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South Africa Vacations, South African Safaris, Luxury Tours and Hotels
Cheetah and Cub Photo taken by Bob Mc Millen, Travelwizard.com
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We Help You Find The Perfect South Africa Vacations, Safari Tours and Safari Lodges, Then We Tailor It To Your Exact Requirements
In this section you will find great South Africa all-inclusive safaris, train vacations villas. You will find everything here, all the insider's secrets.
A South Africa vacation is a compelling mixture of wilderness, great cuisine, and world class wine regions. Its a fabulous combination of the wild, and the urbane fits perfectly into many Americans vacation plans. The fusion and the beat of South Africa's music and art is a unique attraction. It's truly an authentic experience that will let you expand your world by immersing yourself in the ultimate country of exploration.
Leopard photo taken by Bob Mc Millen, Travelwizard.com
Although South Africa is in many respects a developed country, much of its population lives in poverty. There are adequate tourist facilities in all urban centers, game parks and areas most commonly visited by tourists. Food and water are generally safe, and a wide variety of consumer goods and pharmaceuticals are readily available.
Elephant photo taken by Bob Mc Millen, Travelwizard.com
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South Africa is unique in every way, with a number of attractions you won't find anywhere else in the world….South Africa wildlife.
1/ TABLE MOUNTAIN
No visit to Cape Town is complete without a trip up Table Mountain, from where you will see some of South Africa's most breathtaking views. Take a guided walk on one of the many routes or simply ride the cable car to the top - it will be one of your lasting memories of SA.
2/ ROBBEN ISLAND
A short cruise from Cape Town's V&A Waterfront by ferry, this legendary island is a standard must-see on any newcomer's itinerary. This is where Nelson Mandela and his comrades were imprisoned for decades during the Apartheid era. Former inmates take you on an insightful tour of the prison grounds. This historical island is now a world heritage site and also a proclaimed nature conservation area.
3/ THE GARDEN ROUTE
From Cape Town along the coast to the Tsitsikamma Forest, this 600-kilometre stretch of small towns, wineries, farms and sea villages has been a traveller's joy for more than a century. Take your time, soak in the scenery, stay over in a guest-house, enjoy the cuisine and let South African hospitality take over.
4/ BEACHES
From KwaZulu-Natal to the Wild Coast, from the Eastern Cape to the West Coast, South Africa boasts more than 3 000km of coastline. Pristine beaches, fishing communities, golf estates, luxury hotels and guest houses dot the landscape as you explore the marine side of South Africa.
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5/ NAMAQUALAND DAISIES
Every Spring (August to September), the Northern Cape comes alive with vast fields of daisies in a natural splash of vivid colour. Fed by winter rains, the flower grounds of Namaqualand are a photographer's delight. When Summer takes hold, the land becomes a desert once again - as if the flower fantasia was just a brief dream…
6/ THE GOLD
In the late 19th Century, gold was discovered at various places in the northern reaches of South Africa, leading to a gold rush from all points of the globe. A tussle for the goldfields was one of the contributing factors leading to the Anglo Boer War and the industry - which claims the deepest underground mines in the world - is still one of the pillars of the South African economy.
7/ CRADLE OF HUMANKIND
Declared a World Heritage Site, the Cradle of Humankind west of Johannesburg includes, among its numerous sites, the Sterkfontein Caves, where anthropologist Dr Robert Broom discovered the skull of Mrs Ples, a three-million year-old hominid, in 1936. At the time she was thought to be the closest evidence the "missing link" to be found.
8/ KRUGER NATIONAL PARK
About the size of Israel, the Kruger Park is the greatest of South Africa's many national parks which attract a great number of visitors intent on drinking in the wilderness. On guided walks, drives or self-drive, visitors have the best chance of spotting the Big Five (elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo) in this park.
9/ THE DRAKENSBERG MOUNTAINS
A thousand kilometres of mountain majesty, the Drakensberg (Dragon Mountains) range is the adventure tourist's playground. It is also perfect for nature photography, easy walking and simple relaxation. Full of game sanctuaries, Bushman rock art sites, challenging peaks and cascading waterfalls, the views in the Drakensberg will compete with anything the rest of the world has to offer.
10/ SOWETO
Just south of Johannesburg lies Soweto - the largest of South Africa's 'townships' (designated residential areas for blacks during the Apartheid years). This vibrant city is home to some 2 million people and a number of historical sights. A typical visit to Soweto includes a stop at a traditional shebeen (drinking hall), where you can savour local beer, food and hospitality, as well as a visit to the homes where Nobel laureates Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu once lived. | | South Africa Luxury Vacations & Tours
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- Vilakazi Street in Soweto is unique in the world for once being home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners, former Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former President Nelson Mandela.
- South Africa is one of the very few countries in the world where tourism numbers rose after September 11 2001.
- Five South African tourism products were recently ranked among the top 65 "Best in the World" in the US Condé Nast Traveler publication. The country also won the Gold Journal Travel Award for Best Sightseeing and Most Spectacular Golfing Destination in the World.
- We are the 21st most popular conferencing destination in the world (boosted byour hosting of the World Summit on Sustainable Development during 2002 and the World Parks Congress in 2003).
- Our country is home to two of the world's most profoundly compassionate philosophies - Ubuntu and Gandhi's notion of "passive resistance" (Satyagraha), which he developed while living in South Africa. Ubuntu stresses the fact that all people are fundamentally connected, that we are human because of each other: "I am because you are".
- South Africa's traditional healers have been found by pharmaceutical companies to be a fount of information on medicinal plants. In the pipeline are cures for cancer and obesity, using South African plants and knowledge.
- At least half of South Africa's population is now officially urbanized. Interestingly though, a huge trend is developing where young urban families move from big cities to rural towns to live life on a more sustainable scale and get in touch with the Earth, simultaneously revitalizing the countryside.
- The Cederberg Mountain range in the Western Cape is called the biggest art gallery in the world, thanks to hundreds upon hundreds of ancient San/Bushman paintings. Bushman paintings make up the earliest rock art on the planet - some are tens of thousands of years old.
- South Africa is one of the greatest gold producers in the world but amazingly enough, only recently discovered and joined the World Gold Panning Association. Then again, we made up for it by beating the Australians in quite a few categories in 2001, and we'll be hosting the World Gold Panning Championships at Pilgrim's Rest in 2005, a first for Africa.
- Kimberley may have the biggest man-made hole in the world, but did you know that the southern Free State town of Jagersfontein has the deepest vertical man-made hole (and that a pair of Verreaux's Eagles breed in it?
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Time is Life's most Precious Commodity---Spend it Wisely!
Remember--We can save you a lot of Time, Money and Stress when you book your trip with our Virtuoso South Africa Safari Vacation Specialists.
The South Africa safari tours, vacation lodges, safari camps and resorts prices you see on this site are published fares--ours are often substantially lower. Use our vacation planner or call us at 1 800 330 8820 or 1 415 446 5252 for our latest, exclusive up-to-the-minute specials.
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