SOUTH AFRICA

SOUTH AFRICA TOURISM industry,is full of cultural diversity and reputation for delivering value for money which has  made it one of the world's fastest growing leisure - and business - travel destinations.
The country is highly diverse in terms of its climate, culture, tourist activities and infrastructure, catering for every tourism niche, from business, eco- and cultural tourism through to adventure, sport and paleo-tourism.
The tourism industry is characterized  by the beautiful  beaches and national parks full of adventure.

NATIONAL  PARKS AND GAME RESERVES

Mountain Zebra National Park
Eastern Cape

This National Park in the Karoo, proclaimed in 1937, is dedicated to the protection of the Cape Mountain Zebra, an endangered species. In contrast to the - not endangered - savannah zebra (Burchell's Zebra) the mountain zebra has an orange blaze on its face and a smaller pattern of stripes. 
 
About 300 Mountain Zebras as well as many wildebeests,

zebras gazing

springbok, kudu and eland antelopes, Cape buffaloes and some black rhinos inhabit the park. The Mountain Zebra National Park extends over an area of 28000 hectares and lies on a rocky plateau, a few kilometers from the small Karoo town of Cradock, 280 kilometers north of Port Elizabeth.
The climate is warm and dry with annual precipitation of less than 400 mm that fall mostly in the beginning of summer. The winter months are usually icy-cold with snow in higher regions. The vegetation belongs to Renosterveld and Fynbos type. In spring, after good rains, the wildflower blooming can be spectacular.

 Mkhuze Game Reserve
KwaZulu-Natal

The Mkhuze Game Reserve lies a bit off the big tourism tracks, and the visitor numbers are moderate. The 40,000 hectare park is bordered in the west by the Lebombo Mountains and stretches to the Mkhuze river in the north and east.

The softly undulating hills of the Mkhuze Game Reserve are characterised by the wide acacia savannah, interspersed with those striking, widely spreading umbrella thorn-trees. Various habitats can all be found in this area: different types of forest, sandy dry-forest, open grassland, riverbanks, gallery forest and swampland. And there is a 1400 hectare jungle of wild fig trees, up to 25 metres in height.

giraffe under the acacia

Due to the combination of tropical and subtropical conditions the fauna is very rich in species. Mkhuze has large numbers of black and white rhinos, buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, warthogs, hippos, zebras, wildebees, nyalas, kudus, impalas and some more species of antelope. With more than 420 bird species - among them very rare ones - this park is a cherished destination for birdwatchers.

Game viewing opportunities are ample. A well maintained web of roads makes it easy for the individual traveller to move about in his own car. On several waterholes some very well positioned roofed hides were constructed, where one can sit in the cool shade and watch the comings and goings and the interaction of the game for hours. The park management offers night safaris and guided hikes. In the Mantuma Restcamp - in the northern oart of the park - a wide range of accommodation is available, from comfortable
Madikwe Game Reserve
North-West Province

Elephants drinking water at a tank

The Madikwe Game Reserve belongs to the latest park developments in South Africa. It was opened in 1991 and is still in the initial stages. The reserve comprises 60.000 hectares of bush land  north of the small town Groot-Marico up to the Botswana border. In the south, the Dwarsberg Mountains are the border. The terrain is mainly open grasslands and bushveld plains, interspersed with rocky outcrops and single mountains. Except for the Marico river in the east of the park, water resources are scarce and several dams had to be built.

With the "Operation Phoenix" which began in 1993, more than 8,000 heads of game were brought into the park. In 1996, predators were introduced in Madikwe, first cheetahs, wild dogs and hyenas, later also lions from the Etosha National Park (Namibia) and the neighbouring Pilanesberg National Park. 180 elephants came from the Gonarezhou Game Reserve in Zimbabwe which had been hit by a disastrous drought. The resettlement of the elephants was a great success and their population in Madikwe has grown to 250 animals.

 Today some 12,000 animals live in the Madikwe Game Reserve. All predator species are represented and also black and white rhino, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and a great number of antelopes. More than 350 bird species have been registered.

