Discover South Africa

Whether you live in South Africa or are visiting the country, the outdoors offer a stimulating 'getaway' experience for everyone. People of any age from all walks of life will find something to treasure and will want to come back time and again.

If you enjoy hiking, mountain climbing, mountain biking, adventure trails, horse safaris or just being outdoors to soak up the energy and 'recharge your battery', it's all out there for seasoned professionals and fun seekers alike.

Tours are an ideal way of getting to places which you may not normally get to see. And for those who wish, it offers a chance of interacting with others of like interests on tours such as forest tours, cycle tours, waterfall tours, canopy tours, golf tours, game tours and more.

For the adventure and extreme sport seekers, well... how about swimming with sharks or for the not so brave you may prefer to go down in a shark cage and view them from close up or sit on the deck of a boat and watch a Great White shark suddenly explode out of the water. Or you may just prefer to go snorkeling where there aren't any sharks. Then there's river rafting, kloofing, hot air ballooning, sky diving, microlight flights, paragliding and much more for the thrill seekers and 'adrenalin junkies'. And let's not forget the exhilaration of 4x4 off-road tours and safaris.

If you're interested in fauna and flora it's worth noting that South Africa is recognised as one of the megadiverse countries which harbor the majority of the earth's plant species. It has more than 20 000 different plants, which is approximately 10% of all the known species of plants on earth. It harbors a larger plant variety than any other country which is of equal size or smaller and is ranked third in the world in terms of biological diversity.

There are many beautiful places to visit such as Namaqualand and the Cape Floral Kingdom which alone has over 8500 different species of plants, with more than 2500 of these growing on the Cape Peninsula and over 1500 on Table Mountain and many of these plants, such as the Disa uniflora, occur nowhere else on earth but here. Unesco's World Heritage Committee described the Cape Floral Region as "one of the richest areas for plants in the world".

A trip to the summit of Table Mountain in the cableway takes under 10 minutes and the modern cable car's rotating floor allows us to enjoy a 360 degree aerial view of the "Mother city" and its mountain slopes where one can often see rock climbers clinging precariously to the side of the mountain. Standing on the summit gazing out over the ocean and watching in awe as hangliders plunge over the edge as if attempting to reach the South Pole, we find ourselves in a floral kingdom at the top of the tip of Africa. Down below, set in natural forest on the eastern slopes of the mountain, is the world-renowned Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden which is a flourishing showcase of many of these plants.

A trip to South Africa wouldn't be complete without getting up close to our hosts - the animals. If you've ever desired to see African wildlife at its raw best, then you've come to the right place. The smallest, tallest, heaviest and fastest, packs, herds and loners, roam the plains and bushveld of the numerous game parks and reserves, in abundance. You can see African buffalo, cheetah, leopard, lion, elephant and rhino amongst the many other species of African land, marine and bird life in their wild natural state. There are also a variety of tours which consist of controlled interaction with the wildlife, from helicopter trips with a game veterinary surgeon, to hiking trips with game wardens and various other types of outings, educational tours and courses.

Where to stay? Apart from the abundance of tourism accommodation in towns and cities, travellers wishing to experience the outdoors are also spoiled with choice of accommodation. There are Game Lodges, Bed & Breakfasts, Self Catering Accommodation, Guest Houses, Chalets, Back Packers, Caravaning & Camping sites ranging from the 'rough and ready' to five star status.