‘They’ call this place a ‘World in One Country’ so to explore this country, you are going to need some handy, dandy travel tips on how to navigate your way around South Africa.

SA (South Africa) is a BIG country – we have almost 65 million people living here so sometimes it’s tricky to find a gap to really get away from it all and just breathe in the fresh air and relax. But it is possible.

South Africa used to have only four provinces, but at the time of the 1994 elections, the country was redivided into nine. There’s something special you can find in each one, but if you’re on a time crunch, there are a few that are better for travelers than others.

Gauteng (province) is where you’ll find the city of Johannesburg, and OR Tambo International Airport (airport code: JNB). This airport is one of two major gateways into South Africa.

The other gateway is Cape Town, which you will find in the Western Cape (province). Cape Town International Airport (airport code: CPT) isn’t as big as OR Tambo, and it’s an easy airport to find your way around.

Now in addition to the nine provinces in South Africa, there are also two kingdoms: Lesotho and Swaziland. These two kingdoms are located geographically inside South Africa and they have their own rules, rulers and you need your passport (and maybe a visa) to enter here.

So all-in-all, we have one country made up of nine provinces + two kingdoms + > 65 million people! (excluding the people from Lesotho and Swaziland).

Western Cape Province: Cape Town, Winelands & The Garden Route

Now my personal favourite is Cape Town, but I’m biased because it’s where I was born and raised, and where my children were born and raised. And this is where my family and friends are.

It’s an amazing city, totally design-forward and globally connected city. And almost everyone wants a finger in the proverbial Cape Town pie. There are loads of tourists and digital nomads here, who love the outdoors, the nightlife, the excellent restaurants and so much more.

And the bonus for most travellers is, that if you’re bring in US Dollars, Pounds or Euros, you’ll find things pretty cheap! Like a takeout pizza is around R150, a coffee R35, a meal for two at a good restaurant about R1000 (top class restaurants are more expensive, but they are worth the experience and the time spent there).

Read more: Best Restaurants in Cape Town for Dinner – The Safari Addict

For those who have never been and don’t know what to imagine, Cape Town is as much an urban jungle as is another other major city in the world. You WILL find tech stores with most modern toys and gadgets you’ll find around the world. You WILL find places to buy lavish jewelry and diamonds and gold. You WILL find world-class wine farms and can buy award-winning wines from these cellars. You WILL be able to get medical treatment in first class hospitals if you need it. You WILL be able to buy diapers and baby necessities if you run out.

A great option for travellers who enjoy exploring at their own pace and who don’t want to join a tour group, is to hire a rental hire and explore the Garden Route.

The Garden Route pretty much runs around 580kms along the southern side of the Western Cape; passing through many towns including Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and ends in at the Storms River in the Tsitsikamma area, just inside the boarder of the next province, the Eastern Cape where you will find malaria-free, authentic, Big 5 game reserves.

Plan your Garden Route trip: Road Trip with Your Family from Cape Town – Garden Route – The Safari Compass

Gauteng Province: Johannesburg & Surrounds

In my humble opinion, there isn’t really too much to see in Johannesburg itself. Most travellers only stay for a forced overnight due to flight connections or as a stopover between destinations.

People who do find themselves with an overnight most often choose to enjoy a guided day tour:

  • Soweto Township Tour
  • Apartheid Museum

These are usually combined into one tour, just check opening days.

If you’re interested in anthropology, the Cradle of Humankind will interest you. It is arguably the place where humankind originated.

But one huge plus for Jo’burg is that there are amazing places you can travel to from there, that aren’t too far.

Book a transfer, take a short flight, or hire a car and you can drive to Swaziland, you know that kingdom I mentioned earlier? You can also drive a couple of hours to Sun International’s Sun City Resort (where the movie Blended was filmed).

And if you’re looking for wildlife and a safari, you just need to head out a couple of hours east, north or west and you WILL hit a game reserve.

From both Cape Town and Johannesburg, there are excellent flight connections to get you into other African countries if you want to explore further and get away from city life.

There are connections to Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and more. Flight infrastructure is good although I think it goes without saying, there are one or two airlines that go through patches of delays and flight cancellations which is a pain in the butt, but it happens all over the world.