South Africa Car Hire Option 1: Book your 2010 / 2011 South Africa Car Hire with First Car Rental here.
South Africa Car Hire Option 2: Book your 2010 / 2011 South Africa Car Rental with Europcar South Africa here.
South Africa Car Rental Option 3: Book your 2010 / 2011 South Africa Car Hire with Tempest South Africa here.Top South African Travel Treats 2010
With something for everyone, South Africa is a dream holiday destination. Every region in this vast and diverse country has something unique to offer. From post-colonial urban chic to unspoilt natural expanses, it is an exciting place to visit. With the exchange rate favouring US and European tourist, more and more people are discovering South Africa's many charms.
South Africa after apartheid is one of the African continent’s most popular tourist destinations. The exchange rate is extremely favourable for US and European travellers and the country offers a variety of unforgettable experiences. Here are just a few of the best travel destinations across the country, from urban buzz to wild beauty.
Cape Town: From Table Mountain to Cape Point.
Cape Town is one of the continent’s premier tourist destinations. Take the cablecar to the top of the city’s famous mountain. Enjoy panoramic views across Table Bay and the harbour, where the popular Waterfront will provide visitors with a huge choice of restaurants, bars and shopping opportunities. Follow the mountain range south to the peninsula’s southern tip. En route you can stop at the famous national Botanic Gardens at Kirstenbosch to view thousands of the plants that make up South Africa’s unique flora. Not far away is the lush old wine-making and farming area of Constantia, where you can see traditional Cape Dutch architecture at Groote Schuur and other estates.
Take the road south along the Indian Ocean coast. You can eat at one of many fine restaurants (try the fresh seafood); lounge on sandy beaches; visit the working Kalk Bay harbour; and explore the quaint port of Simonstown. Keep south and you will end up at the unspoilt Cape Point Nature Reserve where you can tour on the funicular railway and see indigenous animals, including zebra, eland, hartebeest, bontebok and the famously cheeky baboons.
You could do all this in a single day but to make the most of these special places, two destinations per day is probably about right.
Namaqualand: Floral Miracles
From the Olifants River a few hours drive north of Cape Town to the arid areas near the Namibian border is a landscape that undergoes an annual miracle. With the spring rains, dry flats burst into dense carpets of wild flowers that extend as far as the eye can see. This unforgettable spectacle can be seen relatively close to the city, round the village of Darling and in the West Coast National Park, for example, but some of the most marvellous displays occur to the north, around towns like Calvinia and Springbok. You will need to book accommodation well in advance since visitors flock to see this truly fabulous sight.
Southern Cape Coast: The Garden Route
This is South Africa’s second most popular tourist attraction, for good reason. Wonderful scenery, great food, outdoor activities and unspoilt beaches – make it a winner. Popular places along the route are Knysna, with its indigenous forests and large lagoon, and Plettenberg Bay, for its great beaches. World famous bungee-jumps are located at the Gourits and Bloukrans River Bridges. Detours into the interior (the Karoo semi-desert) are worthwhile. Round Oudtshoorn, the huge cave complex called the Cango Caves and the local ostrich farms are fun to visit.For art lovers and those wanting to venture further into the dry interior, the little Karoo town of Nieuw Bethesda is home to the Owl House, with its Camel Yard. Outsider artist Helen Martins’ obsession with light led her to transform her home and garden with sculptures and glass decorations, with unique results. She died there in 1976.
KwaZulu-Natal Province: Mountains, Beaches and Wildlife
The homeland of the Zulu people, with a hot, sub-tropical climate. On the coast is the bustling port of Durban. One of the jewels in the province’s crown is the Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park, a World Heritage site with abundant wildlife, including the large and dangerous species: hippo, rhino, elephant, buffalo and crocodiles. Inland are the unspoilt Drakensberg Mountains. As well as great hiking and climbing visitors can enjoy some of the world’s finest prehistoric rock paintings, made by the indigenous San hunter-gatherers. Keep going north-east and you will reach traditional Zululand. Between the two areas is the landscape where famous nineteenth century battles between the British and the Boers were fought, including the battle of Rorke’s Drift, made famous by the film ‘Zulu’.
Johannesburg and the North-East
Jo’burg, the city of gold, is South Africa’s New York, in a third world setting. Many people, put off by the well-publicised violence and crime, fly in and move on to more peaceful destinations. One of the most popular is the Kruger National Park where the wildlife big five can be seen. From Johannesburg, take a day trip to the Cradle of Humankind fossil cave sites, including Sterkfontein, where the world famous ‘Little Foot’ was found in 2003.Johannesburg itself has great clubs, music venues and cultural events, but take advice on the safety of the area you want to visit – especially at night. For visitors interested in South Africa’s recent history, an organized tour of Soweto is an eye-opener. The Mandela Family Museum in Orlando West was Mandela’s first house, and is filled with memorabilia.
From the beaches to the mountains, from lush landscapes to the tranquillity of the semi-desert, and from the clubs to the shopping centres, South Africa has something for every tourist. Be vigilant about crime and beware of bad drivers and South Africa will provide you with a holiday of a lifetime.
South Africa Car Hire Option 1: Book your 2010 / 2011 South Africa Car Hire with First Car Rental here.
South Africa Car Hire Option 2: Book your 2010 / 2011 South Africa Car Rental with Europcar South Africa here.
South Africa Car Rental Option 3: Book your 2010 / 2011 South Africa Car Hire with Tempest South Africa here.Cape Spirit Home
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