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Western Cape Province
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Table Mountain
A trip up the
famous Table Mountain is one of the tourist highlights Cape Town has to offer.
This is only possible on the condition that the mountain is not covered by its
"table cloth" or hidden in dense fog. On sunny days it provides a fabulous
panoramic view of the city, the Atlantic Ocean and the mountaintops of the Cape
Peninsula.
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Chapman’s Peak Drive
Chapman's Peak
Drive is one of the most spectacular coastal roads in South Africa. It starts at
the picturesque fishing harbor of Hout Bay and the climb winds steeply up to
Chapman's Point, revealing breathtaking views of the sandy bays down below,
until the road reaches sea level again at Noordhoek.
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Outeniqua Choo-Choo
Steam Train
One of the most
popular day tours along the Garden Route is a trip on the Outeniqua Choo-Choo, a
historical train pulled by a steam engine. The ride goes through breathtaking
landscape with stunning views of fern-covered mountain tops, wide river plains
with crystal-clear water, swamps, lagoons, endless sand beaches and the
deep-blue sea.
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Scenic Route 62
Route 62 is the tourist route that meanders between Cape Town and
Oudtshoorn, the Garden Route and Port Elizabeth, offering the shorter, scenic
alternative to the N2 highway. It's an area of magnificent landscapes and
towering cliffs, crystal clear streams and the abundance of trees and indigenous
flora - all contribute to making the Breede River Valley and the Klein Karoo two
of the Western Cape's most diverse regions. The ever changing colors of the
majestic mountains, scenic passes, rivers, vineyards and orchards, as well as
the multitude of attractions, will offer you an unforgettable adventure —
whether this is in the physical sense or simply a kaleidoscope of scenic
tranquility.
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Cango Caves
The Cango
Caves near Oudtshoorn are among the biggest stalagmite formations in the world.
One can go for extensive subterranean walks in the widely branching caves. Some
of the sandstone formations are even colorfully illuminated.
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Eastern Cape Province
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Valley of Desolation
Just a few kilometers north-west of Graaf-Reinet lies the Valley
of Desolation. A steep and narrow road leads into the mountains that surround
the valley. A circular hiking trail starts at the car parks and leads to
wonderful views of Graaff-Reinet and of the endless expanse of the surrounding
Karoo. The Valley of Desolation is a National Monument within the Karoo Nature
Reserve, and was formed millions of years ago by weathering erosion. Heat and
cold, drought and water caused the rocks to crumble and brought about the
bizarre rock formations. Sheer cliffs and precariously balanced columns of
Dolerite rise 120 metres from the valley floor. This is the product of volcanic
and erosive forces of nature over 100 million years.
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Hole in the Wall
Near Coffee Bay
is a prominent rock formation with a big hole in the middle, which has become a
symbol for the Xhosa of a great historical tragedy, the "Great Cattle Killing".
It is a unique structure with a huge detached cliff that has a giant opening
carved through its centre by the waves. The local Xhosa call this place "izi
Khaleni", which means "place of thunder". Under certain conditions the sound of
the breaking waves can be heard throughout the valley.
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Unspoilt Coast Line
The Eastern Cape
offers 800km of untouched and pristine coastline along with some of the world's
best beaches. Port Elizabeth alone has 40 km of magnificent beaches and, with
its perfect combination of warm water, calm sea and fair breezes, it is one of
the best sailing venues in the world, and a Mecca for all beach and Water sports
enthusiasts. The Southern Beaches offer safe and sheltered swimming, body
surfing, sunbathing, boardsailing, excellent waves and surfing opportunities as
well as interesting inter-tidal sea life, while the Northern Beaches offer vast
stretches of sand and dunes ideal for long beach walks and superb angling and
swimming opportunities.
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Northern Cape Province
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Kalahari Desert
The
Kalahari is spoken
of as a desert, but very little of it is. The famous red-brown sands have been
blown back and forth over the African landscape since Gondwana days. Most is now
anchored by vegetation. A vital feature of the
Kalahari is the
pans - ephemeral shallow natural ponds of rainwater. The pans of the
Kalahari play a
critically important role in this arid environment. Usually areas of smooth
saline clay which lines a shallow depression, often firm enough to take the
weight of a vehicle, and upon which, generally, nothing will grow, pans can vary
in size from a few hundred meters to several square kilometers in extent. Often
a pan will act as a drainage basin for quite a considerable area. This water may
remain for several months, providing an oasis for animal life.
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Kwazulu Natal Province
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North Coast
Magical encounters with our planet's most endearing
sea-creatures, a walk in the footsteps of Africa's mightiest historic king,
gourmet delights overlooking a warm, moonlit Indian Ocean... Welcome to an
idyllic lifestyle in sub-tropical, natural splendor. The dolphins today continue
to enthrall, and graciously accept our sensitive, sea-borne excursions to
experience their beauty and charm at closer quarters. Further beyond the
breakers, the sight of Humpbacked whales en route north to the breeding grounds
off Mozambique guarantees even more spellbinding excitement. The Dolphin Coast
shoreline remains a perfect combination of golden beaches and sheltered coves
for the water sport enthusiast's ultimate indulgence - or to simply soak up the
rays! Scenic golf, equestrian and even microlite adventures await within a few
minutes of the seafront, along with crocodile and animal farms for the
curious-minded, and important sites for the history-and-culture-buff.
