South Africa: Country Profile

Top Spots

Kruger National Park: Accommodation in Kruger's 23 camps is usually fully booked a year in advance. There are five private camps in the park. Three of the world's largest private reserves, Kaserie, Timbavati and Sabi Sand, are among the thirteen independent five-star establishments along the Kruger's western border. The park is open between sunrise and sunset, actual times depending on the season. It is about a five hour drive from Johannesburg.

V & A Waterfront: Cape Town's cosmopolitan waterfront development is the province's principal shopping and entertainment centre. There are speciality shops and markets, theatres, cinemas and restaurants.

Worth visiting are: the Maritime Museum, famous for its model ships; The Telkom Exploratorium, exhibiting a history of telephonic communications; the BMW Pavilion with its five-storey cinema screen; and the Two Oceans Aquarium. For concerts, shows and festivals the Amphitheatre is the place to go, whilst the Arts and Crafts Market houses over 140 stalls offering a wide range of goods, many made on the spot.

Gold Reef City: This is a reconstruction of old gold rush Johannesburg. It is situated 8 km from the centre of the present day city, on the site of what was the world's richest gold mine. The reconstructions include shops, saloons, restaurants and snack bars, and a number of museums portraying the city's history.

Traditional mine worker dances are performed to marimba bands, an old steam train runs and a Victorian-style fairground provides continuous entertainment. Highlights of a visit are the old mine headgear; a 30-minute Underground Mine Tour some 220m below the surface; the opportunity to watch a gold bullion bar being poured and to see the oldest working coin press in the world. Gold Reef City is open daily, except Mondays, between 0930 and 1700 hours.

Diamond City: If you watched Rhodes on the BBC, the Big Hole at Kimberley is a must. From here 14.5 million carats of diamonds were extracted. The Big Hole is the focal point of the Kimberley Mine Museum, a full-scale, open-air site including 48 reconstructed historial buildings.

There is the town's first (prefabricated wooden) house, its oldest existing church, and its most famous bar, 'Diggers Rest'. An exhibition shows the development of the diamond industry and a display of genuine diamonds, including the 10.73 carat 'Eureka', the first discovered in South Africa.