Durban, South Africa

 Place: Durban, South Africa

Weather: Partly cloudy, 72/86F.

Route: From Maloti-Drakensberg 178 km ESE on N3.

Population: 536,644

Places to visit: uShaka Marine World, Durban Botanic Gardens, Phezulu Safari Park, Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple, Phansi Museum, Natural Science Museum, Durban North Japanese Gardens, Kwa Muhle Museum.

Images: 

Durban is the largest African city on the Indian Ocean (from theculturetrip.com)

The Natural Science Museum (from kzn.co.za)

Maloti-Drakensberg Park, South Africa and Lesotho - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Maloti-Drakensberg Park, South Africa and Lesotho

Weather: Partly cloudy, 62/82F.

Route: From Taung Skull Fossil Site 619 km ESE on R708 and N5.

Significance: Maloti-Drakensberg is a combination of two parks, one in South Africa and one in Lesotho. It is a very dramatic landscape with saddleback mountains and steep gorges. The area was the home to the San people for 4,000 years. There are many rock paintings in the area - some showing half man, half animal creatures.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Video:

Images:

The dramatic landscape of Maloti-Drakensberg (from whc.unesco.org)

Some of the rock art of the San people (from whc.unesco.org)

Taung Skull Fossil Site, South Africa - UNESCO World Heritage Site

Place: Taung Skull Fossil Site, South Africa

Weather: Partly cloudy, 66/89F.

Route: From Maputo 951 km west on N4 and N12.

Significance: The Taung skull was an example of Australpithecus Africanus, found here in 1924. There are many examples of early hominid fossils found here, showing that early humans occupied this place as long as 3.3 million years ago.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Cave where the Taung skull was found (from whc.unesco.org)

Examples of early hominid fossils found in the area (from whc.unesco.org)

Maputo, Mozambique

 Place: Maputo, Mozambique

Weather: Mostly sunny skies, 74/89F.

Route: From Johannesburg 573 km west on N17 and R38.

Population: 1,088,449

Places to visit: Inhaca Island, Museu de Historia Natural de Maputo, Maputo Elephant Reserve, Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Tunduru Botanical Gardens, Fortaleza of Maputo, National Art Museum, Museum of the Revolution.

Images:

The city along the sea (from capacitymedia.com)

Maputo train station (from cntraveller.com)

Johannesburg, South Africa

 Place: Johannesburg, South Africa

Weather: Sunny in the morning, scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon, 61/81F.

Route: From Pretoria 62 km SSW on 14 and 1.

Population: 5,635,127

Places to visit: Apartheid Museum, Mandela House, Hector Pieterson Museum and Memorial, Regina Mundi, Credo Mutwa Cultural Village, Johannesburg Botanical Garden, Soweto Inspirational Home Museum, Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre.

Images:

Johannesburg skyline (from theculturetrip.com)

Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden (from touristsecrets.com)

Pretoria, South Africa

 Place: Pretoria, South Africa

Weather: Intervals of clouds and sunshine, 63/87F.

Route: From Gaborone 381 km SE on R49 and N4.

Population: 741,651

Places to visit: Rietvlei Nature reserve, Union Buildings, Pretoria National Botanical Garden, National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, Statue of Nelson Mandela, Freedom Park, Kruger House Museum, Museum of Natural History, The Pretoria Art Museum.

Images:

Pretoria skyline (from theculturetrip.com)

Statue of Nelson Mandela with Union Buildings behind (from sahistory.org.za)

Gaborone, Botswana

 Place: Gaborone, Botswana

Weather: A few passing clouds, 69/92F.

Route: From Great Zimbabwe 935 km SW on A1.

Population: 273,602

Places to visit: Khutse Game Reserve, ISKCON Gaborone, National Assembly Building, Sri Balaji Temple, Mogonye Gorge, National Museum.

Images:

The city from a hillside (from uceap.universityofcalifornia.edu)

The three Dikgosi (chiefs) monument (from atlasobscura.com)

Great Zimbabwe National Monument, Zimbabwe - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Great Zimbabwe National Monument, Zimbabwe

Weather: Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers, 66/71F.

Route: From Matobo Hills 352 km east on A9.

Significance: The Bantu capital of Zimbabwe was one of the greatest kingdoms in sub-saharan Africa. Its height was from the 11th to 15th centuries.  "Zimbabwe" means houses of stone.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Video:

Images:

Aerial view of the ruins of Great Zimbabwe (from whc.unesco.org)

Entrance to the great enclosure (from whc.unesco.org)

Matobo Hills, Zimbabwe - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Matobo Hills, Zimbabwe

Weather: Partly cloudy, 58/72F.

