Johannesburg, South Africa
Established in 1886 as a mining settlement when gold was discovered, Johannesburg has been rebuilt and redefined into the modern, bustling city of today. From humble beginnings as a tent town, through tin-shack settlement, then a four-storey Edwardian settlement, the city graduated as a modern metropolis of glass and concrete skyscrapers.
Johannesburg is one of the youngest major cities in the world and is arguably the most cosmopolitan city on the African continent. Situated high on an inland escarpment at just over 2,000m above sea level, Johannesburg is South Africa's largest city and financial capital, home to 3.2 million people, including the residents of Soweto.
Like New York, 'Joburg' is a city with a reputation for never sleeping.The young and energetic can dance the night away at one of a myriad of nightclubs (anything from jazz to R&B to'kwaito'). If Soho-style living is your thing then enjoy the laid-back vibes in villages like Melville, Parkhurst and Norwood. While you may recognise much of the entertainment and culture that the city has to offer, there's plenty of a distinctly African nature.The Apartheid Museum is a must-see for any visitor, a moving journey through the country's painful past.
However impressive and diverse the city is, the real star of the South Africa show is natural, not man-made.The country offers numerous national parks and game reserves, each providing something a little different, as the natural habitat is far from uniform from east to west and north to south.
The largest and most famous in the country is the Kruger National Park, located to the north east of Johannesburg, straddling the South African provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo and bordering the neighbouring countries of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. At just under 19,000 square kilometres, the park is only a little smaller than the whole of Wales - but the inhabitants are a little different.
Each of the 'big five' game animals (lion, elephant, leopard, black rhino and buffalo) are found in abundance within the reserve, along with zebra, cheetah, giraffe, hippo and many others.
Strange yet familiar, wild yet civilized, modern yet ancient, South Africa is a journey, rather than a trip and whichever of its attractions you choose, a holiday of a lifetime.
Article courtesy of Divine Marketing