Pretoria

1,219,912 km²
(29.4x the Netherlands)

UTC +2

English, African Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Xhosa

Injasuti - 3,446 m

The current flag was adopted after the apartheid in 1994. The Y shape defines a united nation. Red represents the blood, blue represents the blue sky, the green represents the country of South Africa, black represents the coloured South Africans and the white represents the white South Africans. Yellow represents the country's natural resources.

The South African Rand is derived from a gold vein in Witwatersrand. It was introduced in 1961. It replaces the South African pound. Depicted on the banknote are rhinos.

In 1652 Jan van Riebeeck built the fortress Good Hope on the location of present day Cape Town. the city has approximately 3.5 million inhabitants. The location of Cape Town is magnificent. A semicircular bay at the foot of the 1086 meter high table mountain. The most people visit table mountain, the V&A waterfront and the colorful district Bo-kaap. Table Mountain is a 1086 meter high mountain massif with a flat top which dominates the north side of the Cape peninsula. The north wall overlooks the city center, with Lion's Head and Signal Hill at the west side and Devil's Peak to the east. The modern Swiss cable car runs from the base station at 200 meters to the top of table mountain. From the top the view is amazing. You can also take a circular hike of a few kilometers. The Twelve Apostles is a row of jagged rocks that run south on the west side of the Cape peninsula.

The V&A waterfront is a large complex on the harbor with a three floor shopping mall, numerous restaurants and activities such as the Aquarium, boat trips and helicopter tours.

The old Bo Kaap neighborhood is located on the slopes of Signal Hill. It is one of the oldest residential areas of Cape Town. The streets consist of brightly colored, 19th century terraced houses in Dutch and Gregorian style.



Established in 1964, Tsitsikamma National Park is the highlight of the Garden Route. It consists of a narrow coastal strip that begins just past Keurboomstrand in the west and extends for a distance of 68 km across the Eastern Cape. The park entrance is near the Storms River mouth. A beautiful 3 km long hike starts along the rugged coast to the west at the first camping spot that you reach via the asphalt road. It is a part of the Otter Trail to a pool at the bottom of a 50 meter high waterfall. The hike climbs and descends via a path along impressive rock formations. Not an easy walk. Only persons with a permit can go past the waterfall and continue walking the four-day Otter Trail. Less difficult is the 1 km long walk on the restaurant's plank path to the suspension bridge from where you can see the mouth of the Storms river.

The Cango Caves are among the ten most popular attractions in South Africa. Cango is a Khoi word meaning 'wet place'. The caves are millions of years old but the stalactite formations are only 100,000 years old. Jacobus van Zyl explored the cave in 1780. The standard tour lasts an hour and passes through the first six rooms. Van Zyl's room is more than 90 meters long, 50 meters at its widest point and between 14 and 18 meters high. Nearly 100 meters of sandstone separates it from the open air above. The furthest space on the regular tour, the Drum Room, is 500 meters from the entrance. For people who are not claustrophobic there is an adventurous second part. The first and second room are by far the most most beautiful.

The Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve starts from a narrow strip near Graskop in the south and broadens gradually further north to the Blydepoort Dam, to about 60 km away. The Berlin waterfall is just north of Graskop and a little further along the way you come to the vertical cliff and the view of the Lowveld at God's Window, one of the most famous viewpoints. At Bourke's Luck Potholes at the confluence of de Treur and de Blyde you will find a beautiful carved canyon. The most beautiful view is 14 km away, at Three Rondavels. These are three rocks in the shape of huts in front of the lowveld. because of the fog and rain, the South African summer is not the best time to visit when you want to enjoy beautiful views here.

The Kruger National Park is the symbol of South African tourism. The park covers 19,485 km². It is a narrow strip of land along the Mozambican border. From the north entrance to the southernmost entrance leads a 414 km long asphalt road from which many well-maintained gravel roads lead past the wildlife. The park is 65 km wide. Parts of the park were declared a protected area in 1898 after which it became a national park in 1926. The southern part contains the largest concentration of animals and is the most accessible part.

The best game reserve in KwaZulu-Natal is Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. This is the oldest national park in Africa. It was established in 1895. According to many, the park is more beautiful than the Kruger because it is rougher. The park also has the best hiking routes of the country. The best chance to see white and black rhinos is here. The park used to consist of two separate parts. Both parts have their own character. In the 19th century Imfolozi was the hunting ground of Zulu king Shaka.

The northern Drakensberg consists of the Royal Natal National Park which was founded in 1916. The most beautiful part is the Amphitheater, a crescent shaped rock wall of 5 km where the Tugela River crashes down. An absolute must is the Tugela canyon hike, a fantastic hike which has a light ascend towards the rock face of the Amphitheater. The hike becomes difficult at the fork of the canyon where you have to use ladders and then through iron wires and climb up by rock driven pins. The Tugela falls plunge down from the 947 meters high wall. The park was given the title 'royal' in 1947 when queen Elizabeth visited the park. The three major summits are the Sentinel (3,165 meters), the Eastern Buttress (3,048 meters) and the Mont Aux Sources (3,282 meters). The name of the highest summit was given by French missionaries in 1878. Five rivers start their journey from this summit.

Founded in 1786, Graaff Reinet is the fifth-oldest kolonial settlement in South Africa. The town was built in Cape Dutch style. Steve Biko was born here and his grave is in King William's Town. The flourishing wool industry in 1855 brought prosperity to the city. The Nether German reformed church is located in the center. It was built in 1886. On both sides of Church Street you'll find whitewashed buildings in Dutch, Georgian and Victorian style. The Hester Rupert Art Museum is located next to the restored missionary church which dates from 1821. Camdeboo National Park is 5 km north of town center. The best part is the Valley of Desolation. The view from the rim of the canyon over the plains of Camdeboo is splendid.

The Cape Peninsula is located south of Cape Town. On the way to Cape point, the following places are worth a visit: Simons Town, founded in 1687 as port for the VOC. It is the second second oldest European settlement and main naval port in South Africa. It still has many old houses. In 1795 the British used Simons town as a bridgehead for their first invasion and occupation of the Cape. They left seven years later to return in 1806. Simons town remained a British base until it was transferred to South Africa in 1957. Boulders is named after the huge granite boulders where a colony of African penguins live. You can admire them from up close from a boardwalk. Table Mountain National Park (Cape of Good Hope) is located at the far end of the peninsula. The reserve is perched atop huge sea cliffs with great views. At the parking lot you can walk up (or go by cable car) to the Cape Point lighthouse. There are 2,256 plant species on the peninsula. A second hike leads down from the parking lot the cliffs to the most southwestern part of South Africa. People line up to get photographed at the sign.