Home

Tours, Safaris & Other Adventure
16 Day South African Round Trip

Highlights: 16 Day best of South Africa tour - Pretoria, Blyderiver Canyon, Kruger National Park, Itala Game Reserve, Zululand, Garden Route and Cape Town.

18 Day Great South African Round Trip

Highlights: 18 Day best of South Africa tour - Pretoria, Blyderiver Canyon, Kruger National Park, Swaziland, Itala Game Reserve, Hluhluwe/Imfolozi Game Reserve, Zululand, Garden Route, Cape Winelands and Cape Town.

Heart of Zululand Tour

Highlights: Ten day tour of Kwa Zulu Natal's game and Zulu culture rich areas -  Itala Game Reserve, Ndumo Game Reserve, Tembe Elephant Park, Kosi Bay, Lake Sibaya, St Lucia, Hluhluwe/Imfolozi Game Reserve, Itala Game Reserve.

Rain Forests of KZN Tour

Highlights:  8 day tour of KwaZulu Nations Rain Forests - This is a very unique tour and we are not aware of any comparable product in the tourism market. The tour has been developed for the person who loves nature. The wide variety of indigenous trees, plants, flowers, bird and tree life is really exceptional.  The forests we visit also differ substantially. 

Land of Remembrance Tour

Highlights:  This tour has especially been designed to enable us to share a bit of everything with you, including the wild life, nature, history, food and culture of the majority of inhabitants of this part of KwaZulu Natal.

 

 

 

 

12 Day KwaZulu Natal Birding Tour

Highlights: 12 Day specialist birding tour - Dlinza Forest, Ongoye Forest, Richards Bay, Muzi Pans, Mkuze Game Reserve, Tembe Elephant Park, Ndumo Game Reserve, Itala Game Reserve, Wakkerstroom, Drakensberg.

13 Day Garden Route and Western Cape Tour

Highlights: Port Elizabeth, Knysna, Oudtshoorn, Mosselbay, Swellendam,

4 Day West Coast Fynbos Tour

Highlights:  4 Day West Coast Tour to introduce the Fynbos of this area to our flower enthusiasts.

9 Day West Coast Fynbos Tour

Highlights:  9 Day West Coast Tour to introduce the Fynbos of this area to our flower enthusiasts in such a way that it will become a lasting memory.

Mountain Magic of the Drankensberg & Moutain Kingdom Tour

Highlights:  The Drakensberg Moutains and the magic it holds.

 

Southern Cape Lifestyle Tour

Highlights: For a wonderful holiday spirit and unbelievable experiences.  Spoil yourself with an unforgettable tour and discover the lifestyle of the Southern Cape.
 

About South Africa
 
Introduction    South Africa
 
Background:
  After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments, but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid politically and ushered in black majority rule.
   Geography    South Africa
 
Location:
  
Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa
Geographic coordinates:
  
29 00 S, 24 00 E
Area:
  total: 1,219,912 sq km
land: 1,219,912 sq km
note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island)
water: 0 sq km
Land boundaries:
  
total: 4,862 km
border countries: Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 967 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km
Coastline:
  2,798 km
Climate:
  mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights
Terrain:
  vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain
Elevation extremes:
 lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m
Natural resources:
 gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas
Natural hazards:
  
prolonged droughts
Geography - note:
 South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland
   People    South Africa
 
Population:
   42,718,530
note: South Africa took a census October 1996 that showed a population of 40,583,611 (after an official adjustment for a 6.8% under numeration based on a post numeration survey); estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.)
Nationality:
  
noun: South African(s)
adjective: South African
Ethnic groups:
  
black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored 8.6%, Indian 2.6%
Religions:
  
Christian 68% (includes most whites and Coloreds, about 60% of blacks and about 40% of Indians), Muslim 2%, Hindu 1.5% (60% of Indians), indigenous beliefs and animist 28.5%
Languages:
  
11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
   Government    South Africa
 
Country name:
  conventional long form: Republic of South Africa
conventional short form: South Africa
former: Union of South Africa
abbreviation: RSA
Government type:
  
republic
Capital:
  
Pretoria; note - Cape Town is the legislative center and Bloemfontein the judicial center
Flag description:
  two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side; the Y embraces a black isosceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes
   Economy    South Africa
Economy - overview:
  South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock exchange that ranks among the 10 largest in the world; and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. However, growth has not been strong enough to lower South Africa's high unemployment rate; and daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era, especially poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. High crime and HIV/AIDS infection rates also deter investment. South African economic policy is fiscally conservative, but pragmatic, focusing on targeting inflation and liberalizing trade as means to increase job growth and household income.
Currency:
   Rand (ZAR)
Currency code:
  ZAR
   Communications    South Africa
Telephones - main lines in use:
  
4.844 million (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
   
13.814 million (2002)
Telephone system:
  
general assessment: the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa
domestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria
international: country code - 27; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
  
AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
  
556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997)
Internet country code:
  .za
   Transportation    South Africa
Railways:
   total: 22,298 km
narrow gauge: 21,984 km 1.065-m gauge (10,436 km electrified); 314 km 0.610-m gauge
note: includes a 2,228 km commuter rail system (2002)
Highways:
   total: 362,099 km
paved: 73,506 km (including 2,032 km of expressways)
unpaved: 288,593 km (2000)
Ports and harbors:
  Cape Town, Durban, East London, Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha

 
Bottom Banner
 
The national flag was designed by a former South African State Herald, Mr Fred Brownell, and was first used on 27 April 1994. The design and colours are a synopsis of principal elements of the country's flag history. Individual colours, or colour combinations were different meanings for different people and therefore no universal symbolism should be attached to any of the colours.

The central design of the flag, beginning at the flagpost in a "V" form and flowing into a single horizontal band to the outer edge of the fly, can be interpreted as the convergence of diverse elements within South African society, taking the road ahead in unity. The theme of convergence and unity ties in with the motto "Unity is Strength" of the previous South African Coat of Arms.

Specific instructions with regard to the use of the national flag can be found in the Government Gazette 22356, Notice 510 of 8 June 2001 (pdf document).

 

Flag Description
South African FlagTwo equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side; the Y embraces a black isosceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes.