P D F South Africa Lesotho & Swaziland PDF ebook Edition 10th Edition Release Date Nov 2015 Pages 640 Useful Links Want more guides? Head to our shop Trouble with your PDF? Trouble shoot here Need more help? Head to our FAQs Stay in touch Contact us here © Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd. To make it easier for you to use, access to this PDF ebook is not digitally restricted. In return, we think it’s fair to ask you to use it for personal, non-commercial purposes only. In other words, please don’t upload this chapter to a peer-to-peer site, mass email it to everyone you know, or resell it. See the terms and conditions on our site for a longer way of saying the above – ‘Do the right thing with our content’. 4 easy-to-use How to Use This Book sections Look for these symbols to quickly identify listings: 1 4 Sights Sleeping 1 r 5 Beaches Eating 2 6 PLAN YOUR TRIP Activities Drinking C 3 Courses Entertainment Your planning tool kit T 7 Photos & suggestions to help Tours Shopping you create the perfect trip. z Festivals 8 Information & Events & Transport All reviews are ordered in our authors’ preference, starting with their most preferred option. Additionally: 2 Sights are arranged in the geographic order that we suggest you visit them and, within this order, by author preference. ON THE ROAD Eating and Sleeping reviews are ordered by price range (budget, midrange, top end) and, within these Your complete guide ranges, by author preference. Expert reviews, easy-to-use maps & insider tips. These symbols and abbreviations give vital information for each listing: Must-visit recommendation Sustainable or green recommendation 3 No payment required % Telephone number f Ferry UNDERSTAND h Opening hours j Tram p Parking d Train Get more from your trip n Nonsmoking a pt apartments Learn about the big picture, to a Air-conditioning d double rooms make sense of what you see. i Internet access d m dorm beds W Wi-fi access q quad rooms s Swimming pool r rooms v Vegetarian selection s single rooms E English-language menu ste suites 4 c Family-friendly tr triple rooms # Pet-friendly tw twin rooms g Bus SURVIVAL GUIDE Your at-a-glance reference For symbols used on maps, see the Map Legend. Vital practical information for a smooth trip. ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland Kruger Limpopo National p403 Park p384 Mpumalanga Johannesburg p364 North West & Gauteng Prpo4v2in6ce p315 Swpa4z8il7and Free State p297 KwaZulu-Natal p226 Lesotho Northern Cape p463 p438 Eastern Cape p166 Western Cape p97 Cape Town p44 THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY James Bainbridge, Jean-Bernard Carillet, Lucy Corne, Alan Murphy, Matt Phillips, Simon Richmond P LAN ON THE ROAD YOUR TRIP Welcome to South Africa, CAPE TOWN . . . . . . . 44 Plettenberg Bay . . . . . . . . 148 Lesotho & Swaziland . . . . .6 Robberg Nature & Marine Reserve . . . . . . . 150 South Africa, Lesotho WESTERN CAPE . . . . 97 & Swaziland Map . . . . . . . .8 Route 62 . . . . . . . . . . . .150 Winelands . . . . . . . . . . .100 Montagu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland’s Top 25 . . . . 10 Stellenbosch . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Calitzdorp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Franschhoek . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Oudtshoorn . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Need to Know . . . . . . . . . 22 Paarl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Central Karoo . . . . . . . . 155 If You Like . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Tulbagh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Prince Albert . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Month by Month . . . . . . . . 27 Ceres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Gamkaskloof Nature Itineraries . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Robertson . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Reserve (Die Hel) . . . . . . . 157 McGregor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Beaufort West . . . . . . . . . . 157 Travel with Children . . . . 35 Greyton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Karoo National Park . . . . 158 Regions at a Glance . . . . 38 The Overberg . . . . . . . . 122 West Coast & Swartland . . . . . . . . . .158 Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve . . . . . . 122 Darling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Betty’s Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 West Coast National Park . . . . . . . . . . 