Location, Landscape & Habitat

The Republic of South Africa lies at the southern tip of the African continent between latitudes 22 and 35 south, flanked by the Indian Ocean on the east coast and the Atlantic on the west, and bordered by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho and Swaziland. Washed by the cold Benguela current on the west coast and the warm Mozambique Agulhas current on the east, the country has a coastline of 2 800 kms (1 740 miles).

Situated at the southern edge of the African continent, South Africa is bounded by oceans on three sides, with an interior that has a wonderful assortment of habitats, from lush tropical forests to arid deserts, from mountains to the open savannah of the bushveld.

Much of South Africa’s natural wealth can be explored in facts and figures – on 1% of the planet’s total land surface it has 10% of the world’s known bird, fish and plant species and 5% of the world’s mammal and reptile species; the third most biologically diverse country on Earth. Such diversity is due to great variations in climate, geology and landscape.

Geologically, the country can be divided into three main regions: A narrow coastal strip that demarcates the edge of the continent for 3 000 km, an extensive central plateau reaching 2 000 meters above sea level, and the Great Escarpment whose mountain ranges and hills stand in between the first two. These can be split further into rolling plains dotted with acacia trees and scattered dwellings, grasslands that meet the blue sky at the ruler-straight horizon, enormous brooding peaks of the Drakensberg, and chattering rivers that force themselves noisily through narrow gorges – to name but a few.

At the southernmost point, Table Mountain stands like a sentinel guarding Cape Town and its beaches. The south-western Cape is home to the Cape Floral Kingdom, one of the world’s six Plant Kingdoms. Its heath-like vegetation, called ‘fynbos’, is endemic to this area – some 8 000 plant species grow only here, making this one of the most significant concentrations of plant species on earth. Along the coast eastwards is the dramatic, rocky shoreline where forests grow down steep cliffs to meet spectacular, rough seas crashing on jagged rocks: the Garden Route.

Moving north-east, the straight lines of the arid Karoo with its semi-desert and arid-adapted life give way to the endless, flat grasslands of the plateau, formed millions of years ago when the center of the continent lifted up. This is the country’s economic center both in terms of grain produce and mineral wealth; some of the world’s largest gold and diamond deposits lie deep beneath the unassuming surface.

Around the center, the escarpment’s Drakensberg mountain range break the flatness and the land falls towards the coast. These landforms are not just beautiful but are of great importance in the generation of rainfall and runoff; all major rivers have their origins amongst the peaks and precipitous cliffs.

The country’s eastern edges – bordered by the Lebombo Mountains (and Mozambique and Swaziland) in the north-east and the Indian Ocean in the south-east – generally receive more rainfall and are covered with savannah bushveld and woodland. This is the site of some of Africa’s great conservation and wildlife stories, such as the Kruger National Park, the Hluhluwe Game Reserve where the southern white rhino was brought back from the brink of extinction, and the iSimangaliso (Greater St Lucia) Wetland Park, where the great sea turtles haul themselves up onto the beaches to lay their eggs.

Despite being threatened by increasing population numbers and development, many game reserves and national parks dot the country, protecting some of its 243 mammal, 900 bird, 370 reptile and 220 fish species and its more than 20 300 species of flowering plants. Each reserve or concession serves a vital role in helping to protect a small piece of this immense, picturesque and life-filled land.

History

Discoveries in Taung and other sites in the country bear witness to the fact that prehistoric man lived about one and a half million years ago in what is today known as South Africa.

The San were the first people to settle, about 2,000 years ago. They were followed by the Khoikhoi, in the Western Cape. Disease, displacement by new inhabitants and miscegenation gradually caused these groups to become extinct.

The first Europeans to reach the Cape of Good Hope, toward the end of the 15th century, were Portuguese explorers seeking a sea route to the east.

