South Africa

Cape Town and West Coast

Cape Town is ever popular with its wide range of attractions including Table Mountain, the V&A Waterfront, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and Robben Island. The beaches here are lovely and thanks to the Peninsula Mountain Chain you're likely to find shelter from the wind on one coast or the other. Elsewhere, the natural beauty of the country really takes over completely with Hermanus one of the finest places for whale watching in the world, and the town of Knynsa offering locals and tourists and idyllic beach break. If you want to head inland, the Cango Caves are just waiting to be explored, or why not take a driving tour of the Cape Winelands, sampling the wines as you go of course. Play fast and loose with your cash at the huge casino complex of Sun City or see more of the amazing biodiversity here at the Kalahari or Richtersveld Transfrontier National Park.

Port Elizabeth and Centre

It's all about the great outdoors here with wide open spaces and the great open road. The Garden Route is a famous driving route that runs along the coast from Mossyn Bay and ends in Port Elizabeth. Many people stay a few days here because of the lovely beaches, but you can seek out some cultural attractions too, with the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum top of the list. The whole coast is littered with great places to stop off, with numerous surf breaks awaiting so why not pack a couple of boards in your car? Inland the attractions become more spread out and if you want to see animals head to the Addo Elephant Park where elephants, hippos, buffalos, rhinos, leopards and even the rare flightless dung beetle await. The ethereal beauty of Flagsback Park is well-known for being one of the inspirations for Tolkein's Lord Of The Rings, and the waterfall at Augrabies Falls National Park is spectacular, particularly in late summer.

Durban and East Coast

Durban holidays tend to be more popular with South Africans than foreign visitors but the area has a lot to offer. Durban's Golden Mile of beaches are perfect for getting a tan and there are plenty of things to keep you occupied in the evenings. Heading into the countryside, the historic areas of Drakensberg and Zululand are there, offering bushmen cave paintings and a rhino reserve too. Shakaland, a Zulu cultural village will give you an insight into the tribal way of life and the heritage of the Xosha people is dotted across the region. The east coast is known as the wild coast and it's great for surfing and for dolphin spotting so why not hire a car and head off the see what you can find. If hiking is more your thing the stunning Drakensberg Mountains will offer you plenty to see and do, with an astonishingly diverse landscape home to some rare birds amongst other animals.

Johannesburg, Pretoria and North

Johannesburg is the richest city in South Africa and this shows in the flashy high-rise architecture of the Central Business District, but it's still dogged by the slums on the outskirts. South Africa's administrative capital, Pretoria is nearby, with the historic Soweto Township between them, known for its uprising against the Apartheid regime. These cities are not traditionally known for their tourist attractions, but going to the zoo and the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg and the National Botanical Gardens in Pretoria is a great way of seeing the cities. Just outside the urban areas is the important scientific and UNESCO site the Cradle of Humankind, where numerous skeletons of early humans have been found. The more recent history of the gold rush is retold at Pilgrim's Rest, a living museum where it's always the end of the 19th century. Heading further north the Kruger National Park and the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve showcase the stunning natural beauty of South Africa.