Breathtaking scenery

August is Women’s Month in South Africa. What better time to start thinking of a girls’ trip or a solo getaway in and around South Africa?

Underberg offers visitors a bustling farm-town welcome in the foothills of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg – a great base from which to explore this part of KwaZulu-Natal’s many outdoor attractions.

The Upper Karoo Route from Victoria West to Calvinia via Carnarvon offers the beautiful landscape of Northern Cape (strewn with daisies in spring), rare wildlife and a thriving, hospitable culture.

The Tsitsikamma Woodcutters’ Journey on the Garden Route in Western Cape takes you through pristine indigenous forests in one of South Africa’s most beautiful national parks.

Northern Cape is a vast arid province bisected by the Orange River – a superb wedding destination, whether among lush vineyard greenery, spring wildflowers, or the stark dry beauty of the Kalahari.

The elegance of the Cape Winelands, the grandeur of the mountains, scenic views on lonely beaches, or surrounded by bushveld wildlife – plan a wedding in South Africa, and you’re spoilt for choice.

Northern Cape is South Africa’s driest province, where the arid Karoo merges with the true desert of the Kalahari – but it offers wildlife aplenty, a mighty life-giving river and spectacular scenery.

The Wild Flower Route through Northern Cape province is a wonderland in spring, featuring legendary Namaqualand daisies and thousands more species, and again in autumn when the amaryllis bloom.

Table Mountain National Park in Western Cape: mountain splendour above urban sprawl, from Cape Town to Cape Point – enjoy natural beauty from penguins at Boulders Beach to fynbos at Kirstenbosch.

Aloe ferox – the red or bitter aloe – grows all over South Africa, but Eastern Cape hills are ablaze with orange and red from May to August; the province also produces great aloe health products.

Romantic luxury rail journeys in South Africa make great honeymoon options – whether chugging through the arid Karoo or off to a hot-air balloon safari, the scenery, service and dining are exquisite.

Rock climbers are spoilt for choice in South Africa – Western Cape, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape are all provinces blessed with plentiful mountains and myriad climbing routes.