Original subtitles

(wind whooshing)

(bright music)

- [Narrator] Our aerial journey begins at Cape Town

and Table Mountain before heading south

round the Cape of Good Hope, and then back up

past some of the best known vineyards to Stellenbosch.

We then head east to Hermanus and whale watching,

before flying along the Garden Route to Port Elizabeth

on the Eastern Cape, and on up the Wild Coast to Durban

in KwaZulu-Natal before heading inland

to the Drakensberg Mountains.

And where better to begin our aerial journey

than Cape Town, and on top of one of the most

recognizable mountains in the world, Table Mountain.

(ethereal vocalizing)

The mountain towers over the city.

It's two miles long and 3 1/2 thousand feet above sea level.

It was named Table Mountain by Antonio de Saldanha,

the first European to sail into the bay in 1503.

The flat top is flanked on one side by Devil's Peak,

and the other, Lion's Head.

One of the most famous views of the mountain

is from the sea to the north, where it's possible to see

how much it dominates the city.

More often than not, the mountaintop is covered

by a white tablecloth when clouds are formed

by a warm southeasterly wind rising up the mountainside

and meeting colder air on the top.

And the views from the top are spectacular.

But for those who prefer the easy way out,

a cable car takes you to the plateau.

And standing in the mountain's shadow

is a memorial to a man who more than any other

played

such an important as well as controversial

role in the story of South Africa, Cecil Rhodes.

At the end of the 19th century,

he used his wealth to build a British empire

in the New World through mining concessions

and creating British protectorates.

He created Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, and dreamt of a red line

of British power from Cape Town to Cairo.

Cape Town is a true cosmopolitan city

and a major tourist destination.

Its development over the centuries has been influenced

by Dutch, British, and Cape Malay ideas.

Today, modern buildings stand next to historic ones,

including the grand City Hall built in 1905,

and the much earlier Castle of Good Hope built around 1670.

One of the most dominant features of the city

is the new football stadium at Green Point on the coast.

It holds 68,000 people and was built for the 2010 World Cup.

Close by the stadium is the old Victoria

and Alfred Waterfront, which was gradually redeveloped

in the late 1980s into residential and shopping areas,

along with restaurants and expensive hotels,

including an island with 40 suites

surrounded by other luxury apartments.

But there is another island just off the Cape Town coast

which stands in marked contrast to this modern luxury.

This is Robben Island, which lies

five miles north of Cape Town.

It was a prison and had been

since the end of the 17th century.

And it was here in 1963 that Nelson Mandela

was incarcerated for 18 of his 27 years in captivity.

All prisoners had to do backbreaking hard labor

in the lime quarry close by the prison

and existed on very basic rations.

Today the prison is a museum, and the whole island

a World Heritage Site.

Perhaps the last word about this place

should come from Nelson Mandela himself,

when he reflected back on his time spent here.

"It's true that Robben Island was once a place of darkness,

"but out of that darkness has come a wonderful brightness,

"a light so powerful that it could not be hidden

"behind prison walls."

Another contrast is between the affluent center of Cape Town

and the townships on the city outskirts.

This is Khayelitsha, home to two million people

and built during the Apartheid era for the black population.

Under the new government, brick buildings

are being put up to improve the housing,

but the corrugated tin shanty towns still exist.

It's a very different story on the west side of the city

where modern apartment blocks line the shore at Sea Point

and up the side of Lion's Head.

One of the glories of South Africa is its coastline,

which stretches for nearly 1,800 miles

and boasts some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

And Noordhoek Beach is one of them,

a four-mile stretch of white sand and deep blue sea.

But this beauty can be deceptive, because very quickly

a storm can turn the sea into a fearsome maelstrom,

which over the centuries has driven

many a ship onto the shore.

All around the coast rusting wrecks can be seen.

Proof, if proof was needed,

of how dangerous the seas can be.

And especially around the Cape of Good Hope

where gale-force winds and tidal races

can drive unsuspecting ships onto the rocks.

Cape Point Lighthouse replaced an earlier one

built higher up on the Cape, because in 1911,

as a result of the old one being shrouded in fog

and the light obscured, a Portuguese liner,

the Lusitania, was driven onto the rocks.

There was no lighthouse in 1488 when the European explorer

Bartolomeu Dias discovered the Cape for the first time.

He erected a cross, which was later replaced

with this replica as a memorial to his discovery,

and is interestingly used by sailors today

as a navigation point.

The weather patterns around the Cape area

do have one very beneficial effect,

and that's on all the vineyards,

because South Africa is one of the world's

great wine producers with a history that goes back

to the Dutch settlers in the late 17th century.

These are just some of the beautifully maintained

historic estate houses in the shadow

of Table Mountain at Constantia.

The main area of the Cape wine industry

is to the east of Cape Town around Stellenbosch.

One of the earliest estates is Boschendal,

which has a history stretching back to 1685.

The old manor house has been enlarged and altered

over the years, and what we see today dates from 1812.

Time to head for the coast and a place which has become

most associated with whale watching, Hermanus.

Back in the 19th century when whales were spotted,

the boats would put to sea and the killing would begin.

Today when whales are spotted,

it is cameras that shoot the whales.

From the shore it's possible to see right whales

from June through to December as they arrive

to calve in the shelter of the bay.

