Kiboko Tour
Whatever our preconceived notions of South Africa may have been, these were forever altered following a recent Kiboko tour of that country. Never had we expected that the “Rainbow Nation” would embody such diverse and majestic landscapes. From Kruger Park's rugged savannah to the lush and mountainous Cape region, we were treated to one scenic delight after another. Her eastern coastline alone rivals Oregon's in beauty! Never had we dreamt we would see such a vast array of wildlife, including the ever-sought-after “Big Five”. It's one thing to see an elephant at the zoo, quite another to watch as a herd of elephants leisurely crosses the road in front of your vehicle. Never would we have anticipated the sumptuousness of our “three star” accommodations that, more often than not, were comparable to North America's four or even five star lodgings. And as impressed as we were with the food, so too were we amazed by the low cost of liquor ($2 Heineken anyone?) South Africa has come a long way since Apartheid's demise. As travel destinations go, she is a veritable hidden gem that will forever remain one of the most incredible and rewarding experiences of our lives.
Submitted by:
Maurice D., Lakefield
With more than 3 000 kilometres of coastline, the country possesses many unspoiled beaches and an incredible diversity of marine life. The Namaqualand daisies are a sight to behold, exploding with bright coloured, dainty flowers after the winter rains. To the north of Johannesburg, the altitude drops and turns into an area of mixed dry forest, featuring an abundance of wildlife, including elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo and rhinos. For active travellers, the Drakensberg Mountains are the ideal destination for mountain climbing, hiking or more relaxing nature walks and are also the site of bushman rock art sites.
South Africa is a large country with diverse climactic regions but, in general, the weather is sunny and hot from December to April (summer) and mild from May to November (winter). Winters in the Cape are cold and wet, and snow falls on the mountain ranges both here and in Natal. The northern areas experience thunderstorms regularly during evenings in the summer months, and winters are usually warm during the day and cold at night.
Capital City: Pretoria (executive), Bloemfontein (judicial), Cape Town (legislative)
Currency: South African rand
Language(s) Spoken: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu.