159 Kleinmond . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 Langebaan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 PETE OXFORD/GETTY IMAGES © HGCA(DWraeaenp anrHimeessonb taAooahngnpauuu ii ss . lhk . . a . .ras . .n . . . s . . .) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111132330411 PLCWCaaeiitmltdrdeueebrsrnrebdnoreaetsr’lsts g&es Br A . Aa .rrye .oa . . u . . . n . . .d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111166663221 Clanwilliam & Around . . . 164 Nature Reserve . . . . . . . . . 132 Swellendam . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 EASTERN CAPE . . . 166 Bontebok National Park . . . . . . . . . . 135 Garden Route East . . . . 167 GREATER KUDU, KRUGER Garden Route . . . . . . . .135 Nature’s Valley . . . . . . . . . 167 NATIONAL PARK P384 Mossel Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Tsitsikamma George . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 National Park . . . . . . . . . . 170 Montagu Storms River . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 LITTLEWORMY/SHUTTERSTOCK © &HVWGNiae aciOlrrtdtdoiuooeletrdnreinna’ans e lR iB qsBPoasuaau .y ayr . .t k e . . . P . . . a . . .s . . .s . . .e . . .s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111144441111 SC&JPAeodau Afrpdnftrreos oeE huySEliin’ltznse da FepB . br haa .Ceany .tonh . . cat . . .i s s . . . t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111177774495 (Wilderness Section) . . . . 142 National Park . . . . . . . . . . 186 Buffalo Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Grahamstown . . . . . . . . . . 189 Knysna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Bathurst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 Knysna to Port Alfred . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 CAPE TOWN P44 Plettenberg Bay . . . . . . . . 148 Amathole . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Contents East London . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Ballito . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Harrismith . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308 Hogsback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 KwaDukuza (Stanger) Sterkfontein Dam The Wild Coast . . . . . . . 203 & Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252 Nature Reserve . . . . . . . . . 309 Chintsa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Zululand . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 Golden Gate Highlands Morgan Bay Mtunzini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253 National Park . . . . . . . . . . 309 & Kei Mouth . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Eshowe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Phuthaditjhaba . . . . . . . . . 310 Dwesa Ulundi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 Clarens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 Nature Reserve . . . . . . . . . 207 Ithala Game Reserve . . . . 261 Bethlehem . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312 Coffee Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 Fouriesburg . . . . . . . . . . . . 312 The Elephant Coast . . .261 Around Coffee Bay . . . . . . 209 Hluhluwe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 Ficksburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313 Qunu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Ladybrand . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313 Mthatha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211 Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 Gariep Dam Mthatha to iSimangaliso Nature Reserve . . . . . . . . . 314 Port St Johns . . . . . . . . . . 212 Wetland Park . . . . . . . . . . . 265 Philippolis . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314 Port St Johns . . . . . . . . . . 213 Tembe Elephant Park . . . 273 Pondoland . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Ndumo JOHANNESBURG Northeastern Game Reserve . . . . . . . . . . 273 & GAUTENG . . . . . . . 315 Highlands . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 The Midlands . . . . . . . . . 273 Johannesburg . . . . . . . . 318 Queenstown . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Pietermaritzburg . . . . . . . 274 Lady Grey . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216 Around Drakensberg & Johannesburg . . . . . . . . 