The Madikwe Park was financed by the Nature Conservation authorities of the Nord-West Province as well as by private investors. All the hotels und game lodges belong to private companies who in turn have to pay licence fees to the parks administration.

The surrounding local communities also benefit from the reserve as they receive an annual share of the park's profits and so are able to upgrade their own infrastructure.

Karoo National Park
Western Cape

In the Karoo National Park near Beaufort West there is a protected area in which the original Karoo vegetation is being at least partially re-established. The 32,000 ha reserve is home to an abundance of Karoo animals. Besides springbok, kudu and dassie, one can also observe panther tortoises in the inhospitable plains, the largest tortoises in southern Africa.
The Karoo and particularly the Karoo National Park are known for numerous fossil finds, some of which are estimated to be over 300 million years old. These finds mainly stem from the middle ages of the earth history, the mesozoicum. In those ages, the entire Karoo was covered by a great inland sea, which deposited huge amounts of sand and mud on its ground. After the sea had dried out, intense volcanic activities started. Within millions of years the soft sandstone was eroded and only the hard volcanic stone remained. The results are the cone and table shaped mountains, which abound everywhere in the Karoo.

Ithala Game Reserve
KwaZulu-Natal

aerial view of the park

The Ithala Game Reserve's exquisite natural beauty is unforgettable. From the ridge of the Ngotshe Mountains one looks onto the wide and softly undulating savannah landscape a thousand metres below, interspersed with high plateaus and deeply carved river beds. Several rivers meander through the area and flow into the Phongolo which is the northern border of the 30,000 hectare nature reserve.

To Ithala's game stock belong elephants, white and black rhinos, buffalos, zebras, giraffes, warthogs and large herds of antelopes, mainly wildebees, eland, impala and the rare tsessebe. The fencing is not safe enough for the keeping of lions in the park. To make up for the lack of predators, the park management culls antelopes in certain intervals and lets the carcasses lie in the veld. By this "predator simulation" the population of carrion eaters - - mainly hyaenas, white-back vultures, lappit-faced vultures and cape vultures - could be enlarged significantly.

Ithala offers excellent accommodation. Particularly beautiful is the Ntshondwe Restcamp. It lies on a hill with a stunning view of the plane below. Besides the spacious grassroof chalets, furnished in ethnic style, there is also a Visitors' Centre, a restaurant and a swimming pool. Nice camping facilities are available in the Doornkraal Camp in an attractive position directly at the Mbizo River.

The Ithala Game Reserve can in most parts be explored in a normal car. But some roads are too rough and require a four-wheel drive. The park management offers guided safaris and bush hikes.

Golden Gate National Park
Free State

highlands of golden gate

The Golden Gate Highlands National Park is one of the real highlights of the Free State. Its main attractions are the massive, colourful sandstone formations, which shine golden-yellow in the evening sun, and from which the area takes its name. The vegetation in the Golden Gate nature reserve consists mainly of indigenous grassland. Long hiking paths lead through the quiet mountain world.
The 11,600 hectares of unique environment is true highland habitat, providing home to a variety of mammals: black wildebeest, eland, blesbok, oribi, springbok and Burchell's zebra. The birdlife includes the rare bearded vulture and the bald ibis, which breed on the ledges in the sandstone cliffs.

The numerous caves in the sandstone rocks were once shelters for the Bushmen. Many of their cave paintings are well preserved. During the Anglo-Boer War (see "History" menu), many Afrikaans families hide here from the British.

Giant's Castle Reserve
KwaZulu-Natal

tourists taking photos

The Giant's Castle Game Reserve – approximately 35,000 hectares in size – exists since 1904 and is one of the oldest nature conservation areas in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park.

It was created mainly to protect the last herds of Eland, Africa's biggest antelope species. And also for the conservation of a habitat for the numerous species of vultures. One can still find the Cape Vulture here, which was once spread over the whole of southern Africa. The last 200 breeding pairs of the Bearded Vulture also live in the Drakensberg. Both vulture species have a wing span of more than two and a half metres. They can - with a bit of luck - be observed in the Giant's Castle Game Reserve.