The first permanent European settlement was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652. By the middle of the 18th century, this growing Dutch colony came into contact with the African tribes that were established in the southeast coastal regions and expanding southwestward. In 1820, 5,000 British immigrants arrived in Algoa Bay, representing the largest organized group of white settlers ever to come to the country. The first decades of the 19th century were filled with wars between the African tribes, resulting in the emergence of the Zulu nation under Shaka and later Dingaan as the dominant power in South Central Africa. The establishment of vassal states and virtual depopulation of the central plateau left the way for Dutch-descended Voortrekkers, who were dissatisfied with the ruling British Government, to move into the area. The population patterns established in the first half of the 19th century remain largely unchanged to the present.

Discovery of lucrative deposits of diamonds, gold and other minerals, starting in 1866, was the impetus for the development of towns and cities in the interior. The cosmopolitan population of the goldfields was in constant conflict with the conservative government of the pastoral Boers, who resented the influx of foreigners. This was the era when British imperialism reached its peak.

African nations were subjugated, their lands annexed and the Boer republics threatened; the result was the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. The British Empire emerged victorious from the war. In 1910 the Cape Colony and Natal (British) and the Orange Free State and Transvaal (Boer republics) were joined to form the Union of South Africa under the leadership of Boer generals Louis Botha and Jan Smuts. The Act of Union was followed by a resurgence of Afrikaaner nationalism, reaching its ultimate apartheid legislation in the 1940s. Restrictions were placed on the movements of Africans and Indians and they were prohibited from acquiring title to land in 1913, although certain territories were reserved for black tribal ownership. African voters were removed from the common role in 1936. The Afrikaaner Nationalist movement grew steadily on a foundation of sectarian preference and achieved its immediate objectives when the National Party, under Dr. D. F. Malan, won the election in 1948.

Organized political activity among black Africans started with the establishment of the African National Congress (ANC) in 1912. In 1959 the Pan African Congress (PAC) was founded as a breakaway from the ANC because of its dissatisfaction with the nonviolent and nonracial policies of the ANC. The first major violent confrontation between government and African nationalist movements occurred in June 1960, when police fired on a demonstration mounted by the PAC at Sharpeville. Shortly after, virtually all black political organizations were banned.

In 1963 Nelson Mandela and a number of conspirators were convicted of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment. Mr. Mandela was released from prison on February 11, 1990, after serving 27 years of a life sentence. Taking a conciliatory attitude toward the government, he led his party into negotiations, culminating in the democratic election in April 1994 and his inauguration as President of South Africa on 10 May 1994.

People & Culture

Diversity is echoed in the peoples of South Africa. Ancient rock art is a silent testimony to the vanished culture of the first human inhabitants – the San or Bushman people – and the powerful civilizations of Mapungubwe and Thulamela who traded with Chinese and Arab traders a thousand years ago remain entrenched in the ruins of their rock-walled hilltop cities.

Later the sub region became a stepping-stone between Europe and the spices of the East, and then its own mineral riches were discovered. At the beginning of the 21st century this is a country filled with a colourful mixture of people and cultures, a heady history and not least, a natural heritage that has South Africans defining their land as “a world in one country.”

Today the Republic of South Africa has one of the most complex and diversified population mixes in the world, a rich mosaic of distinctive minorities. This is underscored by the fact that not one of South Africa’s major languages is spoken by a majority of all the people.

The four major ethnic divisions among black people are the Nguni, Sotho, Shangaan-Tsonga and Venda. Together the Nguni and Sotho account for the largest percentage of the total black population.

Caucasian people trace their origins to the Dutch East India Company settlement at the Cape in 1652 and the British settlements of the 1700’s. The main language groups are English and Afrikaans. English speakers are descendants of English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Americans and Canadians. They have contributed to the establishment of exclusive clubs, African paintings by artists such as Baines and Bowler, Victorian and Edwardian architecture, Scottish music and Welsh song. The Afrikaans language was developed locally from Dutch roots and its speakers are known for their pioneering spirit, desire for independence, adaptability and hospitality. The Afrikaaner community is unity-conscious, strongly bound to its culture, nation, country, language, religion, institutions and organizations.

