| South Africa is a very vast and diverse land, offering almost unlimited opportunities for adventure travel. For most visitors, adventure travel in South Africa means safari travel, and that too a desert one.
The Kalahari Desert is a large arid sandy area in southern Africa with huge fields of grazing after good rains. The only permanent river, the Okavango, flows into a delta in the northwest, forming marshes that are rich in wildlife. Ancient dry riverbeds cross the Central Northern reaches of the Kalahari and provide standing pools of water during the rainy season. Previously havens for wild animals from elephant to giraffe, and for predators such as lion and cheetah, the riverbeds are now mostly grazing spots, though leopard or cheetah can still be found.
The best-known safari area in the country is Eastern Transvaal, an unbroken stretch of savanna. The Eastern Transvaal is has the Kruger National Park, which is one of the best game reserves in all of Africa. Visitors are frequently drawn to Kalahari Gemsbok National Park for Desert Safaris.
Many visitors come to South Africa in search of its plethoric wildlife, in the country's numerous game reserves and conservation areas. Africa's cats - lion, leopard and cheetah, prowl the ranges of their ancestors, together with huge elephant, rhinoceros and hippopotamus.
From the tropical coastline of KwaZulu Natal, the snow-capped Drakensburg Mountains to the sweeping desolation of the Kalahari Desert, A South African safari offers some of the most varied and tremendous environments imaginable.
Add to this the historically rich and vibrant cities, a fascinating cultural identity, superb transport links and a wonderful choice of accommodation.
On a South Africa wildlife safari you will find this rich eco-system supports a huge amount of wildlife and, despite a heavy human land and a unstable history, the country is at the forefront of many pioneering wildlife and conservation programs.
The country is also an attractor for bird-watchers, with close to 900 species. The activity of game watching itself offers a range of contrasts depending on the visitor's tastes.
South Africa's coast has some of the best whale watching anywhere in the world, together with huge groups of seal, penguin and countless water birds.
There is a host of ways of seeing wildlife. In one of the world's oldest wildlife reserve, the Kruger National Park, one can go out into the bush for eight days with a professional instructor and learn about what it takes to become a professional wildlife ranger.
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