Around the World with…Natalie!

Hi readers of Amy and the Great World, I’m Natalie and I blog over at Coral Tinted Perceptions from South Africa. I have many interests but one of my major ones is travel which is how I have come to love reading Amy and The Great World because this girl gets to so many incredible sights. I’m so honoured that Amy is letting me share a bit of my world with all of you today.

I’m a South African lifestyle blogger who loves to travel, read and cook with a slight obsession with Liverpool Football Club. I’m a qualified attorney who has walked away from the life of a lawyer in pursuit of finding love, fulfilling my passion of travelling and experimenting in the kitchen. I’m honest sometimes brutally so and happen to be an incredible listener, or so I’ve been told. My favourite place in the world is Ireland and I am a pop culture junkie.

Blog: www.coraltintedperceptions.blogspot.com

Instagram : https://instagram.com/natalie21j/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Nats21J

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Coral-Tinted-Perceptions/224443781048869?ref=hl

One of the many things I’ve noticed from my hours of reading blogs is that not many people have been to my beautiful country so I thought I could share some insight to what makes my country such an incredible destination.

South Africa is one of the most underrated countries to visit but in my travels I have come across many people that want to come here but are afraid that the flight is just too long for the return of what you’ll get out of the trip. I promise you something, the flight is worth it.

South Africa has a little bit of everything to offer from the glitz of Sandton to the glamour of the Camps Bay bars. The warmth of the sun on a safari to the warmth of the Indian ocean lining the East coast. South Africa has anything and everything you and your travel buddies are looking for.

The Rand which is our currency isn’t very strong which makes this a cheap-ish destination with loads of options to fulfil all your requirements in whatever part of the country you decide to visit. Although we have 11 official languages the language spoken by everyone is English which makes this an easier destination to manoeuvre. I’ve decided to break down the tourist cities for you.

Johannesburg

While Johannesburg is not well-known for attracting tourists it is the most London-esque city of all South Africa. Johannesburg is our money city and is also called Egoli which translates to City of Gold while many years ago it was the city where most gold was mined it is now the city where people from all over the country go to make their own version of gold. Generally speaking, Johannesburg is fast paced with loads of CEO types walking around and lots of family. It is the smallest province (similar to American “states”) but hosts the most people in it. Johannesburg forms part of Gauteng the province but is essentially different to Pretoria which is the capital city of the province. Most people will know of Pretoria as that is where the Oscar Pistorius trial occurred. Johannesburg is the most diverse of the cities in South Africa if you want to interact with more South Africans. Johannesburg is also close to Pilanesburg and Sun City which are popular destinations for going on Safari without having to do a five-day safari trip through the Kruger National Park.

Kwa-Zulu Natal

This province is still growing in tourism but it’s definitely picking up speed in recognition. In years gone by Durban was left of the radar for most people but if you want to swim with the dolphins in the warm ocean this is your destination. From my personal experience the people who live in Durban are not that friendly but that’s probably because they were not used to tourists, in recent years I have noticed a radical change in attitude and a more open mentality to different cultures. Durban which runs along the coast is pretty much warm all year round. During South Africa’s summer months the weather tends to get very humid due to the warm ocean breeze but during winter it’s still pleasantly warm weather compared to everywhere else in the country. The Drakensburg is very popular in Kwa- Zulu Natal, during the winter months it’s the perfect winter getaway because it’s of the few places in South Africa that experiences snow. There isn’t too much of it, just enough to get you excited but not enough to make you sick of it.

The Garden Route

This is the route between Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Western Cape, it’s notorious for its breath-taking views, baboons on the roads as well as dolphin spotting.

If you’re an adrenaline junkie and want to go bungee jumping, Bloukrans Bridge is the world’s highest bungee jump at 216 metres (709 ft) above the Bloukrans River . While I’ve never jumped off the bridge, I have walked up there with one of my friends while she jumped off and if jumping off bridges isn’t enough of an adrenaline rush, the option to go shark cage diving is still on the table.

The Western Cape

This is a massive province but is mostly known for South Africa’s pride and joy of tourism, Cape Town…

Cape Town is without a doubt one of the most beautiful places on earth and has won praise for this on many occasions. With its latest feat being that Table Mountain has been named one of the new Wonders of the World. Cape Town has a great city life for the day and night. Long street is known for pub hopping an hostels, filled with many tourists and locals mixing while sharing drinks and stories of everyone’s backgrounds.

Alternatively you could choose to hang out in the more sophisticated areas and bars as in, Café Caprice after long days of tanning on the beach. Signal hill is known for watching the sunset, it’s incredible to watch people from all walks of life gathering on Signal Hill to watch the sun set with their choice of drinks or picnics. Anywhere you look in Cape Town has an intense level of beauty to it.

South Africa has a very rich political history and a tenacious present political presence but the news can be taken very seriously but more so it’s very entertaining. We are still a developing country and while as a whole South Africa is a third world country, we have first world cities which gives tourists an interesting peak into a country filled with historical significance.

If you have any questions about South Africa, like when’s the best time to visit, please feel free to contact me on coraltintedperceptions (at) gmail.com or my social media links!

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 Thanks, Natalie! It was so fun to see South Africa through your eyes. Everyone, make sure to see the rest of the Around the World series, and if you’d like to join to fun, email me at amy [at] amyandthegreatworld.com!