How this guide is put together
Explore South Africa is a small reference project about one country. It describes places, seasons and logistics, and it stops there.
What this site is
Explore South Africa is an independent, non-commercial guide to travelling within the Republic of South Africa. It exists because most planning questions about the country are not questions of taste but questions of geography and timing: how far apart two places are, which season a region works in, what a park gate closing at 18:00 does to an afternoon.
The site publishes regional profiles, seasonal notes and practical information — driving conditions, electricity, languages, distances, park rules. It does not sell anything, arrange anything, or take bookings, and it is not affiliated with any tourism board, park authority, airline or accommodation provider.
How the material is prepared
Every regional page starts from primary sources: the published material of national and provincial park authorities, national statistical and meteorological data, official road and transport information, and the notices issued by the relevant public bodies. Where a figure appears — a distance, an altitude, a rainfall pattern — it comes from those sources rather than from summary sites.
Descriptive material is then checked against direct observation where we have it, and marked as general where we do not. Seasonal statements describe long-term averages, not forecasts. Nothing on this site should be read as a prediction of the weather, the state of a road, or the behaviour of wild animals on the day you travel.
Editorial principles
- Neutral description. Places are described, not ranked. We do not publish reviews, ratings or superlatives.
- No commercial content. There is no advertising, no sponsored placement and no affiliate linking anywhere on this site.
- Verifiable detail. Where a detail cannot be verified against a published source or direct observation, it is left out rather than approximated.
- Correction over defence. When something here is wrong, it is corrected and the page is dated. Corrections can be sent to the editorial address.
- Safety information is not advice. We describe general conditions. Decisions about health, permits, driving and the outdoors remain yours, taken with local and professional guidance.
Who writes it
The guide is maintained by a two-person editorial desk based in Cape Town, with contributions checked by readers who live in the regions described. The desk handles all correspondence itself; there is no support queue and no automated reply system. Questions sent through the form on the home page or to the address below are answered by a person, usually within a few working days.
Scope and limits
The site covers South Africa only. Neighbouring countries appear only where a route or a border crossing makes them relevant — for example where the Kruger boundary meets Mozambique, or where the Drakensberg forms the border with Lesotho.
We do not cover prices, availability or opening hours in detail, because all three change faster than a reference site can track. For those, we point readers to the operator or authority responsible, which is always the more current source.
Using this material
Text and images on this site are published for personal, non-commercial reference. Full conditions, including how the material may be quoted or reproduced, are set out in the Terms of Use. How we handle information you send us is described in the Privacy Policy.
Last reviewed: 12 May 2026