Southern Africa is a fascinating region to explore. Here you'll find vast open landscapes that range from lush green to dry desert, from mountains to plains that seem to stretch on forever. You'll also find friendly and welcoming people and modern cities. Many visitors stick to popular tourist destinations but to experience the real Africa, you need to venture beyond the safari lodge. Unfortunately the public transport system isn't the best or most reliable, so rent a car and go on a road trip you'll never forget.
One of Southern Africa's most popular destinations is the Western Cape province of South Africa. This is home to gorgeous Cape Town, which is a good city to fly into. From Cape Town, head northwards to the Cape Winelands or up along the rugged West Coast. Otherwise, head east through the semi-arid Little Karoo region. You can also stick to the coastal route known as the Garden Route with its forests.
The Wild Coast region is located in the Eastern Cape province. Here the landscape is rugged and the lifestyle is very much rural and traditional. The beaches are quiet but if you prefer more developed holiday resorts, continue northwards to the KwaZulu-Natal province and the Hibiscus Coast. This province offers great surfing and diving and Durban, the largest city, has a uniquely Indian atmosphere.
After you've explored the coast, it's time for the mountains. The Drakensberg is Southern Africa's biggest mountain range. Part of the Drakensberg is the Maluti Mountains, which make up most of the country of Lesotho. From Lesotho, continue on into South Africa's Free State province. Here the sandstone cliffs are soon replaced by vast plains covered in cornfields and sunflowers.
Johannesburg is about 4 hours north of Bloemfontein, the Free State capital. It's one of Africa's largest cities and home to its busiest airport. The South African capital Pretoria is close by and from these two cities, you can do wonderful road trips eastwards to the subtropical Lowveld region with the Kruger National Park as well as to Swaziland and Mozambique.
You can also head northwards instead. Drive through the wooded Bushveld region where you'll find plenty of game farms and will start seeing boabab trees. At Musina, cross the Limpopo River into Zimbabwe. Then explore Bulawayo and the Hwange National Park before spending some time at the Victoria Falls and Lake Kariba. Afterwards, continue on into Zambia.
After Zambia, go south again to Botswana. Go game-viewing in the lush northern parts of this pleasant country and spend some time in the Okavango Delta. Further south is the Kalahari Desert. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park covers a large part of the Kalahari in Botswana, South Africa and Namibia. Namibia is also home to the Namib Desert with its high sand dunes and the country has a German flavor.
Roads in the region vary in quality but in general you won't need an off-road vehicle. Distances can be large and it's easy to become fatigued if you don't take regular breaks. This is especially important if you're not used to driving on the left. Luckily finding a car for rent is easy, with major companies having branches in all the region's cities.
One of Southern Africa's most popular destinations is the Western Cape province of South Africa. This is home to gorgeous Cape Town, which is a good city to fly into. From Cape Town, head northwards to the Cape Winelands or up along the rugged West Coast. Otherwise, head east through the semi-arid Little Karoo region. You can also stick to the coastal route known as the Garden Route with its forests.
The Wild Coast region is located in the Eastern Cape province. Here the landscape is rugged and the lifestyle is very much rural and traditional. The beaches are quiet but if you prefer more developed holiday resorts, continue northwards to the KwaZulu-Natal province and the Hibiscus Coast. This province offers great surfing and diving and Durban, the largest city, has a uniquely Indian atmosphere.
After you've explored the coast, it's time for the mountains. The Drakensberg is Southern Africa's biggest mountain range. Part of the Drakensberg is the Maluti Mountains, which make up most of the country of Lesotho. From Lesotho, continue on into South Africa's Free State province. Here the sandstone cliffs are soon replaced by vast plains covered in cornfields and sunflowers.
Johannesburg is about 4 hours north of Bloemfontein, the Free State capital. It's one of Africa's largest cities and home to its busiest airport. The South African capital Pretoria is close by and from these two cities, you can do wonderful road trips eastwards to the subtropical Lowveld region with the Kruger National Park as well as to Swaziland and Mozambique.
You can also head northwards instead. Drive through the wooded Bushveld region where you'll find plenty of game farms and will start seeing boabab trees. At Musina, cross the Limpopo River into Zimbabwe. Then explore Bulawayo and the Hwange National Park before spending some time at the Victoria Falls and Lake Kariba. Afterwards, continue on into Zambia.
After Zambia, go south again to Botswana. Go game-viewing in the lush northern parts of this pleasant country and spend some time in the Okavango Delta. Further south is the Kalahari Desert. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park covers a large part of the Kalahari in Botswana, South Africa and Namibia. Namibia is also home to the Namib Desert with its high sand dunes and the country has a German flavor.
Roads in the region vary in quality but in general you won't need an off-road vehicle. Distances can be large and it's easy to become fatigued if you don't take regular breaks. This is especially important if you're not used to driving on the left. Luckily finding a car for rent is easy, with major companies having branches in all the region's cities.
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