South Africa

As we made our way down from the lush mountains of the Garden Route and over the Swartberg Pass the temperature had risen 15 degrees in 10 minutes. The colours had transformed themselves from blues and greens of the mountains and oceans to the dusty reds and greys of this semi-desert interior known as the Karoo.

But it wasn’t just the heat and colour that had changed, the people had changed from sight-seeing, trail-walking, kayak-faring tourists, to arty bohemian locals of many different nationalities. The ferns from the mountains had been replaced with dusty succulents of the desert and we were, it was clear, in another place.

This is the story of South Africa, a land of immense diversity. From the beaches to the mountains, from the wineries to the desert. From the tiny termites building the impressively large mounds to the super-sized prey of Kruger National Park, this is a place where you can experience a mish-mash of people, cultures, sceneries, tastes, and sounds.