WHERE TO GO While you could circuit the whole of South Africa in a matter of weeks, a more satisfying approach is to focus your attention on one section of the country. Every one of the nine provinces (plus Lesotho and Swaziland) holds at least a couple of compelling reasons to visit, although, depending on the time of year and your interests, you’d be wise to concentrate on either the west or the east.
The west, best visited in the warmer months (Nov–April), has the outstanding attraction of Cape Town, worth experiencing for its matchless setting beneath Table Mountain, at the foot of the continent. Half a day’s drive from here can take you to any other destination in the Western Cape, a province which owes its distinctive character to the fact that it has the longest-established colonial heritage in the country. You’ll find gabled Cape Dutch architecture, historic towns and vineyard-covered mountains in the Winelands; forested coast along the Garden Route; and a dry interior punctuated by Afrikaner dorps in the Little Karoo.
If the west sounds a bit too pretty and you’re after a more "African" experience, head for the eastern flank of the country, best visited in the cooler months (May–Oct). Johannesburg is likely to be your point of entry to this area: its frenetic street life, soaring office blocks and lively mix of people make it quite unlike anywhere else in the country. Half a day away by car lie the Northern Province and Mpumalanga, which share the mighty Kruger National Park. Of South Africa’s roughly two dozen major parks, the Kruger attracts the largest number of first-time visitors, and is unrivalled on the continent for its cross-section of mammal species.
A visit to Kruger combines perfectly with KwaZulu-Natal to the south, and an excellent short cut is to drive through tiny, landlocked Swaziland, which has attractions all of its own: a unique Swazi culture and a number of well-managed game parks. KwaZulu-Natal offers superb game and birdlife; Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park is the best place in the world to see endangered rhinos and there are several other outstanding small game reserves nearby, such as Ithala, Mkhuze and Ndumo. For hiking and nature, nothing rivals the soaring Drakensberg range. After Cape Town, Durban remains the only city in South Africa worth visiting in its own right: a busy cultural melting pot with a bustling Indian district and lively beachfront. The long stretch of beaches north and south of Durban is the most developed in the country, but north towards the Mozambique border lies the wildest stretch of coast in South Africa.
Long sandy beaches, developed only in pockets, are characteristic of much of the 2500km of shoreline that curves from the cool Atlantic along the Northern Cape round to the subtropical Indian Ocean that foams onto KwaZulu-Natal’s shores. Jeffrey’s Bay on the Eastern Cape coast is reputed to be one of the world’s top surfing spots. Much of the Eastern Cape coast is equally appealing, whether you just want to stroll, sunbathe or take in backdrops of mountains and hulking sand dunes. Scubadiving, especially in KwaZulu-Natal, opens up a world of coral reefs rich with colourful fish, and southeast of the Western Cape winelands, along the Whale Coast, is one of South Africa’s unsung attractions – some of the best shore-based whale-watching in the world.
With time in hand, you might want to drive through the sparse but exhilarating interior, with its open horizons, switchback mountain passes, rocks, scrubby vegetation and isolated dorps. The Northern Cape and Northwest Province can reveal surprises. Visit the western section of the Northern Cape in August or September, and you’ll be treated to a riot of colourful wild flowers. From the staunchly Afrikaner heartland of Free State, you’re well poised to visit the undeveloped kingdom of Lesotho, set in the mountains between the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal. Lesotho has few vestiges of royalty left today, but it does offer plenty of spectacular highland scenery, best explored on a sturdy, sure-footed Lesotho pony.
WHEN TO GO
South Africa is a predominantly sunny country, but when it does get cold you really feel it – indoor heating is limited, and everything is geared to fine weather. You’ll need to pack with the weather in mind, especially in winter. Southern hemisphere seasons are the reverse of those in the north, with midwinter occurring in June and July and midsummer over December and January, when the country shuts down for its annual holiday.
South Africa has distinct climatic zones. Cape Town and the Garden Route coastal belt have a so-called Mediterranean climate, influenced by winds blowing in from the South Atlantic. Summers tend to be warm, mild and unpredictable; rain can fall at any time of the year and winter days can be cold and wet. Many Capetonians regard March to May as the perfect season, when the nagging winds drop, it’s beautifully mild and the tourists have all gone home. Subtropical KwaZulu-Natal has warm, sunny winters, coral reefs and tepid seas; the province’s Drakensberg range sees misty summer days and mountain snow in winter. Johannesburg and Pretoria lie on a plateau and have a near-perfect climate; summer days are hot, with none of the humidity of the KwaZulu-Natal coast, while the winters are dry with chilly nights. East of Johannesburg, the Lowveld, the low-lying wedge along the Mozambique border that includes the Kruger National Park, is subject to similar summer and winter rainfall patterns to the Highveld, but experiences far greater extremes of temperature because of its considerably lower altitude.
