South Africa is perhaps the most beautiful if not most spectacular country on the continent. Its landscape is stunning and its wildlife remarkable. There is no part of the country unworthy of exploration. In fact, it is perhaps here that the best discoveries in all of Africa can be made. South Africa has so much to see and to do that you'll return home wanting to come back.

Capital: Pretoria (Administration) Cape Town (Legislature) Bloemfontein (Judicial)

Population: 42,000,000

Area: 470,700 square miles

Language: There are many official languages which include Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Swati, Tsonga, Xhosa and Zulu.

Time: + 7 hours from New York

Electricity: 220/230 volts AC, 50 Hz Parts of Pretoria has 250 volts

Geography: The South African Republic is found at the southern tip of Africa bordered to the west by the Atlantic Ocean and the south and east by the Indian Ocean. To the North, the countries of Namibia, Botswana Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Mozambique. Totally surrounded is the country of Lesotho. The three major geographic areas include the coastal belt, the mountains and the plateau.

Cape Town: Cape Town dates to 1652. The oldest building in South Africa is the 1666 Castle of Good Hope. Inside, the State Rooms have a collection of arts works and furniture. Part of the "castle" includes the Military Museum which was the residence of South Africa's Governors in the early days. The South African Museum is located downtown where oak trees still stand from the 17th century. Nearby are the Houses of Parliament, the Municipal Botanical Gardens, the National Gallery, the Old Supreme Court and the Public Library. Also in town are the excellent Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens. Outside of town is the famed Table Mountain which has a 4,000 ft cable car to the mountain's observation deck. Marine Drive covers the coastline from Cape Town to Cape Point which includes the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve covers the southern tip of the Peninsula.

Durban: This is a beautiful sun soaked resort area. The Centenary Aquarium has more than a 1,000 fish which are fed twice a day by a scuba diver. The Marine Parade has a number of fine beaches. Snake Park has venomous snakes from around the world and is one of the foremost sources for snakebite serum in southern Africa.

Johannesburg: In a little under a century, what is now one of the principle cities of the continent has developed from a small mining camp. The mines here have produced over a billion ounces of gold which is over one-third of the all the gold mined since the Middle-Ages. The are several mines which can be visited by reservation only. The Hall of South African Achievement is located in the same building as the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The Mining Museum is located downtown and depicts mining in the late 1800s. Not fare away are the Railway Museum, The Planetarium and the Geological Museum. A visit to the Jan Smuts Museum will yield a great deal of understanding on the historical development of the country. A must see is a park known as The Wilds which is a reserve for South African flora.

Kimberley: When diamonds werre discovered here in 1871, the town was immedeiately put on the map. Since then teh "Big Hole" has yielded over 15,000,000 carats of diamonds form a spot nearly 400 feet deep and a mile long. In the area is the Kimberley Open Mine Museum and the William Humphresy Art Gallery.

Pretoria: The stately city is South Africa's administrative capital. It is the country's fourth largest city and has a number of old buildings. The Pretoria Art Museum has a very good collection of works from Africa. Paul Kruger's House has historical documents tracing links to the old Transvall Republic. Melrose House is where in 1902 the Boer War Peace Treaty was signed.

Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in the world covering an area of over 7,000 square miles. The best time to visit (but not the only time) is during the spring and winter months when the grass is low making it easier to see the wild animals. In the park you can find, elephants, zebras, giraffes, leopards, lions, cheetas, wildebeasrs and hundreds of varieties of birds. The southern area of the park is known for rhino and Hippos.

THERE is more to South Africa than the World Cup winning Springboks. South Africa is a country for lovers of the great outdoors with endless sandy beaches and an extensive network of nature reserves.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• The Kruger National Park.
• The Transkei Wild Coast has wild, rugged beaches and Nelson Mandela's childhood home.
• Sun City: a massive gambling complex.
• Plettenberg Bay: beautiful beaches.
• Jeffrey's Bay: a world renowned surfing spot.
• The spectacular Table Mountain in Cape Town.
• Cape Winelands where you can tour the wine farms.
• Oudsthoorn: ostrich farm and Cango Caves.
• Drakensberg has the highest peaks in SA, mountain wilderness and good rock art.
• The coral reefs at Sodwana Bay are popular for scuba diving and snorkelling.
• Garden Route: Jeffreys Bay to Mossel Bay. Drive down the coast through mountains and indigenous forests.
• Tsitsikama Coastal National Park: indigenous forest and home to the last of the Knysna elephants.

100 cents to every Rand. ATMs throughout the country. Credit cards are widely accepted. Travellers cheques are easily exchangable at any bank. It is best not to carry huge amounts of cash.

EXCHANGE RATE:

£1 = R6.71

FOOD SPECIALITIES:

Potjiekos — stew.
Braai — barbeque — both as a meal and a social event.
Also: biltong (dried sticks of meat), boerewors (sausage), melktert (milk tart), vetkoek (doughy cake often stuffed with mince), koeksisters (plaited sticky pastry dripping with syrup).

LANGUAGE:

English is widely spoken, but there are 10 other official languages.

NIGHTLIFE:

Is diverse and plentiful and there's lots of it. Check the local newspapers for details.
Cape Town: V&A Waterfront: Berties Landing, Quay 4, Sports Cafe.
Central Cape Town: Havana Bar, The George, Browns, Boiler Room.
Johannesburg: Randburg Waterfront, Chillers, Reds, Long Island Iced Tea
Durban: Durban Waterfront, Joe Cools, Sand Pebbles, Sports Cafe.

