South Africa Safaris South Africa is a country offering nature in all its finest forms. With many immaculately managed game areas there are few better places to safari or to explore on holiday. MAP of SOUTH AFRICA In the north-east, the Kruger National Park and the adjoining private reserves offer a huge variety of accommodation from luxurious lodges, such as the Londolozi Camps to simple tented rooms as at Rhino Walking Safaris. Safaris are conducted in open vehicles or you can walk with an armed guide. At Honeyguide, complete walking safaris are available, whilst at Wait a Little Riding Safaris in Mpumalanga and Ants Nest in the Waterberg, horse safaris are an exciting way of seeing game at close quarters. These game experiences combine well with a few nights in a nearby country house hotel such as Cybele Forest Lodge or Blue Mountain Lodge. Both these hotels offer private cottages with swimming pools and serve excellent food and wine. Rissington Inn is also comfortable and is a good base from which to explore the Kruger and the nearby mountains. The coast is best seen either along the Garden Route, running from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, or along the subtropical coast north from Durban. Both these coastline routes can easily be combined with game safaris. In the Cape's fertile valleys lie gracious houses surrounded by vineyards and mountains. Here, the Cellars Hohenhort and Constantia Uitsig provide excellent accommodation from which you can explore Cape Town and the Peninsula. On the coast the Bay Hotel at Camps Bay and the Marine Hotel at Hermanus both offer stylish beach accommodation or you can stay in one of the many pleasant guest houses or apartment hotels. In contrast, the Drakensberg Mountains and the Natal Midlands offer comfortable lodges backed by stunning mountain scenery. Special interest locations such as the battlefields at Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift, and the nearby Boer war battlefields offer fascinating insights into the history of this area, easily accessible from Fugitives Drift Lodge. In the Western Cape in September there are spectacular spring flowers. From May to November the Southern Right Whales on the Garden Route coast at Plettenburg Bay and  Hermanus are a memorable sight. Self-drive is popular for family holidays giving you time to relish this country's space and beauty. There are many good bed and breakfasts and superior guest houses, such as Four Rosmead in Cape Town, Auberge Clermont in Franschhoek, Emily Moon River Lodge in Plettenberg and Cleopatra's Mountain Lodge in the Drakensberg. Please ask us for details on our special 'Drive as you please' packages that include car hire and flights with a choice of over 230 guest houses throughout the country. These trips are very flexible and allow you to change your itinerary at will. Rail enthusiasts can travel on the Blue Train or Rovos Rail between Cape Town, Pretoria and Victoria Falls. Both trains also offer occasional journeys to the Kruger National Park, along the Garden Route from Cape Town or to the deserts of Namibia. For the more adventurous, South Africa offers river descents and canoeing safaris, scuba diving, walking, deep sea fishing and superb golf (see below). Golfing Holidays in South Africa For the visitor, South Africa is renowned for its game parks, wine region and enthusiasm for sport. Golf is a major sport in South Africa having been played there for over a hundred years, and many of the attractive courses are as interesting and traditional as old clubs in UK. In addition there are many beautiful new championship courses, more on the American style, built in the spectacular and varied coastal scenery. The mixture of Mediterranean and tropical climates provides superb conditions to play golf. Courses are beautifully maintained and inexpensive (£5-£25) RECOMMENDED COURSES AND HOTELS CAPE AREA Hotels: Mount Nelson, Table Bay, Cellars Hohenort, Constantia Uitsig, Ellerman House and Cape Grace Courses: Royal Cape Golf Club, Clovelly, Milnerton, Erinvale, Stellenbosch GARDEN ROUTE Hotels: Fancourt Hotel and Country Club, The Plettenberg, Hunter's Country House, The Western Cape Hotel & Spa, and The Marine Courses: Fancourt Country Club, The Western Cape Hotel, George Golf Club and Plettenberg Golf Club NATAL Hotels: The Royal, Durban, Selborne Country Lodge and Zimbali Courses: Durban Country Club, Selborne Country Club, Mount Edgcombe Country Club, and Zimbali SUN CITY Hotels: The Palace and Tshukudu Game Lodge Courses: Gary Player Country Club and Lost City Golf Course. SAFARI LODGES For those wishing to include a safari with their golf holiday. Recommended safari lodges include Londolozi, Mala Mala, Leopard Hills, Savanna, Kings Camp and Ngala. These lodges are near Kruger National Park, in Mpumalamga, in the north east of the country. They are easily accessible by air from the golfing areas further south. LANGUAGE English and Afrikaans. African languages include Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, Shangaan, Ndebele, Swazi and Venda. FOOD AND DRINK Most of the food in the hotels or lodges is based on European cuisine and is of a high standard. SEASONS Natal Mpumalanga and Transvaal Cape SUMMER October to March Hot and humid. Hot with thunder showers. Hot and dry. WINTER April to September Warm and dry. Warm days and cold nights. Can be cool and stormy. BEST October to April CLIMATE South Africa has a sunny, pleasant climate. The Western Cape has a Mediterranean climate with generally dry summers (October to March) when the temperature averages around 20 degrees Celsius. Most of the rain falls in winter. The Natal coast may be extremely humid in February with temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius. On the highveld in summer rain may fall in thunder showers. In the winter the nights are cold and crisp with the days warm and dry. Snow falls over the Drakensberg and the southern Cape Mountains in winter. In and around Johannesburg winter temperatures average 15.5 degrees Celsius but the nights are cold. The best time to visit is between September and May. Avg Monthly Temperature (max F) Avg Monthly Rainfall (inches) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec CT 78 01 79 00 77 01 72 02 67 06 65 03 63 06 64 03 65 2 70 1 75 1 76 1 Durb 82 05 82 04 82 05 78 04 75 02 73 01 73 01 73 01 73 2 75 4 77 4 80 5 Jo'b 77 04 77 04 75 03 69 02 66 01 60 01 62 01 66 01 73 1 75 3 75 3 77 4