Table of contents for 2017 in The Great Outdoors Guide

With so many big gravel passes in the Eastern Cape, this province has become known in camping and 4x4 circles as “Wild Mountain Country”. In fact, the province has become known for its “Big 8 Passes Challenge”. The navigation of eight mountain passes in the southern section of the Drakensberg Mountains is a driving experience that should be on every 4x4 enthusiast’s bucket list. Actually, you don’t even need a 4x4, as a good 2×4 with high clearance should be able to manage most of the passes, if you know what you’re doing, except for Bastervoetpad. All the passes are gravel except for Barkly Pass, which is tarred. JOUBERT’S PASS (LADY GREY TO WARTRAIL) Joubert Pass stretches from Lady Grey to Wartrail. It is the third-highest pass in South Africa,…

With over 1200 resorts throughout SA, we need your help to tell us which is the best of the best. The prestigious Readers’ Resort of the Year Award is given to those special few caravan resorts that go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that your holiday needs are being met. If you’ve stayed at a resort that you think deserves the honour of being dubbed the greatest of the year, then please let us know. As South Africa’s top-selling caravan park resort guide, we feel it is our duty to celebrate the caravan and camping resorts that provide excellence in service to the outdoor community. That is why we have created the Readers’ Resort of the Year Award – to show off the top destinations in…

The Northern Cape is the largest of South Africa’s provinces but has the smallest population; it is one of the more remote areas of the country. Among its key selling points are its vast, open spaces, unique vegetation – including the beautiful spring-flower spectacle that transforms its semidesert landscape – and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, which is famous for its lions. AUGRABIES The Khoisan people referred to Augrabies Waterfall as ‘Aukoerebis’, or ‘place of Great Noise’: the sound of the water plummeting into the depths of the rock pools below is deafening. It really is a spectacular sight (and sound) – as the water cascades down 56 metres. The region is characterised by rock formations and the grand Kokerboom, or quiver tree. The most famous formations are Moon Rock and…

A sub-tropical climate, a coastline filled with sun-drenched beaches, heritage-rich hills and valleys, the majestic Drakensberg range, and a wetland park with eight interlinking ecosystems – welcome to KwaZulu-Natal. Bordering Mozambique in the north and the Eastern Cape in the south, the province is not just a place of natural beauty but also has a cosmopolitan allure that comes alive in cities like Durban. It’s a travellers’ dream, with more than 50 caravan- and camping parks spread out on the 600km coastline, and many more inland at the mountains, in the Midlands, and in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. THE COAST An ocean breeze, sand exfoliating your feet, and the warm ocean currents to bathe in – all the characteristics of an amazing holiday by the seaside. KwaZulu-Natal has become known…

Table Mountain, blue flag beaches, the Winelands, the Garden Route – the scenic splendour of the Western Cape is a tourist’s dream. In fact, more than half of international visitors to South Africa are attracted to the Cape. There is an endless number of activities and sight-seeing to do – experiencing the cosmopolitan vibe of Cape Town, cruising the coast to watch whales, hiking in the mountains, going on a wine tour, soaking up the beauty of the Karoo, and so much more. If you are planning to explore the Cape, why not fashion your travel around one of the five famous Routes we’ve selected for you? WINE ROUTE Every year, thousands of locals and foreigners come to the Cape to experience the Winelands’ historic Cape Dutch Homes, its lavish…

Gauteng is the smallest province in the country, but the one with the biggest population. It is here that gold was discovered in 1886, leading to the region becoming the single largest gold producer in the world, and to the founding of Johannesburg. Gold was not the only important discovery in Gauteng. In 1947, a 2.3-million-year-old fossil was found in the Sterkfontein Caves; and in 2013, the skeletons of an extinct species of hominin, called Homo naledi, was discovered. And, with the urban jungles of Johannesburg and Pretoria, Gauteng offers great escapes into the outdoors − especially the historic Cradle of Humankind and Magaliesberg. CRADLE OF HUMANKIND The Cradle of Humankind is a paleoanthropological site about 50 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999,…

Many South Africans think of the Free State as just a bunch of farms. Although over 70% of our country’s grain is indeed produced here (earning the province the nickname of “South Africa’s breadbasket), there is actually a lot more to the province. For outdoor lovers, the scenery can take your breath away. From the prairie-like plains to the Eastern Highlands and the border of Limpopo, as well as from the Golden Gate National Park to the Gariep Dam, the Free State is steeped in bush beauty. And there are many interesting and historical little towns like Clarens, Bethlehem, and the “City Of Roses”, Bloemfontein. GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL PARK The Golden Gate Highlands National Park, named for the shades of gold cast by the sun on the sandstone cliffs, lies…

Limpopo is bushveld country – grasslands, thorn trees, and the magical baobab. Host to a wealth of incredible scenery and history, it’s an area steeped in cultural heritage. Limpopo is known as a place of peace and friendliness. Lying to the very north of the country (bordering Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique), it is also famous for its waterfalls, trout-filled rivers, forests and wildlife. Visit the mountain hamlet of Haenertsburg, the world’s largest baobab tree at Sunland, the ancient cycads at Madjadji village, the ruins of Mapungubwe, the Kruger National Park, Bela-Bela, Tha Vondo Forest and Lake Funduzi. NORTHERN KRUGER NATIONAL PARK If the mass of visitors and crowded roads that you find in the popular Southern Kruger National Park does not appeal to you, head north. The upper region of…

Lying west of Gauteng and extending to the Botswana border, the North West Province is flanked by the Kalahari Desert and the beautiful Magaliesberg mountain range. The area is one of South Africa’s top malariafree wildlife destinations, boasting both rewarding game viewing and adventure. North West is rich in archaeological discoveries – including the Pilanesberg National Park on the site of an extinct volcano. There are also some man-made holiday attractions such as the Lost City and Sun City. This makes it a favourite holiday destination for many locals, especially those from Gauteng who wish to get out of the big cities. Towns like Brits have an abundance of caravan and camping parks, and further north are national parks and reserves such as Borakalalo, Pilanesberg and Madikwe. And, of course,…

The southern region of the Kruger National Park is extremely popular with locals and tourists alike – it’s “close” to the big cities (Joburg is just over 4 hours’ drive away), there are many camps and water holes that are active throughout the year, and it has various routes to drive for game viewing. The Southern Region is bordered by the Crocodile River in the south and the Sabie River in the north; in the East, the Lebombo Mountains form a border between the Kruger National Park and Mozambique. Most of Kruger’s White Rhino live in the southern region, and are normally found around Pretoriuskop, Mbyamiti River and south of the Sabie River. Other animals that are often found in the south are leopards, baboons, giraffes and klipspringers. The Pretoriuskop…

Namibia, that great desert of Southern Africa, provides so many attractions that it is often difficult to choose what to see. The Namib Desert gets its name from the Nama people, and means “vast place”... and what a vast and miraculous place it is. The Namib Desert is believed to be the world’s oldest desert and it has been arid for at least 55 million years. Here are our top six places to visit as you adventure through the desert and western coast of the country. KOLMANSKOP Kolmanskop is a ghost town situated close to the seaside town of Lüderitz. The town was first populated in 1908, after diamonds were discovered in the area. A mining town was hastily built in the Cape-German style − with amenities like a ballroom,…