Southern Africa
Table of Contents: Countries / Cities / Other destinations / Culture and History / Landscape / Talk / Travel to Southern Africa, visa requirements Flights to Southern Africa, airtickets / Get around / Southern Africa attractions and sightseeing / Itineraries / City tours / Good restaurants and cheap meals / Southern Africa nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs. / Stay safe / Stay healthy / Water / Sunburn / HIV and AIDS / Malaria / Get out More from Africa: Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Saharan Africa, Seychelles, Southern Africa, West Africa |
Southern Africa is a region that includes several non-tropical countries in Africa.
Countries
A number of other countries are sometimes considered part of Southern Africa due to their acceptability from the region, but for the purpose of this guide they form part of other regions. These include:
- Islands of the Indian Ocean such as the Seychelles and Mauritius
- Mozambique
Cities
- Gaborone -- The capital of Botswana
- Harare -- The capital of Zimbabwe
- Maputo -- The capital of Mozambique
- Maseru -- The capital of Lesotho
- Mbabane -- The capital of Swaziland
- Port Louis -- The capital of Mauritius
- Pretoria -- The capital of South Africa
- Windhoek -- The capital of Namibia
Other destinations
- Fish River Canyon in Namibia -- The second largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon in the USA.
- Kruger National Park in South Africa -- One of the best managed wildlife parks in Africa.
- Okavango Delta in Botswana -- A unique geological formation where a delta is formed by the Okavango river flowing into the Kalahari desert instead of the ocean. Part of the Delta is designated as Moremi National Park
- Ponta d'Ouro in Mozambique -- An excellent dive spot, more easily accessible from South Africa than from Maputo
- Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe -- A popular tourist destination located in the west the country.
Culture and History
Landscape
The Drakensberg (mountains of the dragon) range stretches some 1000km through Southern Africa, from the Eastern Cape through Lesotho (most of this country is located on a plateau of the mountain range) , central KwaZulu-Natal (where one can find the Tugela Falls, the second highest waterfall in the world), divides Mpumalanga in half creating the Escarpment and the Blyde River Canyon (the third largest canyon in the world) from where it reaches up into the southern parts of Limpopo.
Talk
Most people in Southern Africa generally speak English. However there are many regional languages and dialects, following the colonial history and the many different groups of people located here. Some of the more important languages include the nguni languages, Afrikaans and Portuguese.
Travel to Southern Africa, visa requirements
Flights to Southern Africa, airtickets
South Africa's OR Tambo Internatonal Airport in Johannesburg and Cape Town International Airport are two of the easiest entry points into the region, with many direct international flight landing there from Amsterdam, Bangkok,Lisbon, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Athens, Dubai, Doha, New York, Atlanta, Washington (D.C.), Buenos Aires, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Sydney, Perth and others.
Connections to the rest of the Southern African region is easily made from here with flights to Blantyre, Cairo, Gaborone, Dar es Salaam, Harare, Lilongwe, Livingstone, Luanda, Lusaka, Kinshasa, Maputo, Manzini, Maun, Mauritius, Nairobi, Victoria Falls, Windhoek and more.
You may also want to have a look at Discount airlines in Africa and Air travel in South Africa.
Get around
Southern Africa attractions and sightseeing
Itineraries
Trip starts in Zambia, near world-famous Victoria Falls and provides a glimpse into the best of Botswana with plenty of options for game drives before heading down through the wild Limpopo province of South Africa.
Livingstone, Botswana, Waterberg National Park, Johannesburg.
City tours
Good restaurants and cheap meals
Southern Africa nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.
Stay safe
Stay healthy
Water
Depending on the country you are visiting, tap water might not always be safe to drink. Consult the page for the relevant country and check with locals when in doubt.
Sunburn
Many activities in Southern Africa will be outdoors outdoors, see the sunburn and sun protection travel topic for tips on how to protect yourself.
HIV and AIDS
Southern Africa has a very hight HIV infection rate.
For your own safety, DO NOT HAVE UNPROTECTED SEX.
Malaria
There might be a risk of contracting Malaria in many areas in the region. See the Malaria and Mosquitoes travel topics for more information.
Get out
More from Africa: Central Africa, East Africa, North Africa, Saharan Africa, Seychelles, Southern Africa, West Africa |
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