SOUTH AFRICA

Welcome to the southern tip of Africa. Here, two great oceans meet, warm weather lasts most of the year, and big game roams just beyond the city lights. This is where humanity began: our ancestors' traces are still evident in fossilised footprints 80 000 years old, and in the world's oldest rock paintings. Today, South Africa is the powerhouse of Africa, the most advanced, broad-based economy on the continent, with infrastructure to match any first-world country. You can drive on wide, tarred highways all 2 000 kilometres from Musina at the very top of the country to Cape Town at the bottom. Or join the millions of international travellers who disembark at the airports every year. About two-thirds of Africa's electricity is generated here. Around 40% percent of the continent's phones are here. Over half the world's platinum and 10% of its gold is mined here.

Why travel to South Africa

South Africa is often referred to as a “World in one country”. The landscape and vegetation are dramatic and picturesque, ranging from bushveld to savannah, from desert to dense forest, from Mediterranean to subtropical. The country is affectionately known as “The Rainbow Nation” due to its enormous cultural diversity with almost all races and nationalities adding to a colourful boiling pot of humanity.

Highlights

Popular places to visit include the Kruger National Park, the thriving township of Soweto and the economic hub of Africa Johannesburg (the city of gold), the imposing Drakensburg mountains, the remote Wild Coast, the forests and mountains of Knysna and George, Cape Town and the Winelands, and the remote desert areas that are transformed into flower gardens with the coming of the rains.

South Africa is so diverse, so tantalising, and so magnificent that many travellers return again and again to experience the country in ever more detail. The country is an interesting blend of first world cities with mansions and global businesses, with rural areas that have hardly changed in centuries. The nature and wildlife is breath-taking and there are numerous world heritage sites dotted across the country.

Links to more travel information:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa
http://www.southafrica.net/za/en/landing/visitor-home