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Interestingly tourists coming to South Africa are always keen to see the country's celebrated Big Five (elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard and rhino) neglecting a wealth of smaller wildlife. Entire vacations are planned for the sole purpose of spotting them. But I would like to introduce you to the lesser known “Small 5”, whose names relate to their bigger counterparts, this is called the Little Five: elephant shrew, ant lion, rhinoceros beetle, buffalo weaver and leopard tortoise. The Elephant Shrew Getting its name from the elongated snout that resembles an elephant’s trunk, the elephant s...

In Africa, the big five game animals are the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo. The term "big five game" (usually capitalized or quoted as "Big Five") was coined by big-game hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. Subsequently the term was adopted by safari tour operators for marketing purposes. The members of the Big Five were chosen for the difficulty in hunting them and the degree of danger involved, rather than their size. The big five are among the most dangerous, yet most popular species for big-game hunters to hunt. The 1990 a...

Pretoria is a city in the northern part of Gauteng province in South Africa. It straddles the Apies River and has spread eastwards into the foothills of the Magaliesberg mountains. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the administrative branch of government while Cape Town is the legislative capital and Bloemfontein the judicial capital. There have been proposals to change the name of Pretoria itself to Tshwane, and the proposed name change has caused some controversy. Pretoria is named after the Voortrekker leader Andries Pretorius, and within South Afric...

Deep in the rugged bushveld, in the heart of an ancient volcano, lies the world's most unique resort, the internationally acclaimed Sun City. The Resort has a unique heartbeat and an African rhythm of its own and is unlike any other Resort destination in the world. This is pure fantasy and your every desire is met. Sun City Resort in the Pilanesberg in the North West Province is one of the most remarkable destinations in Africa. Sun City Resort is rated among the world's most unusually conceived, and most lavish, inland resorts. There are four world-class hotels including Cabanas, Cascade...

The Drakensberg includes the highest mountains in Southern Africa. The name means Dragon Mountains in Afrikaans and is called uKhahlamba in Zulu which means "barrier of spears". Large parts of the Drakensberg were declared a world heritage site in 2000 due to its ecological and cultural diversity. The range stretches over 300km (186 miles) along the edge of KwaZulu-Natal and completely encompasses The Kingdom of Lesotho. The Drakensberg can be divided up into three main sections - the Northern Drakensberg, Central Drakensberg and Southern Drakensberg. These regions also include different ...

The Lion Park is a 600 hectare wildlife conservation enclosure located in the Gauteng province, just near Lanseria Airport within distance of Johannesburg and Pretoria for Transvaal lions. The park has a large variety of predators and large herbivores indigenous to Africa. If you are pressed for time, or your trip does not include a journey to one of the major game reserves in South Africa, then it follows that you might still want to view lions 'up close and personal' in a wildlife conservation enclosure. In fact...

South Africa’s Cape Town has once again been included in a list of the World's Top 15 Cities according to the latest Travel + Leisure survey 2017. The international travel magazine hosts the annual survey through a reader questionnaire. Readers vote on several categories, including the world's best hotels, airports, spas and islands. Cape Town has featured below the top 10 spot for several consecutive years. According to the magazine Cape Town is ranked at number eight this year. The magazine described the city as "cutting-edge, artsy, and buzzing with energy", and applauded the var...

In a study of more than 3,000 reviews from safari adventurists and industry experts, four South African parks were declared amongst the top 10 best safari parks of Africa. SafariBookings.com, an online marketplace for African safaris, published a definitive ranking of the best safari parks in Africa. South Africa’s MalaMala, Sabi Sands, Phinda, and Kgalagadi all ranked within the Top 10. No other country had more parks ranked so highly, which is excellent for South Africa. A total of 2,234 reviews were contributed by safari tourists from 63 countries. The remaining 774 park reviews were wri...

Lesedi, which is in seSotho means 'light', was initiated as a tourist attraction and today features five traditional dwellings, each representing a South African culture: Pedi, Zulu, Xhosa, Basotho and Ndebele.  Situated within the Cradle of Humankind, any visit to South Africa would certainly be incomplete without a visit to Lesedi, the cradle of living African culture. Lesedi Cultural Village was established in 1993 to display the full diversity of the South African rainbow nation. In an informative and entertaining way, Lesedi provides the visitor with a better understanding of...

For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, which is 12 kilometres from Cape Town, was a place of banishment, exile, isolation and imprisonment. It is flat and only a few metres above sea level, as a result of an ancient erosion event. It was here at Robben Island that rulers sent those regarded as political troublemakers, social outcasts and the unwanted of society. It was also used as a post office, a grazing ground, a mental hospital and an outpost. Nobel Laureate and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela was imprisoned there for 18 of the 27 years he served behind bars before the fall ...

Minister of Tourism in South Africa, Derek Hanekom is confident that the introduction of online visa applications for foreigners wishing to visit South Africa holds great potential for the tourism industry. Hanekom said the electronic visas, which were expected to simplify the application process, should help increase growth in the tourism sector, “What is exciting me is the massive potential,” he said. South African tourism was slow in 2017, up only 2.6% on 2016 compared with a global average of 7%. Authorities have blamed the weak performance on a stronger rand and the water crisis in ...

Soweto is an urban settlement or 'township' in South Africa, southwest of Johannesburg, with a population of approximately 1.3 million, dwelling in homes ranging from extravagant mansions to makeshift shacks. Soweto was created in the 1930s when the White government started separating Blacks from Whites. Blacks were moved away from Johannesburg, to an area separated from White suburbs. They did this by using the infamous 'Urban Areas Act' in 1923. Soweto obtained its name from the first two letters of South Western Township which was the original description of the area. The first residents o...

There is no reason to let tight budgets stop you and your family from making some pretty special memories. While some would argue that travel is a luxury, we here at Travel2Africa could not disagree more. It's a necessity and just a quick scan of your best memories and experiences should remind you of its value. Whether you like to bundle up or prefer to head for warmer weather, here are 5 top winter holiday spots the whole family will enjoy. 1. Kruger National Park  Located in Mpumalanga and Limpopo, The Kruger National Park is one of the biggest game reserve in Africa. With ...