SKIING, SNOWBOARDING & SANDBOARDING

 

Tiffindell Ski Resort

©South African Tourism

OK - South Africa is a sunny country so it's not exactly a skiing paradise. However, we do have winter and we do have mountains. There is one dedicated ski resort, high in the Drakensberg of the northern part of the Eastern Cape.

Swiss-style chalets, a snow machine for when mother nature doesn't oblige, and a vibrant après ski environment all contribute to a fun-filled snowy time. There is also excellent snow in the mountains of the Western Cape and local ski operators offer packages from Cape Town. For the more adventurous, and relatively well heeled, heli-skiing and heli-boarding are becoming more and more popular in the Western Cape mountains.

Atlantis dunes

©Gregg Stopforth

But - most of the time - we content ourselves with sandboarding. With a slightly modified snowboard, you whiz down sand dunes, either carving patterns in the sand showing off your skill, or tumbling head over heels showing off your underwear. It's not snow, but it is fun and it's warm and sunny. There is excellent sandboarding near Cape Town but the most spectacular is the enormously high red sand dunes of Namibia.

• Check out accommodation and things to do at Tiffindell Alpine resort
• View more about Sand and Snow on a Board!

Need to know! If you're planning to drive to Rhodes and Tiffindell Ski Resort make sure you have a enough fuel - there is no fuel for sale in Rhodes.

PARAGLIDING & HANG GLIDING

 

Lions Head flight

©South African Tourism

In order to have a good non-powered flight, you need one of two things - thermals or mountains with good ridge lift - and southern Africa has both. The coastal areas and escarpment, generally, have excellent ridge soaring, while the flatter interior produces fantastic thermals on hot summer days.

There are loads of good launch sites, but here are a few of the classics. Lions Head, in Cape Town, is a convenient, immensely scenic launch site. It's a short walk up a good path to the launch, and the flight offers views over the city and the Western Seaboard beaches, while Table Mountain looms at your back. You land on a convenient grassy field next to a beachfront pub. Wilderness is another classic site, with fabulous ridge lift on the dunes facing the sea. You often see whales and dolphins from the air. Tandem flights are offered at both these sites.

Wilderness paragliding

©South African Tourism

The mountains of Porterville in the Western Cape offer truly spectacular flying. It's a high take off with some good ridge lift, but you also get fabulous thermals from the flat valley below, so it's a great cross-country site. The Drakensberg, particularly at Bulwer and Oliviershoek, is another great spot, and the Mpumalanga escarpment also offers some great flying. The dry Northern Cape town of Jan Kempdorp is a favourite winch launching destination, as the thermals are fantastic.

Obviously, there are loads more launch sites, and almost every hill and sand dune is a potential flying site. There are paragliding schools in most of the major cities and some smaller centres, and the South African Hang gliding and Paragliding Association (SAHPA) oversees all the admin-type stuff - licensing, registration, safety, etc.

Hang gliding in KwaZulu-Natal

©Silent Wings

South Africa is a great place to learn to fly as you could complete all your required flights in a relatively short time because of the fabulous weather and flying conditions. And the exchange rate means it's quite a bit cheaper than learning in Europe or North America.

RELATED LINKS FOR HANG GLIDERS & PARAGLIDERS:

Silent Wings Hang Gliding School
Paragliding Schools and other stuff

PUBLIC & SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

 

Book your dream holiday spot before the rush!
Don't miss out - most places along the coast are booked a year in advance for the December and January peak season.
Living outside South Africa? It is worth noting that on public holidays banks are closed, shopping hours are often reduced and shops close for Good Friday, Christmas day and New Year's day. School holidays are slightly variable for the coastal and inland provinces.

Public Holidays and School Holidays 2009

• 1 January - New Year's Day
• 21 March - Human Rights Day
• 10 April - Good Friday (Friday before Easter Sunday)
• 13 April - Family Day (Monday after Easter Sunday)
• 27 April - Freedom Day
• 1 May - Workers Day
• 15 June - School Holiday
• 16 June - Youth Day
• 9 August - National Women's Day
• 10 August - Public Holiday
  
• 24 September - Heritage Day
• 16 December - Day of Reconciliation
• 25 December - Christmas Day
• 26 December - Day of Goodwill

School Holidays for the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape, and Western Cape - 2009

• 6 December 2008 - 20 January 2009
• 4 April - 14 April
• 27 June - 19 July
• 24 September - 4 October
• 12 December 2009 - 12 January 2010

School Holidays for the Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West Province and Limpopo - 2009

• 6 December 2008 - 13 January 2009
• 28 March - 14 April
•  27 June - 19 July
• 24 September - 4 October
• 12 December - 12 January 2010

