The town was founded as an outpost to supply ships on their way to India and the islands in the Western Pacific. The town quickly became a multicultural centre. On Robben Island, located in the bay, Nelson Mandela was kept as a prisoner.

Part of the R303 regional road runs from Paarl, over the Limiet Mountains, to Ceres, northeast of Paarl. This stretch of road, with its highest point at 1,950 feet, is a historical monument in itself. It was built in 1853 by Andrew Geddes Bain, a Scottish settler with no formal engineering training. It is still regarded as one of the most beautiful passes in the country and an unspoiled nature reserve, which forms a part of Cape Nature Conservation.

Out of the springs of Ai-Ais bubbles hot water. It is around 140° F and rich in sulphates, chlorides and fluorides. 'Ai-Ais' means 'burning water' in the language of the Nama. The thermal source is a popular winter recreation center.

The Fish River Canyon is up to 1,805 feet wide and 100 miles long. It is the second largest canyon in the world. Only the Grand Canyon in the USA is considered to be larger. Through the canyon flows the 405-mile-long Fish River, which, over millions of years, has washed out and created today's stunning natural landscape. Undoubtedly, the Fish River Canyon is one of the most spectacular sights in Namibia. It is protected by several national parks.

The Quiver Tree Forest (Kokerboom Woud in Afrikaans) is a well-known tourist attraction in southern Namibia. It is located north of Keetmanshoop on the road to Koës, in the Gariganus farm. It contains about 250 specimens of Aloe dichotomy, a species of aloe that is also locally known as quiver tree (Afrikaans: kokerboom) because bushmen use its branches to make quivers. The forest is spontaneous; the highest quiver trees are 2-3 centuries old. The forest was declared a Namibian national monument on June 1, 1995.

Mariental is located 160 miles south of Windhoek on the B1. The small town provides supplies to the surrounding farms and Nama communities. The Hardap Dam, built in 1962, became a boost for the region, making irrigation-farming possible, which also gave a significant lift to the town of Mariental. Melons, alfalfa and corn are grown below the dam today. The Hardap Dam is the largest dam in Namibia.

Created in 1963 while Namibia was under South African occupation, Hardap Dam is the largest dam in the country. The reservoir dams the Fish River (yes, the same river of the Canyon) and is home to numerous examples of wildlife and also provides water to irrigate 2500 ha of wheat, maize, lucerne, cotton, grapes and vegetables, all cultivated on small holdings. As you can imagine, its presence gave a real boost to the economy of Mariental, but the town was also flooded a few times. So since 2006 the dam's water level is kept at a maximum of 70% of its capacity.
The Hardap Dam was first proposed in 1897 by German geologist Dr Theodor Rehbock but it took a number of surveys and a further 63 years before construction began!

Great deserts are the place of origin for breathtaking natural natural spectacles. Africa has the most beautiful examples to offer and probably the most impressive is the Sossusvlei Desert in
Desert in Namibia. After abundant rainfall, which is understandably rare in the which are understandably rare in the Namib, the rainwater fills the clay pools existing clay basins. The impermeable clay transforms the collected sky-wet into a breathtakingly into a breathtakingly beautiful turquoise lake. Springbok and antelopes know how to use this as a welcome source of water.of water. The dunes of the Sossusvlei are as numerous as they are stable.

The Giant's Playground is a bizarre, rocky landscape near Keetmanshoop and the Quiver Tree Forest in the south of Namibia. The towering dolerite rocks look as if they were the work of giants. The boulders are made of 170 million year old volcanic basalt, which is often coated with desert varnish, polished to a shine by sand. The vertical white stripes on the rocks are urine stains from the resident hyraxes. The Playground of the Giants, like the Quiver Tree Forest, belongs to the Gariganus farm and they can be visited together. A 45-minute walking path leads you through the 3 square mile area.

Sesriem Canyon is the 2nd most important tourist attraction in the area after Sossusvlei. It's a natural canyon carved into the local sedimentary rock by the Tsauchab River. The name Sesriem is Afrikaans and means 6 belts, given by settlers returning from the Dorsland Trek who had to combine six belts (made of oryx hides) to lower buckets down into the canyon to scoop up water. The Sesriem Canyon is only 6.5 feet wide in some places, and has a portion that permanently contains water, which many animals use.

