SOUTH AFRICA

Two cities, the birthplace of mankind, and a safari in two weeks? You bet!

Wild and tamed. Affluent and impoverished. Ancient and avant-garde. Often referred to as "a world in one country," South Africa is a land of beguiling contrasts and endless possibilities. Where else can you straddle two mighty oceans (Indian and Atlantic), view the first traces of humanity, tour one of the largest wine-producing regions in the world, and luxuriate in a boutique game lodge after scoring snapshots of the "Big Five" (elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos and buffalo)?

Though the country hasn't fully emerged from the hangover of apartheid, the Republic of South Africa is a vibrant work in progress, making it an exhilarating place to visit. Within its 471,442 square miles (almost twice the size of Texas), you can explore tribal villages, urban metropolises, and an astounding array of natural wonders. About 192,000 Americans came to the country in 2003, a 25% increase over the previous five years. That same period saw an explosion in the construction of four- and five-star hotels throughout the country. Everywhere you go you can expect to find people who speak or understand English, plus, a dizzyingly favorable exchange rate, which makes the country extremely affordable to visit.

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While a country this geographically, politically, and culturally complex certainly demands more than a fortnight's foray, it is possible to compress a visit into a two-week vacation, if you plan wisely. With this amount of time, you can sample the country's highlights – spend about three days in and around Johannesburg, three days on safari in Kruger National Park, then stroll about Cape Town for another three days before taking in day trips to the wine country and cape peninsula for a final hurrah. Stick to our itinerary, and you're in for the perfect trip.

CITY OF GOLD: JOHANNESBURG
Besides being a practical jumping off point, Johannesburg – aka Joburg or Jozi to the locals – is the best place to see the "real" South Africa and to get a sense of the startling changes of the past decade. Most tour companies that offer two-week trips (see our preferred agencies, below) include at least one or two nights in Joburg. Home of the largest gold reef ever unearthed (whence its sobriquet), Joburg has thrived as a mining town since 1886 and it remains the economic hub of South Africa.

Because the urban sprawl of Joburg encompasses more than three million people (and six million trees) in a 635-square-mile area (almost double the size of New York City) a good way to get your bearings is a trip to the 50th-floor observation platform of the Carlton Centre (daily 9am–8pm; $1.20; 150 Commissioner St.) for a panoramic city overview that encompasses everything from the suburbs and Soweto to city landmarks like the Hillbrow Tower, a 90-story telecommunications tower that closed its observation deck in 1981 for security reasons. You can also venture beneath the urban jungle at Gold Reef City (daily 9.30am–5pm; $12; 2159 Gold Reef City), a Disney-esque theme park in Sandton with a gold-mine tour, replicas of shops, pubs and miner's houses, roller coasters, a casino, and tribal dancing shows.

Melville
If that sounds too touristy, spend some time where the locals do: the pedestrian-friendly neighborhood of Melville is situated on a rocky hilltop just a suburb or two from the city center, with streets lined with trees, bars, body piercing salons and restaurants. Bohemian Seventh Street, the setting and title of a local TV drama, is where you'll find an assortment of out-of-the-ordinary diversions: cafés featuring grilled ostrich (see our preferred restaurants, below), record stores carrying the latest South African hip-hop CDs, and vintage clothing boutiques.

Within walking distance of it all is the Melville Koppies (free), a 420-acre nature reserve and archeological site where Stone Age men hunted, walked and lived some 2.5 million years ago. (Even then, Melville was trendy!) The archeological sites (open first three Sundays of the month, times vary, check site) can be found in the central section of the reserve; the western and eastern sections include hiking trails and handsome views of the city (daily: dawn to dusk). Every Sunday, this beautiful setting serves as a backdrop for one of Joburg's most vibrant subcultures. Dressed in royal-blue robes, members of the African Independent Churches, an offshoot of Pentacostalism, gather in several dozen "church circles" for up to two hours of repetitive clapping, singing and drumming. After a short prayer reading and sermon, it isn't long before the men and women work themselves into a trance-like state. This hypnotic experience is a feast for the senses, providing a privileged peek at the joyful spirit of the South African people. Free tours of these services are offered at 3pm on the fourth Sunday of every month (call Bishop David Matholi at +27-82-817-3179).