The Griquas, largely of Hottentot (Khoi-Khoi) ancestry, have developed a culture of their own, characterized linguistically by a broken form of Dutch-Afrikaans with a peculiar yet dignified power of expression. Their religion, love of sacred song and choirs are their chief cultural features.

The Cape Malays are descendants of the early Muslim people brought to the Cape by the Dutch East India Company. Despite bondage and isolation, they have remained faithful to Islam, still manifest in all their traditional ceremonies, feasts, weddings, funerals and pilgrimages to Mecca.

The first East Indians came to South Africa in 1860 as indentured laborers of the Natal colonial government for Natal’s sugar plantations. For many decades, it was assumed that the Indians should eventually be repatriated. It was only in 1961, after South Africa became a republic, that this notion was abandoned and the Indian community was allowed to stay as a permanent part of the South African population.

Fauna & Flora

South Africa has an extraordinary wealth of flora and fauna. Found here are some 22,000 species of flowering plants (of which 730 are classified as trees) which are endemic to the country, and about 900 species of birds, representing 22 of the world’s living orders.

Indigenous animals include many carnivores, as well as a large number and variety of antelope and other herbivore – the largest being the elephant. The country’s game parks preserve an amazing diversity of habitats to which different species have adapted over hundreds of thousands of years: desert and semi desert, mountain, savannah bushveld, temperate and subtropical coast, lake, estuary and river. Apart from the 800 game reserves and 17 National Parks Board Reserves, there are several privately owned sanctuaries, where conservation is strictly enforced.

Health

Generally, water throughout Southern Africa is safe to drink directly from the tap. However, bottled water is readily available, so please do not allow yourself to become dehydrated.

Malaria transmission is at its highest during the warmer and wetter months of November through to April, and only in the northern areas of the country. From May through to October the risks of acquiring malaria are reduced.

The malaria parasite requires a human host in order to complete its life cycle. In most cases, our camps are situated in remote, unpopulated areas, so the chances of contracting malaria are very slim. Nonetheless, it is worth taking preventative measures.

The sun can be extremely severe. Always wear a wide-brimmed hat and use a good sun block.

Clothing

Usually informal, casual dress is sufficient, with elegant or smart casual wear for occasions where tie and jacket are required at restaurants, nightclubs or concerts. For the summer months from October to April light-weight clothing is sufficient, but keep in mind that even hot areas such as Mpumalanga and Kwa-Zulu Natal where the game parks are situated, may experience chilly nights in summer and require at least a sweater or jacket. Most of the country, with the exception of the Western Cape region, has rains in the summertime. A compact umbrella or raincoat is useful. During the winter months warm clothing is needed, as temperatures can decrease dramatically.

There is nowhere quite like Cape Town. It is in Africa, and of Africa, but yet so different. Perched between the ocean and the mountain, and with a South African National Park as its heart, it is wild and wonderful. But it’s also the oldest city of the country, and it has a cultural heritage spanning more than 300 years.

Cape Town has been known as ‘The Fairest Cape’, the ‘Tavern of the Seas’, the ‘Cape of Good Hope’ and was to referred to as the ‘Cape of Storms’ by the Portuguese sailors, who battled the turbulent seas on their journeys of discovery many centuries ago.

It is in Cape Town that the Rainbow Nation really covers the spectrum. Nowhere else in the country do we have such cultural diversity.

Between beautiful Cape Dutch homesteads, elegant Georgian townhouses, traditional dancers with painted faces performing in the city streets, the smell of spicy Malay cooking, the tang of a well-made wine, and the sound of the snoek horn advertising the wares of fish vendors, this city will fill your senses. The bells of St George’s Cathedral alternate with the plaintive tones of the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer. Visitors give a startled jump, and Capetonians calmly glance at their watches, when the noon gun booms above the city – a relic from the days of sail when sea captains had to check their chronometers.

Cape Town is the second largest city in South Africa and ranks amongst the most beautiful in the world. With its majestic Table Mountain (1082 m) overlooking the City Bowl and Table Bay, this is the tourist’s ultimate playground.

