The complete guide
Discover South Africa
Regions, road trips & safari
Available now · €12.99PayBuyAmazonComing soon
The South Africa travel guide
Discover
South Africa.
A world in one country.
Cape Town · Winelands · Garden Route · Kruger · Panorama Route · Karoo
About the guide
One country.
Every corner.
From Table Mountain to the Kruger bushveld, from the Winelands to the empty Karoo, South Africa packs a continent's worth of landscapes into one trip. Discover South Africa is a complete travel guide to the country: when to go, how to get around, where to stay, what to eat, what it costs, how to stay safe on the road, and how to plan a safari that fits your budget.
3capital cities: Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein
12official languages, including South African Sign Language
2oceans along its coastline, the Atlantic and the Indian
The map
Explore the country.
Zoom in, drag around and tap a pin to preview a place: mountains, beaches, safari parks and the coast.
Tap a pin for a photo and a short note.
The complete guide
Mountains, oceans and wild country.
Mornings on the mountain, afternoons in the vineyards, evenings around a fire in the bush. The travel guide is built around regions, road trips and safaris, with maps for each area.
See the regions on the map →- Cape Town & the PeninsulaTable Mountain, Camps Bay, Boulders Beach and Cape Point.
- The Winelands & the Garden RouteStellenbosch, Franschhoek and the coast road east.
- Kruger & the bushveldSelf-drive safaris, private reserves and the Big Five.
- The Panorama Route & the KarooBlyde River Canyon, wide skies and quiet roads.
The complete guide · 2027 edition · Available now
Discover
South Africa
The Southernmost Point of Africa, where two Oceans meet.
Every region of the country, the great road trips and the detours worth taking, the national parks, the beaches and the wine valleys, with our own maps throughout. 240 pages and 30 chapters, every fact checked against official sources. One book for your whole trip, from the Cape to Kruger.
Region by regionCape Town, the Winelands, the Garden Route, the Eastern Cape, Kruger and the Drakensberg
Road tripsRoutes, drive times and where to stop on the way
SafariNational parks, private reserves and how to choose
Seasons & safetyWeather by region, malaria areas and staying safe on the road
Start here
South Africa highlights
Cape TownTable MountainCable car or hike to the flat top.
Cape TownLion's HeadThe city's favourite sunset hike.
Atlantic SeaboardCamps BayBeach below the Twelve Apostles.
Cape TownV&A WaterfrontHarbour, markets and the ferry to Robben Island.
Simon's TownBoulders BeachA colony of African penguins.
Cape PeninsulaHout BayFishing harbour and the start of Chapman's Peak Drive.
Hout BayDuiker IslandA short boat trip to thousands of seals.
OverbergHermanusWhales from the cliffs, roughly June to November.
MpumalangaBlyde River CanyonOne of the largest canyons on Earth.
LowveldKruger National ParkSelf-drive safari country.
Eastern CapeAddo Elephant ParkElephants a short drive from Gqeberha.
InteriorThe KarooWide plains, small towns and huge skies.
Wildlife & safari
The Big Five, and everything in between.
Lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino, plus giraffe, zebra, wild dog and hundreds of bird species. You can drive yourself through Kruger on tar roads, join a guided game drive in a private reserve, or see elephants and penguins within a day of Cape Town.
Plan a safari with the guide →- Self-driveNational parks with rest camps, maps and gate times.
- Private reservesOpen vehicles, guides and night drives.
- Malaria-free optionsAddo and the Eastern Cape reserves.
The history of South Africa
A nation of many stories.
Some of the oldest human fossils on Earth, centuries of San and Khoikhoi life, colonial rule, apartheid and the 1994 election that made Nelson Mandela president. The guide opens with the story behind the places you will visit.
- The Cradle of Humankind
- The Cape colony, from 1652
- Apartheid and resistance
- Democracy, 27 April 1994
The Mother City
Between the mountain and the sea.
Few cities sit this close to wild nature. Hike Table Mountain in the morning, swim at Clifton at lunch and watch the sun go down from Signal Hill. Cape Town gets its own book, street by street and beach by beach.
Discover Cape Town →- The City BowlBo-Kaap, the Company's Garden and the Waterfront.
- The Atlantic SeaboardSea Point, Clifton, Camps Bay and Llandudno.
- The PeninsulaChapman's Peak, Boulders Beach and Cape Point.
- Day tripsStellenbosch, Franschhoek and Hermanus.
The city guide · Coming soon
Discover
Cape Town
Between the Mountain and the Sea.
The neighbourhoods, the beaches, the hikes and the wine farms, with where to eat, where to stay and how to get around safely. Everything you need for a week, or a month, in Cape Town.
NeighbourhoodsThe City Bowl, the Atlantic Seaboard, the Southern Suburbs and the False Bay coast
Hikes & viewpointsTable Mountain, Lion's Head and the best sunset spots
Food & wineMarkets, braais and day trips to the Winelands
The Peninsula driveChapman's Peak, Boulders Beach and Cape Point
Live & work
Stay a little longer.
Cape Town shares a time zone with much of Europe, has fast fibre in most neighbourhoods and a growing community of remote workers. South Africa also has a Remote Work Visa for people employed abroad. The expat guide covers the move from first search to settling in.
The Expat & Digital Nomad Guide →- VisasVisitor stays, the Remote Work Visa and longer-term options.
- Where to liveNeighbourhoods by budget, commute and lifestyle.
- Everyday lifeRent, banking, SIM cards, coworking and getting around.
The expat guide · Coming soon
Live in
Cape Town
The Expat & Digital Nomad Guide.
Everything we wish we had known before moving: visas, neighbourhoods, renting, internet, banking, safety and the small details of daily life. For a three-month stay or a whole new life by the sea.
Visas & paperworkThe Remote Work Visa, visitor stays and longer-term permits
NeighbourhoodsWhere to rent, what it costs and who lives there
Work setupFibre, mobile data, backup power and coworking spaces
Daily lifeBanking, healthcare, transport, safety and community
Beyond the postcards
Discover the quiet South Africa.
Past the busy viewpoints the country opens up: Karoo towns with one main street, empty beaches on the Wild Coast, and mountain passes where you might not see another car for an hour. The guide points you there too.
The guides
Three guides, one country.
The complete South Africa guide is out now. The Cape Town city guide and the guide to living and working in Cape Town are in preparation: leave your email below and we will tell you the day each one launches.
Free download
The South Africa Travel Checklist
A free two-page checklist for planning your trip, from landing in Cape Town or Johannesburg to your last sundowner.
One email per new guide. Unsubscribe any time.
- Passport validity & blank pages
- Visa rules before you fly
- Car hire & driving on the left
- Malaria areas & travel health
- City, beach & road safety
- Emergency numbers (10111 & 112)
Part of the Discover series. Independent travel guides, one destination at a time.
The series
Visit. Explore. Stay.
Discover South Africa covers the whole country. Discover Cape Town goes deep on the city and the Peninsula. And for those who fall for it, the Expat & Digital Nomad Guide shows you how to stay.
Discover.
One destination at a time. Every road, every season.
Discover is an independent series of travel guides. Each book takes one place and covers it in depth: where to go and when, the routes that connect it all, honest practical advice and our own maps, with photography that makes you want to pack. South Africa is the newest destination in the series, alongside Iceland, Hawaii, Indonesia and Singapore.
Discover South Africa
The Complete Guide
Discover Cape Town
City Guide
Live in Cape Town
Expat & Nomad Guide
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The Complete Guide
Discover Singapore
The Complete Guide
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The History of Hawaii
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Volcanoes of Indonesia
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The History of Bali
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