Amazing and powerful spirit 
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April in Greater Kruger
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April in Greater Kruger
Makes me want to go travelling Too cool
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from Namib to Etosha, climbing Naukluft
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Atacama
Emozioni...infinite come gli spazi senza confini tra terra e cielo..da vivere nel silenzio sussurrato ... -
from Namib to Etosha, climbing Naukluft
Illustrazioni, foto e testi sono fantastici e davvero coinvolgenti. grazie
South Africa
FOOTPRINTS INTO THE RAINBOW
SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa
footprints into the rainbow.
footprints into the rainbow.
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South Africa is in friendly way called the "Rainbow Nation": actually it is like that, thanks to its recent history, which leaded the Country to be an example of reconciliation in a human melting pot, rather than becoming a conflict, as it's likely to happen in most cases of human history.
The contemporary history of South Africa is quite well known to everyone and if you have the feeling that you don't have sufficient knowledge of it, please consider it is a must to learn enough about it, as it is an essential tool to understand basic subjects, which you must know as human being.
It could sounds a tough sentence, but actually without having a bit of knowledge about the drama occurred in South Africa in the 20th century, you are missing the meaning of terms like racism, social coexistence, respect, humanity and freedom which are valid essential concepts and values, wherever you live in the World.
Missing these, the suggestion could be only two options: don't travel at all and stay close at your small corner, as you will waste your money if you don't have these basic concepts in your mind, or better, try to clean your mind and spend as much time as possible traveling around the World, discovering how wonderful is the diversity and how immense joy it gives becoming a nicer and greater person learning from it. Don't forget, open mind and respect are the key.
In any case, despite you may be well aware about what happened in South Africa, this Country has a lot to teach about its recent history (but with roots in the past centuries), as you will see with your own eyes what things like racial segregation, spatial planning, “Homelands”, “Townships” involve, as no book nor documentary could teach you. Every time you come back to South Africa, every time you will learn more and more about it and about yourself.
Let's briefly talk about the natural wonders that this Country offers. It is almost impossible to visit all the attractions in one single trip, as suggestion we can say it's much better to focus onto specific areas and get ready to prepare the next tour soon. The Country is quite huge and it deserves time enough to be discovered. A good idea could be considering a full trip for the Western Cape, including Winelands up to Namaqua and Augrabies and another full trip for the eastern section of the Country, jumping into the majestic Greater Kruger area.
Even talking about natural attractions and places to visit, South Africa is a such breathtaking mix of differences, passing from penguins, whales, green ocean coasts, to savannah wildlife, spread in arid deserts, where flowers blossom like nowhere else in the world; you will climb amazing canyons and stunning mountain crests and then walk on endless tropical beaches where rhinos and hippos are roaming just behind you. You will discover that one of the World most famous tourist attraction, the Kruger National Park, despite visited by million of tourists, gives you chance be in a complete loneliness, admiring gems of nature far behind from what you can imagine. You will be stuck in your mind absolutely timeless, taking astonishing pictures of a leopard cub into the wild.
Highlights of South Africa are Table Mountain National Park for wonderful hiking, for the Chapman Drive, for the penguins in Boulder beach, for Cape of Good Hope and many other things.
All the south-west coast is very nice; don't miss Hermanus for the whales. From south-west to north-west, Winelands are worthy for a relaxing and scenic stop. Then, Namaqualand for the blossoming desert, the Goegap Nature Reserve, the Augrabies Falls National Park and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, wild treasure of Kalahari desert.
The east part of the Country offers the incredible Great Kruger, the iSimangaliso National Park, the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. Blyde River Canyon.
Central area, close to Lesotho is surprising with the fairy beauty of Drakensberg mountains (Natal National Park, Cathedral Peak, etc.).
Unluckily, we are now missing the Addo Elephant National Park, which remains on our top list, as home of stunning elephant population.
Springbok
South Africa - Namaqualand N.P. & Goegap N.R.
Springbok is a dusty and lonely town approx six hundred kms north far from Cape Town.
Located into the Namakwa District in the Northern Cape region, it is a perfect basis to explore the western area of Namaqua, the land where the magic of the desert blossoming comes true every late August / beginning September.
Springbok itself is really nothing worthy, but it is adjoining to the marvelous Goegap Nature Reserve (10 minutes drive) and very close (45 minutes drive) to the Namaqualand National Park, which is a great floral color palette coming to life every early spring into the wilderness of Succulent Karoo.
Springbok is indeed a perfect location for everyone who loves hiking into amazing landscapes, aiming to bring home memorable memories and once in life panorama’s photos.
Not only this, if you are planning to cross the border with Namibia, fording the mythical Orange river, Springbok is a good stop-over, which gives you perfect starting point for your drive towards the wonderful and astonishing Fish River Canyon.
Clarens
South Africa - Northern Drakensber & Golden Gate N.P.
3 hours and half approx after leaving Tambo International Airport of Johannesburg, almost arrived at the border with Lesotho, you can turn your car off and enjoy a walk in the wonderful scenery of Clarens.
This small mountain town, is a quiet village, where the boundary of colonization turned into a tourism suited countryside.
Surroundings of Clarens are the golden mountains of the northern Drakensberg, which prints in visitor’s mind its impressive memories through the Golden Gate National Park.
Fiery mountains ridges, painted by pristine golden grazings are home of various species of antelopes, among which black wildebeest, oribi, eland, but also mountain zebras, very scenic for a perfect photo with golden background, and abundant avifauna, with the majestic and rare bearded vulture.
In Clarens you can relax after a day spent hiking around on Drakensberg mountains: you will find a charming atmosphere made by artcraft, antiques, coffee shops and restaurants, everything in a safe and micro town center.
Heading to souther Drakensber, Clarens is perfect to spend a day visit to Royal Natal National Park (find out more in dedicated section and trip).
Sabi Sand G.R.
South Africa - Greater Kruger
Sabi Sand Game Reserve is the undisputed queen of safaris. It is a magical place, where contact with wildlife is so close and intense that it is difficult to describe. The only way to understand the gems that hide inside the bush of this uncontaminated land is to visit it and admire them with your own eyes. The cost of a stop at Sabi Sand G.R. it's certainly challenging, but for a nature lover, it's hard to imagine anything of greater value. Lurking and photographing leopards from a short distance intent on educating their cubs, following them after sunset while they are engaged in hunting, or sitting at dawn face to face with a majestic lion that passes indifferent about you just a few centimeters from your arms, are priceless emotions.
One day in the Sabi Sand gives a huge store of superlative memories; which elsewhere a lifetime would not be enough to fill it.
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