South Africa Cities: Cultural Centres

South African cities are the meeting places for cultures across Africa, making them interesting places to include on Southern Africa holidays. Local vendors sell you their traditional African crafts in the streets outside international designer stores, and Indian spice shops are just next door. It’s one of the few places in the world where you see women in traditional African dress carrying their shopping on their heads, walking past businessmen busy on their Blackberries.

Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg are the most popular cities visited by tourists on Southern Africa holidays. In Cape Town, Long Street is the place to be seen, where you can dine at a deli on the pavement and just watch the passers by. You will see trendy and alternative socialites strut past, followed by Rastafarians offering to sell you their stock. You’ll see hippies wandering around with no shoes on, and people wearing traditional African dress.

Durban’s city centre is less of a tourist destination, but a stroll down the two main streets, West Street and Smith Street, will certainly be an experience while on a South Africa holiday. During the week the streets are packed with hoards of people. With every step you take, someone will try and sell you anything ranging from cheap perfume to the love potions of a local Zulu sangoma (witch doctor). While these streets are overwhelmingly busy, it is certainly an interesting experience to be had on a Southern Africa holiday.

Johannesburg’s city centre is not really one worth exploring, but the busy areas outside the centre are great for shopping and socialising with the South African elite. An abundance of designer stores will keep you shopping for days in areas such as Sandton, and you can find something to wear out to any one of the hip clubs in this busy city, keeping you entertained on your luxury travels in South Africa.

South Africa’s Seashore

Known as a destination for beach holidays, spending time on the sunny coast when on a South Africa holiday is a must. Throughout the country, there is an abundance of beautiful beaches, and whichever coastal region you pick, you can be sure to find a great beach.

In Cape Town, Camps Bay and Clifton beaches on the Atlantic Seaboard are tourist hot-spots. The views on the drive down to the beach are breathtaking, and the sunsets are definitely postcard-worthy. But for a less crowded and more natural beach experience, beaches a little outside the city are like hidden treasures. Scarborough (on the other side of the mountain) has a more untouched feel to it, with fewer people and no beachside shops. The beaches along the West Coast are wilder and attract fewer crowds, and they’re only about an hour’s drive from the city centre, making for a beautiful day out on while on you Southern Africa travels.

In KwaZulu-Natal, Durban’s city beaches are best avoided. In summer, they are packed with locals and tourists trying to escape the heat, and can quickly become overcrowded. About 40 minutes outside of Durban lies Umhlanga and Umhloti, and while these beaches are very popular with the tourists, they have a far more relaxed feel to them. You can wander down the shores as you search rock pools for sea creatures, or simply lie on the sand and absorb the sunshine. These beaches lie on the Indian Ocean so the water is warm, but you have to be careful because the currents are extremely forceful. Lifeguards are always on hand, however, and are ready to rescue you should you find yourself in a spot of trouble. A Southern Africa travel experience to the beaches outside Durban is sure to be a relaxing summer holiday.

Seeing the Big 5 on Safari

The best game reserve in South Africa for an authentic safari experience while on a luxury African holiday has to be the Kruger National Park. A short flight from Johannesburg, this reserve is easily accessible yet set away from the cities. The reserve boasts great game viewing, and seeing all the members of Africa’s Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) is almost a guarantee.

A Kruger Park safari is the perfect addition to you luxury travels in South Africa, with many of the lodges offering 5 star accommodation. You can relax in your African, air-conditioned chalet, and listen to the sounds of the bush that surrounds you. And if you’re lucky, you could even spot giraffe stalking along the horizon from your bed.