Day Trips from Johannesburg
Though you could easily spend several more days getting to know this dynamic metropolis, the surrounding Gauteng Province (of which Joburg is the capital) has its own compelling stories to tell. A guided day trip to neighboring Soweto is a must, as is a trip to the Cradle of Humankind.

Soweto
The true soul of South Africa dwells in the township of Soweto (South Western Township), the largest and most famous black township in South Africa and the former home of two Nobel Peace Prize laureates: Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. It was here, in 1976, that a student uprising sparked the chain of events that led to an end to apartheid. Time Out in Africa ($40–$80/person) runs an excellent four-hour tour that includes visits to craft markets, shebeens (African pubs), historical landmarks, and Mandela's former home.

The tour starts with a trip to the Apartheid Museum (Tue–Sun 10am–5pm; $4; Northern Pkwy. & Gold Reef Rd.), a 15-minute drive from Johannesburg en-route to Soweto. Visitors enter the building through one of two doors labeled "White" or "Non-White" before viewing the incredible visual history – told in photographs, eyewitness news accounts, documentary footage, artifacts, and text – of a people subjected to forced removals, political executions, and imprisonment. Seeing the museum first will give you some historical context for what awaits in Soweto.

Cradle of Humankind
Located about 45-minutes northwest of the city, the Cradle of Humankind is a 183-square-mile UNESCO World Heritage Site valued as one of the birthplaces of modern man. It encompasses numerous individually owned and operated attractions including an assortment of nature and game preserves. Uyaphi Tour ($163–$196) runs various five- to seven-hour tours with visits to the Maropeng Museum and Sterkfontein caves; you can even opt to dine at the Carnivore restaurant, where the menu includes crocodile and blue wildebeest among other native game. For serious archaelogical buffs, Palaeo Tours offers scientist-conducted, tailor-made tours to the internationally famous fossil sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, and Drimolen, the location of a recent discovery of a robust ape-man skull and jawbone (costs vary).

Another popular attraction within the Cradle is the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve (Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, Sat–Sun til 6pm; $11.25), where visitors can expect to see up to 600 head of game, including rhinos, lions and hippos, as well as rare and endangered species such as the wild dog, cheetah and oryx. In lieu of renting a car and driving there on your own, go on a day trip with Adventure Travel Africa ($121). In addition to driving you through the game park in a rustic Land Rover, feeding you well, and giving you the chance to pet lion and tiger cubs (under strict supervision, of course), they'll take you to the replica Lesedi Cultural Village, where you can experience authentic recreations of Zulu, Sotho, Xhosa and Pedi village life.

ON SAFARI: KRUGER NATIONAL PARK
Everything experienced in and around Joburg will seem quite tame compared to Kruger National Park (daily dawn–dusk; $19.35), South Africa's largest conservation area and the oldest national park in Africa (established in 1898). Located about 250 miles northeast of Johannesburg, and running for 217 miles along the Mozambique border (with an average width of 37 miles), Kruger offers self-driving visitors excellent opportunities to experience close encounters with zebra, giraffe, the "big five," and over 500 bird species. The southern section of the park has an excellent network of public roads and game-viewing watering holes.

In one day you can manage a leisurely morning game drive, lunch at the camp, and then a final afternoon game drive. Once you've left the safety of your fenced-off rest camp, however, don't get out of your car under any circumstances unless at a designated site. Nothing in life can prepare you for the first time you hear a lion's primeval roar in the distance. Uh, did we mention not to get out of the car?

