South Africa in the eyes of Vietnamese tour guides

Having been to South Africa many times, Mr. Long always brings an eager mood.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long, born in 1967, has been a tour guide since 2000. He has led groups to South Africa many times, but each time he is excited when sitting on an 8-hour plane. He shared an article with VnExpress.

South Africa seems to be a strange land, even unsafe, with many lurking dangers, AIDS, yellow fever, malaria, heat. But if Vietnamese tourists come here, they will understand more about the rich flora and fauna, the vast nature reserves, the diverse tourist landscapes, the people and many other special things.

Myths about South Africa

Whenever I come into contact with African people, I always feel a sense of closeness. The first people to welcome a group of Asian guests in an African country are white people, even though this country has a higher proportion of black people.

Good roads, Western-style services, partly due to the early white immigrants, created a blend of European and African cultures. South Africa has the best infrastructure, mining industries, tourism services and living standards in Africa.

On my first night in Africa, I found it strange that the shops and supermarkets closed at 6pm. Tourists are encouraged to stay away from the hotel because it is not safe.

In Africa, where everyone thinks of the hot, dry desert, the nights are very cold, even requiring thick sweaters. The hotel area is quiet, the streets are deserted, and only occasionally are there car lights passing through the night. The hotel system in South Africa is mostly managed by white people. This is one of the countries with the most and best hotel systems in the world .

The place that many Vietnamese tourists want to check in is Cape of Good Hope, one of the 50 must-see attractions in life. This is where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Actually, Cape Agulhas is the exact southernmost point of Africa, but this place is less visited and not as famous as Cape of Good Hope.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long took this photo on top of Table Mountain.

Rich itinerary with famous destinations

South Africa has 11 national languages, two national anthems, one for the whites and one for the blacks. The country has three capitals: the administrative capital Pretoria, the legislative capital Cape Town, and the judicial capital Bloemfontein.

The starting point is usually the Presidential Palace in Pretoria. Only a few policemen guard the outside to keep out curious tourists.

Voortrekker Memorial - a place that preserves the moments and difficult periods of the migrants from Europe from 1488 and during the wars between the British and Boer colonists, forming the people and culture of Africa. Surrounding are carved stone carts symbolizing the means of transportation of that period. Inside are reliefs depicting the journey of migrants looking for new lands. At 12 o'clock on December 16 every year, sunlight will shine through the round hole on the monument right on the stone stele.

Gold Reef City, a South African gold mine from the 1880s, stopped mining in 1977. There are still many open-pit mines, giant golden sand dunes on both sides of the road. The gold mining process used to be mainly manual with rudimentary tools and explosives. Now this place has become a tourist destination. Rocks are crushed and then mixed with a compatible chemical solution to separate the gold. Visitors have the opportunity to witness the process of melting gold and pouring it into molds, creating 9999 gold bars weighing about 12 kg. Medals and gold coins become souvenirs for tourists.

Sun City is a famous complex with other names such as "African Las Vegas", "City in the Forest", "City on the Crater". Previously, this place was buried by an earthquake. The entire city was designed and rebuilt, opened to welcome visitors since 1979. There are luxury hotels, golf courses, indoor and outdoor entertainment areas, forests, rivers, artificial waterfalls, and casinos. The city is big, so to move from one area to another, you have to use trams. There are also slums here. If there is no guide, visitors should not come.

Near Sun City is the Pilanesburg National Nature Reserve, the fourth largest in South Africa. Staying overnight in a tent is an interesting experience. The houses are quite far away, surrounded by forest, with high-voltage electric fences about 0.5 m high. The rooms are beautifully designed, with roofs thatched with grass similar to thatch. Guests are informed that wild animals roam freely in this reserve.

There are still quite a few rhinos in the natural forests of Africa.

To see leopards, lions, buffalos, and hippos, visitors sit in special vehicles similar to jeeps, running at a speed of about 90-100 km/h, with the driver also being a tour guide. Visitors will see giraffes walking naturally, not paying attention to the presence of humans, herds of elephants without mahouts, and lions playing on the grass. The expedition ends at 8:00 p.m. after witnessing the hunt. Many visitors feel happy because it is the first time they are immersed in nature.

Tourists can also see crocodiles, bison, antelope, deer, hippos, white rhinos, black rhinos, and buffalos all over the grasslands during daytime expeditions. Some visitors are afraid because they do not have any weapons on hand. When riding in special vehicles to go up the mountain to the reserve, tourists do not litter or smoke.

Further south are the beautiful beaches. Port Elizabeth South Africa is a city with many beaches and is densely populated. Mossel Bay and Hermanus World famous for its white dolphins, which are listed in the Red Book. Under the sparkling sunlight on the sea, they frolic, despite tourists pointing their cameras. Many hotels along the beach are designed for tourists to watch, swim and most importantly, watch dolphins. The beaches are clean and beautiful.

The Hout Bay area, home to many penguins, is a unique seaside resort located at the tip of the Atlantic coast. False Bay and the beach where explorer Diaz first set foot on this sea in February 1488, then headed towards the Cape of Good Hope, is also in this area.

The end point of the journey is Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, is famous for its Flora Kingdom, Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point as well as its port system. The entire Cape Point, Cape Point area is located in a vast nature reserve of thousands of hectares. In this sea area, people also have the opportunity to admire thousands of seals on the sand or under the sea. It is estimated that there are about 6,000 seals here, each consuming about 10 kg of fish per day.

Notes

The weather is constantly changing, suddenly rainy, suddenly sunny, suddenly cold then hot, the weather can change 5-6 times a day. From the city, you can see Ban Mountain hidden in clouds and white mist. Tourists are informed that depending on the weather, they can take the cable car to the top. Ban Mountain is over 1,000 m high and is located in Ban Mountain National Park, attracting many tourists every year.

In South Africa, ostrich farms specialized in providing feathers and skins to serve European aristocrats. Today, people also create expensive and fashionable products for ladies, ostrich eggs and meat become dishes on the tables of tourists. Eggshells are painted with typical patterns of wild Africa.

Coming to South Africa, you will be surprised by the sour taste of lemon in South African cuisine. Most dishes are made from pork, beef, and chicken. Corn flour is the main ingredient for making cakes and is cooked into a paste. People also add fresh basil and lemon peel to their drinks. On the last night of the journey, visitors enjoy traditional dishes, join in dances, sing with singers by the fire and enjoy the strong taste of wine.

There is still a gap between rich and poor, education, disease, and poverty, but South Africa is a hospitable country with beautiful nature, and is striving to improve every day after the Apartheid policy was abolished.

Vietnamese tourists should visit South Africa in October because it is the season of purple jacaranda flowers. All the streets in the central area are filled with beautiful purple colors. Vietnamese tourists often take the opportunity to capture special moments right in the middle of the South African streets. A tour to South Africa usually lasts 8 days and 7 nights. Visa processing time is about 7 to 10 days.

Article and photos: Thanh Long

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