Travel guide South Africa

Elephant, lion, rhino, buffalo and leopard make up the famous Big Five. Often among the most difficult animals to see on safari, they are also the most dangerous to hunt. Now protected, they live in national parks such as the Kruger and the country's private reserves, in the heart of magnificent landscapes.

The South African specialty that dates back to the time of the Great Trek. At that time, the Boers, who had to conquer distant lands, set out on the great plains. Meat that was not eaten immediately was cut into thin strips and left to dry on the tarpaulins of the wagons. Today, the biltong is served as a snack, as an aperitif. We love it!

The country surprises by the diversity of plant species, thanks to a climate that varies greatly from one region to another. But the prize goes to Cape Town. Protected in the depths of an environment classified as a Unesco heritage site, the region enjoys a Mediterranean climate where an ecosystem called fynbos reigns: 9,000 species of plants, half of them endemic.

Braai is sacred in South Africa! White, black, mestizo or Indian, everyone is hooked on the barbecue. Erected as a religion, the braai will never be electric. It's home to a variety of meats: boer sausages, beef steaks, ostrich steaks and kudu steaks, all served with plenty of beer.

South Africa has no less than eleven spoken languages, as many different ethnic groups with very strong tribal and European traditions. Apartheid is over, but everyone lives together without mixing, because of the cultural gap. The new generation seems to be a little more mixed, on the campuses and in the new neighbourhoods.

The expression "rainbow nation" was coined by Archbishop Desmond Tutu to represent the range of South African nations at the end of apartheid. A metaphorical way of thinking about the cohabitation of groups, juxtaposed in tolerance. The image of colours that do not mix and of inequalities that remain was criticised.

In Afrikaans, rooibos means red bush. It is often called red tea, but it does not contain any theine and can be consumed as an herbal tea without any problem. On the contrary, rooibos has many medicinal virtues against insomnia, but also asthma, allergies, constipation... You will find it in all its forms.

The wine route was launched in Stellenbosch in the 1970s. Now adopted by other Western Cape wine regions, such as Paarl and Franschhoek, it is a mecca for tourists. Nestled between mountainsides covered with flowers on one side and vineyards on the other, the road is splendid. Along the landscape, you can taste.

Sangoma and other healers with magical powers are part of the Zulu, Xhosa and Swazi universe, and are considered to be indispensable interlocutors. The 200,000 traditional "doctors" in South Africa are consulted primarily by 80% of the black population, who are wary of modern medicine. They even have health insurance!

Shebeens are to black South Africans what pubs are to the English, taverns to the Bavarians and bars to the French. The name would mean "unauthorized drinking establishment". At one time, "white" liquor was forbidden to blacks. In the townships, underground bars were born. Today, they are the place to be.

Soweto in Johannesburg and Khayelitsha in Cape Town: these two names are the best known, but hundreds of townships exist on the outskirts of the cities. These neighborhoods stretch for miles. Small colored houses built by the government are trying to replace the endless fields of tin shacks.

In Bantu parlance,ubuntu is considered a true humanistic and fraternal philosophy, one that fundamentally integrates the "other" into one's success and fulfillment. It is a fundamental concept in the philosophy of reconciliation developed by Desmond Tutu with the abolition of apartheid.