"A world in one country!" Top 5 Page for this destination South Africa by MikeAtSea
South Africa Travel Guide: 11,765 reviews and 27,791 photos
Writing about my home country I can honestly state that it is the most diverse and colourful country in the world.
The diversity in flora, fauna, people, cultures and landscapes is unmatched anywhere in the world.
Covering the entire Southern tip of the continent of Africa the country is home to some 40 Million people. No fewer then 11 official languages are spoken in South Africa and since the transition to a democratic state in 1994 this country has become one of most liberal countries on earth.
From the subtropical beaches bordering the Indian Ocean along the East Coast of South Africa and the cosmopolitan city of Durban to the Atlantic Coast on the West and the bustling centre of Cape Town to the centre and the economical hub of the country Johannesburg and Pretoria there is a magnitude of areas to be explored and enjoyed.
The country has got one of the best conservation policies on the African continent and offers hundreds of government run or privately managed game reserve. The Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga and the Limpopo Province in the North East, the Kalahari Transfrontier National Park in the Northern Cape, Hluhluwe / Umfolozi in KwaZulu Natal, Addo Elephant Park in the Eastern Cape or the Tsitsikama National Park along the Garden Route are just some of the few areas where one can find the abundance of wild- and birdlife as well as thousands of indigenous plants and trees.
Tradition is blended in this colourful mix of immigrants and locals. The country is home to the descendents of Shaka Zulu as the proud Zulu Nation or the children of the Xhosa Nations with Nelson Mandela as the father of the nation being the most prominent one. Afrikaans and English traditions mix in the countries cities as well as rural areas.
Foremost it is Africa’s leading economical nation and its infrastructure is the best of all 53 nations on the continent. If you stroll around the cities of the country or explore the vast countryside, all are easy to be accessed in the comfort of excellent roads, by plane, rail or even by cruise ship in the number of ports along the 3000 km long coastline. Accommodation in the country ranges from top game lodges that will set you back a pretty penny to comfortable and inexpensive bed and breakfasts.
The economy offers the largest resources of gold and platinum, has got large coal reserves and produces every imaginable agricultural product. Large international companies have set up production in South Africa and exports have been on the steady increase since the sanctions due to Apartheid were dropped in the early 1990’s.
Yet it is a country of both the First and the Third World, however the government making every attempt to lift the poor out of poverty and to balance the inequality of the former Apartheid regime against the majority of the Black population.
It is a world in one country, from deserts to subtropical beaches, from mountain ranges to coastal reserves, its cities are as diverse as the colourful mix of its inhabitants, and it is a safe and convenient destination to explore the wild or to enjoy the tranquil, because everything can be found in one country – South Africa!
Reviews (82)
SA Icons - Ernie Els
Local Customs
(11)
Affectionately nicknamed "The Big Easy" due to his calm demeanour, Ernie Els took the international golfing world by... more travel advice
SA Icons - Hugh Masekela
Local Customs
(11)
Self-exiled in the 1960s, the wonderful jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela has returned to South Africa and is still a major... more travel advice
SA Icons - JM Coetzee
Local Customs
(11)
Winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize for Literature, JM Coetzee is the author of a vital body of South African writing,... more travel advice
SA Icons - Nadine Gordimer
Local Customs
(11)
Described by her peers as a "colossus of South African literature", Nadine Gordimer was the first South African to win... more travel advice
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South Africa Travel Guide
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Comments (14)
Wow.. Outstanding page of Suid Afrika. Must go one day. National Park hopping! Excellent tips of sports travel, food, South African personalities. Kudos.
Nice Page on South Africa and tips give a great overview..Are you guys ready for the World Cup!? It's going to be great for the country!
Hi,Michael! your picturs and tips are very wonderful!
glad to have met another VT with a Passion for the Country of Challenges and opportunities ;-)))
Hello there Michael, You are very welcome for b-day wishes. Wow what a beautiful Job u have done here I have been reading some of your tips and they are great needless to metion your pics are very breath taken.. Love seahorses...Donna :)
Thanks for good information. I like Cape Town.
One of the best pages about my favourite country South Africa on VT! Really it's very very very good!!!
WOW! This is one of the best pages I have seen on VT! I hope to visit RSA one day. It is such an exotic destination.
Fantastic and very informative tips. I like your food and sport tips a lot. I've learned a lot reading them.
you have a brilliant page, i feel like Ive been to south africa after reading it