345 Rhodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Ukhahlamba- Soweto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345 Eastern Karoo . . . . . . . . 217 Drakensberg Park . . . . . 278 Cradle of Humankind . . . 349 Graaff-Reinet . . . . . . . . . . . 218 Southern Berg . . . . . . . . . 281 Southern Gauteng . . . . . . 350 Camdeboo Central Berg . . . . . . . . . . . 285 National Park . . . . . . . . . . 221 Northern Berg . . . . . . . . . . 288 Pretoria . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350 Nieu Bethesda . . . . . . . . . 222 Battlefields . . . . . . . . . . 290 Around Pretoria . . . . . .361 Mountain Zebra Spioenkop Smuts House National Park . . . . . . . . . . 223 Nature Reserve . . . . . . . . . 290 Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361 Cradock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224 Ladysmith . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 Fort Klapperkop Military Museum . . . . . . . 361 Dundee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294 National KWAZULU-NATAL . . 226 Isandlwana Botanical Garden . . . . . . . 362 Durban . . . . . . . . . . . . . .227 & Rorke’s Drift . . . . . . . . . 295 Sammy Marks South Coast . . . . . . . . .247 Blood River & Ncome Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 Monuments . . . . . . . . . . . . 296 Warner Beach Cullinan & Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Diamond Mine . . . . . . . . . 363 Umzumbe FREE STATE . . . . . . . 297 & Umtentweni . . . . . . . . . . 247 Bloemfontein . . . . . . . .300 MPUMALANGA . . . . 364 Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve & Around . . . . . . 248 Northern Free State . . . 305 Drakensberg Parys & Vredefort Escarpment . . . . . . . . . . 366 Ramsgate, Southbroom & Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Dome Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305 Dullstroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366 Kroonstad & Around . . . . 307 Waterval Boven . . . . . . . . . 368 North Coast . . . . . . . . . . 250 Umhlanga Rocks Eastern Highlands & Lydenburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368 & uMdloti Beach . . . . . . . . 250 Southern Free State . .307 Sabie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .369 ON THE ROAD Pilgrim’s Rest . . . . . . . . . . 371 Graskop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372 M BEHWNMalaeahyszlldisettyepeelva r riRRnuenieiwi vvtLee . . . or . . .r w . . . . C . . . .va . . . .en . . . .lyd . . . .o . . . . . n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .333333877777054657 ICHAEL HEFFERNAN/LONELY PLANET © Komatipoort . . . . . . . . . . . 381 Barberton . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381 Songimvelo EASTERN CAPE P166 Game Reserve . . . . . . . . . . 383 Piet Retief . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383 Musina NORTHERN KRUGER (Messina) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414 CAPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438 Mapungubwe NATIONAL PARK . . . 384 Kimberley . . . . . . . . . . . 439 National Park . . . . . . . . . . 415 Private Venda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416 The Upper Karoo . . . . .446 Wildlife Reserves . . . . . 399 Mokala National Park . . . 446 Valley of the Sabi Sand Olifants . . . . . . . . . . . . .419 Victoria West . . . . . . . . . . . 447 Game Reserve . . . . . . . . . . 400 Letaba Valley . . . . . . . . . . . 419 The Kalahari . . . . . . . . .447 Manyeleti Game Reserve . . . . . . . . . . 402 Tzaneen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420 Kuruman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447 Timbavati Private Modjadjiskloof Witsand Game Reserve . . . . . . . . . . 402 (Duivelskloof) . . . . . . . . . . 422 Nature Reserve . . . . . . . . . 448 Ndzalama Private Upington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449 Wildlife Reserve . . . . . . . . 422 Kgalagadi LIMPOPO . . . . . . . . . 403 Phalaborwa . . . . . . . . . . . . 422 Transfrontier Park . . . . . . 451 Capricorn . . . . . . . . . . . . 406 Hoedspruit . . . . . . . . . . . . 424 Augrabies Falls Polokwane National Park . . . . . . . . . . 454 Acornhoek . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425 (Pietersburg) . . . . . . . . . . 406 Namakwa . . . . . . . . . . . . 456 Bushveld . . . . . . . . . . . .409 Springbok . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456 NORTH WEST Mokopane Port Nolloth . . . . . . . . . . . . 