South Africa Blue skies, game parks, wilderness areas, cosmopolitan
cities and a long history are the lures
Giraffe. (Umfolozi Game Reserve, South Africa)
that most frequently draw visitors to South Africa.
South Africa, in an area roughly the size of Spain and France combined,
encompasses an astonishing diversity of environments: from the dramatic
arid moonscapes of the northwest to the damp, forest-fringed coastlines
of the Garden Route; from the flat, dry Karoo interior to the craggy Drakensberg
mountains in the east; from the manicured vineyards beneath the amazing
mountains of the Cape to the spring flower fields of Namaqualand. South
Africa is the only country in the world that can lay claim to an entire
floral kingdom within its borders. The "rainbow people of God"
is how former Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu described the newly liberated
South African nation. This amalgamation of beliefs, traditions, and heritages,
all residing in a country of breathtaking natural wonders, makes South Africa
the memorable and haunting destination that it is today.
Pretoria Pretoria, the country's administrative capital,
is also one of the country's foremost academic centers.
Founded in 1853 by Andries Pretorius, a Voortrekker leader, staid Pretoria
is located just north of Johannesburg, its boisterous younger sibling.
The gateway to the Northern Transvaal, Pretoria is also home to the nation's
monuments and grandiose official buildings, some dating back to the 19th
century. These edifices are softened by Pretoria's many parks and gardens.
Each spring, most particularly in October, the falling flowers of the
ubiquitous jacaranda trees add splashes of deep lilac to the main streets
and red dirt back roads.
Johannesburg Johannesburg is the country's financial and commercial
center. Densely populated, Johannesburg
Children of Soweto. (Johannesburg, South Africa)
has many names, most of them, like Egoli and
Guateng, being some language's appellation for "City of Gold."
Gold and glamour are close companions in this city that has grown from
a primitive mine camp to a free-wheeling metropolis in little over a century.
Johannesburg is the most aggressively western of African cities. There
is little in the office-tower-lined streets of downtown Johannesburg to
remind the visitor that he is in Africa. However, the streets of Johannesburg
are a microcosm of all of South Africa. Almost all aspects of South African
culture can be found here, carried in on the backs of people drawn to
the city by the promise of work. Most of the city's life occurs in the
suburbs, including Yeoville, Berea and Melville, located just outside
the city center. Johannesburg is also home to the renowned University
of the Witwatersrand, located just north of the downtown area. Johannesburg
lies at an altitude of 5,800 feet (1,763 meters) above sea level.
Cape Town Everybody knows Cape Town. From its setting on
a small peninsula at the southern tip of Africa
Cape of Good Hope. (Cape Town, South Africa)
sheltered beneath Table Mountain, Cape Town has
captured imaginations the world over. The city, together with the fabulous
beach communities on the cape to the south and the wine regions of Paarl,
Stellenbosch and Franschoek to the north and east, has grown to become
South Africa's premier tourist destination. Enriched by Dutch, British
and Cape Malay influences, the cosmopolitan atmosphere is a unique blend
of cultures. Sir Francis Drake, upon rounding the nearby Cape of Good
Hope in 1580, remarked that the area was "the most stately thing,
the fairest cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth."
In the years since, many of those passing through have agreed, often resorting
to force and other illegal means to assert their domination. Today's tourists
also agree with Drake's assessment, as they enjoy the city's bounties
while luxuriating in the shadow of its symbol, Table Mountain, just up
the coast from the fairest cape in the whole circumference of the earth.
The Cape Town environs are also the home of some of the most tragic reminders
of South Africa's recent past. Robben Island, the infamous prison where
three centuries of political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, were
held, is located just offshore.
Table Mountain For four centuries, the Cape Peninsula's most
prominent feature, Table Mountain, has been a welcome landmark for travelers.
A rugged mountain chain that stretches across the neck of the Cape Peninsula
from Table Bay to Cape Point soars out of the sea to a height of 3,600
feet (1,086 meters) and reaches its pinnacle at Table Mountain, a massive
artifact of wild nature rearing above the crowded streets of Cape Town.
In the city itself, Table Mountain is joined by a saddle pass to the Lion's
Head and Signal Hill. The impressive front wall of Table Mountain, as
well as its surrounding buttresses and ravines, is truly a spectacular
natural wonder.
Kruger
National Park Kruger National Park is the second largest national
park in the world, covering some 8,300 square
Elephant bull. (Kruger National Park, South
Africa)
miles (21,497 square kilometers) on the Mozambican
border. Its grandiose size makes it bigger than either Israel or Wales.
The park offers a great opportunity to view the "Big Five" game
animals, including the lion, the leopard, the rhino, the buffalo and the
elephant. The park offers excellent year-round game viewing and is home
to more than 146 mammals, 507 bird species and 400 different tree types.
The park was founded in 1898 by Paul Kruger, then the president of the
South African Republic, after his land surveyors impressed upon him the
need for drastic conservation measures to insure that the local game population
was not completely decimated over the succeeding ten years. Like many
other Boers of his time, Kruger had made his fortune and his name with
ivory-prospecting activities. However, he had the foresight to see that,
unless the wildlife was actively conserved, it would be wiped out in little
more than a generation. A similar fate had already befallen most of the
Cape's wildlife in the late nineteenth century.
