A year in South Africa

We took a tour around Jo’burg and we got to see all the different areas. The variances are amazing and the different ways people live is both fascinating and upsetting. We saw a great deal of poverty and, in some areas, we did feel quite scared. As long as you take reputable tours, you will be safe. One of the highlights of our holiday was a trip to Soweto; this is where Nelson Mandela used to live and where South Africa’s peaceful revolution was conceived. We took a guided tour (the only safe way to visit Soweto) and visited all the memorials, churches and galleries in the area, and you can try to understand the lives of the locals living here.

In contrast to this, we visited Gold Reef City, a theme park and casino located only a short drive from Jo’burg and made in a style of an old fashioned mining town -- it has saloons and rides in mining carts. We took a tour down to the original gold mine underneath the theme park where there is a labyrinth of tunnels. We thought there were not enough rides to satisfy children, but for adults, this place was great.

Quick Tips:

By using Johannesburg as your base, you can visit different areas and experience the true South Africa.

My main tip would be to hire a car or take organised excursions as public transport is infrequent and, in my opinion, not safe. It is not possible to hop on a bus or hire a taxi in safety.

Eating out in South Africa is amazing. The prices are astonishing -- everything is so cheap. My favourite restaurant was the Black Steer. This is primarily a steak house/sports bar and is decorated in the style of a saloon Wild West bar. The portions are huge, the prices are ridiculously small, and the service was excellent -- we wanted for nothing and were treated like royalty.

If you have a few days to spare, I would suggest taking a trip to the Kruger National Park, which is about a day’s drive from Jo’burg. Also, Sun City is within a day’s driving distance and is definitely the most luxurious fantastic place I have EVER visited. You do need to stay at these places for a few nights to see everything, so you should include this in your itinerary when you plan your holiday.

Best Way To Get Around:

Driving is the only way to get around South Africa. The attractions are so spread out and public transport and excursions so difficult to get that you would find seeing the true South Africa very difficult.

From your hotel, you can arrange day excursions to certain areas, but unless the national parks and Sun City are included in your trip, you will be struggling to get to all the areas you should see.

As I spent my year with my family, we had a car to drive round the Kruger Park, but it is also possible to do an organised excursion, though you do not get to stop when you want or go at your own pace.

The Kruger National Park is huge – it’s about 8000 square miles and is the largest game reserve in South Africa. We spent a whole day driving round the park and air-conditioning was a godsend; without it, the heat would have been unbearable.

There are too many different species to mention, but we did manage to see some elephants and plenty of zebras, springboks, and giraffes. Also, you can break your day up at the various restaurants and cafes around the park, and even get close to the warthogs that wander around looking for left over food.

We also took a drive up to Thulamela Hill where we saw the excavated remains of an Iron Age settlement.

You can stay in the park at one of the many hotels, but if you are on a day trip, the park is open from 6:30am to 6pm every day and the entrance fee is around R30 for adults.

My main tips would be to take plenty of water, keep your camera ready at all times (as you can quickly miss the cheetahs), and lastly, keep your windows closed.

Sun City is THE most amazing place I have ever been to -- the hotels are magnificent, the views are fantastic, and the weather was beautiful. What more could you want? Sun City is heaven.

I would suggest staying at Sun City for at least three nights, as there is so much to see from casinos, restaurants, water sports, an excellent water park with slides, and nighttime cabarets. You can choose to stay in one of Sun City’s four hotels, which range from the luxuriously expensive to the comfortable cabanas. The Palace of the Lost City is the most extravagant hotel, but we chose to stay at the Cascades Hotel, an equally stunning hotel at half the price. Our room faced the pool and every morning we took the glass lift down to the outside restaurant to eat our breakfast amongst the waterfalls and gardens.

My favourite part of Sun City was the Valley of the Waves, a huge water park; if you stay overnight, it is free to enter. We were too scared to go on the Temple of Courage (the name says it all), but we did float around the pools and gardens on our inflatable ring and just relaxed as the current pushed us along the ‘Lazy River’.

At the entrance to Sun City is the alligator park, which can be very scary and if you have children, I would make sure you hold on to them at all times as it can be quite frightening to be so close to the gators. We spent about half a day at the gator park and watched the displays that are held hourly to teach you more about the wilds of Africa and the alligator’s environment.

In the evening, Sun City really comes alive and you can just walk around the different hotels and casinos spending your money on the slot machines, or if you’re feeling flush, go to the tables. You can get lessons on how to play the tables, but I found it more interesting to watch others and just putting my rands in the coin machines. There are also so many restaurants to choose from and I would suggest having a braaii (barbecue) lunch at the Palace and sip cocktails there in the evening.

During the day, if you’re feeling adventurous, there are many water sports available to try at additional costs -- we chose the parasailing and were so glad we did. The views from up high are amazing and you really get to see the whole of Sun City – you can even plan where to go next. If you’re a keen golfer, there are two golf courses that were designed by Gary Player -- I am not a good golf player, so I waited for my family in the spa.

All in all, Sun City is a place not to be missed -- I defy anyone to not enjoy it.