A much more exclusive (and expensive) alternative to the camps maintained by the Parks Board are the private high-end safari camps, which lie on the edges of the park. Expect to pay at least $550 a night for the experience, but know that you'll get the most intimate access to the park and its wildlife, top-notch service, including game drives in the morning, afternoon, and evening with a maximum of six people per outing, gourmet meals, and more, as part of the price. For the height of luxury – and an experience you won't likely forget – the Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve is our hands-down favorite, especially so its Earth Lodge, a subterranean suite of rooms carved out of tree trunks. Another top pick is Londolozi – Zulu for "protector of all living things – which is renowned for its progressive ecotourism practices and luxurious lodging options, including suites with cascading plunge pools and self-service bars nestled in a bower of trees. Next door is the largest private reserve in the area, Mala Mala; its Lion's Den suite has sliding glass doors that open onto a private veranda overlooking the Sand River. Extremely low human density and a shared 12-mile border with Kruger National Park have ensured that 75% of Mala Mala's guests have had "big five" sightings from their own verandas. After dark safaris in open 4-wheel-drive vehicles provide the opportunity to view nocturnal creatures and carnivores on the hunt, and walking safaris with an armed ranger can be arranged on request.

THE WESTERN CAPE: CAPE TOWN & BEYOND
After exploring the untamed corners of Kruger Park, you'll probably be ready to seize on the sophisticated life of Cape Town, South Africa's gorgeous "Mother City." It's a two-hour flight from remote Kruger Mpumalanga Airport to teeming Cape Town International Airport, but don't expect a break from mother nature – towering mountains and exquisite vegetation, not to mention baboons and penguins, can be found right on the doorstep of this increasingly popular metropolis. In fact, it's a good idea to save South Africa's Western Cape Region for the last leg of your trip so as not to render everything else anticlimactic.

Like Johannesburg, it's best to get your bearings here with a panoramic city view, courtesy of a dramatic cable car trip to the top of the city's signature landmark, Table Mountain (daily 8.30am–sunset; $18.50). The rotating action of the cable car affords 360-degree views of the city and the Cape Peninsula. When you get a glimpse of the city's surroundings from this spectacular vantage point, you'll understand why JRR Tolkein, author of The Lord of the Rings, divined inspiration for Middle Earth not from New Zealand (where the trilogy was filmed), but from the rugged peaks and misty forests of his native South Africa.

Nestled at the base of Table Mountain, Cape Town's compact, walkable city center stands in sharp contrast to the rambling expanse of Joburg, 883 miles away. Saunter down St. George's Mall, taking in street musicians and café society, or amble up Government Avenue to visit some of the city's best museums, galleries and gardens. Don't miss the District Six Museum (Mon 9am–3pm, Tue–Sat 9am–4pm; free; 25A Buitenkant St.), which documents the manner in which the residents of District Six, a once thriving neighborhood in Cape Town's city center, were forcibly removed at the height of the Apartheid era. The museum is housed in an old Methodist church, one of the few buildings to survive demolition.

The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, which features over 250 shopping outlets, dozens of great restaurants, and the Two Oceans Aquarium (daily 9.30am–6pm; $10.50; Dock Rd. and V&A Waterfront), has helped restore Cape Town's maritime roots and become one of the city's most visited attractions. Nearby, the V&A clock tower is the departure point for tours of Robben Island (daily hourly departures between 9am and 3pm; $25), the penal colony where Nelson Mandela was held during the darkest decades of apartheid. Guides who did time as political prisoners themselves lead a three-and-a-half-hour tour to the offshore isle; the price covers a ferry ride (7.5 miles each way), a 45-minute bus tour, and a visit to the maximum-security facility where Mandela spent 27 years in a tiny cell that measured just 54 square feet.

No visit to Cape Town would be complete without spending some time at the friendly Langa Township, the oldest township in South Africa. Thuthuka Tours (+27-21-439-2061) runs half-day tours led by locals who actually live in this enormous neighborhood on the other side of Table Mountain. You'll enjoy a buffet lunch of delicious African dishes like dumplings, mogodu (tripe) and ting (soft porridge) before visiting a Sangoma, a traditional Zulu healer who "listens" to the bones of her ancestors to hear messages about the future. The tour also includes a visit to the Khayelitsha Craft Market, where crafts, pottery and brightly colored fabric paintings are available for sale.

