South Africa has 11 official languages - and scores of unofficial languages - but rest assured: most people speak and understand English, so you should have little trouble communicating.
Travel to South Africa with Southern Africa Travel
Travel to South Africa to view the world's greatest array of plant and animal life, spectacularly diverse natural landscapes and bustling modern cities. South Africa Travel has become extremely popular internationally, and with tourist attractions that include the awe-inspiring table mountain and breath-taking whale watching tours of Hermanus it isn't hard to see why.
Of course, no holiday would be complete without spotting the 'Big Five' and a luxury holiday in South Africa staying in Kruger's renowned safari park provides the perfect opportunity to do this. At Southern Africa Travel we specialize in tailor-made holidays to South Africa and our experienced consultants will be more than happy to help you arrange the holiday of your dreams, whether you're after a tasting tour of the scenic wine lands or a malaria-free safari in the Eastern Cape, we can put together a tailor-made holiday for you. South Africa is a truly unique destination, and with over 24 years experience in arranging trips to this region we are the experts.
So call us today on 01483 425 533 and let us arrange a luxury South Africa holiday just for you. >>
LUXURY * * *
* * Accommodation in South Africa
Ten Bompas Hotel Ten Bompas was converted into an exclusive hotel with 10 suites, restaurant and a magnificent wine cellar overlooking the swimming pool, it was originally a private home. Each suite has been individually decorated by a different interior designer, using their interpretation of an african theme.>>
Western Cape Hotel & Spa The Western Cape Hotel & Spa is located in a natural biosphere, which overlooks one of South Africa's largest and most magnificent natural lagoons. The Luxury Collection Hotel on the Arabella Country Estate offers guests hospitality in a natural environment with easy access to the Cape's major tourist attractions. >>
Sabi Sabi EARTH Lodge The philosophy behind Earth Lodge was intensely personal. By the nature of the design and its mimimalistic artistic interior decor, guests will have a more holistic experience. >>
QUALITY * *
* * Accommodation in South Africa
Hobbit Boutique Hotel Hobbit Boutique Hotel is well- situated in the historical suburb of Westdene, close to the city centre, sports grounds, university and zoo. 10km from Bloemfontein Airport. >>
Rocktail Bay Lodge Situated on the secluded and unspoilt coastline of Rocktail Bay, in an area well known for Leatherback turtles 329km from the Richard's Bay airport.>>
Spier In the heart of the Stellenbosch Winelands, the Village Hotel at Spier has marked a new era in luxury. The emphasis is on maintaing the ecological integrity of the area and, where possible, natural materials are resources were used.>>
VALUE * * *
Accommodation in South Africa
Montagu Country Hotel Montagu is a historical village, situated halfway between Oudtshoorn and Cape Town, on the legendary 'Route 62', which is the longest wine route in South Africa - a road of scenic splendour. >>
Brandwag Resort Situated in the north-eastern Free State in the Maluti Mountains of the Golden Gate National Park. 20km from Clarens. 390km from Johannesburg International Airport. >>
Protea Hotel Saldanha Bay Situated on a magnificent stretch of waterfront and 130km from Cape Town International Airport, the Protea Hotel Saldanha Bay has been remodeled to create an atmosphere of space and light. >>
Suggested Itineraries in or including South Africa
Best of the Eastern and Western Cape, South Africa
12 nights featuring the best the Western and Eastern Cape of South Africa has to offer - priced from £1240.00 per person sharing Mpumalanga, the Southern Cape, the Garden Route and Cape Town - all in one! >>
Bush & Beach - 8 nights featuring Private Game Lodge & Mozambique
Bush & Beach - 8 nights featuring a luxury holiday in a South African game lodge & Mozambique - from £3,855.00 per person sharing, including scheduled charter travel in South Africa, but excluding any international flights >>
Cape Town & Mauritius - 10 nights
Enjoy a luxury holiday in South Africa's premier city, coupled with a relaxing stay on the island nation of Mauritius. From £1,730.00 per person sharing, excluding flights (please contact us for honeymoon specials) >>
Classic Eastern Cape Tour
3 Nights / 4 Days - Cultural Heritage, Elephants & San Paintings. Tour commences and ends in Port Elizabeth Hotel or Port Elizabeth Airport. >>
Eastern Cape Game Reserve Breakaway
2 Nights / 3 Days - Indulgent luxury in the wild. Tour commences and ends in Port Elizabeth Hotel or Port Elizabeth Airport. >>
Garden Route Splendour
3 Nights / 4 Days - Picturesque journey through Lakes and Forests. Commences in Port Elizabeth and ends in Cape Town. This tour can also be done in reverse (ie Cape Town - Port Elizabeth) >>
