South Africa Guide

8th January 2012

South Africa is located at the southern tip of Africa and borders both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It boarders Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho. It is often called the 'Rainbow Nation'. There are nine provinces - Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Northern Cape, and Western Cape.

Sites for more information: http://wikitravel.org/en/South_Africa, http://www.southafrica.net/ and http://www.southafrica.info/

Please visit South Africa Passport/Visa Requirements for more information.

Eastern Cape has a shoreline in the south on the South Indian Ocean. It borders Lesotho to the north-east. It also has borders with the following South African regions: Western Cape, Northern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.

Climate is highly varied. The west is dry with scarse rain during winter of summer, with frosty winters and hot summers. The Tsitsikamma to Grahamstown receives more precipitation, which is also relatively evenly distributed and temperatures are mild. Further east, rainfall becomes more plentiful and humidity increases, becoming more subtropical along the coast with summer rainfall. The interior can become very cold in winter, with heavy snowfalls occurring at times in the mountainous regions between Molteno and Rhodes.

The landscape is extremely diverse. The western interior is largely arid Karoo, while the east is well-watered and green. The Eastern Cape offers a wide array of attractions, including 800 km of untouched and pristine coastline along with some particularly splendid beaches, and "big-five" viewing in a malaria-free environment.

The Addo Elephant National Park, situated 73 km from Port Elizabeth, was proclaimed in 1931. Its 743 km² offers sanctuary to 170 elephants, the last Cape buffalo and 21 black rhino of the very scarce Kenyan sub-species.

The province is the location of South Africa's only ski resort, Tiffindell, which is situated near the hamlet of Rhodes in the Southern Drakensberg on the slopes of the highest mountain peak in the Eastern Cape (3001 m).

The National Arts Festival, held in Grahamstown is Africa's largest and most colourful cultural event, offering a choice of the very best of both indigenous and imported talent. Every year for 11 days the town's population almost doubles, as over 50,000 people flock to the region for a feast of arts, crafts and sheer entertainment.

The Tsitsikamma National Park is an 80 km long coastal strip between Nature's Valley and the mouth of the Storms River. In the park the visitor finds an almost untouched natural landscape. Near the park is the Bloukrans Bridge, which is the world's highest bungee jump.

Jeffreys Bay is an area with some of the country's wildest coastline, which is backed by some of Africa's most spectacular sub-tropical rainforest. Famous for its "supertubes", probably South Africa's longest and most consistently good wave, it's charged with a surf vibe as relaxed as it is friendly, and this tends to soften the effect of the wealthy set who have made this part of the coast their own.

Aliwal North, lying on a splendid agricultural plateau on the southern bank of the Orange River, is one of the country's most popular inland resorts and is famous for its hot springs.

The rugged and unspoilt Wild Coast is a place of spectacular scenery, and a graveyard for many vessels.

Please visit http://www.ectb.co.za/ for more information on this area.

PROPERTIES IN THIS AREA
Property Name	Property Reference
Camdeboo Manor	bhl1735
Fort d Acre Reserve	bhl3470
Cape St Francis Resort	85bhl2476
Forest Hall Guest House	42bhl6144
Sandals Guest House	bhl9719
Country Cousins-Strellitzia House	bhl2632
Jennys Guest House	bhl3529
Coral Guest Cottages	bhl8441
Sea Otters Lodge	11bhl5596
High Corner Guest House	bhl7967

Free State is a province in South Africa. The capital of the province is Bloemfontein. The Free State experiences a continental climate, characterised by warm to hot summers and cool to cold winters. In the northeastern Free State, nestled in the rolling foothills of the Maluti mountains, the Golden Gate Highlands National Park is the province's prime tourist attraction. The park gets its name from the brilliant shades of gold cast by the sun on the spectacular sandstone cliffs, especially the imposing Brandwag or Sentinel Rock, which keeps vigil over the park.

Please visit http://www.places.co.za/html/free_state.html and http://www.sa-venues.com/free_state.htm for more information on this area.

PROPERTIES IN THIS AREA
Property Name	Property Reference
b&b@53	bhl3658

Guateng is the smallest province in South Africa. It's southern border is the Vaal River, which separates it from the Free State. It also borders on North West to the west, Limpopo to the north, and Mpumalanga to the east. Gauteng is the only landlocked province of South Africa without a foreign border. Most of Gauteng is on the Highveld, a high-altitude grassland. Between Johannesburg and Pretoria there are low parallel ridges and undulating hills, some part of the Magaliesberg Mountains and the Witwatersrand. The north of the province is more subtropical, due to its lower altitude and is mostly dry savanna habitat.

For more information on this area please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauteng.

PROPERTIES IN THIS AREA
Property Name	Property Reference
A Little Paradise	bhl2447
Dolphin Beach	94bhl3442
Ninety North Guest House	bhl8270
Villa Victoria	bhl6448
Didiloni Lodge	bhl1809
Jojendi Guest Suites	bhl7084
The Cradle Lodge	bhl1270
Araluen Cottage	bhl3011

Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. To the west and south of the Kruger National Park are the two South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In the north is Zimbabwe, and to the east is Mozambique.The park was established in 1898 by the South African President Paul Kruger as a protected area for wildlife and it opened its gate the general public in 1927 for the first time. There are numerous bush drives, night drives and wilderness trails to make sure you see the wide selection of animals, fauna and flora.

