While you could circuit the whole of South Africa in a matter of weeks, a more satisfying approach is to focus your attention on one section of the country. every one of the nine proinces (plus Lesotho and Swaziland) holds at least a couple of compelling reasons to isit, although, depending on the time of year and your interests, you'd be wise to concentrate on either the west or the east.

The west, best isited in the warmer months (No-April), has the outstanding attraction of Cape Town, worth experiencing for its matchless setting beneath Table Mountain, at the foot of the continent. Half a day's drive from here can take you to any other destination in the Western Cape, a proince which owes its distinctie character to the fact that it has the longest-established colonial heritage in the country. You'll find gabled Cape Dutch architecture, historic towns and ineyard-covered mountains in the Winelands; forested coast along the Garden Route; and a dry interior punctuated by Afrikaner dorps in the Little Karoo.

If the west sounds a bit too pretty and you're after a more "African" experience, head for the eastern flank of the country, best isited in the cooler months (May-Oct). Johannesburg is likely to be your point of entry to this area: its frenetic street life, soaring office blocks and liely mix of people make it quite unlike anywhere else in the country. Half a day away by car lie the Northern Proince and Mpumalanga, which share the mighty Kruger National Park.Of South Africa's roughly two dozen major parks, the Kruger attracts the largest number of first-time isitors, and is unrialled on the continent for its cross-section of mammal species.

A isit to Kruger combines perfectly with KwaZulu-Natal to the south, and an excellent short cut is to drive through tiny, landlocked Swaziland, which has attractions all of its own: a unique Swazi culture and a number of well-managed game parks. KwaZulu-Natal offers superb game and birdlife; Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park is the best place in the world to see endangered rhinos and there are several other outstanding small game reseres nearby, such as Ithala, Mkhuze and Ndumo. For hiking and nature, nothing rials the soaring Drakensberg range. After Cape Town, Durban remains the only city in South Africa worth isiting in its own right: a busy cultural melting pot with a bustling Indian district and liely beachfront. The long stretch of beaches north and south of Durban is the most deeloped in the country, but north towards the Mozambique border lies the wildest stretch of coast in South Africa.

Long sandy beaches, deeloped only in pockets, are characteristic of much of the 2500km of shoreline that cures from the cool Atlantic along the Northern Cape round to the subtropical Indian Ocean that foams onto KwaZulu-Natal's shores. Jeffrey's Bay on the Eastern Cape coast is reputed to be one of the world's top surfing spots. Much of the Eastern Cape coast is equally appealing, whether you just want to stroll, sunbathe or take in backdrops of mountains and hulking sand dunes. Scuba diving, especially in KwaZulu-Natal, opens up a world of coral reefs rich with colorful fish, and southeast of the Western Cape wine lands, along the Whale Coast, is one of South Africa's unsung attractions - some of the best shore-based whale-watching in the world.

With time in hand, you might want to drive through the sparse but exhilarating interior, with its open horizons, switchback mountain passes, rocks, scrubby egetation and isolated dorps.The Northern Cape and Northwest Proince can reeal surprises. isit the western section of the Northern Cape in August or September, and you'll be treated to a riot of colorful wild flowers.From the staunchly Afrikaner heartland of Free State, you're well poised to isit the undeeloped kingdom of Lesotho, set in the mountains betweven the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal. Lesotho has few estiges of royalty left today, but it does offer plenty of spectacular highland scenery, best explored on a sturdy, sure-footed Lesotho pony.