Travel tips and features
Practical advice, trip reports and stories from the correspondents.
#VisitSouthAfrica in Two Minutes [VIDEO]
How do you squeeze all the sights and sounds of a two-week South Africa trip into a two-minute video? Well, you don't, really.
Siyabonga: A #VisitSouthAfrica Poem
I'm not one who typically struggles for words, but it's going to be a mighty challenge to convey the magnitude of how mind-bogglingly awesome the 2011 #VisitSouthAfrica press trip was.
Visit South Africa: Follow Along on My Adventure
I'm about to set off on an adventure to South Africa. I'm completey prepared, with a press trip itinerary and packing tips, and yet I'm utterly unprepared for what this adventure will bring.
South Africa in August
August is the first month of Spring. It’s the best choice for those who want to explore the outdoors and do some hiking on the lovely trails located within the national parks.
South Africa in July
July is the last month of winter and the time to enjoy nature, food and wine. There are plenty of festivals to attend and you should not miss celebrating Nelson Mandela Day (July 18).
South Africa in December
December marks the start of summer in South Africa, which also means you’ll be traveling during the high tourist season.
See Another Side of South Africa
Many tourists who come to South Africa do so for two reasons: to visit beautiful Cape Town or to go on a wildlife safari in Kruger National Park.
September and October are Shoulder Season in South Africa
A luxury safari in South Africa is never a cheap experience, but it is one that is worth the price for the chance to see wild animals up close in their natural habitat.
Hotels close to the World Cup Stadium Durban
Durban has a huge hospitality industry thanks to its status as the South African working family’s preferred holiday destination and it’s role as the busiest port city in Africa.
Music in South Africa
South Africa has always been a popular international music venue. The nation’s political history made it a fashionable focus for 80s and 90s race protest and human rights related concert themes.
Bloemfontein – visiting tips for the World Cup
Bloemfontein , or Bloem to her friends, is the capital of the Free State Province . It is also the judicial capital of the nation and one of the quieter and more conservative cities of South Africa.
Port Elizabeth - visiting tips for the World Cup
Port Elizabeth , or PE as it is more widely known, is South Africa's fifth largest city and touted as the nation's watersport capital. It enjoys a singular advantage over Cape Town in this regard.
Johannesburg - visiting tips for the world cup
Johannesburg , or Joburg as she is better known, is a large cosmopolitan city like no other in Africa.
Durban - visiting tips for the World Cup
While the city of Pietermartitzburg is the provincial capital of KwaZulu/Natal, Durban is the main port city and the de facto economic capital.
Cape Town - visting tips for the World Cup
Of all the towns and cities in South Africa Cape Town is perhaps the one with the most to offer a casual visitor.
Fish River Canyon
Fish River is one of the top Southern African trekking destinations, competeing with such classics as the Drakensberg , Chimanimani in Zimbabwe and Mount Mulanje in Malawi.
Poor White Problem Back to Haunt Afrikaaners
Thanks for this piece to South African writer and travel pro Sean Ross South Africa’s poor white problem is starting to raise a sizeable blip on the nation’s social radar again some 70 years after…
South Africa real estate - Browse ads or list your place for free
South Africa is one of those countries where many visitors dream of moving there permanently shortly into their first visit.
Land Rovers – Buy one or list yours for free
Driving a Land Rover in Cape Town or Johannesburg is probably not your best bet, but when you are starting to explore the nature, Land Rovers sure come in handy.
Globe Trekker TV Features South Africa in February
At the start of each month, Pilot Guides Productions - which include such fine travel shows as Globe Trekker and Planet Food - lets us know about the new online travel shows they have featured as…
Merry Christmas from South Africa!
Wishing you all a very merry Christmas, Festive season, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan and Festivus from South Africa and it's logue.
Zuma Zombie: Back from the dead.
It is now official. Jacob Zuma has been voted head of the ANC (African National Congress), with landslide (two-thirds) margin. I feel like I have eaten rotten mushrooms and woken in topsy turvy land!
