South Africa is one of the world's most geographically and culturally diverse countries. The southwestern Cape region — Cape Town, the Cape Winelands, the Garden Route — combines one of the world's most beautiful cities (Cape Town, with Table Mountain rising directly above the waterfront) with a wine-growing landscape that produces Pinotage, Chenin Blanc, and Sauvignon Blanc of genuine quality. The Garden Route south coast connects a series of coastal towns, lagoons, and indigenous forests.
South Africa is one of the world's most geographically and culturally diverse countries. The southwestern Cape region — Cape Town, the Cape Winelands, the Garden Route — combines one of the world's most beautiful cities (Cape Town, with Table Mountain rising directly above the waterfront) with a wine-growing landscape that produces Pinotage, Chenin Blanc, and Sauvignon Blanc of genuine quality. The Garden Route south coast connects a series of coastal towns, lagoons, and indigenous forests.
The Kruger National Park in the northeast is the continent's most accessible major game reserve — self-drive safaris encounter lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, and rhinoceros without guides or hot-air balloons. Johannesburg's inner city has undergone a cultural renaissance centred on the Maboneng Precinct and the Apartheid Museum. The country's history — the diamond and gold rushes, the Anglo-Boer War, the apartheid regime, and Nelson Mandela's extraordinary arc — is told honestly at sites across the country.
