Attractions
Durban Harbor is South Africa’s largest port. Numerous pleasure cruises are offered here. Sights include the Maritime Museum on an old steamer, Sea World Aquarium and Dolphinarium, the Killie Campbell Africana Museum with the Killie Campbell Africana Library, the Mashu Collection of Ethnology and the William Campbell Furniture Collection, the Local History Museum and the Old House Museum. The Colonial-style City Hall houses the Natural History Museum. Nearby is the Durban Art Gallery, which exhibits arts and crafts from South Africa. Exquisite pieces of local art are for sale at the African Art Centre. Durban also offers numerous colorful markets such as the Victoria Street Market, an oriental market with exotic jewellery, fruit and spices, or the Flea Market, which takes place on the last Sunday of the month in the Amphitheater Garden. The city also has beautiful gardens: the Botanical Gardens, the Japanese Gardens and the Amphitheater Gardens.
- Andyeducation: Introduction to education system in South Africa, including compulsory schooling and higher education.
KwaZulu/Natal
This province borders Mpumalanga, Swaziland and Mozambique to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, the Free State and Lesotho to the west, and the Eastern Cape to the south.
Attractions
Attractions include the Apple Express (one of the last narrow gauge steam trains) which has linked Port Elizabeth to Loerie on the Long Kloof since 1906. The Town Hall and Market Square and the Prester John Monument.
Humewood’s seafront promenade is home to the Oceanarium, Snake Park, and Tropical House. The King George IV Art Gallery houses works from the 19th and 20th centuries. Native plants can be admired at Settler ‘s Park Nature Reserve. St. George ‘s Park offers outdoor and craft exhibitions as well as theatrical performances.
Namaqualand is an inaccessible semi-desert that turns into a sea of flowers after a heavy winter rain. In this area there is also the Richtersveld National Park, which has not yet been developed for tourism.
Cape Town: South Africa’s seat of parliament sits at the foot of Table Mountain overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Sights include the Castle of Good Hope, the Cultural History Museum, the Malay Quarter, the Nico Malan Theater Complex and the Old Town House in Greenmarket Square (collection of Flemish and Dutch paintings). Excellent sports and shopping facilities are also available. Victoria & Alfred, Cape Town’s Victorian port, has been developed into an entertainment centre.
Johannesburg is a modern business city, world center for gold mining and economic heart of South Africa.
Olifantshoek at Witsand (70km away) is known as the ‘Gateway to the white and noisy sand’ – there are beautiful rock carvings to see here. When the sand of the 100 m high sand mountains is churned up, it makes strange wailing noises, especially in hot weather.
Vaalbos National Park near Kimberley is home to antelope, kudu, giraffe and other herd animals. Wonderwerk Cave is an archaeological site of great importance, containing some of the oldest evidence of the use of fire.
The falls of Augrabies, falling 56m into a 20m wide gorge, are 120km west of Upington, a tranquil desert town on the banks of the Orange River.
The Kalahari Gemsbok National Park borders on the Botswana National Park and is with 127,135 square kilometers the largest nature reserve in Africa and one of the largest surviving ecosystems in the world.
THE MIDLANDS AND DRAKENSBERG: Between the KwaZulu/Natal coast and the Drakensberg mountains lies the Midlands, a scenic area of wooded hills, farmland and lush green plains dotted with small towns, villages and inns. Numerous wild and bird species live here.
The Drakensgebirge is the country’s largest mountain range and a popular holiday destination, good for hiking, mountaineering and horse riding.
Port Elizabeth has a rich cultural life; the Opera House hosts ballet, opera, music and theater productions and the Mannville Open Air Theater in St George’s Park is known for its productions of Shakespeare. Numerous water sports can be practiced on the city’s beaches.
Museums: The Adler Museum of Medicine includes an African herbarium and a medicine man’s practice. The Africana Museum houses a large ethnological collection. The Bensusan Museum has a collection of old photographic equipment, and the Bernberg Museum has clothing from the 18th and 19th centuries. The Jewish Museum gives an insight into the history of Judaism in South Africa.
