and Cape chestnut trees along Hogsback, situated in the striking Amatola Mountains. On its trails can be found magical waterfalls
– the most spectacular being the aptly-named Bridal Veil and Madonna and Child. • Chill out in the closest thing South Africa has to a hippy hangout in the tourist town of Port St Johns. Both here and at various coves and rivermouths along the coast are small, hideaway lodges, perfect for those who want to relax or fish away from the crowds. •
The Drakensberg is South Africa’s largest mountain range and the official southern end of the Great Rift Valley, which slices north across Africa for 6000km (3728 miles). Its name, which means ‘Dragon Mountains’ in Afrikaans, stems from the jagged backbone of saw-toothed peaks. It is a refreshing place with cold mountain streams shaded by ferns and ancient yellowwood trees. The mountains are capped with snow in winter. The area provides good walking, climbing and riding while the peaks are the realm of eagles and bearded vultures. Popular climbs include Champagne Castle, Cathkin Peak and Cathedral Peak. In the nearby caves are good examples of the rock art of the Bushmen who, until a century ago, inhabited the area. The Main Caves, in the Giant’s Castle Game Reserve, boast more than 500 rock paintings in a single shelter. The reserve, which flanks the border with Lesotho, is dominated by a massive basalt wall incorporating the peaks of Giant’s Castle (3314m/10,873ft) and Injasuti (3459m/11,349ft) and is home to eland, other antelope and a variety of birds, including Cape vulture, jackal buzzard, black eagle and lammergeier. • Unveil some of South Africa's staggering natural phenomena. The Royal Natal National Park includes an Amphitheatre, an 8km- (5 mile-) long crescent-shaped curve in the main basalt wall. It is flanked by two impressive peaks, the Sentinel (3165m/10,384ft) and the Eastern Buttress (3047m/9997ft). Even higher is Mont-aux-Sources at 3284m (10,775ft). It is the source of the Tugela River which plummets 2000m (6562ft) over the edge of the plateau. Hikers should enjoy following the spectacular Tugela Gorge. In the Escarpment, just to the west of the Kruger boundary, the edge of the African continental plateau is marked with a series of dramatic mountains and plunging cliffs. The road along the rim of the escarpment provides spectacular views of the landscape below, including The Pinnacle, a massive, free-standing granite column; God’s Window, a viewing point over the Lowveld 1000m (3300ft) below; Lisbon Falls and Berlin Falls. It then turns to run along the rim of the Blyde Canyon (26km/16 miles long and 350–800m/1050-2400ft deep), passing Bourke’s Luck Potholes, a series of strange rock formations created by the swirling action of pebble-laden flood water. Meanwhile, Sterkfontein, in the Magaliesberg mountains, is home to the Wonder Caves, one of the world’s most important prehistoric sites; 2.5 million-year-old Australopithecus africanus was first discovered here. Northwest of Kimberley, Kuruman was a missionary centre used by Robert Moffat and David Livingstone. It has a gushing spring known as the ‘Eye of God’ and is near the Wonderwerk Cave, an archaeological site of great importance where some of the earliest evidence of the use of fire has been found. • For those with a penchant for history, the northern part of KwaZulu-Natal is mainly rolling grassland, spiked by occasional rocky kopjies (hills), which became the bloody frontline in a whole series of wars between the Zulus, Afrikaans and British (1830–1902). Ladysmith was the site of a devastating siege during the Anglo-Boer War. The Town Hall still shows the scars, while the old Market Hall next door is an excellent Siege Museum. The Talana Museum, in Dundee, is the site of the first battle of the Boer War. This is also the best place from which to visit Isandlwana, Fugitive’s Drift and Rorkes Drift, where a devastating series of battles between the British and Zulus in January 1879 led to the desperate defence of Rorke’s Drift mission station by a garrison of 139. Before the battle began, 35 were already wounded. It resulted in the most Victoria Crosses in a single engagement in the history of British warfare and was filmed as Zulu, starring Michael Caine. The mission is now an interpretive and arts centre. Also nearby is the battlefield of Blood River, scene of a famous victory by the Afrikaaners over the Zulus in 1838. Further east, the little Afrikaaner town of Vryheid (Freedom) was founded in 1884. Today, it is still a pretty little town, with three small museums. Three major battles of the Anglo-Zulu War were fought nearby. Such places may spark off an interest in all things Zulu: if so, head for Zululand. In the mid-19th century, the Tugela River formed the boundary between British Natal and Zululand. Eshowe (‘the sound of wind in the trees’), now a pretty little farming town, has a Zulu royal pedigree. Fort Nongqayi (1883) is now the Zululand Historical Museum, while the Vukani Museum has the world’s largest collection of traditional Zulu arts and crafts. In the nearby hills are several Zulu cultural villages, including Shakaland, Pobane, KwaBhekithunga, Stewart’s Farm and Simunye, all providing food and accommodation, a tour of a village, discussion of lifestyle and medicine and dance displays. The site of the former royal capital, Ondini, is now the fascinating KwaZulu Cultural Museum. • The vast and barren wilderness of the Northern Cape stretches from the west coast north to the Namibian and Botswana borders and east to the Free State and North-West provinces. The southwest features spectacular carpets of wild flowers in early spring, while the south is part of the Great Karoo and the north intrudes into the Kalahari Desert. It is here that, in 1866, a boy found a shiny ‘pebble’ at Hopetown, 128km (80 miles) south of Kimberley, allowing a primitive and sparsely populated settlement to become the diamond capital of the world. Kimberley's attractions include the Big Hole, which is the largest humanmade excavation in the world, and the Kimberley Mine Museum, with its replicas of 19th-century Kimberley at the height of the gold rush. The De Beers Hall Museum houses a display of cut and uncut diamonds; here can be seen the famous ‘616’
– at 616 carats, the largest uncut diamond in the world – and the ‘Eureka’ diamond, the first to be discovered in South Africa.