With a population of 4.7 million, Cape Town is a quintessential melting pot of creativity, cuisine and colour. The ‘Mother City’ is one of the gourmet capitals of the world influenced by the combination of Cape Malay, Dutch, French and Portuguese cuisine infused by African flavours, and subtly reflected in Cape Town’s stylish restaurant menus. Award-winning wines produced in the local wine lands of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl complement popular fine-dining menus and gastronomic feasts.

You will never be bored in Cape Town. Table Mountain, the distinctive sandstone mountain has greatly influenced the development of the city and offers some of the best climbing in the world. The surfing is fantastic; the diving is cold but good. You could go mountain biking or try sand boarding. While sea kayaking you may see seals, dolphins or penguins. A great thing to do on a full moon summer’s night is to walk up Lion’s Head before dark, watch the sun set on one side and the full moon rise on the other and then walk down in the silvery light. Or, if the wind is right, you could fly off Lion’s Head with a qualified tandem paraglider pilot, and land on the beach in time for sundowners. Oh, you’ll never be bored.

Best time to visit Cape Town

During Cape Town’s hot, dry summer months from late October to April/May, temperatures reach their peak and this is regarded to be the best time to visit Cape Town with plenty of blue skies and sunshine – a great time to go exploring or simply spread your towel on the white sands of Cape Town’s popular beaches such as Camps Bay and Clifton.

Things to do in Cape Town

• Explore the City and take a revolving cable car up to Table Mountain’s summit

• Abseil from Table Mountain

• Book an ‘Art Expert’ and browse the many art galleries of Cape Town

• Savour Sunday brunch and live Jazz in Sea Point

• Book a ‘Personal Shopper’ and bargain for African curios at Green Market Square

• Visit the Old Biscuit Mill Market on a Saturday in Woodstock or Hout Bay Market during the weekend

• Savour dinner in a renowned chef’s home

• Take a Bo Kaap Cooking Safari and learn the secret of how to blend Cape Malay spices

• Fly over Robben Island by helicopter – the place where world-renowned humanitarian, President Nelson Mandela, was incarcerated for 18 years

• Discover the Cape Winelands by car, bicycle or tram – for a delicious food and wine experience amidst lush vineyards and majestic mountains

• Explore the Cape Peninsula by bicycle and see the Cape of Good Hope, the most south western tip of Africa

• Visit the comical African Penguin Colony at Boulders Beach

• Take a journey along Chapman’s Peak Scenic Drive and enjoy stunning views across the ocean

• Have a picnic in the Mother city’s Company Gardens

• Kayak or SUP along the quiet coves of the Peninsula

• Go Whale Watching at Hermanus – the best land-based whale watching in the world (June – November)

• Visit a Raptor Rehabilitation Center

• Sip Sundowners on the famous ‘ocean strip’ in Camps Bay

• Join the locals for a game of beach volleyball on the trendy Camps Bay or Clifton

• Party in Long Street

• Take Afternoon High Tea at the Mount Nelson

• Take a helicopter tour from the Waterfront and view the City, Cape Town Stadium, Clifton & Camps Bay from the air

• Dine at a traditional African restaurant with authentic inter-active drumming and entertainment

• Enjoy a sunset cruise on Table Bay

You can shop till you drop at Cavendish, Canal Walk or the Waterfront where you’ll be spoiled for choice. There is so much live music, so many temporary and permanent art exhibitions, so many movies, plays and even opera, ballet or symphony concerts, that you will have absolutely no excuse to stay in your hotel room. You could visit a different museum every day for a week and of course, you’ll have to find the time to sample some Cape wine.

Special mentions

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens – a Natural Paradise 

Whether you’re a member of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), or an avid gardner, a visit to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town is simply a must-visit for any botanical hobbyist.

