Kruger National Park
The world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. Established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld, this national park of nearly 2 million hectares, Kruger National Park is unrivalled in the diversity of its life forms and a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies.
Cape Town
The west side of the Cape Peninsula has a very definite style of beach. This is where the more fashionable set go to see and be seen, particularly along the Atlantic Seaboard, also known as Cape Town’s ‘Riviera’, which stretches from the V&A Waterfront on the north shore of Table Mountain up as far as Hout Bay and is connected by one of the most picturesque, scenic drives along Victoria Road.
Beaches here enjoy longer sunshine hours, incomparable sunsets and more protection from ‘the Cape Doctor’ (Cape Town’s infamous south easterly) than the False Bay side of the Cape peninsula. There is a spectacular selection of unspoilt beaches with seas that are usually 3 to 4 degrees colder than the Indian Ocean but this doesn’t seem to worry anyone soaking up the sun against the backdrop of blue skies and white sands.
North of the Atlantic Seaboard are the beaches of Table Bay. These sport the picture-postcard views of Cape Town over Table Mountain and Robben Island and tend to be more popular with locals, particularly kitesurfers. Beyond Hout Bay, beaches such as Noordhoek and Scarborough are less frequented but no less beautiful, rather they’re where the locals can get away from the crowds.
Garden Route
The Garden Route is a coastal corridor on the western coast of South Africa, where ancient forests, rivers, wetlands, dunes, stretches of beach, lakes, mountain scenery and indigenous fynbos all merge to form a landscape of restorative beauty. This is a strip of land like no other in the world in terms of beauty, natural attractions and unique flora and fauna - hence its name. Three of South Africa’s top hikes take place here - the Otter Trail and the Tsitsikama and Dolphin trails and man’s footprint has made little impact on the rugged and sometimes inaccessible coastline.
The Garden Route is a paradise for eco-lovers, bird watchers and solitude seekers and one of the most beautiful parts of the Cape. It lies sandwiched between the Outeniqua Mountains and the Indian Ocean and is on every tourist’s itinerary. The Garden Route is a popular holiday destination during summer and a tranquil hideaway during the winter months - both seasons are equally beautiful and attractive due to the largely Mediterranean climate of the Garden Route.
Peppered along the Garden Route coastline are a number of coastal villages and seaside resorts set on beautiful beaches and craggy bays. Staying at any of these affords one the time to drive, walk or hike through the Garden Route at one’s own pace, drinking in over 200 km of one of the finest parts of the country.
