The Drakenstein Lion Park sets the standard at rescuing captive born lions from the hands of those who profit from selling these magnificent animals in both South Africa and overseas. The award winning and internationally acclaimed park does not breed lions, nor are they interested in making a profit. Their mission is to provide a sanctuary where lions can live a full and healthy life, free from abuse, on the park's 50 acres of natural surroundings in the Cape Winlands. Visitors to the park can enjoy a unique “wildlife” experience only 30 minutes from Cape Town. One can stroll through the park at your leisure and view these magnificent beasts at eye level or get a bird’s eye view from one of the raised viewing platforms. Phone +27 21 8633290.

The family unit is very important in South African society, so children are seldom excluded from any outing or event. This means that, wherever visitors are likely to go, children will more than likely be catered for. Only casinos or places of adult entertainment are likely to bar children entirely. Virtually all hotels and resorts offer babysitting services and children’s clubs, where they are supervised by qualified adults.

The nature of popular activities in South Africa, like swimming, hiking, shopping, visiting game reserves and spending time outdoors, means that children easily fit in and are part of the overall experience. Food suitable for children is available everywhere and there is a high level of awareness of childen’s safety.

There are a number of attractions developed especially for children. Here you can expect to find world-class facilities, rides and attractions. Here are four of the best:

Gold Reef City in Johannesburg is a replica of a gold mine with a Victorian-style theme park. Visitors can enjoy amazing rollercoaster rides and sidewalk shows.

Ratanga Junction in Cape Town is a combination of 10 mini-theme parks offering wonderful rides and shows. Open from December to July.

Ushaka Marine World in Durban offers an amazing marine park and aquarium, with fun slides, a shipwreck, dolphin shows, a beach, shops and restaurants.

The Lost City at Sun City is a theme park styled as an ancient jungle city, with a huge wave pool, fun rides and attractions to keep the young ones busy all day.

There are also a number of animal farms and sanctuaries, where children can get close to the animals and are often allowed to assist in feeding and other duties. These include Monkey Town near Somerset West in the Cape, the Drakenstein Lion Park near Cape Town, the De Wildt Cheetah Sanctuary near Pretoria, the Barberspan Bird Sanctuary in Delareyville in the North-West province, and the Elephant Sanctuary at The Crags, near Plettenberg Bay.

Rugby
South Africa is a great sporting nation. The two major sports are soccer and rugby, both of which have hundreds of thousands of players and millions of fans. In the past soccer has been the favourite of black players and fans, while their white counterparts opted for rugby, but this is gradually changing. Part of the reason for this, besides government programs and sponsor activity, has been the international events held in South Africa.

Soccer
When South Africa hosted – and won – the Rugby World Cup in 1995, the nation united in celebration. And now the 2010 Soccer World Cup is expected to do the same. The country has spent years preparing to host the world’s premier sporting event and it is expected to be a huge boost to national unity. Both sports play international matches regularly and the organization and managements are highly professional and very sophisticated.

Cricket 
Cricket is regarded as the third most popular traditional sport and has also achieved a high measure of unity. The mixed-race team regularly tops the world rankings and the infrastructure is second to none internationally.

Visitors will have no problems attending any of the sports events, beyond getting hold of tickets for some of the big ‘derby day’ contests. The fans at these matches are loud and boisterous, but you can be assured of safety at any of these events.

Horse Racing
Another popular sport in the country is horse racing. There are three major events, with the Durban July Handicap seen as the most prestigious event on the calendar and brings the country to a halt. The J&B Met in Cape Town is a favourite of the Cape fashion industry, while the Summer Cup in Johannesburg brings out the moneyed punters and owners from the wealthy Gauteng region.

Marathons
If you prefer races run by humans, two world-renowned marathons are held every year. The Comrades Marathon, run between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, a distance of 55 miles, attracts over 13,000 runners from across the globe. In Cape Town, the Two Oceans Marathon takes runners on a spectacular route spanning both the Atlantic and Indian oceans.

Dusi Canoe Marathon
Other notable sporting events include the Dusi Canoe Marathon in KwaZulu Natal, the Nedbank Golf Challenge at Sun City and the Billabong Pro Surfing Challenge at Jeffrey’s Bay.

As with most international capitals, the big South African cities have a plethora of international restaurants. You can dine on French, Italian and Moroccan food in Johannesburg, Japanese, Korean and Belgian delicacies in Durban and Greek, Brazilian and Thai cuisine in Cape Town. And, of course, the big international fast-food chains like McDonalds and KFC can be found everywhere.

However, the number of restaurants featuring traditional South African food has grown in recent years. Up until a few decades ago, the traditional cuisine of South Africa used to be referred to as "Cape Dutch", relying on a combination of the dishes first brought to the country by the Dutch combined with the spices used by the slaves from Bengal, Java and Malaysia. In recent years, though, many of the traditional African dishes have become popular, along with those of the early Boer trekkers and the Indian settlers brought to South Africa.

The result is a delightful selection of African dishes, with strong influences from across the globe. Among the most popular dishes are bobotie (a spicy meatloaf dish with raisins served with yellow rice), boerewors (a spiced sausage that is usually barbecued), potjiekos (a stew cooked over coals in a cast-iron pot) and waterblommetjie bredie (water flower stew). Traditional African dishes include umphokoqo (a salad made with maize meal), smagwinya (fat cakes), umngqusho (made from semolina and black-eyed peas) and mashonzha (mopane worms).

Some of the traditional South African fast foods and snacks include biltong (a salty dried meat), bunny chow (curry stuffed into a hollowed-out loaf of bread), frikadelle (meat balls) and vetkoek (a deep-fried fat cake, stuffed with minced meat or jam). Local drinks to try are amasi (sour milk), umqombothi (beer made from fermented wheat) and Amarula Cream (a liqueur made from amarula fruit).

Visitors to South Africa may be surprised to find that the mall culture is alive and well in this country. Every city and, increasingly, most towns have vast shopping malls offering a wide range of retail outlets. In the major cities, you can find shopping centres to rival the best in the world, with leading fashion houses and designer stores. These include Sandton City and Sandton Square in Johannesburg, the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town and the Gateway in Durban.

These malls are particularly popular among well-heeled visitors from neighbouring African countries, who come to South Africa to stock up on luxury goods. Most South Africans do most of their shopping in vast hypermarkets, which stock everything from food to furniture and fashion gear. They also offer entertainment facilities such as cinemas, tenpin bowling alleys and computer game arcades. Popular purchases include gold and diamond jewellery, which is best bought from reputable stores in upmarket malls, and wine, which is available from liquor stores as well as directly from the wine estates.

However, tourists wanting traditional curios and African handicrafts will find these at street markets and at informal shops lining the main tourist routes. Popular items include African masks, animal carvings, intricate beadwork and metal jewellery. At many places, you are expected to bargain for the best price, but this should be done in a light-hearted manner. Remember, that the discount you manage to wring out of a street trader may make a big difference to his or her family back home.

Shopping hours are generally 08:30 to 18:00 Monday to Friday and 08:30 to 12:30 on Saturdays. The larger shopping complexes stay open longer hours and are open on Sundays.