South Africa:

Many visitors are pleasantly surprised by South Africa's excellent infrastructure, which draws favourable comparison with countries such as Australia or the United States. Good air links and bus networks, excellent roads and a growing number of first-class B&Bs and guesthouses make South Africa a perfect touring country.

In the east is Kruger National Park where you can spot the "Big Five" (lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino). In the west you have Capetown, one of the world’s most picturesque cities in the shadow of Table Mountain. You can sample fine wine under the grapes in the tranquil winelands, while the pretty Garden Route offers country towns, lagoons and forests to explore.

South Africa also has a vivid history. Apartheid was broken down in 1990 by President FW De Klerk, and jailed ANC leader Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years of imprisonment. In the first democratic elections to be held in South Africa, Mandela became president in 1994. The story is told in the excellent museums in Johannesburg, by far the most vibrant of the country's cities with a rich cultural heritage.

What you need to know:

CLIMATE:
South Africa can be visited comfortably any time. Winter (June to September) is cooler, drier and ideal for hiking and outdoor pursuits. This is also the best time for wildlife-watching. Spring is the best time to see vast expanses of Northern Cape carpeted with wildflowers.

The coast north from the Cape becomes progressively drier and hotter, culminating in the desert region just south of Namibia. Along the south coast the weather is temperate, but the east coast becomes increasingly tropical the further north you go. When it gets too sticky, head for the highlands, which are pleasant even in summer. The north-eastern hump gets very hot and there are spectacular storms there in summer. In winter the days are sunny and warm.

FOOD:
South Africans like to eat out so there is an excellent and diverse range of restaurants. This is especially so in cities, where all international cuisines are represented. Fruity and sweet Cape Malay cuisine can be found in Cape Town, while the Indian influence in Durban provides some authentic Asian food on the KwaZulu-Natal coast, and Mozambique peri peri spicy chicken and prawns are popular all over the country. Braais (barbeques) are hugely popular and every campsite, self-catering accommodation and picnic spot has a braai pit. Meat is a well-loved staple in South Africa, although vegetarians are offered at least a couple of dishes in even small-town eateries.

National specialities:

• Sosaties (a type of kebab)
• Bobotie (a curried mince dish, of which waterbolmmetjiebredie, made with a local water plant, is particularly good)
• Potjiekos (a casserole cooked for hours in an iron pot, usually outside)
• Bredies (meat, tomato and vegetable casseroles)
• Biltong (seasoned dried meat)

South Africa's wine industry has emerged out of years of sanction-enforced doldrums, casting aside a 350-year-old tradition of trying to make French wine, and nailed its colours to the fresh, fruity style of New World wines.

The best way to sample wines is by visiting wineries, some of which charge a small tasting fee to discourage freeloading. The oldest and most rewarding wine-producing regions are the Constantia estates in Cape Town and the region known as the Winelands around the towns of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek, which all have institutionalized wine routes. Other wine-producing areas include Robertson, the Orange River and Walker Bay.

LANGUAGES:
South Africa has eleven official languages, all of which have equal status under the law. In practice, however, English is the lingua franca that dominates politics, commerce and the media. If you're staying in the main cities and national parks you'll rarely, if ever, need to use any other language. Afrikaans, although a language you seldom need to speak, nevertheless remains very much in evidence and you will certainly encounter it on official forms and countless signs, particularly on the road.

Glossary:

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