'A
land of flowers, wine and whale song'
Covering a huge swathe of land, washed by the Indian and
Atlantic oceans, South Africa has huge wealth above and
below ground, making it 1 of the richest natural storehouses on
the planet. With spectacularly beautiful rural areas such as the
Cape Winelands, the towering dunes of the Wild
Coast, the wonderful game parks of Kruger and Zululand,
and the Kalahari and Karoo deserts,
desolate for much of the year but a carpet of flowers in spring,
the possibilities for tourists are endless. Alternatively, visit
sophisticated cities such as Pretoria,
Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, or delightful historic towns
like Stellenbosch or Pietermaritzburg. Even once infamous townships
such as Soweto are now growing into lively cities in their own right.
South Africa is a ‘rainbow nation’
of several colours and cultures, encompassing Sotho, Tswana, Zulu,
Khosa, Indian, Afrikaans and those of British origin. The scars
left by the apartheid years are slowly healing, but have left enormous
inequalities between rich and poor. Despite this, the people are
delightful hosts, most speak English and all have
a fascinating story to tell. The crime rate is still far too high,
however with a little common sense, travellers can have a perfect,
safe holiday. |