Public Holidays and School Holidays 2010

• 1 January - New Year's Day
• 21 March - Human Rights Day
• 22 March - Public Holiday
• 2 April - Good Friday (Friday before Easter Sunday)
• 5 April - Family Day (Monday after Easter Sunday)
• 26 April - School Holiday
• 27 April - Freedom Day
• 1 May - Workers Day
• 16 June - Youth Day
• 9 August - National Women's Day
• 24 September - Heritage Day
• 16 December - Day of Reconciliation
• 25 December - Christmas Day
• 26 December - Day of Goodwill
• 27 December - Public Holiday

School Holidays for the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape, and Western Cape - 2010

• 12 December 2009 - 12 January 2010
• 27 March - 11 April
• 10 June - 12 July
• 24 September - 3 October
• 11 December 2010 - January 2011

School Holidays for the Free State, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West Province and Limpopo - 2010

• 12 December 2009 - 12 January 2010
• 27 March - 11 April
• 10 June - 12 July
• 24 September - 3 October
• 11 December 2010 - January 2011

Source: www.info.gov.za and Gazette 31590, Government Notice 1203, [PDF]

VISAS -

 

No visas are required for visitors who are nationals of the EU, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Israel, Brazil, Argentina, Singapore and Japan. A three month temporary visitor's permit is issued. However, it is advisable to check with your nearest South African embassy or consulate. A valid passport with two empty pages is essential. You may need to have a return fare or deposit money at customs to cover a fare home (refundable once you leave the country). They may also require you to show sufficient funds to support your visit.
South Africa has at least consular representation in most countries. Link to South African Embassies and Tourist Offices around the world.

South African Diplomatic Missions Abroad

USA

South African Embassy Washington
3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20008
Tel: (202) 2324400
Fax: (202) 2651607
Link to Website
Email: safrica@saembassy.org

South African Consulate General New York

333 East 38th Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 213-4880
Fax: (212) 213-0102
Email: sacg@southafrica-newyork.net

South African Consulate General Los Angeles

6300 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 600, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Tel: (323) 651-0902
Fax: (323) 651-5969
Link to Website
Email: sacg@southafrica-newyork.net

South African Consulate General Chicago

200 South Michigan Avenue, 6th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604
Tel: (312) 939-7929
Fax: (312) 939-2588
Email: sacongenchicago@worldnet.att.net

Canada

South African High Commission Canada
15 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1M 1M8
Tel: (613) 744-0330
Fax: (613) 741-1639
Link to Website
Email: rsafrica@southafrica-canada.com

Australia

Rhodes Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, ACT 2600
Tel: (02) 6273-2424

Ireland

2nd floor, Alexandra House, Earlssort Terrace, Dublin 2
Tel: (01) 661-5553

UK

South Africa House, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DP
Tel: (020) 7925-8910
Link to Website

HOLIDAY KIT LIST

 

Pack sensibly and streamline your luggage to the bare essentials for your own comfort.  Aim to keep your bags as light and compact as possible, especially if you are planning to use small aircraft transfers.  
Choose practical, casual, comfortable wash and wear clothing. If you are planning to dine in upmarket city hotel restaurants and golf clubs a jacket and tie may be required. Hotels provide efficient same day laundry services, frequently within a few hours.

South African Safari Holiday Quick List

• Cotton shirts
• Casual, lightweight cotton shorts and long pants (neutral coloured clothes are best for safari holidays)
• A warm jacket and a fleece for evening or early morning game drives (it can be chilly!)
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Swim wear
• Personal toiletries
• Sunscreen lotion
• Binoculars, camera and accessories
• Sunglasses (UVB resistant)
• Wide brimmed hat
• Copies of passport , traveller's cheques, credit cards

Essential items for your safari in a malaria area

• Long sleeved shirts with a high neck, long trousers and socks
• Mosquito repellent – spray and stick form (to spray on mosquito net and clothes)
• Anti-malaria pills

Essential items for your beach holiday

• Windbreaker
• Sarong or beach towel (most self catering places don't provide beach towels)

Tips for Packing Light

Most people come back from holiday wishing their luggage had been a bit lighter. Aim to streamline to the bare essentials and keep your suitcase sleek and slender.

• 1. Do some research. Contact the hotel, lodge, B&B or self catering house where you've booked and find out if they have a hairdryer, iron, beach towels, and bath towels – leave the cumbersome stuff that is best left at home.
• 2. Find out about the climate and only pack what will be suitable.
• 3. Choose a neutral colour (like brown or black) as a basic and pack accessories and other items that harmonise.
• 4. Obey the numbers rule and pack for less than one week - one shirt per day, one layering fleece and jacket, one pair of pants for every two days, two pairs of shoes and underwear for every day. Utilize the laundry services of the hotel, the local Laundromat or do it yourself if you're travelling for more than a week.
• 5. Pack travel-size toiletries - decant into small containers if necessary.
• 6. Scrutinize everything on your bed before packing. Be ruthless and ditch whatever isn't needed – you'll be glad you did!

Accommodation