About South Africa

South Africa has become one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. And it's no wonder, given its abundance of wildlife, diversity of cultures, and natural beauty. Fondly called ‘The rainbow nation’, South Africa is a country on the southernmost tip of the African continent and is home to many natural and man-made wonders, with beautiful surrounds including several deserts, grasslands, wetlands, subtropical forests, escarpments, mountains, and bushes. South Africa is one of the best safari destinations in Africa, offering easy access to the "Big Five" (lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, and rhinoceros) at places like Kruger National Park and the surrounding Greater Kruger area.

Here you can explore the wild with walking safaris as well as 4×4 game-drives. The malaria-free areas of the Eastern Cape, Madikwe Game Reserve in the north and the Kalahari desert, are a great favourite for family safaris. The Western Cape offers blue flag beaches, penguins at Boulders beach, lush winelands around Stellenbosch, craggy cliffs at the Cape of Good Hope, whale watching and shark cage diving near Hermanus, with forests and lagoons along the Garden Route. The “Mother city” of Cape Town offers world-class shopping, celebrity beaches, food and wine, nightlife, and a relaxed ambiance, beneath flat-topped Table Mountain and Lion’s Head. Experience KwaZulu-Natal’s historic battlefields (Anglo Boer and Zulu wars), the Drakensberg mountain range and South Africa’s only world heritage site, Isimangaliso Wetland Park – a bush and beach paradise. Camps and lodges are of an exceptional standard.

The South African climate is governed by two distinct weather systems, which bring rains to the north of the country from November to March and to the Cape from May to August. In general the weather is sunny and hot in the summer months (December to April), and mild during winter (May to November). Winters in the Cape are cold and wet, and snow falls on the mountain ranges in Natal. Gauteng and the northern areas experience thunderstorms regularly during evenings in the summer months, and winters are usually warm during the day and cold at night. April, September or October are probably the best months to travel if you wish to optimize the chances of good and reliable weather throughout the country.