South Africa attracts many families every year for safari holidays and or for sight seeing. Safari holidays can be a great experience for families and although often expensive, many families save u over a number of months or years to allow them to go.

South Africa have very strict rules when it comes to entering the country with children under the age of 18. You will need to ensure that you take with you the original full birth certificate of any child travelling with you (short one will not be accepted) and if the child is only travelling with one parent, South Africa’s immigration offices will also request consent on non-travelling parent. If you do not have the valid documentation you will not be allowed to enter in to the country and therefore not continue on your holiday.

This has been enough to deter some parents from going, not happy with having to take their child’s birth certificates or letters of authority.

South Africa can offer you an amazing holiday trip if you are looking for a break with a difference. There are a wealth of activities on offer that you can participate in such as safaris, but for those looking to go on a bespoke holiday where they can chose exactly how to spend their time whist away, then why not create a bespoke holiday package.

These holidays are not cheap as you may have to do a lot of travel and employ a tour guide on your trip but the memories you take away can be priceless. There are companies that specialise in creating these type of bespoke holidays or you can opt to organise it yourself. I would strongly recommend using a company to organise your trip for you as they have the knowledge and experience to know the places where to go and the places to avoid.

Thanks to golden beaches, colourful neighbourhoods, a rugged coastline and a landmark simply known as ‘The Mountain’, there are few cities in the world that are as spectacular as Cape Town. South Africa’s most famous city has all the above…and then some. The locals are unbelievably friendly, the sunsets are truly unforgettable, the food is as mouthwatering as you’ll find anywhere in the world and the nightlife can be experienced any night of the week. If you are planning a trip around the fascinating country that is South Africa, make sure to put by at least five days to explore this amazing city. It is the only way you will see the best bits, and believe me, there are many of those.

It’s also a great place to see wild life, particularly along the coast, with throngs of sea birds, sea lions and seals. Take a fishing boat trip and you may even see the mighty Great White Shark.

Whilst holidaying in South Africa a popular thing on many people’s agenda is to visit the zoo at Johannesburg.

This zoo is spread over a 140 acre site and was established in the early 1900’s, the zoo is dedicated to the care and survival of wild animals and offers a sanctuary to many of South Africa’s greats!

The Johannesburg zoo is one of the few places that is home to the White Lion, a very popular sight amongst tourists. Along with endangered species such as the White Rhino and the Scimitar Oryx.

Their focus is on conservation and the have many breading and release programs for endangered species to help repopulate South Africa with these beautiful animals.

They also fund and organise protection programs to help to stop animals being killed or injured in the wild through poaching and trapping devices that can lead to whole species being wiped out.

Well worth a visit this zoo provides the perfect family day out in South Africa.

When you think of South Africa many people think of the same thing, safari holidays and hot weather, however South Africa really is a fascinating place with lots of interesting hidden gems, here’s some little known facts about the place to get you thinking:-

• South Africa grows massive amounts of fruit and is the second largest exporter of fruit in the world!

• There are penguins in South Africa – Yes you read that right, Penguins, these are found on the west coast where there is cold Antarctic currents.

• South Africa has the cheapest electricity in the world, this is thanks to the country’s huge coal reserve.

• South Africa is home to the second highest waterfall in the world, the Tugela Falls, it has a staggering 2,789 feet drop of cascading water and is a fantastic site to see.

• Three out of the five fastest land animals live in South Africa, these are cheetahs, wildebeests, and lions, all of which can be seen on safari in their natural habitat.

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.

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.

China is a marvellous country and a forest stay in Sichuan can offer holidaymakers to opportunity to explore the historic monuments such as the Leshan Giant Buddha, while you can stay in log cabins and visit the Giant Panda sanctuaries.

There are many nature reserves around this area, especially in the picturesque parks in the in the Qionglai and Jiajin Mountains. These areas are also home to red panda, snow leopard and clouded leopard.

A forest stay in China can be one of the most beautiful holidays and you’re bound to see some spectacular sites. Nature reserves in other parts of the world really do not compare to China and the fact that it’s home to many endangered animals means it could be one of the last opportunities for many people to see some fabulous wildlife.