- Let's take a look at the map
- How New Year is celebrated in South Africa
- Useful information for travelers
South Africa is called one of the most amazing countries not only on the black continent, but all over the world. And we are talking not only about a variegated national composition, but also about natural and historical sights and customs of local residents. If you habitually wait for the onset of winter holidays with some degree of boredom and have free funds, go on a trip! Believe me, the New Year in South Africa will be one of the most memorable events in your travel career.
Let's take a look at the map
The geographical location of the Republic of South Africa does not contradict its name. The country lies below the equator in the Southern Hemisphere, which means that the New Year in South Africa falls at the height of summer:
- Sunny and dry weather in most of the northern and eastern South African provinces is in the summer only in the morning. After lunch, clouds often come and thunderstorms, accompanied by short but heavy showers.
- The air temperature at the height of the Christmas holidays reaches + 30 ° C during the day and drops to + 20 ° C at night.
- In Cape Town, the climate is very similar to the Mediterranean and there is practically no rain in December-February.
Going to South Africa for the New Year, tourists usually plan a beach vacation. The peak of the swimming season is in December and January, when the ocean warms up in the coastal zone to + 20 ° С.
If you prefer diving to all types of outdoor activities, you can count on South Africa at any time of the year and during the winter holidays, too. Visibility in ocean waters is at least 15 meters, there are no strong storms at this time of the year, but a wetsuit will not hurt in any case, because cool currents do not allow divers to stay under water for a long time without it.
How New Year is celebrated in South Africa
A European, accustomed to associating New Year and Christmas with tangerines, a Christmas tree and snowdrifts, may experience dissonance on vacation in South Africa during the winter holidays. The scorching sun, crowded beaches and green lawns - that's what the New Year in South Africa is.
How is the holiday beloved by the whole world celebrated? Of course, special dishes are prepared, traditionally served to the table by immigrants from the Old World. The descendants of Europeans are called Boers here and their traditional Christmas cuisine is an abundance of hearty meat food. Soups and creamy sauces, salads from fresh vegetables and legumes, hot dishes of stewed potatoes and carrots successfully complement the table, which, as they say, is bursting with food. Boer New Year's desserts are pudding with apricot jam, sweet almond and raisin pies, ice cream with fruit salads and just fresh berries.
Africans offer their New Year's delicacies: lamb or wild boar roasted on a spit, maize porridge with a spicy chakalaka sauce made from pepper, garlic and beans. Fresh fruit serves as a dessert for the indigenous people of South Africa, and a local beer made from a special variety of plums serves as a festive drink. There is not much alcohol in it, but the high content of vitamin B makes the beer almost healing.
Tourists who find themselves in Cape Town during the New Year holidays often take part in sea cruises. Local small boat owners organize champagne cruises and parties on board on New Year's Eve and other days. If you arrived in South Africa with children, choose a pirate ship driven by Captain Jack Sparrow! A special children's program on it delights young sailors.
With the onset of midnight on December 31, festive fireworks begin to thunder in the streets and squares of South African cities, and locals and guests rush to drinking and entertainment establishments.
On the first day of the new year, it makes sense to go on an excursion to the winery - to improve your health and get acquainted with the technologies for the production of the best local drinks. The landscapes in the winery region of the Western Cape are reminiscent of French Provence. The tasting is accompanied by lunch, the dishes for which the owners of the wineries prepare according to the guests' choice.
A trip to Sun City will give you the perfect New Year's adventure. This city is often called African Vegas. The resort invites you to tickle your nerves on the rides: go down the toboggan, fly up into the sky on a roller coaster or survive the volcanic eruption in the Valley of the Waves. For the dignified and respectable guests, the City of the Sun has prepared an ideal golf course and green cloth of tables in the casino.
Useful information for travelers
You can only get to Cape Town from the Russian capital with a transfer or two:
- The cheapest tickets to South Africa are from French airlines. On board Air France, you will reach Cape Town from the capital Sheremetyevo in about 17 hours of clean flight. Add here the connection time at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and prepare about 700 euros.
- Representatives of Turkish and British airlines will help to get to South Africa "on the checkpoints". Turkish Airlines fly from Vnukovo to Johannesburg via Istanbul. Then you will be transferred to British Airways, which will take you to the coveted Cape Town. The cost of such a round trip flight starts from 900 euros. We will spend about 16 hours in the sky.
Planning your trip early can help you save a lot of money. If you book and buy air tickets at least six months before the expected departure, you will be able to reduce transfer costs by 30%. To follow the special offers of airlines and be aware of all discounts and sales, subscribe to the email newsletter on their official websites.
People often fly in South Africa to hunt, but this type of outdoor activity is strictly regulated by the state. Each province has its own shooting quotas, hunting order and season. If you are planning to bring your own hunting weapon to South Africa, do not forget to apply for the right to import it into the country two months before the intended trip. Temporary permission is also issued when crossing the border, but this may take extra time.
On the territory of the Kruger National Park, the most popular among tourists, it usually rains during the New Year holidays. The wet season is not the most popular time to watch the animals. In addition to the showers themselves, the view is hindered by the abundant foliage on the trees.
