The world’s strangest and most dramatic landscapes….nature’s richest treasure chest of gold and diamonds…a unique wealth of animal and plant life…a kaleidoscope of exotic, sun-blessed people,,,,can there by a land anywhere else on earth more enticing for the traveler than South Africa?
Nature’s tools of creation – the wind, sun, ice and rain – have worked a special magic. controlled by the cold Benquela Current on the west and the warm Mozambique Current on the east, the climate has sculptured extremes of deserts, savannahs, snow-covered mountains, grasslands, high forests and tropical mangrove swamps. Within these climatic zones earth’s most diverse plant population flourished. In the deserts are drought-resistant plants and in the swamplands are mangroves with their roots deep in mud and water. These are baobabs, acacia trees, brilliant seasonal spectacles such as the musasa trees in the spring and the barlika vines of autumn.
The land, too, is the home of big game, hosts of birds as varied as the vast range of habitats and foods which nature has prepared for them.
Southern Africa has the biggest and most varied game sanctuaries in the world – protected and untamed areas where animals of every kind and description roam free, as savage and beautiful as they were in the beginning of time.
Gold, diamonds, copper, chrome, lead, tin, coal – only some of the abundant riches mined from the vast treasure houses of Southern Africa. Minerals of every kind to meet the insatiable demands of the world all around us.
South Africa is a land of Sunshine – places for all seasons – a year-round playground in which to enjoy the great outdoors. South Africa has thousands of kilometers of unspoilt countryside, deserts, mountains, canyons and rivers – all blessed by the sun.
Life giving water falls steadily during the summer months into the cupped catchment areas. Hail is not uncommon in certain regions.. Winter rainfall is soft and steady. Winds are generally mild except along the Cape coasts.
Journey from the present into the past. In Southern Africa are people, emerging from another age, still observing ancient customs and traditions. The tribes, languages, cultures and customs all form a kaleidoscope of colourful contrast.
A bird’s eye view of South Africa – scenic magnificence beneath a beneficent sun. This is an exhilarating land of fertile plants, towering mountains and tropical splendour lying wedged between foaming shores of two oceans. South Africa. – The most exciting area for any tourist, game hunter, traveling safaris or bird lovers - all in one compact region. Any travelers dream.
By: Edward Labuschagne
© 2010 Africa Travel
