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Best places to visit in South Africa

A country of contrasts, South Africa offers its visitors diverse landscapes; from the forest of Kruger National Park to the Kalahari desert, passing through the green hills of Zululand or the Mediterranean vegetation of the Cape. African and Western, tribal and ultramodern, the numerous faces of South Africa rub shoulders but do not resemble each other.

Although its administrative capital is Pretoria the economic lungs of the country is none other thanJohannesburg an evolving megalopolis, as fascinating as it is complex. A modern city of fascinating urban cultures is waiting to be discovered. 

A few hours northeast of the country and as big as Belgium; theKruger National Park) is the main attraction. Here safari is open to even the smallest budgets contrary to many other countries, as you can safari in your own car or camper-van. There you can see lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards and rhinos as well as cheetah, giraffes, antelope, etc.

By following the coast of the Indian Ocean, you will findDurban the country's third city, half Zulu half Indian. Then walk along the buttresses of theDrakensberg mountains, before descending towards theWild Coast. The Xhosa country preserves its rich ancestral tradition and its villages of colourful round huts that stand along a jagged cliff edge, isolated from the magnificent wild beaches.

Still following the coast, you'll cross the Garden Route, a route of forests and lagoons, notably around Knysna. At the end of the route, there is wine country in the inland region ofCape Town. The second city of the country, this piece of Europe at the end of Africa spreads across the majestic Table Mountain; the end of the mountain range of theCape of Good Hope. Cosmopolitan, mixed and cool, this California-like city seduces South Africans just as much as tourists. Finally, going back up towards Namibia and Botswana, you can visit the green Kalahari a rarely visited but beautiful region of the desert watered by the Orange River.  

Camille Griffoulieres
This National Park was originally created to save the surviving elephants in the region. Nowadays, it is home to almost 450 pachyderms. It's the must-see National Park for those who only stay in the Cape Town region.
Literally meaning "French corner" in Afrikaans, Franschooek is a small village in the wine region near Cape Town, founded by French huguenots who arrived with the first Dutch colonisers around 300 years ago.
This 275,000 hectare park, one of the Unesco world heritage sites, stretches the length of the coast, from the Mapelane reserve to Sodwana Bay, in the region just above Durban.
Lying 120 km from Cape Town, Hermanus is one of the few places on the planet where it's possible to see large numbers of whales from the land.
Relatively little visited, the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi reserve is a great place to spot the "Big Five": elephants, lions, leopards, rhinoceros and buffalo.
I highly recommend you visit South Africa's wildlife preservation centers and here you'll see cheetahs on their home territory. Hoedspruit is also a convenient base for visiting Blyde River Canyon.
Inverdoorn covers one of the LittleKaroo's valleys, not far fromthe Cape. The reserve covers nearly 10,000 hectares and contains nearly 1,200 wild animals.
The Kruger National Park is a South African game reserve. Its entire 20,000 km² is protected and monitored by game wardens. Thanks to this, it's home to an amazing variety of African wildlife.
The Kwazulu Natal region is a mass of pastoral scenery and Zulu culture.
It is part of the city of Cape Town'sconurbation but counts as a National Park: the Cape of Good Hope National Park, at the tip of the peninsula, which also comprises the Table Mountain National Park which overlooks the city.
The Limpopo Park (Mozambique) is part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park project (GLTP) which encompasses the Kruger National Park (South Africa), the Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe) and the Limpopo Park in Mozambique..
Madikwe is one of the country's most renowned private reserves thanks to its luxurious lodges. It covers an area of 75,000 hectares and is located on the border with Botswana and at the edge of the Kalahari desert.
A Little village in the heart of the Little Karoo, Montagu is situated on the Brandy route (more well known under the name of route 62), in the mountains, between Oudsthoorn and Cape Town.
It's one of the main towns of the wine route, nearest to Cape Town. With Franschhoek and Stellenbosch, they form a golden triangle of South African wine production.
This is one of the private reserves absorbed into Kruger National Park, among the most expensive in the world, exclusive to guests staying in the luxury lodges (no non-park vehicles allowed).
It is not only the big student town of the Cape region, but also the capital of the wine region.
This little country with almost a million inhabitants is in an area of rolling hills and is an enclave in South Africa as well as being a point often passed through between Kruger Park, KwaZulu-Natal and Mozambique which border it.
This luxury private reserve is situated in the Kwazulu Natal province, near Hluhluwe. It stretches over 14,000 hectares and only contains five star lodges. We were really able to observe the 'Big 5' and all the safari wildlife.
This geological curiosity is therefore a "hole in the wall", a pierced rock which dominated the ocean close to Coffee Bay in the Eastern Cape Province. The panoramic views in this region are wonderful and wild.
Situated in the back country of the Cape, it is centred around Stellenbosch , Paarl and Franschhoek in the west and Wellington, Robertson and Worcester in the east.
This beach is located in KwaZulu Natal in the region of Durban, near to the parkland of Isimangaliso Wetland Park.
Thornybush is one of the private reserves which adjoins Kruger Park, one of the most expensive in the world and one of the oldest in South Africa, reserved for those staying in the luxury lodges (external vehicles aren't permitted).
This private reserve is amongst the most expensive in the world, connected to Kruger Park without any barriers, separated only by the river that it's named after. It is known for its unique population of white lions.
Also called uKhahlamba, the Drakensberg national parkstretches over almost 240,000 hectares, bridging the borders of Lesotho and South Africa, and matching the mountain range from which it derives its name. Its classed as a world heritage site by Unesco.
The Wild Coast is that part of the coast of Eastern Cape located north of East London . It is a rural region which has kept a very strong Xhosa tribal tradition and has wild beaches bordered with dense jungle.
Famous mythical cape situated at the southern tip of South Africa.
The biggest city in South Africa is impressive by its tentacular dimensions and its split. In the centre: Hillbrow and from Yeoville to Downtown, dangerous and poor quarters. To the north: rich quarters which gravitate around Sandton.
The Kirstenbosch Botanical Garde is an incredible collection of plants and primal forests, known as being one of the best in the world.
A symbolic and historic place located 15km south west of Johannesburg.
The mythical mountain which dominates Capetown.

Best time to visit South Africa

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