South Africa

South Africa tours offer an enigmatic experience.

A natural Landscape from South Africa

South Africa tours offer an enigmatic experience. This country is situated at the southernmost edge of the African continent and in its north there is Botswana and Zimbabwe, it is bounded on the northeast by Mozambique and Swaziland, while Namibia is there in the northwest. The Indian Ocean washes its shore on the eastern side, on the southern part there is the confluence of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, and the Atlantic Ocean is there on the western side.

Here, you will find a variety of land forms like desert dunes, Savannah, subtropical forests, and white-sandy coast. You can indulge in exploring wildlife, which is considered the best in Africa. The place is full of penguins and elephants as well as 1000 bird species, while Western Cape has the richest floral kingdoms in the world.

South Africa travel cannot be complete without going to Cape Town, where you will find the Table Mountain. This is an integral part of the nature reserve and here you will find wooden paths which allow you to roam without causing any harm to unique plant life. Here Dassies (rock Hyrax), which resemble giant guinea pigs, are found lazing on the rocks in the sun. The Cape Town has a laid back attitude of the city.

Tourist Map of South Africa

Getting In

Reaching South Africa is always convenient for the visitors as there are plenty of options of getting into this country. This southern part of the continent is vast in size, and thus provides a lot of opportunities to the tourists. Major modes of transportation to this country are flights, cars, and boats. Those willing to reach this country will be most benefited if they board various flights available.

You can avail some of the international flights like 1Time (Durban, East London, Johannesburg), Air Botswana (Gaborone, Maun), Air Mauritius (Mauritius), Air Namibia, British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam), LTU International (Düsseldorf, Munich), Lufthansa (Frankfurt), Malaysia Airlines (Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Kuala Lumpur), Nationwide Airlines (Durban, Johannesburg, Kruger-Mpumalanga Int’l, Port Elizabeth), Qatar Airways (Doha), Singapore Airlines, South African Airways (Durban, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, London-Heathrow), South African Airlink (George, Kimberley, Nelspruit, Upington), South African Express (Bloemfontein, East London, Gaborone, Maputo, Port Elizabeth, Walvis Bay, Windhoek-Hosea Kutako), Turkish Airlines (Istanbul-Atatürk), connecting the international airports of the country. These flights are quite efficient and affordable.

Some other major flights which operate from the country’s largest international airport called the O.R. Tambo International Airport. The tourists who are availing the flights like Air Comores International (Moroni), Air France, Air Madagascar, Cameroon Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Ghana International Airlines, Iberia (Madrid) TAAG Angola Airlines (Luanda) TAP Portugal (Lisbon) Thai Airways International, etc., will safely reach to this famous airport of Johannesburg.

Use car service from the neighboring and other African countries to reach here. South Africa has a number of land border posts maintaining a constant connection with the neighboring countries. The visitors can use some of the frequently used border posts like, Botswana border (Skilpadshek,Maseru Bridge), Lesotho border, Mozambique border (Lebombo), Namibia border (Nakop and Vioolsdrift), Swaziland border (Oshoek), Zimbabwe border (Beit Bridge), etc. Those having an adventurous bent of mind can blindly opt for traveling into this country with the help of cruise ships. The country offers some fabulous large cruise lines, such as Princess Cruises, which takes the visitors to Cape Town. There are some other options left by availing RMS St Helena. This passenger/cargo ship is the last and unique working Royal Mail Ship, which stops in Cape Town before it moves on to St Helena. The cruises traveling to this country may be a bit expensive, but they are an ideal way to reach this beautiful country.
Transport

This vast country has gathered much admiration for having an excellent system of transportation within the country. A whole range of domestic airlines serves a good number of domestic airports of the country. Airlines like, 1Time (Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg), South African Airways (Cape Town, Johannesburg) South African Airlink (Port Elizabeth), South African Express (Johannesburg, Durban), Comair (Johannesburg), Kulula (Johannesburg), Nationwide Airlines (Johannesburg), are efficient in transporting people to their preferred destinations. All these flights are well maintained and offers frequent arrivals to these major cities. The tourists can look forward to a comfortable journey once they ride into a car. The country has generally left open three options for the travelers. The tourists can either hire a car, buy them, or buy a car with a guarantee that the rental company will buy back your car at the end of the contract. There are many highways connecting the cities and larger centers like the N1 (running from Cape Town through Johannesburg and Pretoria up to Harare, Zimbabwe), the N2 (running from Cape Town to Durban), and the N3 (between Durban and Johannesburg) smooth, which gifts you a great driving experience within the country.

