South Africa is well endowed with a large assortment of wonderful experiences so much that it is almost impossible to come up with a list of the very best experiences.

You can enjoy the sweet scent of desert that amazingly turns into a colourful carpet of flowers in Spring or you can choose to see the big five in one of the world's most recognized national parks or simply take a journey to a deeper understanding of the country and humankind through some of the country's heritage sites.

There are vibrant cities and thrilling townships to give you a memorable South African urban experience and there are blue flag beaches to chill out on - There are just a lot of wonderful South African explorations to spoil your choice.

South African Tourism has listed the top 12 experiences that can give you fabulous fun. They include tours of the Drakensburg, Kruger National Park, Venda Art route, Namaqualand, Soweto, St Lucia Wetlands, Whale Watching, Sun City, The Cape Town Heritage Route, Garden Route, Backpacking and the Maloti route of the Free State province.

There are numerous experiences that you may want to enjoy and there is an endless list of activities to do too. If you are an adventure sport fan there is all adventure you can think of. You can choose anything from bungee jumping to surfing, from gliding to abseiling.

There are general sports in every one of South Africa's provinces. There is a cricket, rugby and soccer field everywhere you go in the country and to top it all South Africans are real adventure and sport fanatics.

Table Mountain
No visit to Cape Town is complete without a trip up Table Mountain - home to some of South Africa's most breathtaking views. Take a guided walk on one of the many routes or simply ride the cable car to the top - it will be one of your lasting memories of SA.

Robben Island
A short cruise from Cape Town's V&A Waterfront by ferry, this legendary island is a must-see on any newcomer's itinerary.

This is where Nelson Mandela and his comrades were imprisoned for decades during the Apartheid era. Former inmates will take you on an insightful tour of the prison grounds. This historical island is now a World Heritage Site and a proclaimed nature conservation area.

The Garden Route
From Cape Town along the coast to the Tsitsikamma Forest, this 600-kilometre stretch of small towns, wineries, farms and sea villages has been a traveller's delight for more than a century.

Take your time, soak in the scenery, stay over in a guest-house, enjoy the cuisine and let South African hospitality take over.

Beaches
From KwaZulu-Natal to the Wild Coast, from the Eastern Cape to the West Coast, South Africa boasts more than 3 000km of coastline.

Pristine beaches, fishing communities, golf estates, luxury hotels and guest-houses dot the landscape as you explore the marine wonderland that is South Africa.

Kruger National Park
About the size of Israel, the Kruger Park is the greatest of South Africa's many national parks which attract a great number of visitors intent on drinking in the wilderness.

On guided walks, drives or self-drive, visitors have the best chance of spotting the Big Five (elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo) in this park.

The Drakensberg Mountains
A thousand kilometres of mountain majesty, the Drakensberg (Dragon Mountains) range is the adventure tourist's playground.

It is also perfect for nature photography, easy walking and simple relaxation. Full of game sanctuaries, Bushman rock art sites, challenging peaks and cascading waterfalls, the views in the Drakensberg will compete with anything the rest of the world has to offer.

There are a large number of flights on offer from the UK to South Africa, some are night flights - which ups the convenience factor considerably. Night flights mean that you awake rested and ready to take in the sights and sounds of your new destination.

Generally, it takes one between eight and ten hours to get to South Africa.

For more information or prices contact Emma Sanger on 01722 341809.