South Africa is a long flight away from Europe, Australia, the States and many other places, making the start and end of any journey to these places quite tiring. But there are options right on our doorstep that don’t take much time or effort to get to.

Right on our borders are Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Actually enclosed within our own country are Lesotho and Swaziland. A little further away are Zambia, Angola and Malawi. And just a hop across the ocean are Madagascar and Mauritius.

Let’s take a look at our direct neighbours: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. (In the next article, we’ll take a look at some of our other close friends.)

Namibia

Namibia offers a unique travel experience and incredible beauty: wild open areas, accessible desert, sand dunes, game reserves, a magnificent coastline and much more. Be sure to visit these ‘big’ attractions in Namibia:

Sossusvlei, a beautiful setting of white clay pans surrounded by some of the highest sand dunes in the world.

Etosha National Park, one of Africa’s best game reserves. It is dominated by a vast, shallow pan where, during the dry season, you can see animals emerging from the shimmery heat waves to converge at the waterholes.

Technically not a desert, as it does have some rainfall, the Kalahari Desert offers a vast and stately solitude, unrivalled beauty and a truly breathtaking experience.

The Fish River Canyon drops suddenly and unexpectedly from the plateau, offering stunning views. Adventurous tourists can explore the canyon on foot by doing the 5-day Fish River Canyon Hiking trail.

When you do visit Namibia, also spare some time for the unimaginable beauty that you can stumble across just about anywhere in this vast land.

Botswana

Botswana offers some of the very best wilderness experiences on the African continent. The country is graced with incredible natural wonders:

The Okavango Delta is quintessential Botswana, and an experience not to be missed. A maze of waterways fed by the Okavango River spreads amongst palm-fringed islands and touches on thick African woodland teaming with wildlife.

The Chobe National Park and Chobe riverfront offer unrivalled wildlife viewing and birdwatching. Watching herds of hundreds of elephant visiting the Chobe River is breathtaking.

The Makgadikgadi salt pans are amongst the largest in the world. This seemingly endless 12 000 square kilometre pan shimmers and blends into the distant horizon, creating an incredible visual effect.  The rains bring game, and flamingos by the thousands to the area.

Thirty-eight per cent of Botswana is devoted to game parks, nature reserves and national parks. Expect to see a multitude of wildlife, prolific birdlife, magnificent baobabs and unmatched beauty.

Zimbabwe

Because of the political situation in Zimbabwe, tourism has suffered badly. The country does, however, have much to offer, and the hope is that the beauty of Zimbabwe can be experienced again in future. At the moment, the two areas that attract the most tourists are the Victoria Falls and Lake Kariba, both of which warrant a visit.

The magnificent Victoria Falls display a 1 708 metre-wide curtain of water that drops 100 metres to the Zambezi Gorge below. The thundering water sends up a column of spray which gave rise to the appropriate local name ‘Mosi-oa-Tunya’ – the smoke that thunders.

Lake Kariba, actually a very large man-made dam, is a popular resort for fishing, house-boats, cruises and wildlife viewing. The lake attracts incredible game and birdlife, easily and comfortably spotted from the vantage point of a cruise or house boat.

Mozambique

Mozambique offers some of the best beaches on the coastline of Africa. Unspoilt, unhurried, unoccupied white sands stretch for miles alongside the inviting, warm Indian Ocean. Mozambique is a beach and scuba-diving paradise. There are many beautiful spots, including these:

Northern Mozambique is an unspoiled paradise of beaches, baobab trees and mangrove forests. Visit the Quirimbas Archipelago, an incredible bio diverse marine area.
Ilha de Moçambique (Mozambique Island) is a world heritage site steeped in history. Step back in time and absorb the Arabic, Swahili, Portuguese and Dutch influences.

The Bazaruto Archipelago is a string of islands and coral reefs on the edge of the Mozambique Channel. It is a world heritage site with over 250 bird species. The main islands are Santa Carolina, Bazaruto, Benguerra and Magaruque.

Inhambane is a tropical paradise of deserted white beaches and clear tropical waters, perfect for scuba-diving.
Mozambique is one of Africa’s rising stars in terms of tourism. The Mozambican government has recognised the value of tourism to the country, and is currently putting a lot of effort into building the industry.

So many wonderful places to visit! But watch out for our next article on some other close countries worth a visit … there are even more wonderful options!

Posted by Millennium Travel on November 16, 2011