VACATION DETAILS

Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, is situated on Algoa Bay in the Indian Ocean. It is an important seaport and manufacturing centre, as well as a popular resort noted for its fine beaches. Worth visiting are the King George VI Art Gallery, featuring collections of British and South African art; the Port Elizabeth Museum, with natural history exhibits, an oceanarium, and a collection of reptiles; and Fort Frederick, built by the British in 1799. The Addo Elephant National Park is nearby. The community developed around Fort Frederick.

Cape Town is southern Africa's most beautiful, most romantic and most-visited city. Few urban centers anywhere can match its setting along the Cape Peninsula spine, which slides like the mighty tail of the continent into the Atlantic Ocean. By far the most striking - and famous - of its sights is Table Mountain, frequently mantled by clouds, and rearing up from the middle of the city to provide a constantly changing vista to the suburbs below. Table Mountain is the city's solid core which divides the city into distinct zones with public gardens, wilderness, forests, hiking routes, vineyards and desirable residential areas trailing down it's lower slopes.

Excursions

Franschhoek is known as the wine and gourmet capital of South Africa. There are a number or wineries, cellars and shops that offer visitors tours and tastings of the local wines. There are also over 100 of the Nations top restaurants and chefs in the area creating world-class cuisine using the fresh produce and wines from the region. Franschhoek also provides excellent shopping including art shops, antiques, book shops, and a chocolate factory. The rolling hills, surrounding mountains and picturesque vineyards and farms make this the perfect getaway destination.

Knysna nestles on the banks of a beautiful lagoon in the heart of the ‘Garden Route’ of South Africa. It is surrounded by a natural paradise of lush indigenous forests, tranquil lakes and golden beaches, making it a natural wonderland. A moderate climate and a fine selection of accommodation, restaurants and enjoyable activities make Knysna the perfect holiday destination.

Excursions

This enormous and magnificent park is one of the most popular public game parks in the world. Its density of permanent game is unrivalled with hundreds of different species; 507 birds, 336 trees, 147 mammals, 114 reptiles, 49 fish and 34 amphibians! Sighting the "Big Five" has become a quest for many people on safari, and Kruger National Park has more than its fare share of these, with an estimated 1,800 lion, 9,125 elephant, 25,000 buffalo, unknown number of leopards and 2,300 black and white rhino. These animals became the 'Big Five' because they are the five most dangerous animals to hunt - when injured they attack! There are plenty of other fascinating animals and birds in the African bush.

Johannesburg's contrasts are some of the most extreme in the world; poverty-stricken and overcrowded Alexandra is surrounded by some of the richest suburbs in South Africa, and downtown hundreds of homeless struggle to survive around the Stock Exchange. The contrast between suburb and township is mirrored nationwide, but is more extreme here because of the intense wealth of many of the suburbs, and the sheer size of the townships and their satellite squatter camps. Yet the city as a whole continues to suck in people and skills from all over the country, making it the financial, commercial and cultural powerhouse of South Africa.