by Richard Cowley

Having worked and travelled all over South Africa it is a country of real diversity maybe more so than any other country than I have been to before. In South Africa rich meets poor, there are 11 different languages, cultures are extremely different and people’s beliefs differ immensely.

One of my favourite spots in South Africa is Cape Town. Cape Town is a truly amazing city, after working there for a month in 2006 I went back to visit for Travellers a year later I then realised after coming back from a year away what a truly magical city it really is. Everywhere you go in the city you have Table Mountain as the background drop; no other city in the world has anything quite like this sight. To see Table Mountain is an amazing sight especially when the table cloth starts to cover it. I have a few memorable memories of table mountain that will stick with me for ever the first one being when I was having dinner with some volunteers on the water front during a beautiful day and just watching the table cloth coming down over the mountain, this was while I was eating an amazing South African steak it doesn’t get much better than that let me tell you! Another found memory I had of Table Mountain was when myself and the volunteers decided to climb it. The climb was not to hard but one of my favourite memories of Table mountain was on the descent the clouds literally just covered the mountain all of a sudden out of no where it was like navigating through thick mist, the backdrop of the boulders and rocks you were passing made it a really eerie experience but totally enjoyable at the same time.

As well as the stunning Table Mountain Cape Town has a lot to offer. There are a number of beautiful beaches in and around the city. There are beaches such as Muzimburg which are great for surfing and the Clifton beaches which are great for lying on although very cold to get into as they are right next to the Atlantic Ocean. Cape Town’s nightlife is also very good there is something for everyone. Long Street in the centre of the city is where most of the action happens and there are clubs and pubs to suit everyone’s taste there is even a night club on the top floor of the highest building in Cape Town offering stunning views of the city.

As well as visiting a city such as Cape Town I would also advise volunteers to get out into the rural areas and see the real South Africa. Having spent a lot of time in villages and rural areas throughout South Africa I was lucky enough to really get a feel for the country and understand its heart beat. The countryside in South Africa is absolutely stunning especially in the Limpopo and the Drakensburg region in KZN. Visiting villages is also quite an experience as you will often find you are the only western person in the area so you will attract a lot of attention especially from the children who are fascinated to see you.

Going on safari in South Africa is also another must as well. Don’t come all the way here without doing a safari. South Africa offers some of the best game parks in the world as well as the largest and I have been fortunate to go on many a game drive. The best thing about Safari is the fact that you don’t know what is going to happen you might not have seen anything for a few hours then all of a sudden around the corner there is a lion feeding on a carcass. One of the highlights of a safari for me was having a family of giraffe walk right past me or having a herd of elephant just swarm around the truck I was in as if I was not there quite an amazing experience.