South Africa occupies the southern tip of Africa, bordered in the
North by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. South Africa’s
landmass exceeds that of France, Germany and Spain combined and
offers a diversity of cultures, history, heritage, natural beauty
and wildlife to match it’s size.
In the cities of Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, you will
find first world infrastructure,culture and cuisine. Outside of
these centres, the infrastructure remains excellent, but you will
start to experience the more traditional African way of life. This,
mixed with 5 World Heritage sites, some of the most famous Game
Reserves in the world, unspoilt beaches makes for a holiday second
to South Africa none. South Africa also acts as the hub for travel
into much of Southern and East Africa.
A visitor to South Africa has a wide choice of ways to see the
country. The more adventurous or repeat visitor may wish to
tailor-make his holiday, hire a car or jeep and choosing
accommodation along the chosen route. Others may wish to “stay put”
in Cape Town, Durban or any of the other holiday centres, while
others may wish to go on a fully escorted (guided) tour, which is
guaranteed to give the best introduction to the country and its
people. If you are a big game enthusiast, a “Safari” conjures up
some of the most wonderful images of the Big Five & other fauna
and flora found anywhere. Escapades have selected the best game
parks and lodges and the best safaris itineraries under our Game
Lodge packages. Try these and Africa will have you hooked.
South Africa is also fortunate to have a number of justly famous
luxury rail journeys with trains in the caliber of “Blue Train” and
“Rovos Rail” setting the standards. Escapades offer trips of a
lifetime on these and others such as the “Desert Express”
in
Namibia and Shongololo Express. For the young at heart, our
overland camping adventures gives you the flexibility to get off the
well-worn paths and to feel and experience the ‘real’ Africa. We
invite you to browse the following pages for a wide array of travel
options in South Africa.
Popular Tours to South Africa: (for more information, click on the links below)
The only
nation in the world with three capital cities :
Cape
Town, the largest of the three, is the legislative
capital
Pretoria is the administrative
capital
Bloemfontein is the judical capital
OFFICIAL NAME
Republic of
South Africa (formerly Union of South Africa)
VISA
The following
information on entry requirements has been confirmed with the
South African authorities. However, these requirements are
subject to change at any time. It is the traveller’s
responsibility to check with the High
Commission of the Republic of South Africa and its consulates for up-to-date information.
Canadian Citizens do not require a Visa to enter South
Africa.
HEALTH
Health
requirements can change at any time . The Public Health Agency
of Canada strongly recommends that your travel plans include
contacting a travel medicine clinic or physician six to
eight weeks before departure.Based on your individual
riskassessment, a health care professional can determine your
need for immunizations and/or preventive medication
and advise you on precautions to avoid disease. Travelers are
reminded to ensure that their routine (childhood)
immunizations (e.g., tetanus, diphtheria, polio, and measles)
are up to date.
Travelers may be required to show
evidence of a yellow fever vaccination if they are arriving
from countries where yellow fever is endemic.
POPULATION
43,997,838
LOCATION
Southern
Africa, at the southern tip of the continent, bordering the
Atlantic and Indian Oceans, Namibia (967km), Botswana
(1840km), Zimbabwe (225km), Mozambique (419km), Swaziland
(430km) and Lesotho (909lm).
LANGUAGES
There are 11
official languages; Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Sepedi,
Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu.
AREA
Total
1,219,912 square km
Land 1,219,912 square km
Water 0
square km.
(Slightly less than twice the size of
Texas)
COASTLINE
2,798
km
RELIGION
Zion Christian
11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist
6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, Muslim 1.5%, other
Christian 36%, other 2.3% unspecified 1.4%, none
15.1%
CLIMATE
Mostly
semiarid; subtropical along the east coast, sunny days, cool
nights.