458 (Potgietersrus) . . . . . . . . . 409 PROVINCE . . . . . . . . 426 |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Modimolle Rustenburg . . . . . . . . . . . . 427 Transfrontier Park . . . . . . 459 (Nylstroom) . . . . . . . . . . . . 410 Sun City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429 Namaqua Bela-Bela Pilanesberg National Park . . . . . . . . . . 461 (Warmbaths) . . . . . . . . . . . 410 National Park . . . . . . . . . . 431 Calvinia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461 The Waterberg . . . . . . . . . 411 Madikwe Soutpansberg . . . . . . . .412 Game Reserve . . . . . . . . . . 433 LESOTHO . . . . . . . . . 463 Louis Trichardt Mahikeng (Mafikeng) . . . 435 (Makhado) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413 Magaliesberg . . . . . . . . . . . 436 Maseru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468 Ben Lavin Around Maseru . . . . . . . 473 Nature Reserve . . . . . . . . . 414 Thaba-Bosiu . . . . . . . . . . . 473 Contents UNDERSTAND Ha Baroana . . . . . . . . . . . . 473 Manzini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .499 South Africa, Lesotho Roma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474 Northwestern & Swaziland Today . . . .508 Morija . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474 Swaziland . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510 Ngwenya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501 Northwestern Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .529 Lesotho . . . . . . . . . . . . .475 Malolotja Teyateyaneng . . . . . . . . . . 475 Nature Reserve . . . . . . . . . 501 Food & Drink . . . . . . . . . 537 Leribe (Hlotse) . . . . . . . . . 476 Komati Valley . . . . . . . . . . 502 People & Culture . . . . .544 Butha-Buthe . . . . . . . . . . . 477 Northeastern Environment . . . . . . . . . 552 Swaziland . . . . . . . . . . . . 503 Ts’ehlanyane National Park . . . . . . . . . . 477 Hlane Royal Wildlife & Habitat . . . . . . 561 National Park . . . . . . . . . . 503 Northeastern Mlawula Highlands . . . . . . . . . . . . 478 Nature Reserve . . . . . . . . . 504 Liphofung Cave Cultural & Mbuluzi Historical Site . . . . . . . . . . 478 Game Reserve . . . . . . . . . . 504 Oxbow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478 Mkhaya Game Reserve . . . . . . . . . . 505 SURVIVAL Mokhotlong . . . . . . . . . . . . 479 Southern Swaziland . . . 506 GUIDE Sani Top . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480 Nsoko . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506 Central Highlands . . . .481 Nhlangano & Around . . . . 506 Bokong Directory A-Z . . . . . . . . . 578 Nature Reserve . . . . . . . . . 481 Safe Travel . . . . . . . . . . .595 Katse Dam . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481 Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . 598 Thaba-Tseka . . . . . . . . . . . 482 Mohale Dam . . . . . . . . . . . 482 Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 615 Semonkong . . . . . . . . . . . . 483 Language . . . . . . . . . . . . 620 Southern Lesotho . . . . .483 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 629 Malealea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483 Map Legend . . . . . . . . . . 638 Mafeteng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484 Mohale’s Hoek . . . . . . . . . 484 Quthing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485 Qacha’s Nek . . . . . . . . . . . 485 Sehlabathebe National Park . . . . . . . . . . 486 SPECIAL SWAZILAND . . . . . . 487 FEATURES Mbabane . . . . . . . . . . . .490 Music . . . . . . . . . . . . .529 Central Swaziland . . . . 492 Menu Decoder . . . . . .541 Ezulwini Valley . . . . . . . . . 493 Lobamba . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496 Wildlife & Habitat Spotter’s Guide . . . . .561 Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary . . . . . . 497 Safe Travel . . . . . . . . . 595 Malkerns Valley . . . . . . . . . 