Life may have begun here, at the bottom tip of Africa, land of eons-old gorges, cliffs, and valleys—but now Southern Africa is a swirling region of peoples from all over the continent and the world. One of the first things you’ll discover about South Africa is its diversity. With eleven national languages and a new constitution, the “Rainbow Nation” seems determined to model itself on ultra-inclusiveness and cutting-edge progressivism, but the turmoil of its recent history has not yet been forgotten. Many South Africans have not acknowledged the cry for equality, while others have not recovered from the legacy of the past. But now, realizing that their long-boycotted country radiates with tourist appeal, it seems almost everyone—regardless of his or her outlook on the past—is bending over backwards to accommodate tourists’ every whim. There are many opportunities for visitors to delve into the realities of this complex region, from markets and museums that peddle unusual combinations of European and indigenous culture, to memorials and township tours revealing unbelievable horrors and hardship.

Amid this fascinating political and cultural backdrop, the Big Five (lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, and leopards) draw countless wide-eyed city slickers to the country’s game parks and nature reserves, while tempting waves and warm beaches make the coast no less attractive. Unfortunately, the focus on tourists can also manifest itself in less constructive ways, such as crime. But just as the locals display initiative, so must travelers. If you approach this region with savvy, you can safely navigate your way through one of most exciting and breathtakingly beautiful lands on earth. You’ll find packaged comforts—safaris through the savanna, horseback riding in the Winelands, and steam train jaunts along the coast—as well as remote, rugged terrain, such as the Wild Coast, where you’ll be out on your own.

Although political conditions in Zimbabwe are somewhat unpredictable at the time of writing, the spectacular Victoria Falls, twice as wide and twice as deep as Niagara, still continues to thunder as it has for hundreds of thousands of years. Meanwhile, Botswana’s policy of ecotourism has kept the wilderness almost as wild as it can get. While opportunities can be both rich and expensive, plenty of adventure outfitters are “game” for budget business. Farther west, Namibia is an oft-overlooked but hauntingly beautiful landscape that includes desolate desert, ghost towns, and shipwrecks, as well as big game, thousands of rock paintings, and a world of watersports. Southern Africa has a little bit of it all: the wildlife, the nightlife, the high life, and some low life, too. So, wherever you go, keep your wits—and heart—about you, and you’re in for an adventure of a lifetime.

SOUTH AFRICA FACTS & FIGURES

President: Thabo Mbeki
Capitals: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial)
Population: 42 million
Land Area: 1,233,404 sq km Languages: English, Afrikaans, Ndebele, Siswati, Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Sepedi, Setswana, Tsonga, Venda
Main religion: Christianity
Major Exports: gold, diamonds

THE RAINBOW NATION

South Africa, with its miles of metamorphosing shore, does away with the idea of no-name-brand surf ’n sand. Each of its beaches has a distinct personality, allowing the discerning sun-worshipper to pick and choose. Beach time is as inherent to South African culture as braai time, making the seaside the single best place to check out the locals in their natural environment. Although Western Cape winters are cold and wet, most of the country enjoys balmy beach weather year-round. In Cape Town, where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic, you can have your waters warm or iced. On the Atlantic side, at the base of spectacular mountains, chill out (literally) at chic, cosmopolitan Clifton or secluded Llandudno, where you’ll spot some jaw-dropping drawer-dropping. Waterbabies shouldn’t miss Jeffreys Bay, the surfing capital of the country.

Southern Africa has a plethora of game parks catering to tourists content to watch the animals from the safety of their cars as well as those just itching to be out there amongst the baboons. If it weren’t for the stunning, rugged mountainscapes of South Africa, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings might never have been written; it was during hikes in the Drakensberg, the country’s largest mountain range, and Hogsback, in the Eastern Cape, that J.R.R.Tolkien conceived his fantastic tales. the Overberg Coast is the best site for whale watching and—strictly for the masochistic—shark cage diving. From Phalaborwa you can take a sunrise microlighting flight over the Kruger Park, soaring 10 feet above crocs, hippos, and big game. From here, cross the border into Zimbabwe for some whitewater rafting at the Victoria Falls.

WHEN TO GO

South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere, so the seasons are opposite those in the Northern Hemisphere. South Africa also has distinct climatic zones. Most of the Western Cape has a Mediterranean climate, characterized by warm, mild summers (usually around 26°C or 79°F), and wet, chilly winters (around 5°C or 41°F). March and May are considered the best months by locals, as the weather is very mild and the winds drop — though spontaneous downpours and sporadic winds can occur anytime throughout the year. KwaZulu-Natal is technically subtropical, although most of the time it feels tropical, with warm temperatures year-round ripening the bananas in the coastal plantations. Summers can be hot and very humid, and the best time to visit is during the light, sunny winters (with highs around 22°C or 72°F). In Gauteng and the North West Province, summer days tend to be warm and windless, with highs around 26°C or 79°F), and they may end with sudden deluges of rain. Although the winter days are clear and crisp, the temperature at night can drop below freezing, and it is common to see frost in the early morning. Mpumalanga is rainy in the summer and hot throughout, especially in the lowveld and Kruger National Park. Winters are mild and dry and can be very cold at night, especially on the escarpment. The Eastern Cape straddles the transitional zone between the Mediterranean winter rainfall and the subtropical summer rainfall zones; it tends to be very blustery. In the summer, parts of the Northern Cape experience scorching temperatures of around 40-45°C (104-113°F).