Content
- What to see in South Africa in a week
- Kruger National Park
- Cape Winelands
- Drakensberg - Dragons Mountains
- Flowering of Jacaranda in Pretoria
- Garden Route
- Namaqua National Park: the blooming desert
What to see in South Africa in a week, 10 days of vacation? How to organize a functional and not too exhausting program, to enjoy the holiday in the best way and be able to see an interesting number of attractions?
If you are planning a holiday in South Africa for a week or so, in this article we will provide you with some important tips to better organize your tourist activities in the country. In South Africa, there are truly incredible places: unique landscapes capable of giving visitors unparalleled naturalistic experiences. For this reason, organizing an itinerary in South Africa in a week is not an easy task: given that for this purpose it is necessary to have a thorough knowledge of the area, to define and identify the places to visit in a week it will inevitably be necessary to make a selection. In fact, in a week or 10 days there will not be time to visit many places, given the great natural offer offered by South Africa.
Here is a short selection of the best itineraries that you can decide to visit on a short or very short holiday in South Africa.
Kruger National Park
The Kruger National Park is probably an essential itinerary for any holiday in South Africa that can be defined as such. The park was founded in 1898 and can now boast the presence of two million hectares of extension, thus earning the title of one of the largest national parks on the planet. Inside the park live an incredible number of animal and plant species. In its two million hectares of extension, there are:
- 336 tree species
- 49 species of fish
- 34 species of amphibians
- 114 species of reptiles
- 507 bird species
- 147 species of mammals
Given the great variety of fauna present in the Kruger Park, during a visit it will not be difficult to come across one of the African Big Five or many other animal and plant species. The Kruger Park is mainly divided into two macro areas: a private area that offers tourists the possibility of a visit with the support of a private guide, staying overnight within the territory of the park. The second area, on the other hand, is public and can only be explored with the help of a rental car. The two areas of the park are adjacent and without fencing, thus allowing animals to circulate freely.
Cape Winelands
The Winelands are located about 40 kilometers from Cape Town. This territory is characterized by the presence of traditional Dutch-style colonial farms, in an enchanting landscape context. This scenario represents something truly unique and unexpected, completely different from the stereotype of the classic African safari. In this landscape context there is a succession of small villages of rare beauty, with Cape Dutch style buildings, surrounded by large rows of vines, orchards and vegetable gardens.
To better enjoy this fantastic area, our advice is to participate in one of the many local wine tastings. These places can boast the presence of over 200 local wine producers: this region was the first in the country to organize an interesting tasting itinerary and visit the cellars.
Drakensberg - Dragon's Mountains
The Dragons Mountains rise on the border between South Africa and Lesotho: it is one of the most incredible and evocative mountain ranges in the world. In the year 2000, the Drakensbergs were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Imagine walking an escarpment of over 1000 kilometers of rocky and jagged walls, which end their journey near the ocean.
Inside the Dragon's Mountains there is Tugela, the second-highest waterfall on the planet. The Dragons Mountains are also known as the Ramsar Site, due to the large presence of high-altitude swamps, protected by the Ramsar Convention. This mountainous territory, as well as from a naturalistic and landscape point of view, is also very important from a historical and cultural point of view. In fact, in these mountains there are a considerable number of rock carvings: the highest concentration in all of sub-Saharan Africa.
Jacaranda flowering in Pretoria
In the city of Pretoria every spring there is a moment of rare naturalistic beauty. Imagine the flowering of around 70,000 Jacaranda plants. From the end of September to the end of November in the South African city, it is possible to enjoy the beauty of these flowers of Brazilian origin. Some of the oldest trees of this species are found in the Cilliers Street area. On the other hand, it is possible to admire the greatest concentration of Jacaranda plants near the Klapperkop Nature Reserve.
In the flowering period, Jacaranda trees are so spectacular that they transform Pretoria into a kind of flower carpet. If you are in South Africa at this time of the year, you cannot miss this incredible spectacle of nature.
Garden Route
The Garden Route is one of the most beautiful and exciting scenic roads in all of South Africa. This scenic route extends from the city of Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, respectively. The main artery of the road section is the N2: this is a beautiful route characterized by many places of interest, reachable by secondary roads and small detours along the route.
If you decide to take the Garden Route, in this case there is no more suitable time of year to come across this road. The reason is to be found in the fact that this road in South Africa holds the Guinness record of the most temperate climate in the whole country: it will never go below 18 degrees centigrade.
Namaqua National Park: the blooming desert
Another very interesting naturalistic attraction of the country is represented by the Namaqua National Park, located on the border with Namibia. During the spring season the park is literally submerged in flowers, in its extension of over 700 square kilometers. Bumping into the park at this time of the year, it seems to be walking the streets and paths of an impressionist painting. The alternating colors are mainly lilac, bright yellow and white. In this park there are approximately 4,000 species of flowers that grow on its territory, including lily, aloe and a great variety of wild plants.