About our South African Package Vacations

	Thabo Mofutsanyana, the eastern Free State, is a delight throughout the year and undoubtedly the core of the province, encapsulating the essence of its diversity. It is here that the Maluti Mountains meet those of the Drakensberg to form a rugged sandstone backdrop to an area that contains: charming towns, undulating hills, battle sites, first rate fly fishing, the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, and the annual Ficksburg Cherry Festival.
Resting between the Orange River in the south and the Vaal River in the north, Thabo Mofutsanyana boasts a rugged and mountainous area in the east that is completely contrary to the Free State image of endless maize fields and dry, blue skies. These served the Basotho people (people of the peaks) who used the caves and slopes of the Maluti Mountains as hideaways and a means of defence in years gone by.

The Drakensberg mountains of South Africa or uKhahlamba (the Barrier of Spears) is a 200-kilometre-long mountainous wonderland and world heritage site. The largest proportion of the Drakensberg area falls in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The Zulu people named it 'Ukhahlamba' and the Dutch Voortrekkers 'The Dragon Mountain'. The Drakensberg Mountains, with their awe-inspiring basalt cliffs, snowcapped in winter, tower over riverine bush, lush yellowwood forests and cascading waterfalls, form a massive barrier separating KwaZulu-Natal from the Kingdom of Lesotho.
	Combining sheer natural beauty with a wealth of biological diversity, this 243 000 hectare mountainous region known the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park has been preserved and venerated for eons since the San people or bushmen roamed these slopes. Tens of thousands of paintings depicting their daily life can be found on the rock faces.

	Inland of Durban, lying in an area that acts as something of a respite for all who go there, between Pietermaritzburg and the Drakensberg Mountains, is a beautiful region filled with stretches of farmland, charming little towns, a wonderful arts and crafts route and picturesque scenery bordering on the sublime, known as the Natal Midlands. The Natal Midlands is rich with water - rivers, lakes, dams and waterfalls are abundant - and the landscape is endowed with green pastures, hills and forests, whilst the northern reaches of the Midlands are dominated by the foothills and mountains of the Drakensberg.
If you’re not hiking then spend time exploring the many coffee shops, art galleries, pretty guest houses, cheese farms, potters, weavers and painters who have made this region their home.

	Cape Town, Mother City of Africa, is situated in the Western Cape, an area which is regarded as one of the most beautiful regions in the world. The City is a rare cultural gem, resulting from the amalgamation of Indonesian, French, Dutch, British and German settlers, the local Bushman and Hottentot tribes and the Bantu tribes from the north. The impressive presence of Table Mountain, flanked by the legendary Devil's Peak and historical Signal Hill, stands proudly above the city.
	The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is an energetic working harbour and one of South Africa's most popular tourist attractions. Cape Town is a city of culture, built on a history that reflects in the architecture, cuisine, music and dance.

	Stellenbosch is South Africa’s second oldest town, after Cape Town and is the sentimental heart of the Winelands. The town is virtually surrounded by fabulous cellars where you can participate in tastings, join a cellar tour, stock up your own personal cellar, and perhaps enjoy a lovely leisurely lunch in the shade of the Stellenbosch oaks. Pretty as it is, though, the proof of the Winelands in the tasting - and the wine is pretty darn good.
	And, on the subject of tasting - there are loads of great restaurants, coffee shops and attractive guest houses with wonderful menus and extensive wine lists. Once just a collection of independent wineries, the Winelands has become more user-friendly in recent years with the formation of wine routes.