The landlocked Kingdom of Swaziland is surrounded by South Africa o­n three sides with Mozambique forming the eastern border, its friendly, cheerful people retaining belief in their traditional rituals and ceremonies while adapting to a modern lifestyle. Many organised and self-drive tours between Kruger National Park and the Coast pass through Swaziland. This convenient route with well-tarred roads provides a good opportunity to visit visit traditional Swazi villages with authentic beehive huts and cultural displays. The market in Mbabane, the capital city, offers authentic arts and crafts at prices significantly lower than in South Africa.

For a small country it has much to offer with topography ranging from the mountainous highveld in the west down to the lowveld in the east. There are six national parks that together demonstrate the country’s geographical diversity, all offering good-value accommodation. Best known are Hlane Royal National Park and Mkaya Game Reserve in the lowveld, and Mlilwane wildlife sanctuary near Mbabane. If you have your own transport the Malolotja Game Reserve is in a particularly beautiful part of the highveld, o­n the Drakensberg escarpment in the northwest. Visitors should note that Swaziland’s eastern lowveld is malarial during the hot summer months (November to May) and appropriate precautions are recommended.

Botswana

The San people were among the first human inhabitants of this region, centuries before colonisation in Southern Africa. Missionaries including David Livingstone arrived in mid 19^th century and by 1885 the territory was a British protectorate. Botswana gained its independence in 1966 and has been the most stable democracy in Africa. It is heavily reliant o­n mining (especially diamonds) & tourism and maintains close ties with its neighbour South Africa.

The Okavango Delta in northern Botswana near Maun incorporates the Moremi Game Reserve and is a unique wildlife paradise - o­ne of the finest in the world. It is o­ne of the largest inland river deltas in the world. An unsurpassed natural environment with a maze of waterways, islands and reed banks creating a perfect place for lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, giraffe, hyena, wild dog, kudu, impala, roan, zebra, lechwe, hippo, crocodile, amongst others. There are 440 bird species in the delta.

Chobe is a National Park in a wilderness area watered by the Chobe & Savuti Rivers, thus attracting huge concentrations of game including lion and some of the highest concentration of elephants in Africa. Game viewing is renowned in the area and summer migrations of plains game, especially zebra, are a highlight.

Mozambique shares borders with Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Swaziland as well as South Africa. It is a coastal country of great beauty with nearly 2500km of beaches, coral reefs and islands. With long, deserted beaches, coconut palms and sparkling blue seas it is a favourite tropical destination for many visitors.
Maputo, Mozambique's friendly and relaxed capital, formerly known as Lorenco Marques, reflects the Portuguese influences within its heritage. Wide avenues lined with jacarandas and a variety of architecture also demonstrate the cultural mix with Arab, Portuguese and African influences making this o­ne of Africa's most intriguing cities. Maputo may be reached by air, or by road from Johannesburg - giving the option of a visit to Kruger National Park en route.
Offshore, across the bay from Maputo and reachable by boat or plane is Inhaca Island, most of which is protected as a nature reserve, providing the visitor with a stunning environment of evergreen forest, great beaches, coral reefs and exotic marine life to enjoy. Further north off the coast near Vilanculous lies the Bazaruto Archipelago, a marine national park with four idyllic islands, Bazaruto, Benguera, Magaruque and Santa Carolina, providing similar attractions to those of Inhaca and are particularly famous for diving and fishing in the warm, clear waters.
We offer 5-day packages o­n Indigo Bay Resort o­n Bazaruto Island or Marlin Lodge o­n Benguera Island subject to availability.

Namibia

‘Namibia’ means ‘open plains’ in the ancient Hottentot language. It is a sought after tourist destination defined by endless sunshine, scenic beauty and unusual and contrasting topography. It offers amazing scenery from huge sand dunes and arid desert of the coastal strip, to rugged mountains and vast areas of open bush where 26 parks and reserves are home to a huge variety of game. As o­ne would expect temperatures can be high in the desert although nights can be cold. Sunshine is abundant and rain is rare although the cold Atlantic can produce fog o­n the coast.

Namibia’s southern border with South Africa is formed by what is now the quiet and peaceful Orange River, which originates in the Drakensberg Mountains and was responsible for Namibia’s diamond deposits. Diamonds carried by the river from the Kimberley area to the sea were swept up the coast to be deposited in dunes of the Namib desert. They can still be found today although access is prohibited in some areas. North of the Orange River is the remarkable Fish River Canyon, second largest in the world after the Grand Canyon, and north again an ancient African desert where the world’s highest sand dunes at Sossusvlei reach over 300m and turn brick red at sunrise and sunset.

Other attractions are the narrow gorge of Sesriem Canyon, about 1 km long with pools along its length. These pools o­n a gravel bed in an otherwise arid region, attract many birds and animals. Swakopmund is a true oasis and respite from the desert and its heat. A seaside holiday resort full of old-world charm and modern amenities. The Cape Cross Seal Colony is north of Swakopmund. During breeding season as many as 200 000 Cape fur seals (the world’s largest fur seal) gather in the cold waters along this coast. The numerous islets and isolated parts of the shore are used as nurseries for their young.

The Etosha National Park is o­ne of the largest game reserves in Africa and o­ne of the major sanctuaries for wildlife. Its definitive feature is the Etosha Pan, a vast shallow depression of about 5 000 km². This great, white expanse locals call ‘great place of dry water’, often shimmers with mirages and herds of game can be seen within this eerie setting. Tours to Namibia are available by safari from the Western Cape or by small group tours flown in to Windhoek, the capital.

There are 144 mammal species in the park, including elephant, giraffe, blue wildebeest and black rhino, predators such as lion, cheetah, leopard, wildcat, hyena and jackal.

Tours to Namibia are available by safari from the Western Cape or by small group tours flown in to Windhoek, the capital.

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.