South Africa Recommendations

Cindi LaRaia - Africa Discovery by Cindi LaRaia

A world in one country.

South Africa in my view is a wonderful first country to visit in Africa if you are a little confused on where to go and if you have any trepidation about visiting Africa. ‘It is so diverse and rather civilized’ is how I describe it, if you look at the map, it is huge.

Here is how I recommend your first visit to South Africa;

1, Fly to Johannesburg you most likely need to over night here after your long flight as the flights to the Kruger go early in the day.

2, Fly to the famous Kruger National Park, there are different areas to view game here, I would start with 2 nights in the middle area called the Timbavati, then transfer (all done for you) to the Sabi Sands Game Reserves in the south of Kruger for 2 or 3 nights. This area is undisputed at the cream of the crop for game in the Kruger, this is where you are almost guaranteed to see the Big Five in all their glory. The top of the line in luxury safari lodges are here also, however we have a some lovely lodges that fit a less pricy budget.

3, If budget and time allow, I recommend flying down from Kruger to the Phinda Game Reserves, they have several different lodges here and the cheetah viewing in parts of it is out of this world.

4, Zulu land is full of culture and wonderful people, if you are a historian, the ‘Battlefields’ are a fabulous must see during the era of Shaka Zulu the great Zulu warrior as he protected his tribe from the invading English and Dutch Boers. I recommend reading every book from beginning to end of Wilbur Smith about the Courtney Family, he is a great novelist and historian!

5, Cape Town is very European and cosmopolitan, this is a great place to end your visit in South Africa with winelands touring in the Stellenbosh area, Cape point and the penguins at Boulders Beach, Simons town, Kirstenbosch Botanical gardens are a must and the lovely waterfront where the shopping is to die for! I recommend ending here so you do not have to lug your treasures around the game reserves.

You can self-drive in South Africa with relative ease if you have been before, however I recommend we put your holiday in the hands of our award winning Southern Africa Tour operator where you will be met and greeted upon your arrival and never left on your own. Your safely and stress free enjoyment is what we propose and fulfill, even in your wildest dreams!

Other highlights include the beauty of the Garden Route along the coast of South Africa; the Greater St Lucia wetlands in northern KwaZulu-Natal for fishing and a more relaxed area to hang out. Rocktail bay is our favorite area for Scuba Divers, a plethora of marine life makes it’s way here at different times of the year, mating ragged tooth sharks, humpback whales and leatherback turtles nest on the beaches!

Spring flowers for photographers in Namaqualand and the Western Cape, this is a country you come back to.

And lastly, South Africa is often called the "Rainbow Nation", a term coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and later adopted by then President Nelson Mandela. Mandela used the term "Rainbow Nation" as a metaphor to describe the country's newly developing multicultural diversity after segregationist apartheid ideology. The country's socially progressive policies are rare in Africa, for example, by 2007, the country had joined Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, and Spain in legalizing same-sex marriage.

DID YOU KNOW? South Africa is home to some of the most ancient and beautiful art in the world, the rock paintings of the ancestors of today's Bushman or San. It is also the scene of a host of vibrant and challenging contemporary artists producing new & important work.

-- Cindi LaRaia