Safari Countries
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa (RSA) is the southern most country of the African continent. It is a melting pot of cultures and languages and is also called the Rainbow nation. After the release of Nelson Mandela in 1990 the country became peaceful and democratic and is regarded as one of the top travel destinations in Africa. SA best accomplishment was to be the host country of the 2010 Fifa Football world cup. It is by far the most modern and advanced country in Africa and just fewer than 60 million people call it home. It has well known cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and the capital city is Pretoria, all which boast an excellent variety of international hotels and accommodation, plenty of restaurants and world class shopping malls, banks, transport, sport stadiums and golf courses. It is like Australia, Europe or US in Africa! Getting to and around RSA is no problem as the country has great infrastructure with an excellent road network(driving is on the left) and the most modern airports in Africa with car hire facilities and public transport.. The city of Johannesburg’s O R Tambo International airport (busiest in Africa) is serviced daily by flights from USA/Canada, Israel, Europe, Far East, Australia and South America. But it is the natural beauty and warm sunny weather which attract most visitors to this country with a 3000km coastline, 8 UNESCO world heritage sites, spectacular mountains, semi-deserts, coastal forests, vineyards and 21 national parks full of wildlife and birds, including the big 5 of Africa. Wildlife at it very best can be seen at the world famous Kruger National Park as well as other protected game reserves like Sabi Sand, Timbavati, Umfolozi, Mkuze, iSimagaliso, Addo and Kgalagadi. Other famous destinations include Table Mountain, the Cape Wine lands, Garden Route National Park, the towering mountains of the Ukuhlamba Drakensberg mountain range. South Africa’s currency is the Rand (R1 = 100 cents) and trades for approximately R19/U$. In SA there are 11 official languages but everybody can speak English and driving is on the left.
Namibia
Namibia is a spectacular and photogenic country where the sunrises and sunsets will redefine your understanding of beauty in the desert. It is full of suprises like the magnificent Fish River canyon - 2nd largest in the world and some amazing geological formations, rugged mountain and desert scenery and some stunning landscapes, tribes and abundant wildlife in the famous Etosha national park. The name Namibia comes from the Namib Desert which stretches the whole western side of the country- also called the Skeleton coast, an area that stretches for 1400km(2250miles) and has over a hundred shipwrecks. This desert is one of the driest places on earth and the biggest and highest sand dunes in the world are to be found at Sossusvlei. Namibia is a vast and rugged country, greater in size than Germany and with only about 2,6 million people it has a very low population density- on average 2 people per square km. It was formerly known as German South-west Africa, finally gaining independence in 1990 after many years of domination by foreign powers. Namibia’s economic activities include mining diamonds and other semiprecious stones, minerals and metals. Livestock farming and fishing are also major export industries. Some of the tribes like the Himba live a nomadic life in some of the most stunning landscapes of Damaraland and Kaokoland while the San(bushmen) use to live a hunter-gather lifestyle and are famous for their rock paintings at Twyfelfontein. Namibia’s mix of arid, sandy and rocky wilderness results in an unique and rich variety of desert plant life and there is quite a fascination with Namibia’s Flora. Best known are the Welwitschia and Quiver trees that have adapted to the inhospitable Namib desert. The rest of the country is covered by Camelthorn and Mopane trees and it has also some lush river plains in the Caprivi region and Linyanti swamps. The capital of Namibia is Windhoek and other major towns are Luderitz, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Keetmanshoop,Otjiwarongo, Tsumeb and Grootfontein. The Namibian currency unit is the Namibian dollar (N$) divided into 100 cents. The N$ has the same value as SA rand and trades for approximately N$ 19 = U$1. In Namibia you can speak English, German or Dutch/Flemish and driving is on the left.