Many hiking trails lead through the quiet mountain world. The vegetation is nowadays mainly grassland in the valleys and Protea savannah at medium altitude. In some places one can still find remnants of the original mountain rainforest. Above all are towering the mighty mountain peaks, the Giant's Castle (3314 m) in the south, the Mafadi (3446 m) and the Injasuti Dome (3409 m) in the north.

The park is rich in game. Besides the Eland antelopes, there are large populations of reedbuck and blessbuck, duiker and klipspringer. Besides the vultures there are other big birds of prey like African crowned eagle, Verreaux's eagle, Jaccal buzzard and many different owl species.

Bontebok National Park
Overberg

The Bontebok National Park lies 6 kilometres south of Swellendam (good gravel road). The small nature reserve - just some 20 sqm in size - borders on the Breede River. It serves the purpose of protecting the Bontebok antelope which is still threatened by extinction. Once these colorful antelope numbered a mere 17, and through effective management we are proud to affirm that the present world population amounts to around 3000. The Park offers much more for nature lovers, from a diversity of indigenous animal life to over 200 remarkable bird species.

landscape of bontebok

Particularly in winter and spring, the park is worth a visit, when the plains are covered with colourfully blooming wildflowers.

In the Breede River one can fish (permit needed) and swim. One can go for a hike in the park or take a game drive in one's own car.

Accommodation in the park is limited: caravans with foretent, each with six beds and a kitchenette, and a camping ground at the river. There is a little shop at the park entrance offering some groceries.

BEACHES

1. Cape Town beach:

Cape Town is a collection of the most famous beaches which consist of all kinds of beaches including nudist beaches. These are considered some of the best beaches in South Africa. Out of these, Clifton beach is considered the most famous. Others like Muizenberg, Kalk Bay, Boulders Beach, Noordhoek and Camps Bay all gather good number of crowds. KwaZulu/Natal South Coast and Maputaland can be visited anytime of the year but in summertime can get hot sometimes.

capetown beach

The temperatures among these beaches vary from 12C to 28C depending on the time and season. The best time to swim off these beaches is November to February but make sure to book your hotel in advance so as to avoid any accommodation problems. If you're more into just hiking around the beaches than the best time would be in the winter when the temperatures are just comfortable to walk around and the crowd also is very less in winter. Winter is also the best time for enjoying the wildlife in Africa.

2. Durban beach

durban beach

Durban is one of those blue flag beaches. The criteria for having a blue flag is good water quality, good safety and management of the peach, maintenance of the beach activities and infrastructure such as drinking  water, telephones, bathing facilities etc. and Durban qualifies as a blue flag beach. Durban has a great beach culture that is rare among the African beaches. It sports multicultural sophistication and makes South Africa an interesting destination. Durban's beaches are clean and beautiful. Although the beach can be dangerous at nights, during days the beaches are packed with a lot of and entertainment for families and children.

3. Jeffrey's Bay:

Jeffrey's Bay can be said as the surf capital of South Africa. With a wonderful backdrop of sand, Jeffrey's Bay is the place where the annual Billabong Pro WCT surfing event takes place. The beach is particularly famous for its seafood and a variety of water sports. You are definitely going to enjoy a visit to the  jeffry’s bay beach

Drying in the sun

4. Humewood Beach:

Humewood Beach near Port Elizabeth is home to the old South Africa. Humewood can be considered a typical Eastern Cape beach. It is close to the Addo Elephant Park and Cape Garden Route. With it being near to the Port Elizabeth which is a good historical place in South Africa, you can learn a lot about ancient South African Culture around this place.

5. Margate Beach:

Margate Beach is stuffed with coconut palms, rocks and dunes it is a kilometer long beach boasting a wonderful scenic beauty. Those some apartments that came up lately block the view of the beach, it is still a favorite destination among families and kids with it's wonderful swimming pools. Margate Beach also is a blue flag beach with all the modern facilities to take care of your needs.There are countless beaches in South Africa. Other beaches that you might want to consider visiting are Marina beach with its tropical vegetation, white and soft Ramsgate Beach, Mdumbe Beach, Plettenberg Bay etc