Cape Town
No other South African city combines the heart stopping beauty with the historical importance as Cape Town. This chic waterfront city with Table Mountain towering above it, is known for its Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, and is defined by elegant Cape Dutch buildings, big whitewashed gables, often a thatch roof, and shuttered windows and imposing monuments to Britain's imperial legacy. In the Bo-Kaap neighborhood the call to prayer echoes from minarets while the sweet tang of Malay curry wafts through the cobbled streets. 

The Table Mountain
The Table Mountain which towers above the city of Cape Town is a natural phenomenon. Quite often, it's completely flat top, stretching 2 for two miles and bordered by impressive cliffs, is covered in clouds which seem to rest on the mountain, spilling down at several places. This enigmatic cloud cover is referred to as the "tablecloth", and legend attributes this visual spectacle to a smoking between the devil and a local pirate called Van Hunks. When the table cloth is seen, it symbolizes the contest. Table Mountain is at the northern end of a sandstone mountain range that forms the spine of the Cape Peninsula. 

Cape of Good Hope
The rocky headland that for centuries was considered the southern tip of Africa and the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans is the Cape of Good Hope. Even though Cape Agulhas is further south, the first rounding of the cape in 1488 by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias was a milestone in the attempts to establish direct trading route with the Far East in the Era of Discoveries and Spices (although Herodotus proves that some Phoenicians had done so much earlier). 

Blyde River Canyon
The Blyde River's spectacular canyon is one of South Africa's most impressive natural formations. It is located within the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve which follows the escarpment above the Blyde River as it carves its way down to the Lowveld. Along the river, there are many wonderful viewpoints and endless hiking possibilities. Some of the most impressive sights are: the Pinnacle rock formation, the Wonder View and God's Window with amazing vistas of the canyon, the strange cylindrical holes carved in the rock by whirlpools and called the Bourke's Luck Potholes... 

Wine in South Africa
In 1659, the Dutch settlers produced the first wine in South Africa. To say that it was bad, would be an understatement. But soon, they were joined by the French Huguenots, and by 1685, Simon van der Stel's Constantia winegrowing estate was producing reputable whites and reds. Constantia became a favorite of European kings and emperors, from Frederick the Great to Napoleon. Today, the worldwide appreciation for South African wines continues, and the region is recognized for its crisp Sauvignon Blancs, and the signature smoky red Pinotage, a blend of Pinot noir and Cinsaut. 

Victoria Falls
Victoria Falls is a name that was given to the world's most powerful waterfall by David Livingstone. The Scottish missionary and explorer named it in honor of Queen Victoria, but for generations the falls have been known in the local Shona language as Mosi-oa-Tunya (the Smoke that Thunders). The Victoria Falls, on the Zambezi River between Zambia and Zimbabwe is not the highest nor the widest waterfall, but it forms the largest sheet of falling water in the world, and as it thunders falling into its deep, narrow chasm, it is simply spectacular. 

The Zambezi
Dreamy and slow, dotted with sandy islands and lined with wild date palms, the Zambezi River, before it reaches Victoria Falls, is called "the river of life". Its abundance of water, the meandering oasis in the dry savannah, attracts elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, antelopes, baboons and occasional lions and leopards. As the falls throw rainbows into the sky and cascade down into the deep canyon of Batoka Gorge, they create a unique micro climate. Among the dry Rhodesian teak woodland, spray from the falls nurtures a rainforest... 

Jungle Accommodations
One of the pleasures of the African safari is staying in the jungle. The safari lodges are synonymous with gracious style, exotic "African chic" decor and fine dining. They combine the warmth and the wild African beauty with the comfort expected from fine hotels. Surrounded by the jungle, they are the ultimate escape from the stressful world. After the safaris tracking the wildlife in their natural habitat, you'll enjoy the champagne sun-downers in the cooling dusk of the African bush. In the afternoon, there is the formal afternoon tea, and dinner with excellent South African wines is served around a roaring boma fire, under the millions of stars. The Djuma Bush Lodge in the Sabi Sand part of the Kruger National Park, is unlike any place in the world. Made of wood and thatch, it offers magnificent views of the surrounding African veld. The pool is in a small grove of Tamboti trees and is always delightfully cool. Two viewing decks over the waterhole afford the view of the animals as they come to drink. The luxury chalets are artistically elegant, filled with unique African crafts, teak decks and private plunge pools to create a memorable ambience, which along with the exceptional service and hospitality assure that its magic will stay with you forever.

African Savannah
The roar of lions and the sound of crickets traveling across the endless space under a star-studded sky, the smell of wild elephants, the sharp outlines of exotic trees against the setting sun... This is the savannah, a park-like vista of grassland dotted with thorny, flat-topped acacia trees, the quintessential African landscape so often depicted in movies and imagined by travelers. Savannah, with its diverse natural kingdom, is the place where time began. It holds secrets and mysticism that have captured poets, painters, dreamers and explorers. 

The Big Five
An African safari is a journey crafted in the tradition of wealthy 13th-century traders who first hunted the plains of Africa for wild game trophies. Today's adventurers hunt for photo opportunities instead, but they encounter the same scenes that have fascinated the early explorers: thousands of zebras migrating across emerald grasslands, flocks of florescent flamingos creating a field of color across a shining lake, lions feasting on a hard-earned kill. Many travelers trek to Africa in search of the "big five": buffalo, lions, leopards, elephants and rhinoceroses. 

Shona Art
The word "Zimbabwe" is derived from Dzimba-dza- mabwe, meaning in Shona language "large houses of stone". The ancient ruins of the city of Great Zimbabwe exhibit extraordinary craftsmanship in stone: spiraling streets, royal palaces, high walls built without mortar and decorative sculpture with its predominant motif of the "Zimbabwe Bird". Contemporary artists continue the tradition, and most visitors to Victoria Falls wish they could take home the expressive (and heavy) stone art. The sculptures, done in a magnificent range of stones, manage to express fundamental human experiences... 

Botswana
Botswana arose from the former British protectorate of Bechuanaland in 1965, an impoverished republic whose focus was on improving the lives of its people. The timing was fortuitous; within just a few years, the discovery of diamonds was to give a massive boost to the new country’s faltering economy. With stability thus assured, the government looked to its other major resource, the environment, introducing a ‘high-revenue, low-volume’ tourism policy that has resulted in considerable protection of the country’s wilderness... 

Safari in Botswana
Botswana is one of Africa's top safari destinations. Vast tracts of wilderness in pristine condition are home to huge herds of game, roaming unrestricted between the Kalahari's plains and the waterways of the Okavango. For those who enjoy the wilds, a Botswana safari holiday is perfect. With its network of private ‘concessions’ dotted with just a handful of small, well-designed safari lodges, Botswana offers near exclusivity. Whether you’re watching lions stalk their prey, or taking a magical mokoro trip along narrow, reed-lined channels, you’re unlikely to come across any other visitors.