“Zanzibar”, even having lived in East Africa for 16 years, the name still conjurs dreams of exotic mystery, romance and adventure. If you are frequently ‘haunted’ by these wonderful dreams of a tropical island paradise then Zanzibar is the very next holiday you should take, and here are ten reasons why! Zanzibar is actually an […]

There’s one more exquisite reason to visit the Western Cape – a magnificent rose garden with 80 different rose varieties was opened today at Vergelegen Estate in Somerset West. The wine estate, which is over three centuries old, already has 18 beautiful gardens over 10 hectares and draws at least 100,000 visitors annually, half of whom are […]

The travel experts at Lonely Planet have revealed their selection of the best destinations for 2017 that travellers simply cannot afford to miss… and South Africa’s stunning Cape Town features high up as number two on the Top 10 Cities list. Lonely Planet describes Capetonians as being deceptively laid-back whilst working hard to “add cultural […]

If you’re looking for a taste of home, savour this video – with majestic scenery, wonderful wildlife, South African sunsets… and to top it all, a reading of ‘The Real Africa’ poem that will give you goosebumps. The footage was filmed around Durban, St. Lucia wetland and the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Game Reserve. Rhys Scott-Dawkins produced the video for his company, […]

This video has been three years in the making, and the final result is just under four minutes of spectacular drone footage. The video features beautiful scenes from South Africa, Botswana (including the Okavango Delta), Namibia and Zambia (including the Victoria Falls). The South African locations include Blouberg Beach, Addo National Park, Hermanus, Clifton Beach, Cape Town, Knysna, Robberg […]

South Africans have one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Passports in the World! And the most powerful passport on the African continent. That’s right! South African citizens are able to enter a full 90 countries across the world without a visa, and able to gain a visa on arrival at a further 31 countries. This […]

According to a travel survey, residents of Port Elizabeth are the most reliable in South Africa when it comes to knowledge about London trivia, whilst those in Bloemfontein are most more clued up about English sports and leisure. The survey of 4,000 travellers around the world was to gauge how knowledgeable they were about London. Those in […]

I spent 10 days in the Mountain Kingdom, documenting the Basotho people and their land. Six days on horseback took me to some of the most isolated populated areas of Southern Africa, where some shepherds will spend six months away from their villages. Traveling through Lesotho via horseback has been one of my most memorable experiences […]

The Department of Tourism says tourist arrivals in South Africa continues to grow unabated, with an increase particularly from Asia, France and the Middle East… whilst Americans make up the biggest number of tourists. The department on Monday said the current trend of tourist arrivals in the country has in the last few months shown consistent […]

They say there are 1,500,000 wildebeest in the Serengeti migrating population, but it sure as heck feels like a lot more when you happen upon a bunch of them! By safari guide CRAIG DORIA. Sometimes, especially when you look across a narrow shallow valley, it feels like you are looking at the entire 1,500,000 in […]

This is the stuff that holiday dreams are made of! Perched on a cliff, overlooking the biggest whale nursery in the world, sits a magical, unique villa in the Western Cape, South Africa. “The photo below was what we flew over on our way here…” says VANESSA RAPHAELY, who captured all the pics on this page. […]

There’s so much to see and do in Cape Town that two vloggers have decided instead of cramming it into one travel video, to rather embark on a brilliant series called ‘This is Cape Town’. The first video – watch below – features the city centre. It’s fun, fast, fascinating, uplifting and is sure to make […]

Check out these awesome photos of the Mother City from the air, taken by ANGELA GORMAN PHOTOGRAPHY. “Cape Town is even more beautiful from above!” says Angela. “What an incredible experience viewing Cape Town from a helicopter!” Angela took to the skies with NAC Helicopters Cape Town at early morning light… An iconic shot of Table Mountain… […]

Condé Nast Traveller readers have had their say and the fourth best country on the planet to travel to, according to these seasoned travellers, is South Africa… particularly because of our Rand! The annual Travel Awards asks its readers to rate their favourite countries based on various criteria including food, accommodation, scenery, value for money. The readers […]

Flying over the ocean blue to an island called Unguja, I imagined Zanzibar to be a stereotypical island paradise – bleached beaches, coconuts falling from palm trees, sickly sweet pineapple drinks with those unnecessary little umbrellas – but with the influence of Africa, slavery, and the spice route. Water like liquid sapphire Captures fragments of […]

It’s been only 10 days since Bucketvision uploaded the video below of Cape Town to Facebook, and already it has received over 2.8 million views!!! The bucketlist app – which is currently focussed on Cape Town – posted the video together with a message claiming: “Cape Town, South Africa has been named the most BEAUTIFUL city […]

An American tourist on holiday in South Africa had a once-in-a-lifetime experience when she came across a leopard in her shower! Tally Angle, from North Carolina, posted photos to a Kruger National Park group on Facebook of the leopard “lounging in our outdoor lodge shower” at Singita Ebony Lodge. Tally posted several amazing photos of the […]

The town of Barberton in Mpumalanga was marching to the beat of magnificent military bands this weekend. (Watch videos below.) “Our ‘Freedom of the Town’ military parade was held here yesterday,” says Sheryn Nader, owner of Facebook page Barberton Bliss. “There were four different military groups marching, and it was amazing! Beautiful sounds…” The bands were […]

The owners of Sunland Farm in South Africa, home to one of the world’s most famous baobab trees, have a very pragmatic approach to the “breaking” news that one-third of their gentle giant’s trunk has crashed to the ground. Heather van Heerden says it’s simply “nature’s way of renovating”. Here’s the famous Sunland Baobab – […]

Spring is in the air, and if you haven’t visited yet – the West Coast National Park is alive with fields of wonderful wild flowers (and animals). Fabulous photos on this page, taken this week, are by NIGEL RILEY and ROBYN GWILT. Robyn says: “From the Canola fields last weekend to Dungeon’s on Wednesday, to the […]

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has announced it will unveil new visa regulations before the end of 2016. The legislative reform will aim to provide a balance between the competing interests of the tourism sector and the need to protect the country’s borders and prevent child trafficking. Stringent visa regulations were introduced to South Africa in 2014… resulting in an […]

From the West Coast National Park to Namaqualand, the South African landscape has been transformed into endless fields of fabulous flowers… All photos by KYLE MIJLOF and HESTER SOPHIA-ESTA MARAIS. Travel photographer KYLE MIJLOF – who has visited 59 countries since March 2010 (!) -captured these gorgeous pictures in the West Coast National Park. Kyle recommends if […]

If we could be sure of one thing during our time as expats in Johannesburg, it was that no matter the time of year, there would always be at least one houseguest lodging with us. South Africa seemed to exert an inexorable pull all the way over the Atlantic and across the equator, luring everyone even remotely […]

After an extensive visit to South Africa, a group of boardriders have declared that it is “a land of diversity. Mountainous coastlines vs drought ridden desert. The lavishly rich vs the street begging poor. The wildlife of the savannah vs the wildlife of the city. No other country in the world boasts such dramatic contrast.” Writing for Quiksilver’s […]

And the answer is… Arles, France