Set against the lower slopes of Table Mountain with spectacular views, and established in 1913, Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden features over 7 000 endemic plant species and a myriad of things to see, including ‘The Boomslang’(tree snake) canopy walk, designed to give you a tree top tour of the arboretum.

Enjoy a leisurely stroll through the Protea gardens and enjoy open-air concerts on a Sunday evening in the summer.

Philanthropy – take a Township Tour to inter-act with the local Community:

Uthando (meaning love in Xhosa) is a unique non-profit and Fair Trade in Tourism accredited organization which aims to raise funds for life changing community development projects in South Africa. Uthando also offers authentic, uplifting, fun, inspirational, interactive and meaningful experiences in the sprawling and impoverished townships of Cape Town, giving visitors the opportunity to contribute in a positive way towards the social, economic and environmental development in the immediate area.

Tours can be tailored to suit particular interests, whether it be urban agriculture; animal welfare; youth development through the medium of art, dance, choir singing, classical music, drumming or sport; special needs education; assistance to refugees; the environment; economic empowerment through skills development; arts and crafts; township theatre; prisoner rehabilitation; care and protection for children, women and the elderly.

Uthando is all about connecting people in an authentic way in which our shared humanity is celebrated and enjoyed, and here is a prime example of that. A family from Canada recently spent some time with the children at the Hout Bay Music Project. The local children played many African songs for the family and one of the visitors then taught some songs to the juniors at the project. The visiting family also donated two violins, bows and cases to the project, while some of the local children made bracelets as a thank you gift for each of the visitors.

Ask Christine Boecker (native Capetonian) to enhance your visit to Cape Town.

Greater Kruger National Park

Mpumalanga is the safari capital of South Africa. With over half the Kruger National Park in the province, and many private reserves, there is something for everyone. The Lowveld is hot and humid, with long grass and broad-leaved trees, and of course, spectacular game.

The private game reserves adjoining the park in the Greater Kruger area are, almost without exception, spectacular. Here it is possible to enjoy both day and night game drives in open 4WD vehicles, which is not permitted inside the national park.

Mpumalanga

Also known as the ‘Lowveld’, Mpumalanga is at a lower elevation and is home to the famous Kruger National Park. Consisting of rolling grassland with many wild flowers and pretty streams, much of the area has been cultivated as pine plantations, but there are still some pockets of indigenous forest. Trout have been introduced into some dams and streams in the Dullstroom and Lydenberg areas.

This whole area has a rich history, particularly its gold rush era, when lawlessness was the order of the day and brave pioneers wandered through lion-infested bush to reach their claims. The pretty museum town of Pilgrim’s Rest gives an indication of the way of life in those hard days.

The scenery is spectacular – there is God’s Window, Bourke’s Luck Potholes in the Blyde River, the quaint town of Graskop, the numerous spectacular waterfalls, the Three Rondawels (three almost circular mountains), the Swadini Dam and the Sudwala Caves.

The main city is Nelspruit which, along with the many small towns, serves the tourist industry and the many farmers who grow delicious sub-tropical products, such as bananas, citrus fruit, litchis, mangoes, avocados, macadamia nuts, pecan nuts and tea and coffee.

Garden Route & Eastern Cape

The Garden Route of South Africa is spectacularly beautiful, undulating along a narrow coastal stretch between the Indian Ocean and the Outeniqua Mountains.

Knysna is a small town situated on the edge of the country’s largest estuary, protected from the Indian Ocean by a cliff terrace known as the Heads. The area is a playground for young and old, offering nature and forest reserves, boat excursions, a Gary Player golf course, wonderful restaurants and great shopping.

In the hinterland, the Great Karoo epitomizes the essence of Africa – vast open spaces; sparse veld bushes and distant brooding mountains. Oudtshoorn, a small settler town in the ‘Little Karoo’ owes much of its origins to the ostriches that roamed this semi-desert habitat and Bushmen paintings can be found in the remarkable Cango Caves nearby.

