South Africa: Country Profile

Train buffs, for instance, can select from the mega-expensive Blue Train and Rovos Rail or content themselves with more affordable short-distance puffers like the Banana Express and Outeniqua Tjoe-Choe. For birdwatchers, roughly 800 species have been recorded in South Africa, including a greater number of endemics than any other place on the continent - in many parts of the country it is quite easy for twitchers to pick up more than 100 species in a day.

Hikers have in the region of 100 overnight trails and perhaps 10 times as many day trails to choose from. Adventure sport enthusiasts can bungee jump off the Gouritz Bridge, go white-water rafting on the Orange River or be taken on a kloofing trip into the mountains around Cape Town.

And once you have ticked off the terrestrial big five, you can put their size into perspective with a visit to Hermanus - at the right time of year this offers some of the best whale-watching in the world. As much as South Africa is a country of immense natural variety, so is it one of Africa's great cultural melting pots.

That 11 official languages are recognised says much, but even this unique statistic conveys little of South Africa's multitude of cultural influences. In essence, however, this is an African country, and some 80% of the population consists of various Bantu-speaking  peoples, each with their own distinct customs and cultural heritage.

As is often the case in modern Africa, it is increasingly meaningless to try to view traditional African culture in isolation from external influences. However, visitors who wish to explore this arguably rather neglected aspect of South Africa are urged to visit one of the vibrantly painted Ndebele villages that dot the Johannesburg area or to partake of the traditional Zulu experiences offered by places like Simunye and Shakaland in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

There is a slogan that has stood the South African Tourist Board in good stead for as long as I can remember. It is this: 'South Africa: A World in one Country'. This is the sort of sweeping statement that will consume any sensible person with the urge to tie up the nearest PR person and make them watch the same television commercial non-stop for 24 hours.