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At the southern tip of the African continent South Africa is washed by the cold Atlantic on the west coast and the warm Indian Ocean in the east. It shares borders with Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and the landlocked kingdoms of Swaziland and Lesotho. A major advantage for visitors from Europe is a time difference of only two hours in winter and one hour in summer. With many flights to and from South Africa being overnight, little holiday time is lost in the journey. Flights from London take about 12 hours. The popularity of South Africa as a holiday destination grows year by year as more and more travellers discover the wonders of its scenery, the warm hospitality, amazing wildlife, good year round weather and excellent value for money.
Each of the following regions may be selected for full
information and details of holidays that visit that region.
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Cape Town and Western Cape
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The Western Cape has long been the most popular destination for visitors from the UK to South Africa. With Cape Town, the beautiful "Mother City" and capital, the Garden Route with its stunning scenic drives, winelands, wildlife, whale watching, and the spectacular Cape itself, it is hardly surprising!
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Durban and KwaZulu-Natal
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KwaZulu-Natal is a subtropical region blessed with an appealing blend of scenery; the spectacular Drakensburg, or Dragon Mountains, inland and superb beaches on the warm Indian Ocean north and south of Durban. The region is also rich in history including many battle sites of the Boer War as well as wars between respective colonisers and indigenous African inhabitants. Guided tours to visit these sites are available from Durban.
KwaZulu-Natal offers a delightful mix of cultures, population and cuisine. While Zulu forms the indigenous culture and the famous warrior tradition there is a distinct British influence with many residents being of British heritage. Durban also has one of the largest Indian populations outside the sub-continent, a result of imported contract labourers from India to work on sugar plantations in the 19th century. A great selection of African and Oriental cuisine together with the fresh seafood is available in the many restaurants.
Both the north and south coasts of KwaZulu-Natal offer magnificent Blue Flag beaches and excellent resorts including Margate Main Beach, South Beach, Ramsgate Beach and Umhlanga Main Beach. Additional attractions in Durban include the Golden Mile on the city waterfront, and Ushaka Sea World, the biggest aquarium in the southern hemisphere.
Away from the city the magnificent Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Park is the largest park in KwaZulu Natal while the Greater St Lucia World Heritage site is in Maputaland near the Mozambique border. This area of lakes, estuaries, lagoons, forests, dunes and coral reefs offers great walking trails, bird and game watching, fishing and diving. Inland the awesome Drakensberg or “Ukhahlamba”, the “Barrier of Spears” in Zulu provides wonderful hiking and riding trails, climbing, fishing and ballooning, in addition to its scenic beauty and health spas. A wide range of accommodation includes small luxury hotels.
Historians will not want to miss the Battlefields Route in beautiful KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Expertly guided tours are available for explanation and exploration of the 19th century sites.
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Free State
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The Free State lies in the heart of South Africa with its capital and judicial capital Bloemfontein, known as the "city of roses" at the heart of the Free State. However Mangaung is the Sesotho name meaning "the place where cheetahs dwell". Although Free State is not renowned as a holiday dsetination it has five distinct regions each with its own character:- Mangaung, Northern Free State, Maloti, Goldfields and the Horizon route.
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Johannesburg & Pretoria
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Johannesburg's International Airport is the major gateway for visitors to South Africa and, while the Province of Gauteng has, since the gold rush of 1886, been thought of as a business and industrial region, with Johannesburg and Pretoria, South Africa's capital, have much to offer the leisure visitor.
The legacy of apartheid and the discovery of gold have both created major attractions for the visitor. A tour of Soweto, a "satellite" city of Johannesburg with 2 million inhabitants, is unforgettable. Enjoy a cold drink with hospitable locals in a "shebeen" and visit sites where the struggles for freedom took place while your tour guides explain the fascinating history of apartheid. Other tourist sites in Johannesburg linked to this history are the Apartheid Museum, Museum Africa and Constitutional Hill where the prison housed many leaders and heroes of the struggle.
Also near Johannesburg is the Cradle of Humankind, a World Heritage site containing the oldest archeological find of human existence - fossilised remains of early man-like creatures from which human beings evolved. The fossils were discovered in the early 20th century at the nearby Sterkfontein limestone caves.
The discovery of gold in Johannesburg made it one of the wealthiest cities in the world and visitors today can visit Gold Reef City, take a trip
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Kimberley and Northern Cape
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Kimberley, capital of the Northern Cape Province, may be your start point for touring the region. See the famous "Big Hole" which resulted from the diggings of early prospectors and the adjacent Kimberley Mine Museum which houses the worlds largest uncut diamond. Underground visits are available to a working diamond mine. But for others the highlight of the northern Cape would be the magnificent wildlife of the Kgalagadi (land of thirst) Transfrontier Park. Here South Africa's Kalahari Gemsbok National Park combines with Botswana's Gemsbok National Park to form the first cross-border reserve in Southern Africa, home to large herds of antelope, including the delicate springbok, the rapier horned gemsbok, and the black maned Kalahari Lion. Another highlight of the Northern Cape is the Augrabies Falls National Park. A 4-day Kalahari Experience guided tour is available departing daily from Upington takes in the Transfrontier Park, the magnificent Augrabies Falls and a scenic drive into the Kalahari Desert itself.