For more information please visit: http://www.krugerpark.co.za/Maps_of_Kruger_Park-travel/kruger-national-park-main-map.html

PROPERTIES IN THIS AREA
Property Name	Property Reference
Bushwise Safari Lodge	bhl5107

KwaZulu-Natal is the eastern most region of South Africa. It shares borders with the countries of Mozambique, Swaziland, and Lesotho. It also shares borders with the following South Africa regions: Mpumalanga, Free State and Eastern Cape.

KwaZulu-Natal has a varied yet verdant climate thanks to diverse, complex topography. Generally, the coast is subtropical with inland regions becoming progressively colder. Durban on the south coast has an annual rainfall of 1009 mm, with daytime maxima peaking from January to March at 28 °C (82 °F) with a minimum of 21 °C (70 °F), dropping to daytime highs from June to August of 23 °C (73 °F) with a minimum of 11 °C (52 °F). Temperature drops towards the hinterland, with Pietermaritzburg being similar in the summer, but much cooler in the winter. Ladysmith in the Tugela River Valley reaches 30 °C (86 °F) in the summer, but may drop below freezing point on winter evenings. The Drakensberg can experience heavy winter snow, with light snow occasionally experienced on the highest peaks in summer. The Zululand north coast has the warmest climate and highest humidity.

The province has three different geographic areas. The lowland region along the Indian Ocean coast is extremely narrow in the south, widening in the northern part of the province. The central region is the Natal Midlands and is an undulating hilly plateau rising towards the west. Two mountainous areas, the Drakensberg Mountains in the west and the Lebombo Mountains in the north. The Drakensberg is a solid wall of basalt rising over 3,000 m (9,800 ft) skyward near the Lesotho border, whilst the Lebombo Mountains are ancient granite mountains forming low parallel ranges running southward from Swaziland. The Tugela River flows west to east across the center of the province and is the region's largest river.

The coastal regions typically have subtropical thickets and deeper ravines and steep slopes hosts some true Afromontane Forest. The midlands have moist grasslands and isolated pockets of Afromontane Forest. The north has a primarily moist savanna habitat, whilst the Drakensberg region hosts mostly alpine grassland.

The former Eastern Cape enclave of the town of Umzimkulu and its hinterland have been incorporated into KwaZulu-Natal following the 12th amendment of the Constitution of South Africa. The amendment also made other changes to the southern border of the province.

Please visit http://www.zulu.org.za/kzn/ for more information on this area.

PROPERTIES IN THIS AREA
Property Name	Property Reference
Mkuze Falls Private Game Reserve	bhl4198
25 Magai Drive	bhl1950
Umbrella Tree House	bhl7004

Western Cape is in the south west of South Africa. The Western Cape is bordered on the north by the Northern Cape, on the east by the Eastern Cape, on the south by the Indian Ocean, and on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. The subantarctic dependency of the Prince Edward Islands is included within the province's administration.

The Western Cape is diverse climatologically, with many distinct micro- and macroclimates created by the varied topography and the influence of both the Indian (warm water) and Atlantic (cold water) oceans, thus climatic statistics can vary wildly over very short distances. Most of the province is considered to have a Mediterranean climate with cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers. The interior Karoo has a semi-arid climate with cold, frosty winters and hot summers with occasional thunderstorms. The Garden Route and the Overberg on the south coast have a maritime climate with cool, moist winters and mild, moist summers. Mossel Bay in the Garden Route is considered to have the second mildest climate worldwide after Hawaii.

Thunderstorms are generally rare in the province, except in the Karoo interior, with most precipitation being of a frontal or orographic nature. Extremes of heat and cold are common inland, but rare near the coast. Snow is a common winter occurrence on the higher lying ground, however frost is relatively rare in coastal areas and many of the heavily cultivated valleys.

The dependency of the Prince Edward Islands are subantarctic islands, which experience year-round cool to cold temperatures with high precipitation and little annual deviation on both accounts.

Please visit http://www.tourismcapetown.co.za/ for more information on this area.

PROPERTIES IN THIS AREA
Property Name	Property Reference
Constantia Vista	bhl7149
3 Palms Luxury Cottage	bhl8436
Sunset Rocks	51bhl4451
Down The Lane	bhl7210
Dolphin Crest Villa	97bhl5583
Cootes Cottage	bhl8585
Peace Valley Guest House	bhl8955
Forest Valley Cottages	99bhl3227
Amies Self Catering Apartments	35bhl1491
Bay Sands Lodge	bhl7440
Mountainview	bhl1914
Across The Bay	bhl2900
Cape Alexander	bhl2708
Villa Bella	bhl6849
H111 Dolphin Beach	bhl3096
C108 Dolphin Beach	bhl7051
H302 Dolphin Beach	bhl9440
B09 Dolphin Beach	bhl3263
Blue Bay View	bhl4272
Berg En Zee Guesthouse	bhl4122
Azure View	bhl4283
16 Waters Edge	bhl4291
H208 Dolphin Beach	bhl8248
E30 Dolphin Beach	bhl9357
134 Villa d Algarve	bhl8107
Home From Home At Marina Residental	bhl7050
Home From Home At Canal Quays	bhl2579
Villa Favour	bhl7191
Waterford	56bhl8838
Beach Holidays	57bhl6950
Sea Breeze	bhl9923
Montserrat 38	bhl8699
Southern Light Country House	bhl6964
804 The Waves	bhl1861
Nathiers Place	bhl9741
Apartment Cape Town	bhl1169
Bel Ombre Cottages	bhl8186
10 Clifton Steps	bhl7647
La Boheme B&B and Day Spa	bhl1072
Chapman's Peak BnB	bhl1749
Bluegum Hill Guesthouse	bhl3371
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