Location Information

Cape Town, South Africa
Language: English
Currency: Rands

The Republic of South Africa, is the country at the southern tip of Africa.South Africa shares borders with the Atlantic and Indian oceans, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho.

The history of South Africa is marked by migration, ethnic conflict, and the anti-Apartheid struggle. The Khoisan peoples are the aboriginal people of the region who have lived there for millennia. Black African South Africans are believed to originate from the Great Lakes region of Africa in prehistoric times. Whites in South Africa, descendants of later European migrations, regard themselves equally as products of South Africa, as do South Africa's Coloureds, Indians, Asians and Jews.

Climatic conditions generally range from Mediterranean in the south-western corner of the country to temperate in the interior plateau, and subtropical in the northeast. A small area in the northwest has a desert climate. Most of the country has warm, sunny days and cool nights. Rainfall generally occurs during summer (November through March), although in the southwest, around Cape Town, rainfall occurs in winter (June to August).

The Big Five, those animals the great white hunters considered the most dangerous to hunt, are also some of the most exciting African animals to spot in the wild: lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard are all resident in the Kruger National Park With sharp eyes, and the often sharper eyes and keen knowledge of a ranger, you too can get close enough to get a good picture.

Between June and November, Southern Right Whales congregate in the warm shallow waters around South Africa to mate, calve and nurse their young. Hermanus is known as the world's top land-based whale watching destination. In fact they host a very popular Whale Festival in September, with markets, music and comedy.

Bask in the aerial view of Cape Town and her beautiful surroundings from the top of Table Mountain. How you get to the top is entirely up to you - there are many options: there's the cable car, or for those who prefer the more arduous route, there is the climb. How you get down again is also entirely up to you - there's always abseiling. The wine growing area around Stellenbosch and Paarl is an easy 40 minute drive from Cape Town, but feels like a different time and place. Situated in the fertile valleys of the Drakenstein Mountains are the old wine estates of the Cape. These often date back hundreds of years and still boast manor houses in the original Cape Dutch style, retaining the elegance and grandeur of a bygone era.

South Africa can be said to have a real "eating out" culture. While there are some restaurants that specialize in traditional South African dishes or modern interpretations thereof, restaurants featuring other cuisines such as Moroccan, Chinese, West African, Congolese and Japanese can be found in all of the major cities and many of the larger towns. In addition, there are also a large number of home-grown chain restaurants.

South Africans love to party and socialize, hence you will be able to find at least one bar or some kind of entertainment in even the smallest of dorpies (little towns)!

Cape Town is the third most populous city in South Africa. It is the provincial capital of the Western Cape, as well as the legislative capital of South Africa, where the National Parliament and many government offices are located. Cape Town is famous for its harbour as well as its natural setting in the Cape floral kingdom, including such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. Often regarded as one of the world's most beautiful cities because of its geography, Cape Town is one of the most popular South African destinations for tourism.

Vasco da Gama recorded a sighting of the Cape of Good Hope in 1497, and the area did not have regular contact with Europeans until 1652, when the Netherlands' Jan van Riebeeck and other employees of the Dutch East India Company (Dutch: VOC) were sent to the Cape to establish a way-station for ships travelling to the Dutch East Indies. The city grew slowly during this period, as it was hard to find adequate labour. This labour shortage prompted the city to import slaves from Indonesia and Madagascar; many of whom would come to form the first of the Cape Coloured communities. The discovery of diamonds in Griqualand West in 1869, and gold on the Witwatersrand in 1886, near the present-day city of Johannesburg prompted a massive gold rush. Johannesburg grew rapidly as the country was flooded with immigrants.

The centre of Cape Town is located at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula. Table Mountain forms a dramatic backdrop to the city bowl, with its plateau over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) high; it is surrounded by near-vertical cliffs, Devil's Peak and Lion's Head. Sometimes a thin strip of cloud forms over the mountain, and owing to its appearance, it is affectionately known as the "tablecloth".

The Cape Peninsula has a Mediterranean climate with well-defined seasons. In winter, which lasts from May to September, large cold fronts come across from the Atlantic Ocean with heavy precipitation and strong north-westerly winds. The winter months are cool, with an average minimum temperature of 7 °C (45 °F). Summer lasts from November to March, which is warm and dry. The Peninsula gets frequent strong winds from the south-east, known locally as the Cape Doctor, because it blows away pollution and cleans the air.

The South African National Gallery hosts regular exhibitions ranging from contemporary African photography to globally-acclaimed artists. Festivals of the arts occur every summer at leading winelands destinations, while the Cape's "Secret Season" - over the cosy mid-year winter months - offers many a day's entertainment.

When Cape Town dims her lights after dinner, it’s time for the real fun to start. Take your pick of the numerous nightclubs, discotheques , wine-bars, music pubs, cocktail lounges and restaurants. The Waterfront, Sea Point, Camps Bay, Observatory and lower Cape Town buzz until the early hours. The Drum Café is the place to go for a real ethnic experience. For a more mellow evening, try out Kennedy’s Cigar Bar, or East City Café, reminiscent of an exclusive 1920’s cigar lounge, with the cigars and bourbons to prove it. For live entertainment of the arty sort, treat yourself to a night at the Nico Theatre, the Baxter, Maynardville, Spier or Theatre on the Bay. These venues combine food or drink with jazz, cabaret, Shakespeare, musicals…

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