Why You Should Visit South Africa Now

From my previous post about my last stay in Cape Town here and latest Vlog I posted here, I've been getting a lot of comments from people saying that they want to visit Cape Town too! If you haven't seen either about my trips yet, I would love for you go have a look and let me know what you think! However, if you’ve seen both but need more convincing on why you should visit South Africa. Keep reading to see some of my personal reasons why you should visit this country now.

First of all, I would love to talk about the people! One thing for certain is that South Africans are very friendly, hospitable and genuine. There was never a time during my stay that I’ve had a negative experienced with anyone here, this place probably has one of the best hospitality services I've received from compared to many countries I’ve travelled to so far (which definitely says something). I love how people here are very welcoming to tourists and open to share their lives and experiences with each other. I have met some of the most genuine people here in South Africa and I’m so grateful I was able to come to this part of to experience true warmth and welcome into a country. From our 16 day trip, we have stayed in more than 8 different accommodations (which averages out to moving accommodations every 2 nights, which is a lot!) From nearly all the hotel, hostels and Airbnb’s we’ve stayed, the staff or host we met have all been very kind and helpful to explain everything in detail and ensure our stay was comfortable and ensure we were well taken care of.

Secondly, in a country with an abundance of wildlife and game reserves, you can’t say you’ve visited South Africa without seeing one of the main wonders this country has to offer. A drive through the safari is an experience everyone should try at least once!  The good thing is, once you're in the country it's not a far drive to see wildlife in its natural habitat. In Cape Town for instance, the ostrich ranch, penguin colony and safari are only 1 hour away from the city centre (if not less). This is the perfect chance to get up close and personal with these animals without disrupting their natural environment and people here take great pride conversing these animals.

I cannot rave about the food here enough, because it’s simple amazing! It’s not hard to find fresh yet affordable cuisines here in South Africa, since most produce are locally sourced. Fresh and organic produce is easily accessible, especially wine and game meat! So if you’re a wine or meat lover, this place is perfect to get the best that this country has to offer! Some of my personal favourites include meals at Babylonstoren (read my blogpost about it here) and having lunch at La Petite Colombe.  I was very impressed with the quality of food and how much cheaper it was to get an equivalent meal here compared to Hong Kong. If I could, I would fly by to Cape Town even just for the food!

Even though we travelled to South Africa during the "winter" season in October, it can get quite chilly at night but the daytime is mostly warm. In Cape Town, the weather can be very unpredictable, yet it never seize to disappoint; with blue sky and sunny sunshine on most days. The dry crisp air is always super refreshing accompanied the warm heat from the sun, this makes the end of winter month in South Africa the perfect time to visit Cape Town without the crowds and before peal season hits!We had 16 days in this beautiful part of the world and to many, it may sound like plenty of time explore the city of Cape Town. However, there was so much to see and do that we didn't have time to do everything we initial put on our list. We even had 2 attempts of driving to Cape Point but didn't end up going there. I'm already thinking about my next trip to South Africa and I'll be sure to tick off the rest of my "To do and See" list!

If you're still not convinced about why you should go to South Africa. Stayed tuned to the 2nd part of this travel series for my ultimate guide to Cape Town. If you've read till this far and enjoyed it, you can also have a look at my blog about my trip here!Have you ever been to South Africa? If so, where did you go? Let me know in the comments below!

Photography by my friend Belicia and me :)