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South Coast
The coast between Durban and Port Edward is called the South
Coast of the province of KwaZulu/Natal. Margate, Port Shepstone, Scottburgh,
Port Edward, sardines, golf, whales, dolphins, the Oribi Gorge, hibiscus flowers
and golden beaches are some of the terms which people associate with this
magnificent region of South Africa and the Kingdom of the Zulu. Because of the
moderate climate, swimming in the warm Indian Ocean is possible throughout the
year; there is a string of seaside resorts all along the coast.
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Drakensberg
Recognized by the ancient mystics of our land as breathing new
life into the human spirit, the inescapable allure of this 200-kilometer long
wonderland owes much to its intense relationship with people...the million-plus
years of Stone Age occupation in particular. From the massive basalt cliffs of
its northern reaches to the soaring sandstone buttresses in the south, the Berg
- as it's popularly known - offers a myriad delights to anyone of any age who
needs to 'get away from it all. Peace and quiet is the catchphrase amid this
unsurpassed grandeur where the world's second- highest waterfall in the Tugela
River tumbles down a
series of breathtaking cascades.
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Howick Falls
Howick forms the trial the original ox wagons followed on their
route from the coast to the interior of South Africa. Howick became a nodal
point where all the routes converged near one of the country's most spectacular
water falls the Howick Falls. The town soon evolved into a stop over during
colonial times where traders, black smiths and inns sprung up. The town was
named after the Northumberland estate of Earl Grey, the British Secretary for
Colonies at the time.
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Mpumalanga Province
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Blyde River Canyon
The Blyde River Canyon remains Mpumalanga's greatest wonder. The
25km-long abyss marks the spot where the ancient Gondwanaland super-continent
tore apart millions of years ago to form Africa and Asia. The resulting chasm is
the world's largest green canyon, while its 700m cliffs making it the third
largest canyon of any sort on the planet. Sub-tropical jungle, some of southern
Africa's scariest rapids, and pristine hidden 'hanging valleys' are home to
mountain reedbuck and dassies, hippo and crocodile in the Blyde dam, and impala,
kudu, blue wildebeest, waterbuck and zebra on the low veld plain near the
canyon's mouth. It is the awe-inspiring views from the canyon rim, however, that
makes this one of Africa's natural wonders. Weird needles of rock, hundreds of
feet high, over viewed by mist-enshrouded rock shelves have inspired names such
as: God's Window, the Pinnacle and Wonder View. The most prominent feature,
three huge rocks spiraling out of the far wall of the canyon with tops that look
like traditional African hut roofs, dwarf visitors and have been dubbed the
Three Rondavels after the huts they resemble.
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Northwest Province
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Hartbeespoortdam
Hartbeespoort
Dam lies only 35 kilometers west of Pretoria in the beautiful Magaliesberg
mountain range. The dam was completed in 1923 and has become a very popular
holiday and weekend resort for Johannesburg and Pretoria. Any type of water
sports is possible here. Worthwhile is a trip with the cableway up the
Magaliesberg from where one can enjoy panoramic views. It is also nice to drive
the dam on the dam wall. A special experience is a flight with the hot-air
balloon over the Magaliesberg landscape.
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Limpopo Province
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Ivory Route
South Africa's African Ivory Route is for the person drawn to the
African wild and its wildernesses. It is a world of breathtaking scenery and
endless vistas of African bush where to this day large herds of elephants roam.
Wild and untamed, it is part of the more than 3,6 million hectares of national
parks, nature reserves and game farms stretching across Limpopo Province. The
route extends for some 2 000 km in a giant arc through remote scenic wilderness
areas and game reserves along the eastern, northern and western boundaries of
the province. Extremely rugged in places, the route skirts or traverses four
major mountain ranges: the Strydpoortberge in the south, the Waterberg in the
northwest, and the Drakensberg and Lebombos in the east.
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Baobab Trees
No tree in South Africa embodies the spirit of Africa more than
the baobab with its bulbous branches and its gnarled bark. This is truly another
icon of the Limpopo. Adansonia digitata as the baobab tree is scientifically
known is one of the trees in Africa with the longest lifespan. Some of those you
can see in the province are already 3,000 years old but the average ones to be
found in the northern parts of the province are between 300 and 500 years old.
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Waterberg
The rugged beauty of the area, together with it's diversity in
plant and animal life, has led to the development of several exciting
eco-tourism projects such as the biosphere reserve, called the Waterberg Nature
Conservancy, in which several conservation areas have united to conserve more
than 150 000 hectares of the Waterberg habitat. The Waterberg-range,
incorporating many rivers, streams and swamps, stretches for 150 km in a long
arc from Thabazimbi in the West, past Nylstroom to Potgietersrus in the east.
The 75 mammal species encountered here include big game such as elephant, lion,
white and black rhino, hippo, leopard and buffalo. African python and the Nile
crocodile occur in the area. The Waterberg is a birdwatchers' paradise with more
than 300 bird species.
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AmaZingwe
