Perched at the tip of a vast continent, South Africa draws more visitors than anywhere else in sub-Saharan Africa, and with a warm year-round climate, convenient UK flight connections and a melting pot of cultures it's easy to see why. Lying in the shadow of Table Mountain, Cape Town is among the world's must-see cities, home to fabulous restaurants, designer boutiques, luxurious hotels and the famous V&A Waterfront. You can swim with penguins at Boulders Beach, explore the brightly painted houses of Bo-Kaap, drive to Cape Point to witness oceans collide, or even visit Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years.Just a short drive away are the stunning Cape Winelands, where Africa's greatest vineyards are set against a backdrop of Cape Dutch farmhouses and rugged, craggy mountains. From June to October, the cliffs around Hermanus offer the best land-based whale watching in the world, while away to the east unfurl the beaches, forests, lagoons and reserves of the celebrated Garden Route. Inland are the sites of the Anglo-Zulu wars and the soaring peaks of the Drakensberg, which cast their gaze towards Kruger National Park and the private reserves that share its unfenced border. Many of these reserves are home to all the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino) and thanks to a long history of sensitive game viewing, the wildlife is mostly relaxed, allowing unsurpassed viewing and photographic opportunities.