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SOUTH AFRICA

Ball & beast, sea & sun

The front page of Peter Joyce’s " Traveler’s Guide to South Africa " shows a few pictures of the main points of interest of the country: Cape Town, Sun City, Zulu girls in traditional dress and a lion and an inland stream. Nature and wildlife, cultural heritage and sites, that’s South Africa. A well-organized trip has to bring you from one to another of those major points of interest which are

the magic dreamland of Sun City
a safari tour to the "big five"
Kwazulu-Natal, a province of cultural heritage,
tripping along the Indian Ocean coast and the Garden’s Route ,
Cape Town and cape of Good Hope

- Sun City/Lost City

At the first glimpse, the $280.000.000 complex of Sun City is breathtaking. When the Lost City opened in 1992 it gained an enormous new attraction. It became an African fantasyland based upon the theme of a lost civilization rediscovered in the dense jungles of the Valley of the Waves with a focal point, The Palace.

Surrounding the Palace has been created the world’s largest man-made rain forest with the Valley of Waves water park and his sandy beach. The game area has been placed in a cavern of rock, the Hall of Treasures, and around it everything has been conceived on primitive nature. The Bridge of Time trembles, smoke pours from the fissures of the Temple of Creation, elephants, lions, leopards are carved in the rocks between fantasy banyan and palm trees and the King Gates give access to the Monkey Spring Fountain.

Restaurants with different cuisine, bars, pizzas, fast food, banking services, post office, health spa, sport facilities… When you are in Sun City, you don’t need to go out.

And for your entertainment, the Superbowl is Africa’s finest venue for concerts where Elton John or Rod Stewart performed before 6.000 seated spectators. While the Sun City Theatre is the home of Las Vegas extravaganzas.

-Nature and wildlife

South Africa is renowned for his natural beauties. But the country is so large and each province has his wonders that one has to make a choice. That’s the reason why the 20.000 km2 large and 350 km long Kruger National Park receives everyday about 5.000 visitors.

It is obviously the wonder of wildlife. But it has delimited borders and animals are free to migrate at will so that private game reserves have been developed all along the Park where they can host people in more comfortable ways than caravan/camping.
Each private camp has its distinctive personality, but some are more attractive than others alike some rangers are more interesting than others in their knowledge or comments on nature are.

A lion or a leopard at rest can be seen in a zoo or in some places where there are parked. But lions in hunting action behind an antelope or a young buffalo can only be seen in a reserve with advised rangers and trackers. Moreover if you want to go closer by foot safaris on wilderness trails. That’s really wildlife and it’s not everywhere. Malamala, Sabi-Sabi are well known private reserves. But new places like Kapama, near Hoedspruit, are in the foremost rank. (See our chapter: where to stay).

Zululand, Durban, Indian Ocean coast

The province of KwaZulu-Natal - known as Natal from 1994 - is, for Peter Joyce's Guide, the most beautiful of South Africa. It has also the privilege of hosting historical sites: the Zululand historic territory takes part of the northeastern interior and the Zulu War (1838) and the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) had their battlefields in the midlands. Zulu heritage can be seen in many places and at the Shakaland Cultural Village near Eshowe.

And last but not least, it is the province where the British came and brought in the sugar cane coming from India with thousands of Indian immigrants which settled there around Durban. Today this Asian community numbers around a million, faithful to their tradition and cuisine.

Natal stretches along the Indian Ocean coast approximately 600 km from Transkei to Eastern Cape. Tourism becomes a new economical source of revenues for the province with an explosive development of luxurious resorts all along the coastline. Zimbali, Prince’s Grant in the northern suburb of Durban and Wildcoast in the south are the most recent.

Cape Town and the Cape of Good Hope

For many people, the Cape of Good Hope is a milestone in human history. Being there and contemplating from the top of Cape Point the arc of white beaches of False Bay and the white waves of the Atlantic and Indian ocean merging on the rocks of the cape is an unforgettable souvenir. It is the major point of interest of all trips to South Africa.

On your tour of the Waterfront – if you don’t have the chance to stay there - have a look at The Table Bay Hotel, the elegant last wonder of Sun International Group. Its architecture and decoration deserve to be seen as well as the bronze sculpture of Oscar, the former mascot seal of the old harbor.

Take the lift to go to the summit of the Table Mountain for the extraordinary view and at end afternoon, drive along the coast to Chapman's Point to get the sunset in the sea before eating some seafood at Camps Bay.