Drakensberg
Mountains The Drakensberg, southern Africa's highest mountain
range, form the backbone of the Eastern
Drakensburg mountains. (South Africa)
Transvaal region of the country. The range follows
South Africa's border with the land-locked kingdom of Lesotho for approximately
150 miles (250kilometers), along an escarpment that separates the high,
interior plateau from the subtropical coast of KwaZulu-Natal. South Africa
is divided into a dry western area and a more lush eastern coast and interior.
Driving from the west through to the south, the vastly differing landscapes
are very noticeable. An excursion from the coast to the desert to the
mountains with their winter snows to the dense tropical coastal forest
to the "bush veld" savannas is truly a world in one country.
Among the Drakensberg's premier treasures is the spectacular Blyde River
Canyon, where sheer jagged cliffs rise 6,500 feet (2,000 meters) on either
side of the Blyde River in a series of rounded rock columns bedecked with
hanging vegetation and bejeweled with wispy waterfalls.
Hluhluwe/Umfolozi
National Park Hluhluwe/Umfolozi National Park, in the inland
section of Zululand, is home to the highest concentration of black and
white rhinos in South Africa. Both of the two massive reserves, Hluhluwe
and Umfolozi, house all of the "Big Five" animals. Rarities
such as the wild dog, the brown hyena and the spotted hyena are also frequently
seen. The two neighboring parks share a common illustrious history. During
the nineteenth century, they were the royal hunting grounds of the Zulu
kings.
People South Africa is a melange of different beliefs
and cultures. It has eleven official languages,
Multi day hikes. (Drakensberg Mountains, South
Africa)
including English, Afrikaans and various African
tongues. The early influences, languages and religions of slaves from
India, Madagascar, Indonesia, West and East Africa and Malaysia can still
be seen in their modern-day descendants. Most blacks live in the former
slave-owning areas of the Western Cape, while many Indians live around
Durban, where their ancestors worked on sugar plantations. There is a
significant Muslim Malay population in the Bo-Kaap area of Cape Town.
Due to South Africa's isolation from the world community, there was little
immigration during recent decades. However, small but steady numbers of
immigrants have begun to arrive, particularly from eastern European countries
such as Yugoslavia, Poland and Bulgaria. South Africa also has many citizens
of Dutch, Italian, Greek and Portuguese ancestry, as well as a vibrant
Jewish community.
Travel Tips Democracy has at last been attained, but a great
many problems - such as widespread unemployment, poverty and crime - still
need to be solved. In some areas, particularly in Johannesburg and some
of the other major urban centers, the incidence of serious crime is alarmingly
high. However, South Africa remains a safe place for visitors who take
reasonable precautions, such as avoiding dimly-lit areas, traveling as
a group, and avoiding carrying or
Hiking Table Mountain. (Cape Town, South Africa)
displaying large sums of money or other valuables
such as cameras and jewelry. Visitors are advised to carry photocopies
of all valuable documents, traveler's checks and insurance papers separate
and apart from their originals. For the latest information on security
issues in South Africa, please consult the U.S. State Department's consular
warning sheets.
The country's wildlife should always be taken seriously
and treated with the utmost respect. When driving in game parks and other
reserves, visitors should remain completely in their vehicles at all times
and, it goes without saying, should always follow the instructions and
directives of their guides. Bites and stings from venomous creatures are
rare, but malaria and bilharzia are a consideration in certain areas.
The consumption of alcohol on beaches and in public
places is illegal, as is smoking in buses, trains, taxis and most public
places.
Most goods (except basic foodstuffs) are subject to
a 14% Value Added Tax (VAT), which is included in the quoted price of
the item. Expensive artwork and jewelry are best bought from reputable
dealers, who will issue their foreign clients a VAT refund document, which
can be used to claim the amount of any VAT assessed or paid upon departure
from any of the country's international airports.
Temperature/Weather Situated halfway between the Equator and the Antarctic,
South Africa enjoys a temperate climate.
Zebra. (Umfolozi Game Reserve, South Africa)
However, because the country is so vast, there
can be dramatic variations from one region to another. In certain locations,
such as low-lying areas of the plateaus, daytime temperatures can soar
to a blistering 120° F (50° C). At other times of the year, nighttime
temperatures in the same regions can plummet as low as 4° F (-16°
C), evidencing the great variability that exists in the country. Rainfall
increases from west to east and is, as would be expected, greatest in
the coastal regions. Storms and heavy rains are rare. The most popular
time of the year to visit South Africa is during the summer months, from
December to February, but the wildlife is best seen during the drier winter
months, from June to September.
Reading List In order to make the most of your trip to South
Africa, the following reading lists will help you gain a better understanding
of the landscape, culture and people. Here you can also purchase any books
you might need for your Global Adrenaline trip!
Global Adrenaline, Inc.
25 East Washington Street, Suite 1458
Chicago, Illinois 60602
USA
Tel: +1-866-884-5622 (toll free in USA)
Tel: +1-312-863-6300 (outside USA)
Fax: +1-312-873-4440
Email: info@GlobalAdrenaline.com
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