Tourist Information
South African Tourism Board (SATOUR) in the UKStreet address: 6 Alt Grove, London SW19 4DZ, UK Postal address: PO Box 49110, London SW19 4DX, UKTel: (020) 8971 9364 or (0870) 155 0044 (tourism enquiry line and brochure request). Website: www.southafrica.netSouth African Tourism Board (SATOUR) in the USA500 Fifth Avenue, 20th Floor, Suite 2040, New York, NY 10110, USA Tel: (212) 730 2929. Website: www.southafrica.net
Travel - Internal
Air
Daily flights link Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, East London, Johannesburg, Kimberley, Port Elizabeth and Pretoria and with other connecting flights to provincial towns. South African Airways operates on the principal routes.
Flight discounts
An Africa Explorer fare is available to foreign visitors entering South Africa with an IATA airline. It offers a significant saving for anyone planning to use South African Airways’ internal network. The fare is valid for a minimum of three days and a maximum of two months: travel may originate and terminate at any point within South Africa that is served by the airline. Travel is not permitted more than once in the same direction over any given sector. There is also a reduction of approximately 30 per cent on some standby fares. South African Airways has various other discount domestic fares including Apex, Slumber, Supersaver and Saver fares.
Sea
Starlight Cruises offers links between major ports.
Rail
The principal intercity services are as follows: the Blue Train (website: www.bluetrain.co.za) is a luxury express offering routes between Pretoria and Cape Town; the Trans-Oranje between Cape Town and Durban via Kimberley and Bloemfontein (weekly); and the Trans-Natal Express between Durban and Johannesburg (daily, except Tuesday). Rovos Rail (website: www.rovas.co.za) offers luxury (partly steam) safaris from Pretonia to Cape Town. The Transnet Museum also offers various steam safaris around South Africa and Zimbabwe, and the Trans-Karoo Express travels between Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria daily. All long-distance trains are equipped with sleeping compartments, included in fares, and most have restaurant cars. Reservations are recommended for principal trains and all overnight journeys. There are frequent local trains in the Cape Town and Pretoria/Johannesburg urban areas. All trains have first- and second-class accommodation. Children under two years of age travel free. Children aged two to 11 years pay half fare.
Road
Traffic drives on the left. There is a well-maintained network of roads and motorways in populous regions. Around a third of roads are paved (with all major roads tarred to a high standard). In non-residential areas, speed limits are 120kph (75mph) and 60kph (35mph) in built up areas. Overtaking is permitted in any lane, including the hard shoulder. Fines for speeding are very heavy. It is illegal to carry petrol other than in built-in petrol tanks. Petrol stations are usually open all week 0700-1900. Some are open 24 hours. Petrol must be paid for in cash. Bus/coach: Various operators, such as Greyhound, Intercape and Translux, run intercity express links using modern air-conditioned coaches. On many of the intercity routes, passengers may break their journey at any scheduled stop en route by prior arrangement at time of booking and continue on a subsequent coach at no extra cost other than for additional accommodation. Taxi: Available throughout the country, at all towns, hotels and airports, with rates for distance and time. For long-distance travel, a quotation should be sought. Car hire: To hire a car, travellers must have held a valid driving licence for five years. Self-drive and chauffeur-driven cars are available at most airports and in major city centres. Documentation: An International Driving Permit is required. The minimum age is 23 (or 21 on presentation of an American Express/Diners card). Foreign licences in English are valid for up to 12 months; otherwise, British visitors who are planning to drive in South Africa should check with the AA or RAC prior to departure that they have all the correct documentation.
Urban
There are bus and suburban rail networks in all the main towns. Fares in Cape Town and Johannesburg are zonal, with payment in cash or with 10-ride pre-purchase ‘clipcards’ from kiosks. In Pretoria, there are |
SOUTH AFRICA
