As the cable car traverses the Table Mountain cableway,the panoramic view of Cape Town is breathtaking.

The soul reawakens as one marvels at the awesome mountain scenery, lush vineyards and long sandy beaches that make Cape Town one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Ascending the mountain along the 1200m cableway is really an experience! The cable car’s rotating floors ensures that each of the 65 passengers get a 360 degree view of Cape Town Peninsula, Robben Island and the Table Bay.

These exciting views, however, become a bit scary - more than scary – as you come so close to the mountain. The sheer drop to the cliffs below churns your stomach. For a moment you think the car is not going to make it, but then in 5 minutes or so you just find yourself at upper cable station situated at the summit of the mountain.

From this point you can stroll along 2 km of well-maintained pathways while enjoying panoramic views of the neighbourhoods from over 12 viewing sites and decks. The waters of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans swirl in front of you and the white ribbon beaches of Clifton and Camps Bay spread out below. All of a sudden Cape Town’s unpredictable weather brings about a beautiful blanket of white cloud - the famed Table Cloth - tumbling over the side of the mountain like a waterfall.

As you explore the 3km wide mountain top, rising to 1085m at Maclears Beacon - the mountain’s highest point - you feel like a kite floating on air. Within a few minutes you will find out why Table Mountain is internationally acclaimed as a premier South Africa tours destinations. All along the pathways, you will find some of the 1470 or so species of plants hosted by the mountain. And if you are lucky enough you may as well spot one of the rare but famous Table Mountain Ghost Frog found nowhere else in the world. Read the rest of this entry »

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As you walk up to Victoria Falls’ tourist viewing area, the panoramic view of the world’s largest water curtain is breathtaking.

Referred to by the locals as Mosi oa Tunya (the smoke that thunders), the 1,708 metres wide waterfall drops about 128 metres into Bakota Gorge -which runs 120 metres across- forming dense mist that covers the whole area.

In deed, the water falls with such a high velocity as to create a thick mist that rises over 150 meters.

Victoria Falls is one of the world’s natural wonders placed along the Zambezi River and it separates Zimbabwe and Zambia, but it’s best seen from the Zimbabwean side. The falls is made of five different “falls” which are: The Devil’s Cataract, Main Falls, Rainbow Falls and Horseshoe Falls all in Zimbabwe and the Eastern Cataract situated in Zambia.

The Devil’s Cataract, whose name is derived from the close by island in the Zambezi River, is about 70 metres deep. Main Falls is, on the other hand, the most spectacular of all the falls with water falling 93 metres into the gorge below. Shaped like a horse shoe, Horseshoe Falls is about 95 metres deep and it offers excellent view of Rainbows Falls. A spectacular view of the Cataract Falls can be found by descending 73 steps into the close by Eastern Cataract Falls situated on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls.

Victoria Falls can be approached from either the Zambian side or Zimbabwean side, although the former is less spectacular. The best time to have full view is midway through the dry season when the water volume decreases. However, the falls are less thrilling towards the end of the dry season as the flow is at its lowest.

The Zambezi basin above the falls experiences a rainy season from late November to early April, and a dry season the rest of the year. During the month of April when rainfall is highest, Victoria Falls has over 500 million litres of water falling over its crestline each minute. The minimum flow occurs in November and it is about a tenth of the April flow.

A majority of people on South Africa safari tours prefer taking a camping safari to the Victoria Falls as part of their Southern Africa adventures. The camping safari sees visitors traversing four countries: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zambia. Read the rest of this entry »

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Robben Island has in the past few years changed from being an infamous incarceration centre to a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Located 12 km from Cape Town in the West Cape Province of South Africa, Robben Island was for more than three centuries used as a place for banishment and imprisonment. It was here that political and human rights activists were incarcerated by the rulers of the day to thwart their quest for liberalization.

Although it had been in existence for over three hundred years, Robben Island came into the international limelight in the late 20th century during the apartheid years. This was the era in which South African freedom fighters, including Nelson Mandela – former president of South Africa- and the founding leader of the Pan Africanist Congress, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe,among other leaders were imprisoned. Mandela was sent to Robben Island in 1963 after receiving a life imprisonment and he remained at the 6 sq km island for 27 years.

At Robben island, political and common-law prisoners were jailed together and their contact with the outside world was limited to receiving and sending two letters a year. Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990 and in 1991 the remaining political detainees were released. 1996 saw the transfer of common-law prisoners to the mainland.

In 1997 Robben Island was transformed a into museum a move that placed it among the most popular tour destinations in South Africa. Read the rest of this entry »

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Although Zulu virgins have for centuries performed the famous Zulu Dance wearing nothing but beads and short fringed skirts, this custom has now come to an end thanks to the escalation of ‘lascivious’ male tourists.

From now on said King Goodwill Zwelithini in a recent media briefing, the girls will have to put on sarongs or traditional undergarments called umuntsha to cover their bottoms.

This new development comes at a time when the locals are increasingly becoming fed-up of male tourists who pose as paparazzi and zoom in their cameras to catch a glimpse of the innocence of the youngsters. However, the decision is said to have angered Zulu girls who prefer to show off their innocence in the customary way.

According to sources, photography at the traditional dances in which thousands of virgins perform are strictly regulated and only bona fide members of the press are allowed to take photographs. But in the recent years it has emerged that many of the cameramen competing for the best photographic angles were just ordinary tourists taking photographs without approval. The royal dance is performed annually in the honour of the king, who takes the opportunity to choose a wife from among the dancers. The event takes place at Nongoma, northern KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa and it attracts 25,000 visitors annually. Photo/BBC

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The astonishing spectacle of a leopard savaging a crocodile has been captured for the first time on camera.

All pictures by Hal Brindley/SOLO Syndication
A series of incredible pictures taken at a South African game reserve document the first known time that a leopard has taken on and defeated one of the fearsome reptiles.

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