South Africa, is the southernmost country on the African continent. It has land borders to the north with Zimbabwe and Botswana, to the north-east with Mozambique and Swaziland and, to the north west Nambia. The kingdom of Lesotho forms an enclave within the south-east part of the country. Its east coast looks out over the Indian Ocean and the west the Atlantic.

A plateau covers the largest part of the country, dominating the topography; it is separated from surrounding areas of generally lower elevation by the Great Escarpment. The central part of the plateau is called the Highveld. The plateau is generally highest in the east and drops to the sandy Kalahari in the west.

Tourists here will find classic African landscapes of golden savanna, gaping gorges, and hauntingly beautiful deserts, as well as nature reserves sheltering the ‘Big Five’ game animals – lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino, and elephant. Traditional life can still be found in a collection of villages with beehive-style huts and an age-old cultural heritage.