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Our aerial journey starts by the Drakensberg Mountains and across some of the bloodiest
battlefields of the 19th century, before heading north to the Kruger National Park, and on
through the Blyde Canyon to Polokwane. From there it's south to Pretoria, Johannesburg
and Blomfontein, before heading west to Kimberly and on to the Agrabies Falls. From there it's
down the west coast, before finishing the journey in the dramatic Cederberg Mountains.
South Africa is a country of contrasting landscapes and here to the east of the dramatic Drakensburg
Mountains a vast fertile plain stretches out where small farms and private game reserves
can be found.
But this seemingly peaceful countryside was the site of violent battles during the 19th
century.
The Second Boer war began in 1899 and was between the British and South African Boers
over who ruled their proclaimed republics. Some of the battles were fiercely fought and
the casualties on both sides were high. The Battle of Spion Kop was one of them, and it
gets its name from this hill, where the action took place.
It was a major disaster for the British. Visitors today can walk amongst the moving memorials
and graves of soldiers from both sides.
The Boers held the hill and the British, who thought only a handful of Boers were up there,
attacked at night, took a sentry post and thought they had taken the main part of the
hill only to find in the clearing morning mist that they had not, and that the main
Boer army was waiting. The British were outnumbered and suffered terrible casualties before reinforcements
arrived, which enabled the army to retreat off the hill.
From a British defeat to an outstanding victory against all odds twenty years earlier. It
took place here at Rorke's Drift, where in 1879 one hundred and thirty nine British soldiers
held out against four thousand Zulu Warriors for twelve hours. Eleven Victoria Crosses
were awarded for gallantry, the highest number in any single engagement.
The hospital where much of the action took place still exists along with the stores and
a memorial and museum.
Close by is a replica of Zulu Kraal, in a style which would have been around at the
time of Rorke's Drift.
The Zulu warriors had arrived at Rorke's Drift from a battle where they inflicted the biggest
defeat a British Colonial army has ever had -- Isandlwana.
Here in the shadow of the mountain roughly 1,300 British and Colonial troops lost their
lives out of an army of near 2,000. The Zulu force poured around the mountain and using
mainly spears and shields out manoeuvred the British with skill and iron discipline.
Today memorials and small white stone cairns marking mass graves scatter the slope in remembrance
of this battle.
Twenty miles north and forty one years earlier the situation was reversed at the battle of
Blood River where, in 1838, the Dutch Voortrekkers inflicted a crushing defeat on the Zulus.
The river quite literally flowed red.
The Voortrekkers, who numbered 470 men women and children drew their wagons into a protective
enclosure known as a Laager. They faced well over 10,000 Zulu warriors, who attacked at
dawn.
For two hours they held out against four waves of Zulu attacks. Women and children reloaded
the muskets. 3,000 Zulus were killed, but incredibly only three Trekkers were slightly
wounded.
These wagons are cast in bronze and were erected as a memorial in 1971.
The first monument on the battle site was this granite ox wagon in 1947.
And in 1998 on the other side of Blood River a museum and memorial were built to commemorate
the fallen Zulu. The shape of the building represents the horns and chest of the Zulu
battle formation.
One hundred and fifty miles to the north is Nelspruit in the Mpumalanga Region.
This is the largest town on the southern end of the best known game reserve in South Africa
-- The Kruger National Park. Restrictions for flying over the Kruger are strict and
aircraft must be above 2,000ft to create the least disturbance to wildlife.
The park is vast at nearly 8,000 square miles, which is almost the exact size of Israel.
Spread around the park are various camp sites. This one is the berg-en-Dal and the only one
set in a rugged mountain environment. From here it is possible to have conducted walks,
as well as game drives to see the wildlife.
Even from 2,000ft it is possible to spot a small herd of elephants, as they go about
their daily routine.
Throughout South Africa there are many private game reserves, as well as private farms that
keep and breed a number of game animals, including Wildebeest.
Wildebeest meat is widely eaten, as is the meat from Water Buffalo.
To the west of the Kruger Park is Blyde River Canyon, the world's third largest, after the
Grand Canyon in the United States and Fish River Canyon in Namibia. It is a dramatic
and impressive sight.
The Canyon is sixteen miles long and on average about 2,500ft deep. One of the best views
is of the three Rondavels, which overlook the canyon. Rondavel being the name of the
round houses of the local people.
The furthest point north in our travels is Polokwane, a mere hundred miles from the border
with Zimbabwe.