498 ©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd 6 Welcome to South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland Lions, township art, clouds pouring over Table Mountain, Kalahari dunes, Swazi and Zulu ceremonies: Southern Africa’s famous trio is rich with adventures and experiences, culture and scenery. Rainbow Nation Dramatic Landscapes With people from Afrikaners to Zulus liv- South Africa’s landscapes are stunning, from ing side by side and speaking 11 official the burning Karoo and Kalahari semideserts languages, South Africa is undoubtedly one to the misty heights of the Drakensberg range and the massive Blyde River Canyon. of the world’s most diverse countries. Pastel Even in urban Cape Town you need only look rondavels (round huts with a conical roof) up to see the beautiful fynbos (indigenous dot the green ridges of the Drakensberg and flora) climbing the slopes of Table Mountain the Wild Coast, Nelson Mandela’s birthplace; while, nearby, two of the world’s most dra- Basotho shepherds clad in distinctive hats matic coastal roads lead to Cape Point and and blankets lead their sturdy ponies through Hermanus. Add the vineyards carpeting the Lesotho’s Maluti Mountains; and at the tra- Winelands, old-growth forests along the Gar- ditional reed dances in Swaziland and Zulu- den Route and Tsitsikamma, Indian Ocean land, debutantes dance with swaying reeds beaches and Lesotho’s inspiring mountains, for local royalty. Meeting these people and and there is a staggering variety to enjoy. experiencing their diverse cultures, all co- existing thanks to Mandela’s legacy of toler- Activities & Adventure ance, will leave you with indelible memories. Numerous activities take advantage of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland’s sheer geo- Wildlife Watching graphic and cultural diversity. Action-packed adventures such as abseiling from Table South Africa is one of the continent’s best Mountain, shark-cage diving, surfing and safari destinations, offering the Big Five walking safaris are all offered; plus, at Blouk- (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino) rans Bridge you can brave the world’s highest and more in accessible parks and reserves. bridge bungee jump (216m), and at Lesotho’s You can drive your car right into the epic Maletsunyane Falls, the world’s longest abseil wilderness in Kruger, Kgalagadi and other (204m). For cultural experiences, spend a parks, or join khaki-clad rangers on guided few days hiking the Wild Coast or trekking drives and walks. A few coastal parks boast Lesotho’s mountain passes on a Basotho the Big Seven, adding southern right whales pony. In the space of just a few hours, you can and great white sharks to the mix, while learn to make Xhosa dishes or Cape Malay wildlife-rich Swaziland has more than its curries, taste Cape wines or catch live music share of black and white rhinos. in a township. 7 DEW ALD KIRSTEN/GETTY IM AGES © Why I Love South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland By James Bainbridge, Author I’ve been living in South Africa for five years, and I would find it hard to move. What gets me is the intoxicating sense of space and freedom in areas such as the cobalt-skied Karoo and mountainous Lesotho – and their accessibility. Within an hour’s drive of Cape Town, you can be tasting at several hundred wine farms; within three, you can be deep in the Cederberg mountains. For wilderness, wildlife and African culture mixed with excellent accommodation and lekker (tasty) cuisine, South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland are unbeatable. For more about our authors, see page 640 Above: Sandstone formations, Cederberg Wilderness Area (p162) South Africa, Lesotho & Swaziland Central Kalahari Game Reserve Gobabis Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park WINDHOEK Lions and red Kalahari sands (p451) Tropic of Capricorn BOTSWANA Johannesburg Vibey galleries and urban regeneration (p318) Mariental Kgalagadi Transfrontier Kanye Park Tshabong NORTH WEST PROVINCE Kalahari Keetmanshoop Vryburg Namakwa Hotazel NAMIBIA Vividop sepnr isnpga fcleosw (epr4s5 c6a)rpet Kuruman River |Ai-|Ais Vaal National Park Upington 28ºS Richtersveld ANleaxatinoBdnaeayrl PNarokordoewOerrange(Senqu)River ANuagtrioanbaiel sP Faarlkls Kimberley 30ºS Port Nolloth SpringNbAoMkAKWA NORTHERN CAPE Prieska Orange(Senqu)River De Aar Carnarvon ATLANTIC Bitterfontein OCEAN Middelburg Calvinia St Helena Bay Cederberg Karoo Graaff-Reinet The Winelands AWrieldaerness National Park Beaufort West Cape Dutch estates produce O Camdeboo world-Cclaapsse wToinwens (p1S0al0d)anha Celrifaentss River WESTERN CAPE Oudtshoorn National Park Stunning city between Worcester Wilderness Tsitsikamma mountains and sea (p44) Paarl Montagu George National Park National Park Stellenbosch 34ºS TaNbCalAet iPMoEn oaTulO nPtWaariNnk Hermanus SwelDleen dHaomop MBoasysel Knysna BPaleyttenbergSt CFraapnecis FBaalsye Bredasdorp NRaestuerrvee Cape Agulhas 16ºE 18ºE 20ºE 22ºE 24ºE