Sydafrika

Kapstaden har en viktig historia och kittlande smakupplevelser, men också mäktiga bergsäventyr, lummiga trädgårdar och vita badvikar. Pernilla Sjöholm guidar till sin favoritplats på jorden.

Home to some of South Africa’s most striking landscapes, the Drakensberg Escarpment was, until a couple of centuries ago, untamed rainforest roamed by elephants, buffaloes and even lions. Today, it’s holidaying South Africans and, increasingly, international visitors who wander the highlands, enjoying the beautiful landscape in their droves. The escarpment marks the point where the highveld plateau plunges down 1000m to the lowveld, forming a dramatic knot of soaring cliffs, canyons, sweeping hillsides and cool valleys thick with pine trees and waterfalls – an apt backdrop for the myriad adventure activities that are on offer here.

The splendours of the Western Cape lie not only in its world-class vineyards, stunning beaches and mountains, but also in lesser-known regions, such as the wide-open spaces of the Karoo, the many nature reserves and the wilderness areas. Make sure you get out into these wild, less-visited areas for birdwatching and wildlife adventure, as well as pure relaxation under vast skies.

Nelspruit (now officially called Mbombela, though locals rarely use the new moniker) is Mpumalanga’s functional provincial capital. It's more a place to get things done than a worthwhile destination for tourists, but it's not unpleasant and has the facilities to make it a practical stopover on the way elsewhere. Well connected to Jo'burg, it's a good place to organise a trip to Kruger National Park, the Blyde River Canyon, Swaziland or Mozambique.

Nya siffror från Sydafrikas miljödepartement visar att tjuvjakten på noshörning minskat från 769 till 594 djur under 2019 – en minskning med 23 procent. På fem år har tjuvjakten halverats.

Stor som två Skåne och med ett fantastiskt djurliv. Det är inte konstigt att Kruger blivit en av Sydafrikas största sevärdheter, men här pågår även kampen mot den brutala tjuvjakten.

Plettenberg Bay, or ‘Plett’ as it’s more commonly known, is a resort town through and through, with mountains, white sand and crystal-blue water making it one of the country’s top local tourist spots. As a result, things can get very busy, but the town retains a relaxed, friendly atmosphere and does have excellent hostels. The scenery to the east in particular is superb, with some of the best coast and indigenous forest in South Africa.

Venturing inland and upwards from Cape Town you’ll find the Boland, meaning ‘upland’. It’s a superb wine-producing area, and indeed the best known in South Africa. The magnificent mountain ranges around Stellenbosch and Franschhoek provide ideal microclimates for the vines.

South Africa’s administrative centre is a handsome city with some gracious old architecture, significant historical sites, prosperous leafy suburbs, and wide streets lined with jacarandas that burst into a beautiful purple haze in October and November. It’s always been more more conservative than Jo’burg – this was the centre of the apartheid regime and its very name a symbol of oppression. However, as the inner city undergoes something of a renaissance, and Pretoria becomes more cosmopolitan, there's a sense that the city is beginning to look to the future.

Commonly known as Jo’burg or Jozi, this is the vibrant heart of South Africa, a rapidly changing city looking optimistically towards the future.