The name Polokwane means Place of Safety and is the capital of the Limpopo Region. In former
times it was called Pietersburg.
The town also has a new football stadium, which was built for the 2010 World Cup, and
has a seating capacity for 46,000 spectators.
Our journey now heads west across the north of the country and the landscape starts to
become dry and almost desert like.
This vast open flat space is known as Veldt, which is the South African equivalent to 'outback
in Australia, 'prairie' in North America and 'pampas' in South America.
There are only a few villages or towns scattered in this sparse landscape.
But nothing prepares you for the surprise you get when suddenly a fantasy city seems
to rise up out of the arid landscape.
This is Sun City, a luxury resort and casino. It opened in 1979 and has been popular ever
since. There are four hotels, time share apartments, two 18 hole golf courses, exotic looking swimming
pools, and lots of entertainment including this wave machine.
And guests don't have to go far to see elephants, as they are close by and ready to ride.
On the outskirts of Pretoria is Hartbeesport Dam with its new estates and golf courses.
The fluorescent coloured lake suffers from phosphate pollution, which encourages a very
bright green algae to flourish.
Pretoria, which is the executive capital of South Africa, is an elegant city, centred
around Church Square, which is lined with handsome 19th century buildings.
The city has many fine museums and galleries, as well as parks and gardens, and on one side
of Burgers Park is Melrose House, built in the 1880's for an industrialist. During the
Boer War it became the residence of the British commander, Lord Kitchener.
Overlooking the city from the east are the Union Buildings -- the seat of the South African
government. They were designed in a grand manner in 1910 to celebrate the New Union
of South Africa following the end of the Boer War.
It was on these steps that Nelson Mandela was declared president in 1994, and where
all previous presidents had been inaugurated.
And from the steps it's possible to see the Loftus Versfeld Stadium. There has been a
stadium here since 1906, making it one of the oldest in the country. It was upgraded
for use as a World Cup venue.
The local historical name for Johannesburg is Gauteng meaning Place of Gold, and surrounding
the city it is easy to see why with all the spoil from well over a hundred years of gold
mining.
Johannesburg, 30 miles south of Pretoria, is the financial heartland of the country,
and sleek modern buildings continue to elevate the skyline.
The Carlton Centre was once the tallest building on the African continent at 730ft.
From the top it is easy to see the city's two World Cup venues for the 2010 games. The
first is Ellis Park Stadium. And it was here in 1995 that the South African Springboks
won the Rugby World Cup in a thrilling match against new Zealand in extra time.
To the south of the city is Soccer City Stadium, built in 1989, and the site of the FIFA 2010
World Cup final.
The stadium is on the edge of South Africa's largest township Soweto.
The township's history goes back to the gold mining era of the late 19th century when Africans
seeking work were drawn to the mines, and were accommodated in separate areas around
the city. This segregation continued and was further enforced during the Apartheid regime.
The word Soweto has been abbreviated from South Western Townships, and it encompasses
all the suburbs in the area. It is estimated that around 65% of Johannesburg's population
live here.
One of the landmarks of the area are the two cooling towers from an old power station,
one of which has been decorated with the largest mural painting in the country.
Soweto came to the world's attention in 1976 when there were mass protests about Apartheid
restrictions in education. Twenty three people lost their lives when the police opened fire,
and the horror reverberated around the world leading to economic sanctions against South
Africa.
Today Soweto is a different place and even has guided tours for visitors. There are still
the 'matchbox' houses built in the Apartheid era, but new larger more prosperous looking
dwellings are being built.
But there are still the old shanty towns for the poorest, where there are few services
and little sanitation.
The Judicial capital of South Africa is Bloemfontein, three hundred miles to the south.
To get there means crossing 300 miles of flat open landscape where electric storms can build
up very quickly.
Day almost turns to night as nature shows its awesome power, and the storm sweeps across
the veldt. It's certainly not a place for our small aircraft to get too close to.
Bloemfontein was once the capital of the new republic the Africaners declared in their
conflict with Britain. The city is full of fine 19th century buildings, and as the judicial
capital of South Africa many of them are associated with the law.
To the south of the city is the National Women's Memorial commemorating Boer and Black African
women and children who died in British concentration camps during the South African War.
Eighty miles to the west across open veldt is a city more than any other in the world
associated with Diamonds - Kimberly.
In 1869 diamonds were found in the mud wall of a small house on the eastern edge of the
Western Cape. This discovery led to a diamond rush and the birth of Kimberley.
Prospectors came in their thousands and the holes they dug got deeper and deeper until
vast chasms opened up around the town.