Route: From Khami 60km south on Matapos Rd.

Significance: Matobo Hills is a place of natural shelters made of granite that have been important sacred sites since the stone age.  Many of these places include rock art and some are still important to local people as meeting places for the community.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

The granite outcroppings of Matobo Hills (from whc.unesco.org)

Cave paintings (from whc.unesco.org)

Khami, Zimbabwe - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Khami, Zimbabwe

Weather: Sunshine and clouds mixed, 56/73F.

Route: From Okavango Delta 796 km east on A3.

Significance: Khami was the capital of Great Zimbabwe from the 17th-19th centuries. There are objects from Europe and China - showing how vast of a trading center Khami was at the time.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Khami outer wall (from whc.unesco.org)

Steps leading to Khami (from whc.unesco.org)

Okavango Delta, Botswana - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Okavango Delta, Botswana

Weather: Sunshine and clouds mixed, 64/85F.

Route: From Tsodilo 516 km SW on A35 & A3.

Significance: An rare example of a delta that doesn't empty into a sea.  The wetland system supports a large number of mammals, including the endangered white and black rhinoceros.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

The wetlands (from whc.unesco.org)

An endangered cheetah (from whc.unesco.org)

Tsodilo, Botswana - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Tsodilo, Botswana

Weather: Variable clouds with thunderstorms, 65/83F.

Route: From Victoria Falls 634 km west on B8.

Significance: Called the "Louvre of the Desert", there are over 4500 rock paintings in this area. The earliest are thought to have been from 24,000 years ago. Humans have been living here for over 100,000 years.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

The surrounding Kalahari Desert (from whc.unesco.org)

An example of the rock art (from whc.unesco.org)

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe/Zambia - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe/Zambia

Weather: Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms, 67/85F.

Route: From Mana Pools 814 km WSW on A8.

Significance: One of the most iconic sites in Africa - the river Zambezi flows along a Volcanic Basalt plateau diving into a gorge. In the rainy season the falls aren't even visible because of the amount of spray - the river is 2 km wide here.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Video:

Images: 

Aerial view of the falls (from whc.unesco.org)

Viewing the falls through the mist (from whc.unesco.org)

Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe

Weather: Thunderstorms, 62/74F.

Route: From Harare 338 km NNW on A12.

Significance: National Park south of the Zambezi River - there are many African mammals such as cheetahs, elephants, Nile crocodiles, lions and buffalo. 

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Elephants of Mana Pools (from wildtimessafaris.com)

Buffalo of Mana Pools (from heroesofadventure.com)

Harare, Zimbabwe

 Place: Harare, Zimbabwe

Weather: Scattered thunderstorms, 61/75F.

Route: From Mozambique 1,543 km west on A2.

Population: 3,120,917

Places to visit: Wild Is Life Trust and ZEN, Kuimba Shiri Bird Sanctuary, Thetford Game Reserve, Lion and Cheetah Park, Shona Sculpture Gallery, National Botanical Gardens, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Museum of Human Sciences, National Handicraft Centre.

Images:

Harare skyline (from worldatlas.com)

Blooming Jacaranda trees (from audleytravel.com)

Island of Mozambique, Mozambique - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Island of Mozambique, Mozambique

Weather: Thunderstorms likely, 74/88F.

Route: From Kilwa Kisiwani 1,051 km south on B2 and N1.

Population: 14,000

Significance: The development of the island came in the 16th century by the Portuguese, who used it as a port between Europe and the Indian subcontinent. There are many defensive and religious buildings from that time period on the island.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Saint Sebastian Fortress (from whc.unesco.org)

Palacio de Sao Paulo (from whc.unesco.org)

Kilwa Kisiwana, Tanzania - UNESCO World Heritage Site

 Place: Kilwa Kisiwana, Tanzania

Weather: Partly cloudy, 78/90F.

Route: From Zanzibar 401 km south on B2.

Significance: In the 13th and 14th centuries this merchant city had few rivals. Goods from as far away as China passed through this port. The ruins includes a Great Mosque and many public buildings.

Website: UNESCO World Heritage Site

Images:

Aerial view of Kilwa Kisiwani (from whc.unesco.org)

The Great Mosque of Kilwa Kisiwani (from whc.unesco.org)