Sexual offences act: Balderdash!
The new sexual offences act passed on Thursday without public input or being scrutinized by the law reform commission, forbids persons younger than 16 to "kiss, touch or rub up against each other" .
When democracy bites.
This weekend is the national conference in Polokwane, where the much hyped leadership vote, will determine the new head of the ANC .
More rolling blackouts for Cape Town and South Africa!
It seems Homer Simpson at Eskom still hasn't figured out how the big glowy thing works at our power station so more power outages are due, this time nationally.
South Africa: Interesting facts and trivia.
Interesting facts and trivia about South Africa: South Africa is a weird and wonderful place, read below some of out unique attributes and achievements. 1.
Kwaito: South Africa's homegrown sound
Emerging in the early 90's in Johannesburg, Kwaito is a distinctive musical genre spawned from township dance halls.
Mzansi fo sho: What exactly does this mean.
Ok I am not exactly plugged into the latest Xhosa colloquialisms , but what on earth does "Mzanzi fo sho" mean?
Cape Town Suburbs: Seapoint
This series is especially for those coming to Cape Town, and planning on staying for longer than the average holiday, and would like to know in advance which area they wish to stay.
Burning man comes to South Africa: Africa Burns
Well if anyone has seen, heard or better yet been to a burningman festival, this piece of news should be very exciting.
Zuma for president!---deathly hush......
Usually, (by international standards) corruption, rape and indecency charges invariably mark the end of a politicians career.
From the boards: Companion for South African 4x4 trip
Saw this on the forum and thought I would repost it here in case someone misses out.
The Boks welcomed in Cape Town as heroes!
More than 200 schools had the day off yesterday and bussed into Cape Town for the returning rugby teams ticker-tape parade.
BootsnAll is Having a Party - and You're Invited
Usually, when you can't be traveling the next best thing is talking about traveling.
Welcome to the "new look" SALogue!
Hi everyone and welcome to the new layout for SouthAfricalogue. What do you think? It's cleaner, neater and has a more organized structure for finding the information you need.
Globe Trekker TV – Now Showing On Your Computer
Many of us who love to travel also love to fill the gaps in between trips with some travel shows on TV.
Hoorip Hooray, Our first hot day!
Today was a teaser of the promise of summer. A nice warm day, to make everyone go out and buy Barbeque sauces... This happens every year.
Earthwave break surfing record: 71 surfers on one wave.
7 countries participated in the Earthwave global surf challenge this weekend, breaking the Guinness book of records for most surfers on one wave.
Great South Africans: Mark Shuttleworth and Ubuntu Linux
South Africa has produced, I believe more than it's fair share of high achievers and so this is the first in a series of some of the greatest South Africans of all time.
Boots 'n all Treasure hunt: Win a round the world ticket.
Boots 'n all is having a big treasure hunt with lots of prizes Here's how the BootsnAll Treasure Hunt works....
Blog drought while nicotine leaves my system.
I gave up smoking yesterday! Whilst trying to write a few posts last night I realised that I sound a bit like a crazed Yeti, and that I should wait until the worst has past before tapping my shaky…
Some good news for a change, please.
The pervasive bad news in this country is crazy making and is getting so loud the whole world is starting to worry about it.
World cup roundup: This weeks 2010 news highlights.
This is the first of a weekly round-up of local news around the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Take a look at worldcupblog for more info.
Cape Towns Beaches: Big Bay
Had a lovely walk on the beach yesterday and remembered how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful country.
Broken: Curse of the lemon magnet
After much deep and profound brain things inside my head. I relented and bought 2 "new" cars for myself and Sarah.
Sunday Night Bedlam, Mozambique
This whole weekend has been crazy on the road we are staying on. It is the beach road from Maputo to Costa do Sol and is THE hangout for every man woman and child it seems.
Merry Christmas to Mozambiquan traffic officers.