KRUGER & THE FALLS - 6 nights
From £2400.00 per person sharing, including flights. 3 nights accommodation at Nottens Bush Camp in a Standard Suite on a Fully Inclusive Basis [all meals and game activities] AND 3 nights at David Livingstone Safari Lodge in a Standard Room on a bed and breakfast basis >>
Kruger and City Lights
A seven night South African holiday featuring a Kruger safari and Cape Town - from £820.00 per person sharing >>
Kruger Park & the Kingdoms
5 nights / 6 days - A great combination of 'Big 5' game viewing, lush wetlands and the Swazi and Zulu Cultures. Commences and ends in Sandton or the Johannesburg International Airport. >>
Kruger Wildlife Tour
2 Nights / 3Days - One of the world's greatest wildlife preservation areas. Tour commences and ends in Sandton or the Johannesburg International Airport. >>
Madikwe National Park - Sun City and malaria free safari
Madikwe National Park - a perfect combination with Sun City or as a malaria free safari option. From £1,630.00 per person sharing, including the scheduled charter detailed below but excluding any international flights >>
Majestic Drakensberg & Lesotho
3 Nights / 4 Days - World Heritage Site, Bushman Paintings and highest vehicle pass in Southern Africa. Tour commences and ends in Durban or North Coast Area or Durban International Airport. >>
Mpumalanga & Private Game Lodge
3 Nights / 4 Days - The scenery and culture of Mpumalanga, the wilderness of the Kruger
National Park and a unique private game lodge experience. Commences and ends in Sandton Hotel or Johannessburg International Airport. >>
Natal Battlefields - Boer, Brit & Zulu
1 Nights / 2 Days - Tragic battles, heroic deeds and beautiful scenery. Tour commences and ends in Durban Hotel or North Coast Area or Durban International Airport. >>
Valley of the Kings - Zulu History
1 Night / 2 Days - Zulu History and the Great King Dingaan. Tour commences and ends in Durban or North Coast Area or Durban International Airport. >>
West Cape Coast
3 Nights / 4 Days - Rugged Mountains, Spring flowers, Crayfish and San paintings! Tour commences and ends in Cape Town hotel or the Cape Town International Airport >>
Zulu, Game & Wetland Exploration
2 Nights / 3 Days - Oldest game reserves in SA and a boat cruise
on a World Heritage Site. Tour commences and ends in Durban or North Coast Area. >>
MORE ABOUT South Africa
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South Africa covers an area of well over a million km2 of the southern subcontinent. To the east, north and west, it is bordered by the republics of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique and within its borders are the kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland.
South Africa comprises as diverse, bewildering and bewitching a collection of cultures, languages, beliefs and backgrounds as any on earth. Its oldest inhabitants, dating back 10 000 years, are the San Bushmen.
South Africa has nine provinces, each with its own premier, legislation and tourism promotions agency, and 11 official languages, although English is the main medium of communication. The national anthem contains five of these languages and represents the aspirations of more than 40 million people. Culinary drawcards include the local meat and venison (springbok, kudu and impala) as well as ostrich, fresh fruit and seafood (particularly shellfish such as crayfish, abalone and oysters) accompanied by excellent red and white wines. Durban restaurants are renowned for their fiery Indian curries, the Western Cape for its signature Cape Malay dishes such as cinnamon-flavoured pumpkin and sweet potato, fragrant bredies (stews) and delicious deserts. Dutch settlers left a legacy of potjiekos and this together with traditional African cooking now appears on many restaurant menus.
South Africa has the world's richest floral kingdom - 23 2000 different plant species - and a vast variety of endemic and migratory birds. It is home to one-sixth of the world's marine species and has more species of wild animals than North and South America, or Europe and Asia, together. South Africa boasts the world's largest land mammal (the African elephant), smallest mammal (shrew), tallest mammal (giraffe), fastest mammal (cheetah), heaviest reptile (leatherback turtle), largest antelope (eland), largest bird (ostrich) and heaviest flying bird (the Kori Bustard). It has 6000 different spiders, 175 varieties of scorpion, 100 different snakes and 900 bird species - 10% of the world's botanical and zoological variety on 1% of its land area.
In the Nkomazi Wilderness in Mpumalanga, the rocks contain evidence of the earliest life to appear on the planet some 3.5 billion years ago. The Sterkfontein Caves, a World Heritage Site, is thought to be the birthplace of early man. South Africa also contains traces of man in fossilized footprints dating back 80 000 years, and the world?s oldest rock art.
