South Africa Fact File

Getting there

Every day 10 airliners fly direct to Johannesburg or Cape Town and though it takes 10 or 11 hours, there is only a couple of hours time difference.

Seasons

South Africa is the nearest Southern Hemisphere holiday location to Britain, so it is perfect for a winter sunshine holiday.  It is a vast country and has two distinct climates.  The Cape and Garden route is mainly dry and sunny from November to April and unpredictable at other times of year.  You can enjoy some lovely sunny days in September, or a weather front can bring gales and rain.  The north and east including the Kruger Johannesburg and Kwa-Zulu Natal is hot and can be wet from November to March and is pleasantly warm and mainly dry at other times.  Kwa-Zulu Natal is more subtropical and balmy.

Is South Africa for you?

South Africa has something for everyone; great natural beauty, wine country, Cape Town, spectacular mountain ranges, history and culture, beaches and of course marvellous wildlife.  The people are very hospitable, there are hundreds of delightful hotels, world class restaurants and a good infrastructure.  South Africa has the world’s most palatial luxurious wildlife lodges, some almost unbelievably so.  It is also the only place in Africa you can have a malaria free safari.   There are some excellent lodges suitable for families with young children where you have your own private pool, safari guide and even your own chef.

A 10 day leisurely drive from Cape Town through  the Winelands along the Garden route staying in a series of charming country hotels is a pleasant way of passing part of February, with plenty of opportunity to indulge interests in golf, fine dining, walking and culture.  Kwa-Zulu Natal in the east has famous Boer war and Zulu war battle sites, the Drakensberg Mountains, a tropical coastline and good wildlife and birds.  The Kruger will give you the nearest thing to guaranteed sightings of all the animals you could wish to see staying in high comfort, though those seeking small camps in the wild open spaces should look elsewhere.  There are a number of excellent malaria free reserves like Madikwe and Limpopo.  Add to all of this luxury steam trains, whale watching, caged shark diving, shopping for diamonds, riding and all kinds of sports and you have a fabulous holiday destination.

Combining South Africa

You can fly direct to almost anywhere in Africa and the Indian Ocean from Johannesburg.  You might like a safari in the wilds of Botswana or Zambia and finish with a week in the Cape.  Strangely for a country with such a long sandy coastline, South Africa has no top quality beach hotels for a classic beach holiday, though Mauritius and the Seychelles are just a few hours flight away.   




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