The size of France and Spain combined, South Africa is a large and very diverse country, it varies from the picturesque Garden Route towns of the Western Cape to the raw stretch of subtropical coast in northern KwaZulu-Natal. It boasts the best travel facilities in Africa but it is also one of the most difficult countries to scratch. After so long as an international pariah, the "rainbow nation" is still struggling to find its identity.

Many visitors are pleasantly surprised by South Africa's excellent infrastructure, which draws favourable comparison with countries such as Canada, Australia or the United States. Superb air links, good bus networks and some of the best roads in Africa, coupled with a growing number of first-class B&Bs and youth hostels make South Africa perfect touring country. For those on a budget, backpackers' hostels are growing at a fast rate.

The country was organized by the whites, for the benefit of whites, so it's very easy to get a white-orientated experience of Africa, nowhere is this more in evidence than in the layout of towns and cities, where African areas (often unbelievably poor) are usually built out of sight. As a visitor you'll have to make an effort to meet members of the country's African majority on equal terms, and you'll have to take a special tour to visit the black townships or even to know they exist.

There are a large number of theme parks that pander to the tourists need for ethnic culture, but for the real South African experience you should make an effort to meet them on their own ground. Music is one area where South Africans really hold their own, and there's nowhere better than Johannesburg to go clubbing. Up in the Drakensberg, the countless images painted thousands of years ago onto rock faces by the first South Africans give a glimpse into the country's talented and rich artistic heritage.

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South Africa