Breathtaking scenery

There are many private game lodges to choose from in Limpopo, all offering visitors excellent game viewing and wilderness experiences. Accommodation options include 5-star camps, a Fair Trade Tourism lodge and even a tree house.

Paragliding in Hermanus, a beautiful town in the Western Cape famous for its whale watching, gives you the best aerial views to watch these ocean giants.

Against the rust-red sands of the Kalahari desert in the Northern Cape, the 'roaring' white sand dunes of Witsand Nature Reserve are a mysterious natural phenomenon that emit a deep reverberating hum.

The Riemvasmaak Hot Springs in the Northern Cape are located north of the Augrabies Falls in a remote and rugged wilderness between the Orange and Molopo rivers. Visitors can bathe in the spring waters surrounded by a lunar-like landscape and accommodation is available.

The /Ai-/Ai-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park is an area of great biodiversity in the Northern Cape. The Orange River runs through it and it contains the Fish River Canyon.

Birding in South Africa necessitates a trip to the Nylsvley Nature Reserve, which protects a significant portion of the country’s largest inland floodplain. The floodplain totals 16 000 hectares when water levels are at their highest during summer. Up to 80 000 birds can be found at Nylsvley at the same time.

The birdlife in Rustenburg will delight any birder – from beginner to expert twitcher. Tick off hundreds of birds, including raptors, water birds, bushveld birds and LBJs (little brown jobs) in a superb variety of habitats.

Going birding in Wakkerstroom is almost compulsory if you’re a birder. Wakkerstroom is one of South Africa’s most rewarding Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, with plenty of endemics and seldom-seen, high-altitude grassland species. Some people hardly notice the birds – they’re after the peace and a feast of craft shops.

Spend some time enjoying the offerings of Bloemfontein before looping off onto the N5 and visiting the Free State’s sandstone settlements. Don’t miss Clarens, regarded by many as the jewel of this scenic province.

Enjoy remote beaches and rural villages on the day-long Wild Coast Jikeleza Route in the Eastern Cape, stretching from Gonubie, just outside East London, up to Chefane along the coast and Kwelerha in the Great Kei area.

Amandelboom, the so-called coloured township of Williston, an isolated Northern Cape village in the Upper Karoo, has a brass band, traditional Nama Riel dancing, great Karoo hospitality, and corbelled houses nearby.

The Garden Route and its spectacular coastline can be seen from small aircraft, helicopter or hot-air balloon. It can also be explored by foot in the Garden Route National Park.