South Africa

Jo'burg:

Pretoria:

lol

Kruger National Park:

Instead of driving to Kruger from Nelspruit, I drove to Swaziland. Unintentially, of course. Ostensibly, I was to leave mid-morning for Kruger National Park, arriving in the early afternoon- I ended up arriving a bare 20 minutes before the gates close for the night. Tourists visiting the park have a variety of options, from staying in one of the nearby resorts, backpackers, or towns (some as close as a hundred meters from one of the gates) from actually staying inside the park, in one of the walled villages. Kruger is immense; and if the proposed trans-frontier park goes through, it will become even larger, so plan where you want to enter and exit the park, as well as the places in the park you want to stay well in advance. Prices range from the upper end of economy. Even in the midst of a drought, Kruger is an incredible place to visit, and I recommend it without reservation.

The accomodations at the research facility were great, but it was pretty clear that us temporary residents weren't to be trusted to look after ourselves. Considerate signs dot the lodging; the one in my room reads, "Please close all windows firmly to prevent Monkeys and hyenas from getting in, ruining the window screens and eating your food". Welcome to Africa.

Nelspruit:

Nelspruit is the major gateway to NE South Africa, but its major claim to fame is its proximity to Kruger National Park. There are daily flights from Jo'burg and other South African cities, the most variety from British Airways, but before you book with BA, check out the deals with local carriers like Kahlua. When I left South Africa, they were running some dirt cheap local fares.

The Nelspruit airport was by far the most visually interesting airport I visited in South Africa; clearly tourist oriented, it featured thick thatch roofing on all the buildings, made out of straight, regular twigs roughly the diameter of a slim pencil. The entrance features floor to ceiling glass doors that offer a dramatic view over the valley

Once you're actually in town, there is a choice of accomodation, from the internationally known (and priced) Holiday Inn to the cheapest deal in town (that I could find) the Formula 1.

Maputo:

lol

Mbabane:

lol

Swaziland:

lol

Greater St. Lucia Wetlands:

lol

Drakensberg:

lol

Ladysmith:

Bergville:

Durban:

Lesotho:

Port St. Johns:

jlk

The Shipwreck Coast:

Lusikisiki:

Umtata:

East London:

Grahamstown:

Port Elizabeth:

Jeffrey's Bay:

Garden Route:

George:

Mossel Bay:

Cape Agulhas:

Cape Town: