When traveling abroad it is especially important to remember to pack your sunscreen, especially if you are visiting somewhere hot and sunny such as South Africa.

But sometimes knowing which sunscreen to take can be a bit of a minefield. Over the years there has been quite a lot of media coverage regarding the effectiveness of different sunscreen products raising doubts in the public’s minds as to whether the sunscreen is actually the strength that it states on the bottle. There have been an alarming amount of products that are actually a lot weaker than they state meaning that your skin could not be protected from the harmful UV rays of the sun.

There is also the problem that most sunscreen needs to be re-applied every couple of hours, which if your on an adventure holiday such as a safari could be difficult to remember and is another thing to carry around with you all day.

The best advice is to buy a reputable brand of sunscreen, (do your research online) and if you think you may forget to re-apply spend a bit more and buy the once-a-day sunscreen which is strong enough to negate the need for re-application.

When travelling to South Africa there are the obvious things to see and do such as go on a safari and see the amazing wildlife South Africa has to offer but what if you’ve been there and done that? Well if you’re looking for something a little different why not visit Robben island? This island was South Africa’s version of Alcatraz and was used as a maximum security prison, in fact it was the prison where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years.

You can take a high speed boat ride out to the island where the prison still stands and they actually offer tours of the prison and the quarry where the inmates would have been put to work. The prison held many political figures during the apartheid era so the history with in its walls is extremely interesting.

The views from the island, in contrast to the prison, are truly beautiful, particularly the view of the cape mountains. This island is definitely worth a visit and it is rich in historical surroundings.

The climate in South Africa can vary greatly depending where about in South Africa you are and the time of the year. South Africa is located on the Southern hemisphere therefore it’s seasons follow the typical pattern for this area resulting in June-August being the coldest time of year and December to Jan being the hottest time of year.

Temperatures during the summer months are also varied and can range between 16°C and 36°C with an average of 8-10 hours of sunshine daily. However it’s worth noting that unlike the UK the raining season in South Africa is during the summer months and these are usually in the form of short storms that pass fairly quickly.

Temperatures during the winter months tend to range between -2°C and 26°C with little precipitation around apart from in the Cape Town where the majority of their rainfall is actually in the winter months and can even get snow on the top of the mountains on the Cape.

The Cango Caves are located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Here you will find the finest dripstone caverns, with their enormous halls and towering formations. The principal cave is one of the country’s finest, most well known and most popular tourist caves and attracts many visitors from the other parts of African as well as overseas every year.

These caves are like something that you have never seen before, and they go on for over 4 kilometres, although less than a quarter of this is open for the public to view. There has recently been a massive increase in the number of tourists and locals wishing to visit these caves every day. Because of this, it is essential to book in advance to ensure you are able to go in and avoid the disappointment of being turned away.

This is just another amazing experience that South Africa has to offer.

You may have heard (or even read) that Namibia spans thousands and thousands of square Kilometers with unsurpassed sand dunes of the Namib desert featuring prominently on the country’s landscape. What you may not know is that there’s more to this Sothern African country nestled between the Kalahari and the Atlantic Ocean than the sand dunes. Here’s why you need to embark on a Namibia Safari for an African experience like no other.

The Damaraland Safari

Damaraland may be arid, but this vast, uninhabited area has much more up its sleeve. The mountainous backdrop is indisputably breathtaking, and the night sky is a carpet of stars. The northern section of Damaraland is not only less arid but is bursting with magnificent flat-topped mountains, meandering rivers and acacia woodland as well as rolling grasslands. (more…)

With the recent outbreak of the virus Ebola, South Africa have had to tighten their rules on who is allowed in and out of the country. Ebola is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. It can be caught from animals and then spread from human to human. The symptoms include fevers and are similar to that of the flu.

Following the outbreak, South Africa confirmed that they would not be allowing non-nationals from West Africa in to the country at present and that any nationals coming from infected areas would be allowed back in but would be subject to strict medical examinations.

South Africa has had two cases recently that they expected was Ebola involving passengers from Liberia and Guinea, but luckily these proved not to be the deadly virus and so far the country not had any confirmed cases reported.

If you are planning to travel to South Africa, then please check with your tour operator as to whether you will still be able to go.

If you are travelling to South Africa, you are asked to be extremely cautions. There are many risks associated with travelling there at present and you should be fully aware of these before choosing to holiday or take a business trip there. There is a high level of crime in South Africa, and individuals need to be very vigilant at all times. You should avoid travelling on your own and should be sure to take as little amount of personal possessions as possible. It is advised to not go in to certain areas of South Africa especially at night time, due to an increased number of incidents occurring there in recent months.

The recent Ebola outbreak is causing a huge amount of concern and is wide spread over parts of Africa. If you can avoid travelling there at the moment, then the UK government have recommended that you postpone your trip.

Then fly on down to South Africa, where you can tick of many of life’s “to-dos” from riding an ostrich, to diving with great white sharks. Experiencing caving and watching wales in the ocean to lounging in the vineyards the experiences are endless!

Hermanus is the place to be for whale watching between July and November – whilst you’re there you may as well check out the penguins just down the road in Bettys Bay and Stony Point.

Oudshoorn has the ostriches – visit the Safari Ostrich Park to find herds of them.

Klein Karoo or Cango Caves are less than 30km from Oudtshoorn, so after you’ve ridden an ostrich you can have a go at caving where you’ll see the dripstone caverns and towering formations which are thousands of years old.

Visit the national parks for sights of a life-time from birds to elephants and lions, you will be amazed, try Kruger, Addo Elephant and Tsitsikamma National Parks!

Shark alley is the place to find your great white sharks – just off from Cape Town and Gansbaai.

Family safaris in Kenya offer some of the best family experiences in Africa. Combine your safari with a relaxing vacation at the beach by the Indian Ocean and you have a perfect family holiday. The following points are some of the most frequently asked questions from people planning family Kenya safaris:

How early should I plan my safari?

Although safari holidays can be arranged at short notice, it’s better to begin planning as soon as possible. There are lots of options to consider and choices to make. You also might need to put plans in place for vaccinations.

What kind of animals will we see?

This very much depends on where you decide to visit. The Masai Mara, for example, is home to lots of the traditional safari animals such as the Big 5, hyena, cheetah, giraffe, wildebeest and zebra. In other areas there may be certain animals that you won’t find or there may be species that live there in huge numbers. An expert in African safaris will be able to easily help you decide where to go according to what you’re interested in as a family.

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If you enjoy wine and walking and you want to go to Africa, we suggest you head down to Cape Town and the surrounding areas.

Less than an hour from Cape Town are the Cape Wine routes. You could make it just a day excursion or explore the area more by spending a few nights there. Paarl and Stellenbosh are nestled amongst the gorgeous Western Cape mountain ranges, offering you stunning views and vineyards – a romantic getaway perhaps?

You can arrange tours of some of the area’s best-known vineyards take in the South African grapes! To savour this paradise there are some beautiful towns – Franschhoek and Stellebosch are must go places and with gourmet restaurants dotted around, who could say no?

The climate is a bit like the Mediterranean only reversed. If you’re wanting a cooler holiday, you’re best to go between April and August. You will usually find that the rain comes at night here and even though we say its cooler, it’s still considerably warmer than your normal British winter! Therefore, for those after heat and rays, we would suggest visiting between September and February – perfect beach weather!