The Eastern Cape region stretches along the south-east coast from the Tsitsikamma Forest on the Garden Route to the Wild Coast. Scattered about in the foothills and beyond, Xhosa homesteads, circular and thatched, are often grouped around a cattle kraal, usually situated on the ridge of a hill.

The main city is Port Elizabeth, set on the shores of Algoa Bay. “The Friendly City” is the fifth biggest city in South Africa and the largest on the coast between Cape Town and Durban. Further north, East London is set on the broad Buffalo River and one of the most attractive stretches of the Eastern Cape seaboard. East London’s sweeping white beaches extend for miles; unpolluted, uncrowded, unspoiled. It is the ideal base to explore the north-eastern mountains and the Wild Coast. 

For historical and architectural interest, the towns of Grahamstown and Graaff Reinet should not be missed, featuring wide streets with wonderful examples of Cape Dutch architecture, dating back over 200 years.

In its natural state, the Eastern Cape is one of the most diverse regions on earth. It is a meeting-place for four major weather systems, hence the incredibly diverse environment – spectacular mountain ranges, lush forests and unspoiled beaches.

Much of the pristine indigenous flora and fauna is very accessible, making for breath-taking views, experiences and memories. 

Addo Elephant National Park supports about 200 elephants in addition to Cape buffalo, black rhino, kudu and over 180 South African bird species. Many game reserves offer a variety of safari options, from a world-class deluxe experience to the hands-on volunteering opportunity.

Experience untamed Africa at its best and view the ‘big five’ (seven if you include whales and the Great White Shark) in malaria-free game reserves. Indulge in fresh and saltwater fishing for trout and ocean game fish, experience some of the most rewarding bird watching (if you’re lucky you’ll see indigenous parrots) and see a wide range of plant life, including the prehistoric cycads, in their natural environment.

The Eastern Cape has a rich cultural history. Explore the beautiful towns and villages the British settlers established years ago, old mission stations, schools and the university where Nelson Mandela and other prominent African leaders were educated or attend some of over 400 performances presented annually at the Grahamstown Arts Festival.

Whether you choose to explore on horseback or mountain bike, by car or coach, by river raft or canoe or on your own two feet, you will be awed by the beauty of its mountains, valleys, plains, rivers and coastline. There are also opportunities to indulge in adventure sports ranging from skydiving to scuba diving.

Eastern Cape people from all walks of life are hospitable and friendly. Whether you are buying arts and crafts, sampling a traditional meal, enjoying fine cuisine in a country restaurant, having a pint in a country pub, watching a cricket match on an old village green or visiting a township or historical monument, you will be made to feel especially welcome.

Johannesburg, at an altitude of 1 753 m, is the largest city in Southern Africa and the center of the country’s economic development. More than 6 million inhabitants live in this vibrant city also known as Egoli, ‘the place of gold’.

The city had it’s beginning with the gold rush in the 1880’s, and barely ten years later Johannesburg had become South Africa’s largest town and the site of frenzied development that has been ongoing ever since. Its cosmopolitan allure attracts peoples from countries further north, in search of greater prosperity.

It is also one of the first points of entry into the region and as such offers a choice of convenient airport hotels, as well as interesting excursions to the Apartheid Museum, the ‘Cradle of Mankind’ and many more.

Republic of South Africa

• Area: 1 219 912 km²

• Capital: Pretoria (administrative capital)

• Currency: Rand

• Population: 60 million consisting of 80% Blacks, 9% European and 11 % Asian, Indian & Malays.

• Official language: English is the official language and there are 11 national languages.

• Time: GMT +2

Climate: 

Hot summers with afternoon rains (mostly in the form of short afternoon thunderstorms), from October to April. Dry and cooler weather occurs between May and September.

The Western Cape has a Mediterranean climate, with warm, dry summers, and cool, rainy winters.

Safari FAQ’s

• General Safari FAQ's
• Describe a Day on Safari
• Who are the Big Five
• About Sustainability
• Debunking Safari Myths
• What is a Luxury Safari
• Choosing a Safari Style
• Multi-generational Safaris
• About Giving Back