Highlights South Africa

Cape Town

Cape Town is the second largest city in South Africa. It is the seat of the South African Parliament. In 1652 Jan van Riebeeck founded a supply station for the merchant ships of the Dutch East India Company there.

The Dutch expelled the natives and built the fort for their own protection

de Goede Hoop, today's Castle of Good Hope. Since the indigenous people refused to trade with and work for the conquerors, the company imported people from their trading areas in Madagascar, India, Malaysia and Indonesia to keep as slaves. Since there was not only a shortage of workers, but also of women in the young colony, the slaves were exploited in two ways: for work and for sexual relations. The resulting mixture of Europeans, slaves and the African natives is the origin of today's colored population (Cape Coloureds).

During the 150 years of Dutch rule, the settlement grew into an important port.

After being defeated by the British in 1806, the colony was declared a British Crown Colony on August 13, 1814 and slavery was abolished.

The discovery and initial mining of diamonds and gold on the highveld inland between 1869 and 1890 changed Cape Town very quickly. The city was no longer the only and dominant city in the colony, but as the largest port in the country it gained wealth and prosperity, while more and more industries settled in the city.

At that time, the Prime Minister of the Cape Colony, Cecil Rhodes, who was then living in Cape Town, was making large profits with his De Beers group, which is still the world's largest diamond producer today.

When the National Party won elections in 1948 and subsequently installed the apartheid system, it led to a series of violent clashes and court hearings that systematically curtailed the rights of Cape Town's black and colored population. The result was residential areas and neighborhoods separated by skin color.

On February 11, 1990, the freed Nelson Mandela made his first public speech in decades from the balcony of Cape Town City Hall, announcing the beginning of a new era in South Africa. Cape Town has changed fundamentally since the end of apartheid. Land prices have skyrocketed, the city center is safer and many neighborhoods have been developed through generous redevelopment programs.

Despite this, the majority of Cape Town residents still live in the same, now income-segregated, neighborhoods of the Cape Flats and continue to suffer from the same economic, social and health problems.

The impressive natural attractions of the metropolis on the Atlantic are the 1,086 m high Table Mountain, Signal Hill and the mountain range of the 12 Apostles.

Worth a visit in Cape Town are the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, the harbor district, but also the shopping center with shops and restaurants and the starting point for boat tours. In addition to the historic center with Company's Garden and numerous museums, the bathing suburbs of Bloubergstrand, Clifton and Camps Bay Beach are also worth seeing. Also the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Robben Island, the African penguin colony at Boulders Beach and the wine regions of Paarl, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch.

Cape of Good Hope

Like Cape Point, the high and steep cliff with its offshore rocky beach is located at the southern end of the Cape Peninsula, about 44 km south of the city center of the metropolis Cape Town that is named after it. It is the most southwesterly, not the southernmost point of Africa (that is Cape Agulhas, around 150 km away), and thus the cape where the African coast begins its northward swing and indicates the passage into the Indian Ocean.

Hermanus

Whale watching at Hermanus Hermanus on Walker Bay was founded in 1830, has around 25,000 inhabitants today and is known for the "Southern Right Whales", right whales, 11 - 18 m long and weighing 30 to 80 tons. They come to calve and breed between July and November in warmer waters and specifically in Walker Bay and De Kelders near Hermanus. With a lot of luck you can also see dolphins, humpback whales and black and white killer whales (orcas).

Good vantage points from land include Sievers Point, Castle and Kraal Rock. There is an official whale crier and hotline (tel. +27 28 312 2629) to inquire about the animals' locations. A cliff path, starting from the old harbour, 12 km along the coast with some benches. Learn more about the marine mammals at the Old Harbor Museum and the new Whale Museum. Beautiful beaches such as Voelklip Strand and Groot Beach offer relaxation.

Cape Aghulas

The southernmost point of the African continent.The 20th meridian, which is roughly on Cape Agulhas (exactly it runs about 150 m to the east), represents the geographical border between Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Cango stalactite caves

The Cango Caves are a cave system in the South African province of Western Cape and are counted among the most beautiful cave systems in the world. They are about 30 km outside of Oudtshoorn.

The cave system is located in the Swartberg Mountains (in the Little Karoo north of Oudtshoorn) and consists of three sections (Cango 1, 2 and 3) with a total length of over four kilometers.

The first and largest chamber is about 90 meters long, 50 meters wide and up to 18 meters high. The narrowest section (called "letterbox") has a distance of 60 cm from ceiling to floor and is about 5 meters long.[1]

All caves contain extensive stalactite formations of impressive size. Sections Cango 2 and 3 are protected and not open to the public.

Baviaanskloof

Panorama Route and Kruger National Park

Impressive rock formations, imposing waterfalls, an old gold mining town can be found on South Africa's legendary panorama route. Here, where the Highveld merges into the Lowveld, nature offers you beautiful views of the vastness of Africa.

Kruger National Park

is the largest game reserve in South Africa. It is located in the north-east of the country in the Lowveld landscape in the Limpopo province and the eastern section of Mpumalanga.

The park is home to 147 species of mammals including the "Big Five", as well as around 507 species of birds and 114 species of reptiles, 49 species of fish and 34 species of amphibians.

Swaziland and Zulu Country

Swaziland is the last kingdom in Africa. The friendly people of the Swazis welcome you in Mbabane - the capital of Swazilandte Colorful markets and secluded national parks are the ingredients that Swaziland scores with. Back in South Africa, explore the wild Zululand and walk in the footsteps of King Shaka.

Drakensberg & Wild Coast

The Drakensberg is a mountain range in eastern South Africa.

Kingdom of Lesotho

It is completely surrounded by South Africa and is an independent country.

It is between 1400 and over 2000 meters high.

The highest mountain in the country and in all of southern Africa is the Thabana Ntlenyana at 3482 metres.

Addo Elephant Park & ​​Garden Route

You will encounter countless elephants in the Addo Elephant Park. This sanctuary was specially created for the pachyderms.

The Garden Route is a 369 km scenic route within South Africa's National Route 2 (N2) between Port Elizabeth and Mossel Bay and is one of the country's tourist highlights.