Exploring South Africa

Often cited as "a world in one country" and the "Rainbow Nation", South Africa is a beautiful mixture of colours, languages, races and cultures sculpted into a wonderfully diverse environment and atmosphere.

Since the release of Nelson Mandela, South Africa has been allowed to fully blossom into the beautiful country that it is today, offering visitors an unbelievable amount to explore.

One of the gateway cities to South Africa is Cape Town, which offers the lure of a fully developed 1^st world city coupled with the excitement of exploring the countries vibrant environment.

The city is backed by possibly its main landmark - Table Mountain. Which, at a little over 3,500 ft high offers breathtaking views over the city, coast and surrounding landscape; and with the Table Mountain Cableway this is easily achieved!

The largest, wealthiest and most popular city in South Africa is Johannesburg. Home to more than 10 million people, the city is and ever expanding sprawl of life.

Care should be taken when exploring the city as a strong division has been made between the rich and poor and thus has been heavily policed.

By far the most exciting way to explore the country is by car. Hiring a car is easily achieved in one of the countries major cities, and if one of the main car rental companies is used then one-way drop offs are likely to be a reality.

This will become invaluable if you wish to take the "Garden Route", which sweeps round the southern coast, offering a non-stop stream of breathtaking views.

Again, safety is and issue and it's important to stop off somewhere safe to avoid having to drive at night as the roads become less developed once out of the cities.

Check out my other travels on Dan in Australia: Australia Travel Blog