Southern Africa is a traveller’s paradise with so much to explore and to see within a region rich in wildlife, fauna and amazing cultural diversity. It is a destination that leaves you spoilt for choice with so many amazing activities and wonderful adventures to be experienced. Each country in the southern region of Africa has its own set of unique attributes that set it apart from the other, how much do you know about each of these wonderful countries…
- The Cape Floral Kingdom has 9,600 plant species, 70% are not found anywhere else in the world. Alone Table Mountain is the home of over 1,500 species of plants, more than the entire United Kingdom.
- South Africa has the longest wine route in the world, as well as the oldest wine industry outside of Europe.
- Kruger National Park supports the greatest variety of wildlife species on the African continent.
- South Africa has a penguin colony found in Cape Town, which are able to survive due to the cold Antarctic currents on the west coast near the Cape.
- South Africa has a diverse set of landscapes all rolled into one country from deserts, mountains, escarpments, plateaus, grasslands, bush, wetlands and subtropical forests. Visit South Africa – with our World in One Country Tour
Did you know – Zimbabwe
- Its name comes from the spectacular stone structures of the Great Zimbabwe (Houses of Stone) Ruins or Dzimbahwe, which were declared a World Heritage site in 1986. Zimbabwe is home to four World Heritage Sites – Victoria Falls, Mana Pools National Park, the Great Zimbabwe Ruins and the Khami Ruins.
- Lake Kariba is one of the world’s largest man-made lakes, with abundant game and it’s an acclaimed World Heritage Site.
- Victoria Falls is the largest single curtain of falling water on earth, more than twice the size of Niagara Falls.
- Victoria Falls is an unchallenged adventure capital of Africa with a vast array of natural-world activities such as the popular white water rafting. Visit Zimbabwe –with our Intimate Zimbabwe Lodge Safari Tour
Did you know – Namibia
- Around 80% of the country’s terrain consists of deserts.
- Namibia has the world’s largest population of free ranging cheetahs with more than 50% of the global population.
- Swakopmund is the country’s second largest city and has some of the best-preserved colonial buildings on the African continent.
- Namibia was the first African country to incorporate protection of the environment into its constitution. The Government of Namibia has reinforced this by giving its rural communities the right to manage their wildlife through communal conservancies.
- Up to 39% of Namibia’s land is protected by government as National Parks, or by local communities as communal conservancies with 100% of its coastline under some form of protective status.
Visit Namibia – with our Northern Experience Tour
Did you know – Botswana
- Botswana has the highest concentration of game animals in the world as well as being home to the world’s largest population of Elephants.
- It is home to the largest inland delta in the world which ironically runs into a desert. The Okavango River cuts through the centre of the Kalahari Desert, creating a unique ecosystem that gives life to a huge variety of birds and mammals. The Okavango is a unique safari destination because you can view much of the wildlife from a traditional canoe called a Mokoro.
- At the confluence of the Chobe River and the Zambezi River four countries meet, one of the only places in the world which this happens. Zambia, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe all meet there.
- Although being a predominantly flat landscape, the two highest points in Botswana are Otse Mountain (1491 metres) and the Tsodilo Hills (1489 metres), which are both taller than Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain (1085 metres). Tsodilo Hills is well-known for its bushmen rock art with approximately over 4 500 paintings being found in the various caves in the hills dating back over hundred thousand years ago. Visit Botswana – with our Botswana Wildlife Breakaway Tour