The best known is simply called 'Big Hole'. Here, the first 780ft was dug by hand and
today the depth stands at 2,500ft with another thousand feet hidden from view.
By 1914 some 23 million tons of rock had been excavated, which yielded over 14 million carats
worth of diamonds, and a flawless carat today will set you back around £15,000 -- so a
lot of money was dug out of this 'Big Hole' in just fifty years.
Flying west from Kimberley and the landscape begins to become drier and more desert like.
Vast estates with miles of fencing carve up the landscape.
Long straight dirt roads are the only means of getting around to check on fences, as well
as any game.
In this type of landscape ostriches thrive and run free, as do these magnificent Sable
Antelope.
Further west and the landscape begins to turn red, the soil rich in iron ore.
And in this hot and arid landscape a group of Gemsbok search for food.
Quite suddenly out of this parched and unpopulated landscape a wide strip of green appears on
either side of a big river. This is the Orange River -- the longest in South Africa at just
over 1,300 miles.
Surprisingly the river does not flow through any major city, but it plays an important
part in the economy of the country by providing irrigation, and here in the Northern Cape
the banks are lined with vineyards.
Downstream, and to the west of Upington, is one of the most dramatic sights in the country.
And it can be heard before it can be seen.
These are the Augrabies Falls, flowing into the largest granite gorge in the world. The
original Khoikoi people called it 'Place of big noise'.
Over thousands of years the Orange River has eroded this smooth side gorge creating a spectacular
waterfall of nearly 200ft.
When the river floods four times more water falls here per second than at the Niagara
Falls.
The surrounding granite landscape seems to come from another planet with great folds
of rock shaped millions of years ago. The area was made into the Augrabies National
Park in 1966.
In this arid landscape an extraordinary tree grows, which is a species of Aloe and indigenous
to the Northern Cape -- the Quiver Tree. In fact it is becoming quite a rare sight due
to climatic changes.
The Quiver tree gets its name from the ancient practice of the San People hollowing out the
tubular branches to form quivers for their arrows.
The landscape may look completely deserted for mile upon mile, but one important aspect
of modern life has been built on it -- a national highway.
The N14 highway runs for hundreds of miles across the Northern Cape and for much of its
length is like a very long ruler laid over the landscape. It's also wise to make sure
you have enough fuel in the tank, because service stops are few are far apart.
The highway runs west towards the Atlantic coast. Just inland is an extraordinary area
of landscape, and no one is quite sure how it was formed.
These circular smooth topped mounds are known locally as Fairy Circles -- and there are
literally thousands of them stretching up into Namibia.
Apparently nothing will grow on them, and they have remained a mystery for years. The
most plausible explanation seems to be that some sort of termite created them, but it
has not been proved.
The west coast is a wild, desolate and windy place. The Atlantic rolls in and is much colder
than the Indian Ocean on the east coast.
The main industry along the coast is mining, and diamonds in particular. Vast mines operate,
where tons of sand is sifted for diamonds under tight security. Old workings scar the
landscape, though today new rules mean that mining companies will have to leave the landscape
as they found it.
Even the sea yields diamonds, as gravel is sucked up from gullys' using a long vacuum
cleaner from a specially rigged boat.
To the south houses and small towns start to appear. Lamberts bay is a popular place
to visit particularly with sea food lovers, as along the coast open air fish restaurants
offer a fresh catch every day.
Inland from Lambert's bay is Clanwilliam, where a variety of tea can be found, and it
is the only place where it will grow.
This is the Rooibos shrub grows, which is better known around the world as the plant
that produces Redbush Tea. It has been used by the San people for centuries as a herbal
medicine.
The plant is narrow and needle like and picked by hand. It is then cut and dried in the sun
on large concrete slabs before being graded and packed. The tea is naturally caffeine
free and very low in tannin.
The rooibos shrup is grown in the foothills of the Cederberg Mountains. This mountain
range is famous for its rock formations.
Over millions of years wind and water have carved the Cederbergs into a magical landscape.
The pinnacles and fissures seem to create fantasy castles and reddish rocks start to
resemble strange frozen creatures.
The Maltese cross stands out alone, as softer stone has eroded away leaving this cross like
shape.
Up in the high peaks is the Wolfberg Arch, where the softer centre has eroded away leaving
this spectacular formation.
And right at the top is Tafelberg mountain, which in English is of course is Table Mountain.
And it's only 100 miles to the other Table Mountain, and a perfect place to end this
journey.