South Africa is fast becoming one of the top international hot
spots for tourism and travel. Let us have a look at this unique part of
the world and determine why people are booking their tickets as we
speak.
Diversity - South Africa is a multi faceted destination with
something to entice and intrigue everyone who visits. Positioned
between the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, this countries coastline is
over 2500 kilometers (1565 miles) long and therefore water sports are a
major attraction. Many tourists come purely to cage dive with The Great
White Shark. These dive areas area all within 150 kilometer (90 miles)
radius of Cape Town and have become world renowned for this activity. If
the Great White Shark is not big enough for you, then try Scuba Diving
with The Whale Shark along the North KwaZulu- Natal Coast. This stretch
of coastline is also famous for the leather back turtles that lay their
eggs in this protected zone. Wildlife enthusiasts love South Africa
because of the abundance of animal species which include the Big 5
(Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhinoceros and Buffalo.) The Kruger National
Park is home to South Africa's greatest diversity of wild life which is
not surprising with an area bigger than that of Israel.
Some of the
world's most luxurious Safari lodges (Ulusaba, Sabi-Sabi, Jock Safari
Lodge) are situated in and around the circumference of this wild life
sanctuary. For tourists wishing to combine a beach holiday with a safari
experience, then the Garden Route is a magical place to spend some time
on it's numerous unspoiled beaches or play a coupe of rounds of golf on
some of South Africa's most spectacular courses before heading off into
the Wilderness to Views the Big 5 in luxury. The added bonus of viewing
animals in this area is that there is no Malaria here and therefore no
medication is required.
History - South Africa is steeped in
history and culture form both it's own indigenous tribes (Zulu, Sotho,
Xhosa etc) to those of the European Settlers (French, Dutch, German,
British) who started arriving in this great Southern Land in the mid
1600's. This amazing mixture of culture is evident in the extremely
varied cuisine to be found throughout the country. Slavery brought many
thousands of Malaysian's to the Cape Colony during the 17th and 18th
centuries, bringing with them their own particular brand of culinary
delights. These Malaysian slaves eventually mixed with the indigenous
African people and the European Settlers creating a wonderfully vibrant
and colorful RAINBOW NATION!
Geographical Position- South Africa
is positioned right at the base of the African continent, with Cape Town
approximately 34 Degrees South. The most important factor for overseas
visitors is that South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere which mean
that anyone in the USA, Europe or Britain wanting to get away from a
long, cold winter, need only to jump on a plane and travel South to the
warmth of Summer. South Africa's time zone is positioned within 3 hours
of anywhere in Europe or Britain and therefore jet lag is never going to
be a problem.
Cost - The all important question is always going
to be how much is a holiday here going to cost me. When you consider
that 1 South African Rand is equivalent to approximately US$7.50 or
10Euro, or 11 Pounds, then it's time to consider booking your holiday.