South Africa is the world's leading producer of gold, platinum, chromium, manganese and a top producer of many other minerals. It also controls much of the world's diamond market and, with large platinum and palladium resources, aims to produce a quarter of the world's anti-pollution devices for the automotive industry.
Weather patterns dictated by ocean currents, altitude, prevailing winds and the ever-changing nature of the land, vary dramatically from place to place. Certain areas such as the Cape are winter rainfall areas, while others such as Gauteng have summer rainfall. South Africa is, however, one of the world's drier countries, with mean annual rainfall approximately half the global average. The average number of cloudless hours is eight to ten per day, compared to seven in New York and just about four in London.
Eastwards, from the modern metropolis of Johannesburg, lies the rugged Escarpment, which falls rapidly away to humid, subtropical Lowveld, with its world-famous Kruger National Park.
Southwards lies KwaZulu Natal, with its bushveld, wetlands and marine reserves. Durban, a harbour city fringed by golden beaches, is the third largest city in the country. In contrast to the coastal towns and resorts south of Durban, is the spectacular, unspoilt and rugged Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape. Along South Africa's southern shore lies the Garden Route, a place of breathtaking beauty, seaside towns, forests and lakes, against the backdrop of the Outeniqua mountain range. Westward, the rich Western Cape wine and farmlands culminate in the Cape Peninsula and the city of Cape Town, cradled in the lap of Table Mountain.
Among South Africa's host of popular tourist attractions are Cape Town's Table Mountain and Cape Point, the Winelands, the whale-watching haven of Hermanus, the Garden Route and malaria-free game reserves of the Eastern Cape, the Drakensburg mountain range, St Lucia wetlands and game reserves of KwaZulu Natal, the game reserves, casino and leisure resorts of the Northern and North-West provinces and the world-famous Kruger National Park.
An hour's drive northeast of Cape Town is some of the most sublime countryside to be found anywhere in the world - a land of high mountains and green valleys, of vineyards and scented orchards, heavy with a mellow...
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Combine one of our tailor made Garden Route packages with several nights in Port Elizabeth as you follow England's World Cup campaign. We have several accommodation options available during the group games and...
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Sol Kerzner's Sun City is an enormous, extravagant and opulent complex of hotel, gaming rooms, theatres, restaurants, bars, discos and shops. Set in beautifully landscaped grounds, it is a mecca for local and international...
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Actually referred to as The Greater Kruger National Park, this destination comprises of the Kruger National Park, its private concessions and the bordering private reserves. The region literally teems with game and represents...
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The Sabi Sands borders the western edge of the Kruger National Park. No fences exist between the Kruger Park and the Sabi Sand Reserve so the animals are free to roam in and out unhindered.
Seventy years of bitter and merciless head-on confrontation proved as pivotal to South Africa's geo-political evolution as the wars that forged modern Europe and established the freedom, identity and boundaries of North America....
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Visitors to South Africa would be well advised to make time to venture outside of the main centres, where the most glorious, wilderness awaits exploration - the Cedarberg Wilderness Area and the semi-arid Klein Karoo are...
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Northeast of Cape Town, a 3.5 hour scenic drive encompassing the towns of Worcester, Robertson, Montagu and Barrydale will culminate in the recently developed 54 000ha Sanbona Wildlife Reserve in the Klein Karoo, where rock art...
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There is a pace and vibrancy unique to Gauteng, the financial heartland and most densely populated province of South Africa, where the provincial capital, Johannesburg, was literally built on gold.
These provinces offer everything from malaria-free big five game viewing to opulent luxury accommodation, fine dining and spa treatments. The North-West and Northern Provinces have economies on mining, tourism and agriculture....
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Although the Limpopo Province (Northern Province) seems to take a second place to its southern neighbour, Mpumalanga in the safari stakes, many believe that the northern region has so much more to offer with the less crowded and...
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Feel free to explore the Free State - an eclectic mix of imposing state buildings and artistic havens. This tranquil land is the agricultural and geographic centre of South Africa. Out of all the provinces, this one sets...
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SOUTHERN AFRICA TRAVEL The Oak Suite, Guardian House,
Borough Road, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 2AE Tel: 01483 425533 Fax: 01483 860391 The air holiday packages on this website are ATOL protected
by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is 4795. Please see our booking
conditions for more information. Click on the ATOL logo above for more information.
Many thanks and credit to the following
photographers whose images have been used in this site: Michael Poliza, Colin
Bell, Dana Allen, David Ross and Wilderness Safaris.