Swakopmund was once a port of great importance, despite the lack of a sheltered bay, the shallowness of the coastal waters, and the strength of the surf. Lüderitz was too far away, however, and had no fresh water; and the seaport of Walvis Bay was back in British hands. Several years ago it was extensively restored and converted into an entertainment center, with a casino and luxury hotel. The town of 30,000 inhabitants is still characterized by numerous colonial buildings, including the striking Woermann House from 1905. The former trading house in Bismarck Street. With its Damara Tower and its courtyard bordered by arcades, it houses the municipal library and art gallery today.

The first European to discover the falls was David Livingstone, a Scottish missionary and African traveler. He heard them in 1851 and discovered them four years later, on November 16, 1855. In honor of Queen Victoria, he named them “Victoria Falls.” The local Kololo called the falls Mosi-oa-Tunya (the smoke that thunders). The name comes from the mist that rises up to 985 feet and can be seen as much as 20 miles away. During high water flow, up to 2,641,720 gallons/second of water cascade over the falls. The flow slows to a mere 44,910 gallons/second during the dry season. Victoria Falls includes a rain forest, which owes its existence to the moisture from the ever-present spray. Not only in February and March, when the Zambezi carries a lot of water, you can admire the largest water curtain on earth. When the water level is low - as it often is, especially in drought years - only a small trickle of the otherwise raging water remains in September and October.

Ngorongoro Crater is just a small part of a 3,200 square mile conservation area. Together with the neighboring Serengeti National Park, the game reserves of Maswa and Ikorongo, and the Maasai Mara National Reserve across the border in Kenya, the combined protected areas measure around 12,000 square miles, more than the state of Maryland! The crater itself is about 12 miles wide and more than 2,000 ft. deep and is said to be the largest intact and unflooded caldera in the world. The views from the crater rim, where the lodge happens to be, are stunning! Inside, the full lineup of wild animals waits to be observed and photographed: elephants, lions, zebras, wildebeests, gazelles, ostriches, warthogs, buffaloes and even rhinos. There are, of course, birds of every conceivable color and size. No wonder this is one of Africa's most popular wildlife-viewing destinations.

This ancient mountain range (about 100 million years old) is very bio-diverse and home to about one third of Tanzania's flora and fauna species. It also features outstanding scenery, picturesque villages with colorful markets and some great motorcycle roads. The main town is Lushoto, which was known as Wilhelmstal during the German era. High in the hills is Irente View Cliff Lodge, an amazing place with an end-of-the-world feel and breathtaking views. This is a highlight in itself!

You can reach the summit of Table Mountain, 3,440 ft., within a few minutes, but be warned; when it’s stormy it is a 3 hour climb. Sometimes when you reach the summit of Table Mountain, it is covered with a tablecloth, which means there is no view!

Robben Island is located twelve kilometers off Cape Town and is only five square kilometers in size. In order to be taken across on one of the ferries when the wind is suitable, you must reserve the crossing online in advance. Or buy tickets in time at the Waterfront, where the departure point is also located.
Robben Island used to be a prison island for political prisoners of South Africa, after the end of apartheid it was declared a nature and national monument in the mid-90s.
Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island for 18 years out of a total of 28 years and had to perform forced labor under unhealthy conditions. Today, former prisoners can show you the prison on the island and you can visit Nelson Mandela's four-square-meter cell.
The island actually got its name from the seals that like to settle here; as you drive along the coast toward the Cape of Good Hope, keep glancing at the large rocks that lie in the water here.

In a country which is only about 900km long and max. 150km wide, lies this gigantic lake, the third largest in Africa, which occupies about 20% of the country's surface. Since Lake Malawi has existed for more than a million years, it is one of the long-term lakes of this earth. At its deepest point it measures 704 meters, on average it is about 290 meters deep. Lake Malawi is known for its richness of species of mouth-breeding cichlids. A total of almost 450 fish species live in the lake, most of them are cichlids and almost all of them are endemic.