South Africa

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South Africa is also called the Rainbow Nation. The country is in many respects very colourful: different climate zones, many peoples, languages and cultures and several nature reserves, each with its own composition of flora and fauna.

South Africa is about 29 times larger than the Netherlands. That size harbours a huge variety of landscapes, wildlife, flora and different climate zones. You can go on safari, diving, sunbathing, shopping, abseiling, water skiing, paragliding, rafting, gambling, horse riding, windsurfing, trout fishing, golf and much more. The country is ideal for a self drive tour. Each area and each season offers natural beauty and cultural highlights.

Western Cape

Zuid-Afrika After the rainy season, between August and October, the Western Cape is full of flowers. Here are the famous Garden Route and the Wine Routes. The Garden Route stretches from Mossel Bay and Tsitsikamma National Park, is unrivalled by its scenic diversity, flora and charming seaside towns such as Mossel Bay and Plettenberg Bay. Deep ravines, untouched green forests, flowering fynbos and abundant bird life are characteristic of this area.

The principal part of the Garden Route is Knysna, situated on a beautiful lagoon. You will find an abundance of shops, galleries and restaurants. In The Quays you can enjoy fresh locally grown oysters (on a bed of ice and sprinkled with lemon).

Zuid-Afrika From late June to December you can even see whales and dolphins along the coast in the Western Cape, for example in the town of Hermanus. You can also visit Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of the African continent.

Oudtshoorn, situated between the Outeniqua Mountains in the south and the Swartberg Mountain Range in the north, is also worth a visit. You can visit an ostrich farm, a cheetah and crocodile farm and the Cango Caves (caves). In the caves, situated at the foot of the Swartberg Pass, you can see beautiful stalactites and stalagmites.

Zuid-Afrika And then there is the famous Cape Town. You will feel the magic of this city when you arrive. The combination of many different aspects in terms of nature, people, rich and poor, architecture, views, history, parties, comedy, music, art, food and anything you can think of gives this special city a lot of character. Famous sights include the V & A Waterfront, Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch, Robben Island and Cape Point. Enthusiasts can also go cage diving with white sharks. An absolute adventure!

There are several wine routes at various wineries where you can taste wine, visit wine cellars and of course, buy wine. Historic towns like Paarl, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch are all very attractive.

Eastern Cape

The Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape Province is the birthplace of Nelson Mandela. In the village of Mvezo in Umtata. In Mvezo you can find a museum dedicated to Mandela.

Zuid-Afrika In Addo Elephant National Park you will find an abundance of flora and fauna, including the Big Five: elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo. Other game reserves like Shamwari and Kariega are also definitely worth it.

Cape St Francis is a small fishing village that has become a modern holiday resort. It has beautiful beaches with many sand dunes. In nearby nature reserve called St. Francis Nature Reserve, with sandy, rocky coast, sand dunes, small animals such as bushbuck, grysbok, vervet monkeys, mongoose, caracal and otters walk around. Very occasionally one can see the Jackass penguin.

Northern Cape

Zuid-Afrika The Northern Cape lies partially in a special area: the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park, a vast desert that extends into Botswana.
The arid Namaqualand turns into a vast carpet of flowers in August due to the spring rain.

North West

Zuid-Afrika The North West region has two major wildlife reserves, the Pilanesberg National Park and Madikwe Game Reserve. In the malaria free Madikwe Game Reserve you can see the Big Five and the second largest population of elephants in South Africa. This area is also home to Sun City, a luxurious complex of hotels, restaurants, bars, gambling halls, theatres, nightclubs, golf courses and shops.

Limpopo

Zuid-Afrika Limpopo is the area of the Waterberg Mountains, rough terrain, jungle, cattle ranches, mountains, rivers, streams, swamps and Marakele, Timbavati and the Mapungubwe National Park.
There are also many private reserves, such as Welgevonden.

Mpumalanga

In Mpumalanga Province lies the private wildlife reserve Sabi Sands and the famous Panorama Route with its spectacular views (Blyde River Canyon) and special natural phenomena, such as God's Window.

Greater Kruger Area

Zuid-Afrika And let's not forget the world's most famous wildlife park: Kruger National Park, partly in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, with many private wildlife areas around it, such as Sabi Sands and Timbavati. This is a beautiful area for safaris to see the immense diversity of flora and fauna. The park consists of several different ecosystems and landscapes. Because each species is attracted to a particular ecosystem, every species live in specific parts of the park. The rhino and buffalo thus live especially in the forested southwest of the park, while zebras, giraffes and various antelope species reside mostly in the grasslands in the southeast of the park.

KwaZulu-Natal

Zuid-Afrika KwaZulu-Natal is ideal for a beach holiday, with many choices in accommodations, with or without a golf course. The Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park is renowned for its rhinos, while the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park is the habitat of marine animals, mammals, reptiles and birds.
If you are interested in culture and history Kwazulu-Natal offers the various Anglo-Boer, Anglo-Zulu and Boer-Zulu Battlefields (Battlefields).

The Drakensberg with a summit of 3446 meters is the highest mountain in South Africa. The area will charm each visitor with its unique blend of spectacular beauty, rich history and warm hospitality. The Drakensberg offers a variety of hiking and equestrian trails.

As you can see South Africa is the land of extremes. A land of villas and palaces to very poor townships. A land of diamond mines quarries. The experts from BMS-Travellers like to advise you in defining your ideal trip.

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