With post-apartheid optimism melding South Africa into a new society of energy and significance, travellers are returning to a place that has been off the trail for most of the century. Political violence seems to be a thing of the past and among the vast majority of people there is a desire to get on with building a new nation. It's an exciting time to visit.

When to Go

Summer can be uncomfortably hot, especially in the lowveld. Higher-altitude areas are pleasantly warm over summer, but the mountains are rain-and mist-prone. The north-eastern regions can be annoyingly humid, but swimming on the east coast is a year-round proposition. Spring is the best time for wildflowers in the Northern Cape and Western Cape provinces. Winters are mild everywhere except in the highest country, where there are frosts and occasional snowfalls.

Holiday-makers stream out of the cities from mid-December to late January: resorts and national parks are heavily booked and prices on the coast can more than double. School holidays in April, July and September can clog up beaches and national parks.

Places to Visit

Cape Town

Like all South African cities, Cape Town is ambivalent - European but not European, African but not African - a mixture of the third and first worlds. But when it comes to being one of the most beautiful cities in the world, it is unequivocal. Even the transient visitor will appreciate this city, its mountains and the sea. Cape Town, South Africa's oldest settlement, is dominated by the kilometre high flat-topped Table Mountain and superb mountain walks, vineyards and beaches are all within easy reach. Despite an increase in street crime in recent years, Cape Town remains one of the most relaxed cities in Africa, which can instil a false sense of security. Paranoia is not required but common sense is.

The city centre lies to the north of Table Mountain. The commercial centre, known as the City Bowl, takes in many of Cape Town's attractions. The Castle of Good Hope was built between 1666 and 1679 and is one of the oldest European structures in Southern Africa. The South African Museum is a good old-fashioned place, with cases and cases of stuffed animals and bloodthirsty dioramas of dinosaurs. Exhibitions of indigenous cultures include some startlingly lifelike displays of San communities. If you see only one museum in Cape Town make it the District Six Museum, a much simpler place dedicated to residents of this formerly vibrant and now bulldozed community. The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is to the north of the city centre. It is atmospheric, interesting and packed with restaurants, bars, music venues, shops and a great aquarium. This area kicks on late so head down anytime.

The Table Mountain cableway is such an obvious and popular attraction you might have difficulty convincing yourself it's worth the trouble and expense. It is. When it's clear, the views from the top are phenomenal and there are some excellent walks on the summit, especially in spring when the plants are flowering. The Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens on the eastern side of Table Mountain are among the most beautiful in the world and are devoted almost exclusively to indigenous plants. A trip to Robben Island comes highly recommended: The island was a political prison until majority rule, and its most famous inmate was Nelson Mandela.

City Bowl is a good place to sniff out hostels, guesthouses and hotels. Sea Point, on the Atlantic Ocean, west of the centre, is another good place to stay. Observatory is a nice neighbourhood popular with students.

Durban

Durban is a big subtropical city in the north-eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal. It has been a major port since the 1850s and is home to the largest concentration of Indian-descended people in the country. Today the city is better known as a holiday-makers' fun parlour with a happening nightlife. The weather (and the water, thanks to the Agulhas current) stays warm year-round drawing the crowds to Durban's long string of surf beaches.

Apart from the sandy strip, 'Durbs' has a fair bit to offer. The impressive city hall houses an art gallery which has a good collection of contemporary South African works and a natural science museum (check out the cockcroach display and the reconstructed dodo). Also in the city centre, the local history museum has interesting displays on colonial life and the African Art Centre features exciting work by rural artists.

The Indian area, to the west of the city centre, has a bustle and vibrancy that's missing from most commercial districts in South Africa. The Victoria St Market is the area's focus, but other must sees are the Juma Mosque, the largest in the southern hemisphere, and the Alayam Hindu Temple, South Africa's oldest and biggest.

Marine Parade, fronting the beach, is Durban's focal point. Most places to stay and eat are on the parade or in the streets behind it, and much of the city's entertainment is here as well. Durban has an international airport, and is well serviced by buses and trains to all of South Africa's major cities.

