Best of South Africa

»Only travel is life, as conversely life is travel«

Jean Paul

You may surely visit Cape Town, explore the Garden Route and the Kruger National Park with me, but I will mostly guide you off the beaten tracks and show you treasures that only an expert local guide with his insider’s knowledge can give you.

Best of South Africa

Best of South Africa: Something for every taste

A »Best of List« is dependent on the interests and personal preferences of each person.

The nature lover will spend a few days in the semi-desert of the Karoo looking at, filming, or photographing over 22,000 botanical species, while a city person will seek out for the nightlife, the shopping areas, and the discos.

Those interested in politics are sure to visit Robben Island and see Nelson Mandela’s prison cell or his birth town, while a wildlife lover would most probably be bored in these places.

Example Kruger National Park

The oldest park in South Africa with an area of about the size of Israel or half the size of Switzerland. The famous Kruger National Park is exciting and certainly worth a visit but overrun by tourists. Many visitors have different perception and behavior towards nature and wildlife.

Several ways to experience the Kruger Park are available. You may join one of the numerous local safari-operator. You will sit next to someone, hopefully next to the window, in an air-conditioned bus, high above the ground and look at the animals through the glass-window.

If you prefer it a bit more safari-like; wait in front of the booking office to buy your ticket; join the tourist-queue, until you get the signal to sit like sardines on an open vehicle’s bench and you will be driven through the park under the blazing sun.

Should you choose to travel with a rented vehicle, follow the cars and when someone stops to observe a pride of lions wait patiently until the one in front of you decides to move. Depending on the crowd and the length of the queue, you might see or just miss the lions…

This are the main reasons why; I only offer tours to private game reserves. These can be in or around the Kruger Park but mostly in other regions of South Africa depending on the season, the regions, and the risk for malaria.

My personal point of view is that a holiday to South Africa should be a real and authentic experience. Something that remains positively in someone’s memory.

Timing and season are crucial

In Namaqualand, the flower-carpet blooms only in spring of the southern hemisphere. The rainfall and the temperature change, trigger the daisies to flower. As this cannot be predicted in advance with accuracy, it makes the planning of a tour, a real challenge!

Whale Watching: Season, time and place are crucial for success. Most of the time, inexpensive alternatives to the pricey boat outings packed with tourists are possible. Know that no-one can give you a guarantee, that you will see the whales close enough to take a picture of them with your smartphone.

Best of South Africa: A selection of places to see and highlights

To open the individual provinces, simply click or tap on the plus sign (+).

Western Cape Province / Capital Cape Town
  • Cape Town, legislative capital of South Africa
  • Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, the Meeting Zone with numerous shops and restaurants
  • Bo Kaap, the colorful area with its annual carnival
  • The Table Mountain, the most iconic landmark of South Africa with the best view
  • The Castle of Good Hope, built between 1666 and 1679 it is the oldest surviving building in South Africa
  • Robben Island, the inactive Prison-Island, where Nelson Mandela did spend 18 years
  • The Cape Peninsula / Cape of Good Hope, a nature reserve with countless flowers and wildlife. It is also the graveyard of around 3’000 ships
  • Chapmans Peak, The most spectacular coastal drive in South Africa
  • The area of the Huguenots and their wineries, taste some South African wines and learn how they came to South Africa
  • Cape Agulhas, the most southern point of the African continent. The place where the warm-water Agulhas current of the Indian Ocean meets the cold water Benguela current of the Atlantic Ocean
  • Oudtshoorn, much more than just Ostrich farms
  • Calitzdorp, the capital of the Port wine
  • The Garden Route, countless sights along the approximately 300 km long route
Northern Cape Province / Capital Kimberley
  • Kimberley, recognize a real diamond, know how to check its clarity and search for inclusions
  • The Big Hole, the largest hand-dug excavation in the world
  • Sutherland, Stargazing at the coldest place in South Africa
  • Namaqualand, the wildflower carpet in the Spring of the southern hemisphere
Eastern Cape Province / Capital Bhisho
  • Graaff- Reinet, the Crown Jewel in the semi-arid desert of the Karoo
  • The Valley of Desolation, why is it also often called «The Cathedral of the Mountains»?
  • Mountain Zebra National Park, a nature reserve for the endangered Cape Mountain Zebra
  • Addo Elephant National Park, Elephants as far as the eye can see, the third largest park in South Africa
  • The road between Gqeberha and Morgans Bay, a «secret» and adventurous road along a not so well-known wild coast
  • Mthatha and Mvezo, an important point of the Nelson Mandela Route and the birthplace of Nelson Mandela
Free State Province / Capital Bloemfontein
  • Bloemfontein, the judicial capital of South Africa
  • Golden Gate National Park, colorful cliff formations hide dinosaur eggs and – skeletons
  • Free State National Botanical Garden, the 70 hectares valley is the home of some 400 plants, 124 species of birdlife, 54 species of reptiles and a petrified tree
Kingdom of Lesotho / Capital Maseru

The Kingdom is surrounded by is neighbor, the Republic of South Africa

  • The Drakensberg, highest point at 3’482 m and a 1’000 km long
  • Sehlabathebe National Park, its location is a bit of a nutcracker. Tourists do not reach it very easily and that has a positive effect on the development of the plants bird and animal species
  • Sani Pass, the highest pass at 2’876 m between Lesotho and South Africa
Gauteng Province / Capital Johannesburg
  • Johannesburg, not just the deepest Goldmine in the world at nearly 4km
  • Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa
North West Province / Capital Mahikeng
  • Hartbeesport Dam, the place for the weekend escaper
  • Pilanesberg Game Reserve, the fourth largest park is situated in an extinct volcano crater
  • Sun City Resort, between the valley of the waves and the lost city, you’ll find glamorous casinos, a multitude of sport facilities, golf and whatever you want more
Limpopo Province / Capital Polokwane (Pietersburg)
  • Baobab country, meet the upside-down tree or tree of life and know about its secrets
  • Northern Kruger Park and more games reserves, rich in wildlife and the preferred eco-tourism destination