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08 May 2013

The best ways to Plan the perfect Tour to South Africa

By Lewis Ho


South Africa has the peculiarity of allowing you to have almost any holiday you desire, or even to have 3 vacations in one! You can have a classical lazy beach vacation to begin with, and then opt for some daring safaris and eco-hiking tracks and then end off with some exceptional night life, cultural events and wine tasting. This post explores all these possibilities.

When planning your journey to SA, the first thing you should do is get your bearings. Safari land is in the north-western part of the country and is some hours' drive from Johannesburg or Durban. Air travel from Johannesburg to Cape Town is about 2 hours long. From Cape Town you have two shorelines, the warm Indian Ocean to the east, and the cool Atlantic Ocean to the west

The popular Garden Route runs along the N2 seaside roadway of the eastern coastline. The Wine Route, also called Route 62, at some point crosses the N2. It is 850km's long and ends in PE. On the west coast, you have your N7 with the Namaqualand Flower Route, and Route 27, renowned for its open-air seafood restaurants.

South Africa tours are practically all along these main axis.

Safaris in the north-western area of the country are excellent because they include the Kruger National Park, which is well-known. The rangers will take you for game drives aboard open-jeeps and likewise for game walks.

Whilst in the area, it can absolutely be worth your while to go to the St Lucia Wetland Park in Kwazulu Natal; two hundred and eighty kilometers of virgin shoreline and marshland that you can go to aboard little boats. The natural reserve is densley populated with birds, hippos, crocodiles and turtles.

From here, it is advisable to take a plane straight into Cape Town, and then choose whether you are want to opt for "flowers and fish" along the west coast or for "wine and beach" along the east coast.

The west coastline is less touristy than the eastern coastline. Here you can appreciate the Cedaberg Mountains with its acient rock art, and see lovely seaside towns like Saldanha, Paternoster, Langebaan and Lambert's Bay. Along the way you can switch to the R 27 and appreciate your seashore, outdoor bistros. Here crayfish is particularly good and inexpensive. All the fish arrives fresh daily, and it is most often cooked on an open fire for you. Traveling further north, you will end up in Namaqualand, which is a "mini-Namibia" of sorts. It has a dry climate therefore you will have lovely dry weather all year round.

In springtime it does rain a little, and the arid land is totally changed with colorful flowers that totally cover the ground along stretches of land.

The East coast, on the other hand, provides wine and warm, swimmable seas. According to the Guinness Book of Records, this area has the 2nd mildest climate in the world, 2nd just to Hawaii. In the winter season, it is seldom colder the ten degrees Celsius and in summer it hardly ever is hotter than twenty-nine degrees Celsius. Here you can visit the towns of Knysna, Oudtshoorn, Plettenberg Bay and Nature's Valley.

The Wine Route is 850km long and you will be able to taste wine and do wine tasting courses in Robertson, Wellington and Tulbagh, simply to name a few.




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