I lived in Southern-Africa, including Sout-Africa, until 1995, and travelled the whole area extensively. Also, I visited South-Africa, Swaziland, Namibia, and Botswana last April.

There are many group-travels available, but this is mostly info for individual travellers.

Getting there: The price for air-tickets varies strongly and one really has to look around. We found a chinese travel agency in Toronto, and paid Canadian $1,150 for the roundtrip with Dutch airline. Plus we arrived in Johannesburg are were allowed to depart from Capetown.

Hotels: South-Africa and Swaziland:I am sort of a backpacker, so we stayed in international hostels for about CDN$10 per night per person (its a bit of a myth that they only have bunk sleeping). Mostly, we had our own bathroom. Usually, we booked the same day, but not always, and we were never turned back.

One can benefitted from hostels also by meeting other international travellers and we made friends from all over the world. Also, since their interest is not in doing business, information on places they had been to can prove very valuable.

I don't quite see the difference in comfort between BB and hostels, but there are plenty of small family owned guesthouses.

Botswana and Namibia: Hotels can cost CDN$100 and over, but they also have guest-houses and hostels.

Car rental: Originally we thought to book from Canada, but did not get good offers, so we booked through a Johannesburg hostel and rented an insurance-wise fully covered small Toyota hatchback for Rand 250 per day with unlimited kilometres.

Weather: April and May are very good months to visit the area. Usually the summer rains are over (we had two days of rain shortly after our arrival and then sunny weather for three weeks), and the temperarures are around 22 to 27 degree celsius. May evenings tend to be cool and having a sweater or jacket on hand is advisable.

Scenery and Parks: Although, most parts are semi-arrid bushveldt, there is still an enormous diversity: South-Africa's southern and eastern Cape, and Swaziland are partly very lush. Botswana, and many other parts are try, but one can experience outright Sahara-like desert in Namibia, mountains in many parts of South Africa, including some snow on the top of the Drakensberge (Dragon-Mountains) near Lesotho, and savanna in the Karoo. Nature lovers will definitely get their fill. Western South Africa is unintresting.

Visiting the Kruger Nationalpark is simply a must, but it requires a few days stay and patience to find all the animals, as they are not on display. We saw elephants, rhinos, hippos, leoparts, cheetahs, and the rest. the lions eluted us, but we only stayed there for one night. The park is well-run, and one can stay in bungalows or camp. Restaurants and picknick areas are plentiful.

The signs Do Not Leave The Car should be taken seriously. Every park is absolutely save, if travellers adher to the rules.

The roads are excellent and the whole park is accessable by any 2-wheel drive.

However, for people like me the Kruger is a bit too tame. I lived in Botswana for a while and worked in the Chobe National Park, where I helped out conducting tours for individual travellers. This park is the real Africa, but requires a 4-wheel drive. Sunsets at the Chobe river are second to none, and in the morning on can watch herds of 40 to more elephants.

Incidentally, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor re-married at the Chobe Lodge (very expensive in the range of CDN200 per night and upwards).

Attached are the Moremi Game Reserve and Savuti, which is lion country, and the Okavango Swamps, also a must, if one is in the area.

Staying in tents at night is absolutely save. As long as the tent is kept closed(!!!); i.e. zip up! No animal will break into a closed tents.

The main problems of city slickers is that they walk too fast in the bush. Under normal circumstances no animal, including lions will ever attack a human being. Yes, there are snakes, but, if you walk at leisure and give animals time to get out of your way, they will do so.

If Namibia is on the menu, one can find some flora non-existant anywhere else. An extremely and ruggedly beautiful country. Interesting are the Namib Desert, in the South the Fish-River Canyon, but every other part is a unique experience too.

South-Africa-What cities to visit and to stay away from: After experiencing a traumatic past, parts of South-Africa are experiencing severe economical problems which are most visible in the Rand area (Greater Johannesburg), with up to 50% of Africans unemployed. It is the world's crime city number one and neither save during the day nor at night. The inner city is an absolute NO GO at any time and, frankly, nothing is missed.

Since international flights end in Joh'burg, it cannot be completely avoided, but one should make arrangements to be picked up from the airport. There is a tourist office in the arrival hall where one can book a room from hostel to hotel, and even hostels pick up their guests. There are also car rental agencies, but I suggest to rent a car once you are at the hotel; i.e. one can get a better price.

Coming from North-America it takes 2 nights to get there, and one night on the return flight. There is nothing to see in Joh'burg so one night might be amble enough.

Durban used to be a fine city, but it is no longer save there either. Not as bad as Joh'burg, I don't advise taking evening walks.

Although one has to be careful in any city (meaning don't be the obvious tourist and so invite mugging) Capetown, East London, Port Elizabeth are as save as any city in North-America; and they are beautiful, especially Capetown with its rich history whowing in its architecture. All 3 of them are on the coast, and their beaches are second to none.

Interesting inland cities are Pretoria, Ladysmith, Pietermaritzburg, and Rustenburg (near Sun City and Lost City).

If in Namibia visiting Windhoek with its german colonial architecture and Still German Beergardens, Swakopmund with the same to offer, but in the Namib desert, plus the coast, are a unique and unforgettable experience. Both cities are save, as is the rest of Namibia.

Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, is extremely dirty, over-priced, save, except for stealing, and there is nothing to see.

Swaziland's cities of Manzini and Mmabane are save and interesting, as is the whole country. As a kingdom it has a lot of traditional life-style to show, which one cannot experience in South-Africa anymore, except on the Tourist-Stage. Simply, althoufh an island within South-Africa, Swaziland is beautiful, definitely worth a visit, and within less than a day's drive from Joh'burg.

One country, another island within South-Africa, I purposedly left out is Lesotho, although the Dragon Mountains cover all of it, it has been in turmoil for twenty years. In my humble opinion, it is not worth a visit.

Definitely worth while visiting are typical Afrikaaner towns (Dutch) in the Cape and in Natal. They are likewise a unique experience.

I give up now, as my info has been taking up too much space already. However, I would be pleased to part with more detailed information for prospective travellers to Southern Africa.

Joachim Protea