In South Africa you can enjoy the sweet scent of desert that amazingly turns into a colourful carpet of flowers in Spring or you can choose to see the big five in one of the world’s most recognized national parks or simply take a journey to a deeper understanding of the country and humankind through some of the country’s heritage sites.

There are vibrant cities and thrilling townships to give you a memorable South African urban experience and there are blue flag beaches to chill out on - There are just a lot of wonderful South African explorations to spoil your choice.

South African Tourism has listed the top 12 experiences that can give you fabulous fun. They include tours of the Drakensburg, Kruger National Park, Venda Art route, Namaqualand, Soweto, St Lucia Wetlands, Whale Watching, Sun City, The Cape Town Heritage Route, Garden Route, Backpacking and the Maloti route of the Free State province.

There are however, a lot more South African experiences to suit any holiday of your choice.

South Africa lies almost wholly within the southern temperate zone, and its climate is more equable than that of corresponding northern latitudes because of its surrounding waters. Cape Town and the southernmost part of Western Cape has a Mediterranean-type climate and is warmer than some areas further north that are affected by the cold Benguela Current on the west coast of Southern Africa. The winter months are mild and changeable, this is also the time when most the rainfall occurs. The Durban and Kwa-Zulu-Natal coastline is affected by the warm Mozambique current and enjoys a sub-tropical climate, with plenty of sunshine throughout the year, but the summer months can become very hot and humid. Throughout the country, however, the mean annual temperature is just below 15.6°C (60°F). On the high veld there are sharp differences of temperature between day and night; but there is less daily fluctuation nearer the coast.

Rainfall is unpredictable in large parts of the country, and prolonged droughts are a serious restriction on farming in such areas. While the mean annual rainfall is 18.6 inches, nearly 30% of South Africa receives less than 10 inches and 65% receives less than 20 inches. Much of South Africa gets its rain in the summer months, but the western coastal belt is a winter rain area. Along the Cape south coast , rain falls during both seasons. Generally the winter months are between April and August with summer being from September to March .