Table of Contents

Introduction vii
Introducing South Africa 1
1 Background 3
History 5
Economy and infrastructure 19
2 The Natural World 23
Geology, geography and climate 24
Habitats and vegetation 25
Wildlife 34
3 Planning a Trip 57
When to visit 58
Booking a trip 59
Your itinerary: 20 top attractions 62
Red tape 71
Getting there 71
Health and safety 72
What to take 75
Organising your finances 78
4 On the Ground 81
Health and safety in South Africa 82
Banking and foreign exchange 86
On safari: locating wildlife 87
Eating and drinking 94
Shopping 97
Media and communications 97
Business 100
Car rental and domestic flights 100

South Africa Highlights 101
5 Johannesburg and the Northwest 103
Gauteng 104
Northwest Province 122
6 Kruger and the Northeast 129
Mbombela and the Panorama Route 132
Kruger National Park 139
7 KwaZulu-Natal 165
Durban and the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast 166
Zululand 174
uKhahlamba-Drakensberg and the
KwaZulu-Natal Midlands 188
8 Eastern Cape and the Garden Route 201
Eastern Cape 202
The Garden Route 218
9 The Western Cape 231
History 232
Cape Town 234
The Cape Peninsula 258
The Boland, Overberg and West Coast 267
South African English 285
Selected reading 288
Index 292

About the Author

Africa expert Philip Briggs has written more than ten Bradt travel guides and has contributed to numerous other books, travel and wildlife magazines.

Reviews

'[Philip Briggs] is clearly not only an expert on travel in Africa but also someone who cares deeply about the countries he is visiting.'
Traveller Magazine