With a reputation as the most beautiful city in the world, Cape Town has some mighty expectations to fulfill. But with its gentle climate, luxurious beaches, flourishing gardens, and towering mountain backdrop, Cape Town proves worthy of its superlative title.

Sir Francis Drake, who rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1580, wrote of the beauty of the area: "…the fairest cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth." Drake likely was gazing at cloud-draped Table Mountain, the 3,563-foot sandstone peak that presides over Cape Town. The flat-topped mountain can be summited either by foot or by the far less taxing cableway, which offers revolving views on your ride to the top. Once you reach the summit, the entire city is laid out before you, and beyond it, the deep blue waters where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet. Take some time to explore while you're up there; designated walking paths meander past gorgeous flowering vegetation, and you're sure to spot rock dassies--guinea pig-like creatures whose closest relative is the elephant--sunning themselves on rocks.

On the eastern slope of Table Mountain lies the famed Kirstenbosch National Botanic Gardens, home to 6,000 species of indigenous plants. Walking through the gardens on footpaths and wooden walkways, it's not uncommon to find chacma baboons among the brightly colored flora and yellowwood forests.

Northeast of Table Mountain is the city center, which offers the usual: shops, restaurants, open-air cafes, great museums and galleries-all European enough that you could easily forget you're in Africa. Attractions you shouldn't miss: the South African Museum, with exhibits on indigenous cultures; Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent his years in prison; and the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, a charming harbor filled with pubs, craft markets, and restaurants.

Winelands

The rich, green valleys just east of Cape Town produce some of the world's finest wines, rivaling French and Italian vintages. Nearly all the tiny villages in South Africa's Winelands have sign-posted bike (and car) routes along the Breede River by which you can travel to vineyards, tour estates, and sample the wines. (Be sure to pace your wine intake--handling a bike or any other vehicle after a few too many Chenin Blancs can prove perilous.)

Highlights of the Winelands include Stellenbosch, which boasts nearly 200 estates, fabulous restaurants, and some authentic examples of Cape Dutch thatched-roof homes. East of Stellenbosch is Franschhoek, established by French Huguenots, whom we have to thank for spreading their knowledge of viticulture. Franschhoek's 300-year-old Boeschendal Cape Dutch manor house will set up a perfect picnic for you, complete with wines from its vineyards, on its expansive rolling lawn.

Whale-watching

Though you can spot whales all along the Western Cape between June and December, no town has made whale-watching such a cultural mainstay as Hermanus. Just 76 miles from Cape Town, this seaside resort town is truly the best place to watch southern right whales gather in pods close to shore for courting, mating, and calving. Standing on the low, rocky cliffs overlooking Walker Bay, you can observe these white-bellied whales--among the largest in the world--heaving out of the water and slapping their tails against the surface in an effort to impress a potential mate.

The entire town of Hermanus is devoted to the whales. The town even has its own whale crier, who in peak breeding season scans the horizon and parades through town blowing his kelp horn to announce the massive beasts' arrival. Each September, the Whale Festival pays tribute to the gentle mammals that have put Hermanus on the map.

This national park has the stuff of PBS documentaries: herds of impalas leaping and hopping in frantic waves, trying to escape a cheetah's hungry pursuit; elephants hosing down their dry, dusty skin at a watering hole; giraffes daintily nibbling on the leaves of acacia trees. You can see it all at Kruger National Park, which stretches 217 miles along the Mozambique border. One of the largest and oldest game parks in the world (it recently celebrated its centennial), Kruger offers the best odds of seeing the "Big Five:" buffalo, leopards, lions, rhinos, and elephants.

Because Kruger is the most famous game park in the world, it's also the most visited. This has some advantages: Animals are so accustomed to open-hatch Land Rovers filled with people snapping pictures that they won't be startled, and they may even let you get quite close to them. However, it's unlikely you'll go more than an hour without seeing another jeep-load of humans, which can detract from having a true wilderness experience. For that, we recommend a guided walking tour on one of seven trails that take you over the park's savanna, rocky gorges, and ravines. Not only will you be better able to appreciate the spectacular scenery, you also can soundlessly approach animals that have no idea they're being watched.

For an exclusive wildlife encounter, take a safari through private game reserves on the outskirts of Kruger such as Sabi Sands, where it's just you, your Land Rover, and countless lions, elephants, zebras, and hyenas. Accommodations on these private reserves lean toward the luxurious, from lavish tents to upscale lodges. The biggest perk: Listening to the calls, roars, and rustling sounds of the wild while sipping a nightcap on your verandah.

Winter is generally the best time to visit Kruger; it's easier to spot the animals when the leaves on trees are sparse and the vegetation low. The park is green and lush in the summer, and you may have the unforgettable experience of seeing lion cubs or baby giraffes take their first wobbly steps. The animals are most visible in morning and late afternoon, but don't pass up a late-night drive through the park, as many of the large predators are nocturnal. The moment your truck's headlights pick up the flash of eyes in the inky darkness is a heart-pounding thrill.

The jagged peaks of the Drakensberg, a 620-mile mountain range in eastern South Africa, are an adventure enthusiast's paradise. Drakensberg is Afrikaans for "dragon mountains," and hikers will no doubt understand the name's meaning when exploring the majesty of these cliffs, twisting like a dragon's spine. Hiking trails abound on this basalt escarpment, ranging from moderate day hikes to challenging two- to three-day treks.

Possibly the most photographed area of the Drakensberg is the Amphitheatre, a five-mile, crescent-shaped cliff wall from which the Tugela River plunges 2,790 feet, the second-highest waterfall in the world. Hikers can reach the top of the Amphitheatre in about a day for awe-inspiring views.

Farther south lies the Giant's Castle Game Reserve, where hikers can explore caves covered with vivid primitive paintings left behind by the San, the area's first inhabitants. There's also a series of superb hiking trails, the most difficult of which leads to the top of Giant's Castle at 10,873 feet. On the way, you may be lucky enough to spot the endangered bearded vulture. Though an unsavory and macabre-looking creature, this vulture is found only in the Drakensberg, making it a must-see for birders. Other wildlife you may encounter include: elands, gray rheboks, chacma baboons, and 30 reptile species.

For 124 miles along the lush coastal belt of Western Cape province, tiny picturesque towns set on equally picturesque bays lure vacationers from around the country. The Garden Route--so named because of its verdant yellowwood forests, hills carpeted with wildflowers, and eucalyptus and pine plantations--is a haven for flower-sniffers and adventure-seekers alike.

Formed five million years ago from changes in sea level, the sapphire lagoons of the area provide a natural protected harbor perfect for shipwreck diving, water-skiing, and fishing. The Garden Route is also home to some of the country's best beaches, and surfers flock to the sandy shores to catch monster waves. Beyond the coastline, a network of hiking trails pass through indigenous rainforests and fields of fynbos, vegetation found only in South Africa. There are 8,500 species of fynbos plants, which are characterized by small, leathery leaves and a kaleidoscope of colorful flowers.

The highlight of a tour through the Garden Route is the town of Knysna, an artistic community situated on a lagoon flanked by towering sandstone cliffs. The lagoon has its own oyster hatchery, the fruits of which are served in restaurants all over town. Hundreds of years ago, herds of elephants roamed the forests surrounding Knysna. Due to poaching, it's said that only one lone cow remains. Hiking the many trails through Knysna's indigenous forest, you may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the elusive elephant between the giant yellowwood trees.