Quick Info

Name:
South Africa

More about South Africa

Population: 55 million
Capital: Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial), Pretoria (executive)
Language: English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, Northern Sotho, Venda, Tsonga, Swati, Ndebele
Currency: South African Rand
Time zone: UTC +2

South Africa is a vast country with an incredible variety in landscapes, people, traditions, languages, cuisines and more. The country is often referred to as the “Rainbow Nation” due to its population diversity. The country is also renowned for its wines, so make sure not to miss these while you are here!

While big cities such as Cape Town and Johannesburg can look quite first worldly, most of the country has remained underdeveloped. This is a perfect example of the economic inequality that exists in the country.

South Africa is an ideal destination for those interested in nature and it is incredibly varied in terms of landscapes. The country boasts a large number of National Parks such as Kruger, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, which is located in the desert, Addo Elephant National Park, Simangaliso Wetland Park and many more. It is also a great place to spot the “Big Five” (African lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, African leopard, and White/Black rhinoceros) as well as a wide range of other species.

All in all, South Africa is an ideal place to start if you wish to travel in southern Africa and get a good insight into the region.

South Africa is situated at the southern tip of Africa and has a landmass of 1 233 404 km² edged on 3 sides by a nearly 3000km coastline washed by the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. It is bordered in the north by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and also wraps itself around two independent countries, the Lesotho and Swaziland.
Natural beauty abounds with beautiful beaches, dramatic mountains, lush forest belts and of course the famed Table Mountain. South Africa also boasts no less than 20 National Parks with the opportunity to see lion, leopard, rhino and elephants, to name but a few!  We have a selection of gap year adventures in South Africa including work at wildlife sanctuaries, work and travel in local South African communities, development projects and much more.  If you are interested in volunteering in South Africa please get in touch or read on for our latest experiences.