Travel guide to South Africa

Kruger National Park Witness another side of life: a Kruger Park safari will take you to an enormous wilderness of high drama and sheer delight, of crisp early mornings and soft-edged evenings, where palatial accommodation and top-drawer guiding sit alongside subtle insights into conservation, local empowerment and culture. And even better, you don't have to join the crowds: experience the privacy and exclusivity of a Big 5 Kruger Park safari at one of the private reserves or concessions in or adjoining the Kruger National Park where the 'wow factor' is standard.

Garden Route Garden Route holidays are your chance to explore South Africa's natural playground, where families, adventurers, nature-lovers and romantics come together to find a blended experience of beauty, action and indulgence.

The Company’s garden This blissful oasis of shade and greenery at the heart of Cape Town is surrounded by the city’s most important concentration of old buildings and museums. It was established by Jan van Riebeeck in 1652, just weeks after his arrival at the Cape, to provide fresh produce to passing Dutch ships. By the 18th century, what was created as a vegetable patch had transformed into a world-renowned botanical garden that spread over 18 hectares (44 acres) and exported bulbs and other produce to Europe. Today, the garden is a popular lunchtime retreat for city workers. The park-like lawns are inhabited by flocks of feral pigeons and tame squirrels and offer stunning views of the ragged cliffs of Table Mountain.

Rose Garden -* The garden was the site of the Cape’s first wine-producing vine and a source of rose-water in the Dutch era. A central memorial is dedicated to HIV/AIDS victims.

South African National Gallery -*From an initial bequest of 45 paintings in 1871, the gallery is now the sub-Saharan region’s leading art museum. Apart from its African and European collections, it also features temporary exhibitions

Castle of Good hope Constructed between 1666 and 1679, the imposing Castle of Good Hope is the oldest functional building in South Africa. Pentagonal in shape, the castle was built with slate quarried on Robben Island and sandstone from Lion’s Head, a small mountain which is sandwiched between Table Mountain and Signal Hill. The original position of the castle was right alongside Table Bay to protect the nascent Dutch settlement from naval invasion. Having long outlived its original function – the seaward wall now stands about 1 km (half a mile) inland after land reclamation – the castle serves as the military headquarters of the Western Cape. Following an extensive program of restoration that took place during 1969–93, it now houses two permanent museums and hosts occasional temporary exhibitions.

Features:

Good Hope Art Workshop -*This community project offers a working space to aspiring young artists. Visitors are welcome to watch artists at work or view completed canvases

Military Museum-*The Cape’s military past, from the first clash between Bartolomeu Dias and the locals in 1488 to the 1899–1902 Anglo-Boer War, is documented here

Simon’s Town Boulders Beach South Africa’s third-oldest settlement, Simon’s Town is named after Governor Simon van der Stel, who selected its harbour as a safe alternative to Table Bay during the stormy Cape winter. The town has a strong historical feel, reflecting its 160-year tenure as Britain’s main regional naval base, prior to being handed over to the South African navy in 1957. But far from being the boozy sailors’ hangout one might expect, Simon’s Town comes across as oddly subdued and genteel. It is lent a distinct character by its wealth of Victorian architecture and lovely location on the steep slopes of the Cape Peninsula above a string of sandy beaches. Most famous of these is Boulders Beach, with its recently founded colony of 3,000 penguins.

Features:

Simon’s Town Railway-*The Metrorail service that begins in Cape Town is one of the world’s great suburban train rides, offering a giddying seriesof beachfront views across False Bay before terminating at Simon’s Town’s Victorian railway station.

Foxy Beach -*Reached by a pair of boardwalks, sandy Foxy Beach lies at the heart of the African penguin colony. You can glimpse several hundred penguins surfing, squabbling, sunbathing or strutting around.

Willis Walk -*Situated outside the national park, this wheelchair-friendly boardwalk offers opportunities to spot penguins and their offspring, and fynbos birds such as Cape canaries and martins

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