mercredi 12 mars 2014

Rent A Car And See Southern Africa

By Jaclyn Hurley


Southern Africa simply begs to be explored. It has a huge variety of landscapes, from green hills and mountains to dry plains. There are small towns and traditional villages but also modern, vibrant cities. To experience everything the region has to offer, it's best to rent a car, move away from the most popular tourist spots and hit the back roads.

One of Southern Africa's most popular destinations is the Western Cape province of South Africa. This is home to gorgeous Cape Town, which is a good city to fly into. From Cape Town, head northwards to the Cape Winelands or up along the rugged West Coast. Otherwise, head east through the semi-arid Little Karoo region. You can also stick to the coastal route known as the Garden Route with its forests.

South Africa's eastern coast has a warmer, more humid climate and the ocean is pleasantly warm. The secluded beaches of the Wild Coast are often visited by herds of cattle. More to the north lies the Hibiscus Coast with its holiday resorts. After that you'll find laid-back Durban, where Indian and Zulu cultures meet and where the surfing is great.

After you've explored the coast, it's time for the mountains. The Drakensberg is Southern Africa's biggest mountain range. Part of the Drakensberg is the Maluti Mountains, which make up most of the country of Lesotho. From Lesotho, continue on into South Africa's Free State province. Here the sandstone cliffs are soon replaced by vast plains covered in cornfields and sunflowers.

Johannesburg is about 4 hours north of Bloemfontein, the Free State capital. It's one of Africa's largest cities and home to its busiest airport. The South African capital Pretoria is close by and from these two cities, you can do wonderful road trips eastwards to the subtropical Lowveld region with the Kruger National Park as well as to Swaziland and Mozambique.

If you drive northwards from Johannesburg and Pretoria, you'll enter the Bushveld region with its baobab trees and plenty of game. Musina marks the main border crossing into Zimbabwe. From here, head northwestwards to Bulawayo, the Hwange National Park and Victoria Falls. Take a side trip to Lake Kariba, then cross over into Zambia.

After Zambia, go south again to Botswana. Go game-viewing in the lush northern parts of this pleasant country and spend some time in the Okavango Delta. Further south is the Kalahari Desert. The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park covers a large part of the Kalahari in Botswana, South Africa and Namibia. Namibia is also home to the Namib Desert with its high sand dunes and the country has a German flavor.

Roads in Southern Africa range from well-kept highways to dirt roads. However, a standard car should be sufficient in most areas. Remember that people in the region drive on the left, so stay alert while you're behind the wheel. Take many breaks too, to avoid fatigue. Most cities and large towns in the region have a great selection of car rental companies that offer fantastic deals.




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