The internet is free tonight due to a malfunction in the wifi server woohoo!, However the beer is not and they will hit you up around R20 for a beer aargh.
Operation Mozambique: The border
We arrived at the border at around 3:00pm, we had heard that the border can be very tedious and extremely busy, but the way we were going from SA to MOZ was all but empty.
Operation Mozambique: #4
Yay, I found some internet access at the Holiday Inn, Maputo, a little expensive, but I am not fussy at this point. 24 hours wireless connection for R100 ($15).
Leaving South Africa - Not so fast!
We had dinner and drinks tonight in the hope of planning a trip to Mozambique for late December. There were some good deals to be had, to places like Zanzibar, who are subsidizing incoming tourists.
South African Phrases: - Xhosa
South Africa has 11 official languages! Fortunately one of those is English and many people speak it.... However.
Swansong Photo Barrage No. 2: Four Pictures
T-minus one post... The Grand Finale! Enjoy! .flickr-photo { } .flickr-frame { float: left; text-align: center; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; } .flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em;…
Swansong Photo Barrage No. 1: Four Pictures
T-minus two posts... It's photo fireworks on SA Logue! From the "best of the rest" collection in the archives - enjoy!
Your Correspondent Takes a Bow (Sniff)
T-minus three posts... It's time for me to say goodbye to SouthAfricaLogue friends and fans.
Cabbies in London Help Turn Thoughts Southwards
SA Logue went to London recently - and brought back a few bits and pieces of South Africa! See more with our SA in UK tag.
Petrol and Electronics in SA: Not so Cheap
Steve from Canada writes in , asking how expensive petrol and electronics are in South Africa.
London's South Africa House for South Africans
SA Logue went to London recently - and brought back a few bits and pieces of South Africa! See more with our SA in UK tag.
Big SA BBQ, Brick Lane
SA Logue went to London recently - and brought back a few bits and pieces of South Africa! See more with our SA in UK tag. Expats! Feeling desperate for a good ol' South African braai?
South Africa House, Trafalgar Square
SA Logue went to London recently - and brought back a few bits and pieces of South Africa! See more with our SA in UK tag. Spotted!
SA Logue Shifts Into the Slow Lane (Temporarily)
Your Correspondent and his Lovely Assistant will be away from SA for the next ten days or so - doing the grand tour in the UK, don't you know - and SA Logue will slow down to a crawl as a result.
Avian View: A Pair of Oystercatchers!
Spotted! A pair of oystercatchers! Where from? Yzerfontein, up the West Coast from Cape Town ( map ).
Africa Day: Meet the National Anthem
Today, May 25th, is Africa Day , and, to celebrate, SA Logue invites you to get to know the South African national anthem, Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika .
SouthAfricaBlog is Moving!
Dear SouthAfricaBlog readers Good news! Your favorite source for South Africa travel information is growing - so much so, in fact, that we've had to find it a new house!
And the Verdict is... Not-Guilty!!!
Alert! Jacob Zuma, South Africa's former Deputy President, and a high-ranking member of the ruling ANC, has been found not guilty of raping an HIV-positive gender activist by Judge Willem van der…
Working in South Africa
Send in your "how I got work in South Africa" advice! For non-South Africans who wish to work in South Africa , the following text, from the SA Home Affairs website , is instructive: The overriding…
1 May - Workers' Day
Today, 1 May, is Workers' Day in South Africa - and most of the rest of the world too.
National Golf Network
There's a new resource for visitors to SA seeking to get in a few rounds of golf during their stay here: it's a thick, heavy, glossy tome called the Nedbank Golf Annual , and in its pages are to be…
Pelargonium Herbal Remedy Hails Originally From South Africa
Alert! In the Southern Hemisphere, winter cold is settling in, while in the Northern Hemisphere, spring has begun to blossom - signalling a rash of colds, 'flu, and hayfever headed your way!
Happy, erm, Malaria Day!
Today, 25 April, is Africa Malaria Day . The disease, which is prevalant on every continent, is one of the world's worst killers - and wreaks an especially high degree of havoc in Africa - and SA…
Family Day
Happy Family Day! Happy what - ? Yes, today is another public holiday in South Africa - the tail end of the longest of our famous long weekends.
Easter Sunday
Happy Easter from SA Blog! Easter is a significant holiday in South Africa: in many, many a household, this morning's worship will be followed by family gatherings, marathon lunches and jellybean…
Alternative Medicine in South Africa: an Overview
Send in your alternative health tips! The state of alternative health in South Africa is, well, healthy .
Send a Text Message/SMS to SA Blog
Want to report a great restaurant outing , note an unusual sighting in Kruger Park, recommend a local bottle of wine , or simply share a few South Africa travel tips as you wend your way through this…
Africa: How 2 Help
Explore the links below to learn how to make a difference as a tourist in Africa. Green Travel Make sustainable travel choices!
Send a Complaint or Compliment to SA Tourism
Are you currently visiting South Africa, or have you been here recently? Have you had a great time - or have you found, erm, room for improvement, in your accommodation, the general levels of…
SA Blog Senses Love in Air
Your Correspondent has an express delivery this morning for the two women in his life, his Lovely Assistant and his mom . Happy Valentine's Day!
SouthAfricaBlog's Top 10 Posts So Far
Now that this blog, under the firm stewardship of its doughty new editor, has passed the milestone of its first 100 posts, it's time for a retrospective.
Chinese Missionaries Find a Niche in South Africa
(An SA Blog post in honor of the Chinese New Year.) 2500 years ago or thereabouts, the great Chinese philosopher Lao Tse decided to leave his homeland, and struck out for new parts.
South African Chinese Caught in Racial Limbo - Again
(An SA Blog post in honor of the Chinese New Year.) The concept of "race" in South Africa involves more acrobatics than the Moscow Circus.
Weekend Links - What Did You Miss?
SA Blog was a bit late out of the starting blocks on this post, which should have gone up yesterday. In future, look for a links summary of weekend stories like this one each Monday.
Kung Hei Fat Choi! Woof Woof!
Sunday 29 January marks the start of the Year of the Dog on the Chinese calendar . SA Blog extends hearty New Year's greetings to all Chinese. Kung Hei Fat Choi!
South Africa Maps: Best Sites
Feeling lost? Find your way in South Africa with these links. Each has been thoroughly tested, and represents the "best of breed" in its online niche.
Best Links for Independent Travellers
Please send in your own top travel links as comments, below! SA Blog's online toolkit for savvy travellers: Cheap air tickets: BootsnAll Cheap Tickets Time zone converter: TimeAndDate.com Temp &…
Top Spirit Medium Finds Self in South Africa
This country is positively crawling with yanks, a large percentage of whom pursue unusual, creative, even downright outlandish careers to keep themselves in shelter.
SA Blog: Now in Color!
This blog has successfully posed its first colour pic. Hurrah! The pic was taken by Your Correspondent during his most recent Serial Adventure, in Tulbagh .
South Africa Gets the Lead Out
(An SA Blog Beta post from Your Correspondent) Jan 1 rang in a significant change at the petrol pumps in SA: leaded fuel is no longer on the menu.
Handy SA Blog Guide to Multicultural New Year's Greetings
(An SA Blog Beta Post from Your Correspondent) South Africa is well known for its diversity in all spheres, a happy national characteristic that extends even to our calendars.
Indians Can Win a Trip to SA
(An SA Blog Beta Post from Your Correspondent) SA Tourism is giving away a free trip to Jo'burg - including a few nights at the posh Sun City resort - for those in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad,…
What You Missed - SA Blog's Alt Top 5
(An SA Blog Beta Post from Your Correspondent) Greetings all and sundry from Your Correspondent, who, after 2 weeks off, is fresh, tanned and fit.