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Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga & Limpopo
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The land-locked province of Mpumalanga is north and east of Johannesburg and Gauteng, sharing a long border with Mozambique. It is broadly divided into the Lowveld into which falls much of the Kruger National Park, and the Highveld, higher and cooler than the Lowveld. It is the Highveld through which visitors from Johannesburg or Pretoria will pass, through rolling grassland with wild flowers, streams and indigenous forest en route to the Kruger.
The Kruger National Park itself stretches from Limpopo Province in the south up to South Africa’s border with Zimbabwe in the north. Roughly half of the park falls within Mpumalanga and half in Limpopo, the Limpopo regions being drier and more arid than the dense bushveld of Mpumalanga which is hotter and humid. More than 140 species of mammals, 500 species of birds and over 300 species of trees provide the greatest diversity of wildlife in Africa. Searching for the “Big Five” (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) , forms the basis of a classic wildlife safari in the park where accommodation can be in luxury lodges to a campsite according to taste and budget.
For those touring or driving in the region a major attraction is the Panorama Route through the mountains of the northern Drakensberg. Here the Great Escarpment of the Highveld plateau falls steeply to the Lowveld some 1000 metres below, creating magnificent scenery and views at such sites as God’s Window, Blyde River Canyon, Bourke’s Luck Potholes and the Three Rondavels. Also in the area is Pilgrims Rest, a living museum recreating a Victorian gold rush village where you can try panning for your own gold.
If you are travelling to the Kruger Park, an alternative to a short break from Johannesburg is to continue to the coast of KwaZulu-Natal and Durban.
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Port Elizabeth & Eastern Cape
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The Eastern Cape, birthplace of Nelson Mandela, is rich in history and widely known as the eastern "tail" of the Garden Route.
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South Africa
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Sun City and the North West
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Sun City and the North West
The North West is a province with contrasts, from classic bushveld terrain with a number of malaria-free game reserves to the world famous luxury resort of Sun City.
Sun City with its casinos, live shows, a man-made sea world, and two championship golf courses is an easy two-hour drive from the border with Gauteng. It offers a variety of accommodation up to the ultra luxurious Palace of the Lost City with extravagant pampering and magnificent landscaped gardens which themselves attract many visitors. For those who like to gamble, eat at fabulous restaurants, enjoy the fun, excitement and sports facilities provided by the resort, Sun City is the destination. It is also within easy driving distance of two major game parks nearby.
Close to Sun City is an excellent “Big Five” game park, Pilanesberg National Park set in an extinct crater. Its close proximity to Johannesburg and Pretoria make it a good choice for those in Gauteng who are short of time for big game viewing. Another park in the province is the top rated Madikwe game reserve on the border with Botswana – often the choice of repeat visitors who have already seen the Kruger.
A unique opportunity for those with historic interest in the Boer War also lies here in the North West - Mafeking (now called Mafikeng) where the famous seven-month siege of the British took place between October 1899 and May 1900.
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The Garden Route
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One of the most popular destinations in South Africa, the Garden Route is commonly thought to be the stretch of coast between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.
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Zambia and Zimbabwe
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Victoria Falls is the largest curtain of falling water in the world, a World Heritage site and a natural wonder. As such, this spectacular site is a major attraction for visitors to southern Africa.
The Falls, known as Mosi-ao-Tunya, "the smoke that thunders" and the Zambesi River that feeds them are shared by two countries Zambia and Zimbabwe. A bridge over the Zambezi below Victoria Falls forms the border and it is possible to cross over between the two countries for a complete view of the Falls.
Either side of the Falls the towns of Livingstone in Zambia and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe are only about 10 km apart but each have their own airport and hotel options. 3-day inclusive packages are available by air from Johannesburg to both Livingstone and Victoria Falls.
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The following list displays all
holidays within this Area of New Zealand.
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- To display holidays of a particular type
in this area, please select a type from the box opposite:
- To view holiday details, click on the title
of the holiday.
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SE10 - Kruger, Victoria Falls and Garden Route - 17 days from £3180. Click here.
SA06 - Garden Route Fly-Drive 11 days from £1392 inc. flightsClick here for details.
SE11 - Garden Route and Private Game Park Escorted Tour - 12 days from £2292. Click here.
SD009 - Sea and Safari Fly-Drive - 21 days from £1791. Click for details
SE05 - Kingdoms and Battlefields Tour - 13 days from £2378. Click for details
ATOL: 6423