As South Africa celebrates Tourism Month in September, SAA offers travellers the opportunity to experience and explore our main cities – Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Gqeberha.
In Johannesburg, travellers with kiddies looking for some fun should visit Gold Reef City Theme Park, Montecasino, Johannesburg Zoo, and the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens. Visitors can also make their way to Vilakazi Street in Soweto which is the only street in the world to have had two Nobel Laureates as residents – the late Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Johannesburg is also huge for shopping, with some of the country's largest shopping centres such as Rosebank Mall, Melrose Arch and Mall of Africa.
Cape Town boasts some spectacular scenery with Table Mountain and world-class beaches, but there are so many more places of interest. Many South Africans have never been to some of the tourism icons of the Cape, which are well worth a visit – the Castle of Goop Hope, Two Oceans Aquarium, Table Mountain cable car, as well as Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, which was voted the best botanical garden in Africa at the World Luxury Travel Awards last year.
South Africans can fly on SAA from Johannesburg to Cape Town on any day of the week, with six flights a day on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, as well as seven flights on Tuesdays and five on Sundays.
Durban, known for its African, Indian and colonial influences, offers culinary experiences like no other, starting with the famous bunny chow. Visitors could easily spend the whole day at uShaka Marine World. Here, families with children will enjoy the educational aspects plus the various water slides. There is a lovely beach-side walk along the popular Golden Mile stretch of beachfront that runs along the promenade.
For the more adventurous, the Moses Mabhida Stadium offers the Big Rush Big Swing for bungee jumping.
SAA offers four flights per day between Johannesburg and Durban on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and three flights a day on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Saturdays and Sundays there are two flights a day.
Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth, has unique offerings, many relating to its colonial history. The Donkin Heritage Trail takes in 51 spots of interest in and around the old Hill's Victorian landmarks. Bird-fanciers might like a boat tour to spot rare seabirds, and there are whale-spotting tours offered too, in season.
Just 105km away is the renowned Addo Elephant National Park, a reserve famous for its large herds of elephant, and where many operators offer full-day safaris.
SAA offers a year-round service from Johannesburg to Gqeberha with two return flights per day, seven days a week.