Garden Route

Heavily promoted and heavily scented, the Garden Route runs along a beautiful bit of coastline in southern Western Cape. The narrow coastal plain is well forested and is mostly bordered by extensive lagoons which run behind a barrier of sand dunes and superb white beaches. The Garden Route has some of the most significant tracts of indigenous forest in the country - giant yellow wood trees and wildflowers - as well as commercial plantations of eucalypt and pine. The area is a favourite for all water sports and the weather is kind year-round. There are some tacky developments dotted along the route, but you can steer clear of the worst of it, and hostel accommodation isn't too hard to find. Some of the quieter places are Mossel Bay, Herold's Bay and Buffalo Bay.

George is the major transport hub for the area and is a pleasant enough town to park your pack while you get your bearings. If you're travelling between Cape Town and the Garden Route, there's a grueling but spectacular alternative through the mountains of the Little Karoo or Klein Karoo. This area is renowned for ostriches, which thrive in the dry and sunny climate; for wildflowers; and for the kloofs (ravines) and passes that cut through the mountains.

Johannesburg

Jo'burg, Jozi, eGoli or 'the city of gold' (never Johannesburg) is by far the largest city in South Africa. It's brash, fast-growing and often ugly, but it's got wealth, energy and a beautiful climate. Many would suggest you go through Jo'burg as quickly as possible, with your valuables plugging all available orifices. However, if you want to see the 'real' South Africa - and try to understand it - Jo'burg has to be on your itinerary. Anyway, you may not have a choice about visiting the city as most international flights stop here. While the colour lines are etched deeply, you stand a better chance of meeting blacks on relatively equal terms in Jo'burg than almost anywhere else. Unlike many South African cities where there are so few black faces you could forget that you are in Africa, the centre of Jo'burg has been reclaimed and the sidewalks are jammed with black hawkers and stalls of every description. There's also a growing multiracial music and theatre scene.

The city centre is laid out in a straightforward grid, so it's not hard to find your way around. The northern suburbs are white middle-class ghettos; they're antiseptic and isolated, manicured and Merc'ed, and the only blacks around are in neatly pressed maid and chauffeur kit.

Hillbrow was for a time one of the most exciting places in South Africa; a bohemian mecca, rivaling Soho and Greenwich Village. If you must go there, wait until you've got your bearings.

Kruger National Park

As well as being one of the most famous wildlife parks in the world, Kruger National Park is among the biggest and the oldest - it turned 100 in 1998. You can see the 'big five' here (lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and rhinos) as well as cheetahs, giraffes, hippos, all sorts of antelope species and smaller animals. Although most people will have seen African animals in zoos, it is impossible to exaggerate how extraordinary and completely different it is to see these animals in their natural environment. That said, Kruger is not quite a wilderness experience: it's highly developed, organised, accessible and popular.

The park runs for 350km along the Mozambique border and has an average width of 60km. There are about 2000km of roads in the park, so even on weekends and school holidays, it's possible to isolate yourself and just see what comes along (it could be a fleet of BMWs). The main entry points to the park are through the towns of Skukuza and Nelspruit, both about a day's drive from Johannesburg. Accommodation is usually in well-managed huts run by the National Parks Board. Facilities vary from communal and basic to private and swish.

Drakensberg

The awesome Drakensberg (Dragon Mountain) is a basalt escarpment forming the border with eastern Lesotho. Although people have lived here for thousands of years - there are many San rock painting sites - some of the peaks and rocks have only been tackled by Europeans in the last few decades. Much of the range is taken up by national parks, perhaps the most spectacular of which is Royal Natal National Park. The southern boundary of the park is formed by the Amphitheatre, an 8km stretch of cliff that is spectacular from below and even more so from the top. Here the Tugela Falls drop 850m in five stages (the top one often freezes in winter). There are some superb wilderness trails in the area, the flora is rich and varied and the mountain-climbing opportunities are heart stopping. Bergville is the jumping-off point for Royal Natal. It's accessible by minibus taxi from Ladysmith.