The scheduled bus services ply between Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, and other cities (with stops in between), as well as provide connection to the neighboring countries. The main bus companies which the tourists must get in touch are: Greyhound, Intercape Mainliner, Translux, SA Roadlink, City Bug, and Lowveld Link. Baz Bus and minibus taxis which offer a good service and connects the cities like, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, etc. The trains are another way of getting around South Africa. Spoornet is the national rail operator, which provides both Budget passenger services and Premier Class service to all the passengers. While the Budget passenger services connect with the major South African cities (known as Shosholoza Meyl), the Premier Class service operates between Johannesburg and Cape Town. Apart from the national rail operators, there are other commuter trains found in the larger cities of Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, and East London. These trains run by MetroRail and can be considered quite swift and safe. There are some mid-range trains like Bushveld Train Safaris, Shongololo Express, etc. The tourists can take a ride on Splurge trains like Blue Train, Rovos Rail, etc.

The travelers can also rent Motorhomes, which gives you the liberty to move around as well as a place to stay wherever you are. This is very useful if you undertake Safaris. With such a countless options opened before the travelers, they will be happy to move to any part of the country, with a least effort.
Leisure

South Africa provides an impeccable blend of exclusive sights, varied landscapes, and other basket full of entertainment options for the tourists to live every moment with grace and fun. The country with its diverse culture, varied scope of activities, makes it an exciting place to be. While you are in this country, gear yourself to have some inexplicable surprises ready to tickle your senses. This place renowned for its wines and gold, will intoxicate you with its natural beauty. Starting from Heritage Sites, to diverse flora and fauna, from mountains to coastlines, the country has not missed to include some of the best tourist spots under its fame. The country is divided into various cities like Durban, East London, George, Johannesburg, Kimberley (known for its diamonds), Nelspruit, Pietermaritzburg Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, and Upington, which has a great potential to become great tourist destinations.

Some of the well sought after destinations for the tourists are: The Augrabies Falls, The Blyde River Canyon (third largest Canyon in the world), The Tugela Falls (second highest waterfall in the world, located in the Drakensberg), The Garden Route, The Whale Coast along the Overberg Coast from Hermanus past Gansbaai to De Hoop Nature Reserve, The Drakensberg mountain range, etc. These natural wonders will make you marvel at them. The tourists willing to sharpen their hiking skills must go ahead in the Drakensberg mountain range. You may choose to try out some of the fascinating water activities like swimming and scuba diving in the places like Durban and Port Elizabeth. If you want to go surfing, come to Jeffreys Bay. The country with a coastline of 2,798 km, is home to a number of good beaches.

South Africa will not let the lovers of architecture to go back empty hearted. Some of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites are also located in South Africa. Some places like The Cradle of Humankind (a large collection of caves rich in hominid and advanced ape fossils), Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned), The Cape Floral Region in the Overberg, Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park, Mapungubwe Kingdom, Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park (rich in biodiversity and rock art), Vredefort Dome (contains the remnants of the largest and oldest meteorite impact crater) are the places which cannot be missed out. Some of the must-visit destinations of the country include the Cape Town (famous landmarks Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope are located here), The famous Cape Winelands around Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek, The semi-desert Karoo, and the famous ostrich farms near Oudtshoorn. It is a gross loss to miss out visiting the Big Hole in the diamond city of Kimberley. This country of the African continent often indulges in some kind of events and festivals occurring for almost throughout the year.