Cape Town's Beaches
Don't forget to work on your tan. Often referred to as the African Riviera, Cape Town's gloriously sexy beach scene is based around Clifton Bay, which encompasses a series of four white sand beaches, each separated by jagged outcrops of granite boulders. Each beach is numbered: beaches one and two are where the chic and stylish play in semi-secluded splendor, beach three is favored by gays and lesbians, and beach four is the most family-friendly. The first three, hidden by apartments and hotels, are accessible by steps winding down from the coast road. The fourth is the largest and most popular, with ample parking and refreshment facilities. Of course, most beachgoers are here to be seen, not to swim—Atlantic Ocean temperatures are generally quite frigid. Thick skinned surfers frequent Camps Bay, a popular beach on the west side of Table Mountain lined with a promenade of restaurants, sophisticated shops and shaded picnic areas.

Day Trips from Cape Town
Three days in the city seems about right before heading out on the first of two day trips: Cape Wine Country and the Cape Peninsula. Though you can certainly rent your own car and go at your own pace, it's often best to go with an established tour company, especially if you decide to taste your way through a bunch of vineyards; Go 2 Africa is the best outfit for both trips.

Cape Wine Country
The Cape's striking wine country, just 45 minutes northeast of Cape Town, is the seventh-largest wine-producing region in the world, comprising some 417 square miles of vineyards. In addition to world-class wineries such as the Bergkelder, famous for its subterranean "cellar in the mountain," you can indulge your palate at world-class restaurants like Bosmans at the Grand Roche Hotel, in Paarl. You may end up wanting to extend your trip once you've seen how much territory there is to cover in this region! Go 2 Africa's day trip into the heart of the area (prices vary by season) takes in craggy mountain ranges, lush vineyards, and Cape Dutch homesteads, plus includes a brief visit to the historic town of Stellenbosch, the second-oldest European settlement in South Africa.

Cape Peninsula
The arresting Cape Peninsula (aka The Cape of Good Hope) is a thin finger of land with an extraordinarily diverse selection of flora and fauna extending 45 miles south of Cape Town. Go 2 Africa's day tour (prices vary from season to season) travels down the Atlantic seaboard with stops at Cape Point, where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet; Boulder's Beach, where you can sun on the sand before visiting the home of a colony of thriving African "jackass penguins" (so named for their donkey-like braying sounds); and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, a showcase of South Africa's diverse indigenous plant life and part of the much larger Cape Floral Kingdom, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

WHERE TO EAT

Johannesburg:
Enjoy fillet of ostrich, as tender and tasty as filet mignon, on the sunlit patio at Café Mezza Luna (9a 7th St.; +27-11-482-2477), in Melville. Situated in an ultramodern building in the heart of the Cradle of Humankind, the Cornuti Restaurant (+27-11-659-1622; Route T3, Kromdraai Rd.) features dishes like quail salad with baby potatoes and venison stew in a pastry crust.

Cape Town:
La Perla (Beach Rd.; +27-21-439-9538) is a swanky Italian seafood restaurant in Sea Point that's hosted everyone from Marlene Dietrich to Winnie Mandela to Prince William to South African president Thabo Mbeki. Occupying an 18th-century house and courtyard, the Five Flies (14–16 Keerom St.; +27-21-424-4442) serves up a menu of local fish like kingklip and linefish.

Wine Country:
Voted one of the finest restaurants in all of South Africa, Bosmans (+27-21-863-2727) in the Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl, can serve up an 8–12 course tasting menu for those who can't decide between the medium seared tuna with passion fruit–curry crème fraîche and the breast of quail and seared foie gras.

Cape Peninsula:
Your waiter may have to shoo a pesky baboon off of your table before seating you at the Two Oceans (Cape Point Nature Reserve; +27-21-780-9200), where fresh seafood from both the Atlantic and Indian oceans is served.

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