Botswana
Botswana is one of Africa’s success stories. It is a stable and affluent nation due to rich diamond deposits and carefully managed tourism. Botswana is about the size of France or Texas but with only 2,7 million citizens of whom two thirds live in the south and east of the country near the capital Gaborone and the major towns of Selebi-Phikwe, Serowe, Molepolole, Mahalapye and Francistown. Most of the country is arid Kalahari savanna unsuitable for agriculture but ideal for wildlife. This makes Botswana the perfect safari country with plenty of wilderness for you to get lost in. Some of Africa’s most pristine and unspoilt wilderness areas are to be found in Botswana and therefore the government is very ecologically and conservation minded and manages the country’s unique natural assets better than most other African countries. In fact nearly 40% of the land is protected in some form. The biggest attraction in Botswana is undoubtly the wild Okavango delta in the north. With abundant birds and animals it is almost like watching National geographic but live! The town of Maun is the gateway to the delta. If you are fascinated by elephants the Chobe national park near the town of Kasane is the place to visit where they occur in huge numbers. The park also boasts an impressive array of wildlife especially in to the end of the dry season (August to September) when hundreds of animals congregate along the Chobe river. Other well known Parks of Botswana are the vast and arid Makgadikgadi and Nxai salt pans, the huge 52 000 sqkm central Kalahari game reserve, the Khutse Game reserve, the Tuli block and the Savuti-Linyanti-Kwando region. English is the official language and Setswana the national language. Driving is on the left and the local currency is the Pula which is divided into 100 Thebe and it trades P13.5 = U$ 1. The South African Rand is also accepted at most major towns and tourist facilities. Most safari operators and lodges use the US $ in their costing and pricing.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in southern Africa with a population of about 17 million people. A former British colony, which now has the best of both worlds -western style infrastructure combined with traditional African values. The people of Zimbabwe has a friendly vibrant culture and they delight themselves in making and selling some of the finest arts and crafts. It is also a wild part of Africa known for its wildlife, much of it within parks, reserves and safari areas. In the north is the mighty Zambezi River home to the spectacular Victoria Falls which makes a thundering 110m drop into narrow Batoka Gorge. The town of Victoria Falls is known as the adventure capital of Africa with white-water rafting and bungee-jumping the most popular activities. Downstream are Matusadona and Mana Pools national parks, home to plenty hippos, elephants and a huge variety of birdlife. The Hwange national park has some outstanding wildlife safaris while the biggest man made lake in the world - Lake Kariba offers some of the finest boat cruises and sunsets only seen on postcards.
Zambia
Zambia formerly known as Northern Rhodesia is a landlocked country and takes its name from the Zambezi River, the 4th longest in Africa (2650 km /1650miles). The country is cleaved by two major valleys- the Zambezi and the Luangwa and it shares the 290km (180miles) long man- made Lake Kariba with neighboring Zimbabwe. The population is about 21 million people and there are over 70 different languages besides the official English. The most widely spoken is Bemba (18% of the population) with some other dialects Tonga, Lozi, Nyanja, Lunda and Tumbuka . The cultures and traditional ceremonies are fascinating. The most famous is the 300 year old migration of the cattle farming Lozi people when their King leads them to higher ground in order to escape the annual flood waters of the Barotse flood plains. Zambia’s economy centers on the copper belt, a 150 km long corridor of copper, cobalt and precious stones. The capital is Lusaka and other major towns are Livingstone, Ndola, Mpika, Mongu. Near the town Chingola is the famous Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage which serves as a home for orphaned chimpanzees. Zambia’s only port is Mpulungu at the shores of lake Tanganyika - the second deepest lake in the world at 1433m(4700ft) and also referred to as Africa’s inland sea, lying in Great Rift Valley. Most visitors will eventually find themselves in the town of Livingstone, next to the mighty Victoria Falls, one of the 7 Wonders of the world - 1700 wide and 110m high and the spray can be seen 30 km away. Victoria Falls is also the undisputed adventure capital of southern Africa, famous for grade 5 white water rafting, bungee jumping, elephant back safaris and canoeing. A visit to Zambia gives the traveler a taste of the real Africa with genuinely wild unspoilt national parks which supports great herds of game, in fact Zambia’s 19 parks are some of the best kept secrets in Africa, places like South Luangwa, Kafue and Lower Zambezi national park and the Bangwelu Swamps. Zambia is also famous as the birthplace of the walking safari and also for canoeing trips along the Zambezi River in the company of hippos. The currency of Zambia is Kwacha but most tourist attractions and safari operators make use of US $. In Zambia English is widely spoken and driving is on the left.
