Irma Stern Museum... If you're visiting Cape Town, you must head for the Irma Stern Museum in Cecil Road, Rosebank, very near UCT. It's actually in her old house, The Firs, which has been turned into a wonderful gallery where three of the rooms are furnished as they originally were.
Stern, one of our country's finest artists, was a legendary person, larger than life in every way. Her chairs were extremely large and solid in order to accommodate her considerable bulk.
Born in Schweizer-Reneke in 1894 of German parents, her father and uncle were interned by the English during the Anglo Boer War because of their pro-Boer sympathies.
Stern had her first exhibition in Berlin before the age of 20, and was highly regarded as an artist virtually everywhere but in South Africa. She travelled extensively in Africa and died in 1966. Today, her art sells for millions of rands and is highly prized worldwide.
The museum is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm. A modest entrance fee is charged.
Johannesburg.. The city swings in every single way. People are the. friendliest and most multi-cultural in southern Africa and there's a buzz you get nowhere else.
Sure, there are parts that are unsafe, but hey, that's the same in every large city worldwide. A little known fact is that while Pretoria is known as "Jacaranda City", there are actually a lot more jacaranda trees in Joburg.
Joburg has got so much going for it, beautiful gardens, a terrific nightlife, great restaurant and wonderful galleries and museums. It has the Constitutional Court which, like Robben Island, everyone should visit to get an understanding and feel of our history. Soweto is an essential component of a Joburg stay, as is the Market Theatre complex.
Kruger Park... Our premier national park is one of the finest in the world. Its game management is lauded in conservation circles... and with good reason. From south to north, the camps are plentiful and range from basic campsites to ordinary affordable and comfortable accommodation to upmarket private camps.
The animals are plentiful and you will always see something special - no matter which time of the year you go. In summer, right now, the grass is long, but you'll have the pleasure of seeing babies that were dropped in spring. Just the sight of miniature impalas in their dozens will gladden your heart.
Go on an early morning drive and you can come upon a leopard basking on the road, a herd of elephants stripping trees, a hyena licking its bloodstained lips over a kill and, if you're very lucky, wild dogs running in the early-morning sun.
Or perhaps you'll be enchanted by the sight of the web of a golden orb spider... really spectacular to see.
My late son Jamie went to Satara camp with his wife Amanda on honeymoon and this is where their little girl was conceived. So yes, today she's named Satara and everyone comments on her beautiful name.
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens... is an essential place to visit. If you're in Cape Town, how about having breakfast at Kirstenbosch then spending time wandering around? You can walk for hours, picnic on the sloping hills, if you feel so inclined, take a buggy around with a guide who will tell you about each section, wander through the succulent garden, and just wonder that nature can be so bountiful.
The plants and trees are well-labelled and to walk up the avenue of 320-year-old camphor trees planted round about the time of Jan van Riebeeck's arrival here will give you goose pimples.
The gardens nestle against Table Mountain and, in summer, on late Sunday afternoons, there are amazing concerts on the slopes where prominent artists from opera singers to rock 'n' roll bands to orchestras entertain families and visitors who bring blankets and picnic baskets and listen to glorious music to the backdrop of the mountain. Perfect.
Langebaan Lagoon... in the Western Cape is for those who want to try a little sporting activity such as kite surfing.
Mind you, even just spending a lazy day picnicking with your family and friends is unbeatable.
The lagoon is safe and the turquoise-green sea water that streams in and out with the tides is cold but bearable - especially near the edges - makes it very safe for small children.
The water is crystal clear. The beaches are narrow and white and there's a nature reserve in the vicinity.
Just a little further up the coast is the Fossil Park, another essential visit. Interestingly enough, many Capetonians have never visited here.
Crazy, they don't know what they're missing. There are lots of interesting farm-stall eateries on route, so make a day of it.
Magaliesberg... These friendly mountains, or hills some might say, are just an hour or so's drive from Johannesburg and Pretoria.
If you are, a walker, then you'll love hiking them, but besides the obvious attractions there is much to recommend for intrepid travellers. There are several activities in the area designed for a day in the countryside, restaurants and lodges galore. You might find it interesting to know that the mountain range was named after the Tswane chief Mogale of the Kwena clan who had lived in the area since the 17th century, when the Ndebele chief Mzilikazi forced them out. Apartheid completed their removal.
The Pilanesberg has many nature or wildlife areas such as the Pilanesberg Game Reserve and the Rustenburg Nature Reserve.
Two more "M"s come to mind - Mossel Bay, a remarkably pleasant, understated seaside town on the Southern Cape coast, and Mazeppa Bay in the Transkei. It has to be one of the most beautiful stretches of beach in the world and is still relatively pristine.
Mamaqualand... is an adventure in itself. Here a local delicacy much enjoyed by Namaqualanders is a dish of lamb's testicles cooked in a creamy sauce. Okay, I see you immediately becoming vegetarian. Situated in the Northern Cape, Namaqualand was named after the Nama people. Namaqualand is famous for its wild flower season which takes place usually (depending on the rains) between August and September. It is one of the great spectacles of the world when kilometres of wild flowers carpet the once-dry veld. The area, on the whole, is arid, stark and often desert-like and the coast is particularly wild but the beauty of endless kilometres of dunes is breathtaking. Here you will find extraordinary drought-resistant succulents and stately gemsbok appearing in the distance.
Owl House... This legendary and remarkable structure was the home of the reclusive artist, Helen Martins, who lived there and created her masterpieces from crushed glass, clay, stone, cement sculptures and every other material she could think of. It's situated in the Karoo town of Nieu Bethesda (where our world-renowned playwright Athol Fugard also owns a modest cottage). In Martin's house, the owls are omnipresent, hence the name. The tiny village is charming with its whitewashed cottages and a spring flowing through. In the distance, you'll see the peak of the Compassberg Mountain part of the Sneeuberg range. You know, this part of South Africa is relatively unexplored by locals. What a pity, because as they say in the classics, this part of the world is good for your soul.
Pretoria... Well. I must be honest, the capital city of our country has never given me goose-pimples of joy. That said, if you are interested in history, it's probably an essential town to visit. The Union Buildings from where Jacob Zuma and his government govern (for some of the year) are very imposing. There's an excellent zoo and you should pay a visit to Paul Kruger's House. Church Square is the heart of the city and there are many museums and historical buildings in the vicinity. Famous too is Loftus Versveldt rugby ground, the home of the Blue Bulls.
A little outside the city is the famous Voortrekker Monument and Museum, built in 1940 to celebrate the Boer victory over the Zulu nation at Blood River on December 16, 1838. Many Afrikaners make a pilgrimage to the monument on that date.
Qunu... a small and relatively poor village in the Eastern Cape is known only because South Africa's most famous son, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, was born there - well, actually, in an even smaller village right next door called Mvezo, but all reports state he came from Qunu. Madiba's father was the chief of the Mvezo, a member of the Xhosa royal house and a custodian of Xhosa history. However, in apartheid times, he had a dispute with the local white magistrate, was sacked and thus he and his family moved to Qunu. When Madiba was released, he had what he calls a "country house" built at Qunu which is in many respects similar to the house in which he stayed at the Victor Verster prison after being released from Robben Island.
Madiba and his family spend much holiday time here, where he relaxes among the people who respect and adore him as he does them.