These huge barnacled creatures, often with calves,

can be seen close to the shore

quietly drifting with the tide.

(gentle music)

Though out at sea they can be seen breaching,

an action that is still not truly understood.

Is it aggression or playfulness?

Whatever the answer, it's a truly dramatic sight.

One of the best known stretches of coast

straddles the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape

and is known as the Garden Route.

It runs from Mossel Bay to Storms River.

In 1780, a visiting naturalist noted

that nature has made an enchanted abode

of this beautiful place.

There are many outstanding features to attract visitors,

including a dramatic coastline.

Swim from the wide beach at Nature's Valley,

part of the Tsitsikamma National Park.

Visit a seal colony on Robberg Peninsula,

and watch the hundreds of Cape fur seals.

In the winter the seal pups are born,

and you can see them play

under the watchful eyes of their parents.

Hike along the Otter Trail and truly get back to nature,

as numbers are limited, and there are only

a few facilities along the way.

It takes five days and is one of the most

popular trails in the country.

It's a tough but rewarding experience.

And if a more peaceful pursuit is wanted,

then there are a number of golf courses

along the Garden Route.

This one is Pinnacle Point Golf Resort,

where on some of the holes,

you really don't want to miss the green.

(gentle music)

The road bridge across the River Bloukrans

is the highest single span bridge in the world

and the perfect place to hurl yourself off,

attached to a bungee rope, of course.

The drop holds various entries

in the Guinness Book of Records.

(upbeat music)

(person screaming)

The Garden Route is also a very popular place to live,

and towns like Plettenberg have grown up

into large and successful resorts.

And for those with means,

there are some outstanding modern clifftop houses

complete with amazing views along the coast.

At Noetzie Beach, which has been used as a holiday site

for generations, there are a series of modern castles

dating from the 1930s.

Using local stone, the houses began to look like castles,

and it only took a few turrets and a bit of castellation

to complete the picture.

Today the five castles are a mixture

of private homes and luxury hotels.

To the east of the Garden Route is Algoa Bay

and the country's third-largest port

and fifth-largest city, Port Elizabeth.

In the center of the city is the Donkin Reserve,

which is surrounded by many historic buildings,

including the Campanile Tower built in 1923

to commemorate the British settlers arriving in 1820.

But there is an older building, Fort Frederick,

built by the British in 1799

to prevent a possible French invasion.

And one of the newest is the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium,

with a capacity of just under 50,000.

The stadium hosts both rugby and football matches

as well as concerts.

An important milestone is its role

as one of the World Cup venues.

On the north side of the bay is the Alexandria Dune Field,

one of the largest active dune fields in the world.

The wind has created patterns in the sand

that are always shifting and changing.

The dunes are flanked by a strip of indigenous forest.

Wildlife is one of South Africa's greatest assets,

and close to Port Elizabeth is the Shamwari Game Reserve,

the largest private reserve in the country

and one of the top conservation companies in the world.

Several lodges are dotted around the 60,000-acre site,

and the reserve offers visitors a glimpse of the big five,

elephants, rhinos, buffaloes, lions, and leopards.

Most are shy creatures, and the presence of our helicopter

means they hide from view.

However, these zebra and wildebeest do not seem too worried.

The next stretch of coastline is perhaps

the most dramatic and the most beautiful, the Wild Coast.

This is an area of outstanding beauty

and one of the country's most underdeveloped areas,

where communities still pursue age-old traditions,

and much of the land is owned by the local inhabitants.

One such tradition is taking the cattle to the beach.

There's no grass or drinking water, but rather like humans,

they just seem to want to relax,

sleep, and generally chew the cud.

All along the Wild Coast this sight can be seen.

Perhaps the most iconic place along the coast

is the Hole in the Wall.

This huge detached cliff was separated from the land

thousands of years ago, and softer rock in the center

has eroded away, leaving a hole.

The local people call it The Place of Thunder

because when the sea crashes through the hole,

the sound is like thunder and can be heard

some distance away.

The erosion has created a sheltered and safe place to swim

and is one of the most popular places

to visit on the Wild Coast.

And on a hill above the bay, a group of Xhosa women

wash clothes in a way that has not altered for centuries.

Fresh water, a convenient bush, and a warm wind

is all that's needed for a perfect day's washing,

unless a helicopter comes along to disturb it.

Inland from the coast, groups of round houses,

known as rondavels, can be seen in clusters,

surrounded by vegetable patches and enclosures for cattle.

They are built in the traditional manner

using thatch with earth and cow dung walls.

These round houses can be seen all the way up the east coast

and in places, the thatch has been replaced

by corrugated tin, and the earth and cow dung walls

with cement blocks or bricks,

but the shape has remained the same.

Originally built with no services, many now have electricity

and running water, with a separate earth closet outside.

Rivers provide much needed water as well as

offering locals the opportunity to swim and get cool.

But this peaceful looking river soon gives way

to a 500-foot drop into a dark, dank gorge.

These are the Magwa Falls, which were created

as a result of seismic activity when the ground split open

thousands of years ago to create this impressive gorge

at the end are the falls, and they can be seen

from several vantage points.

It's an impressive and majestic sight.

Equally impressive are these rare waterfalls

which drop directly into the sea.

There are not that many of them in the world,

and on the Wild Coast you can find two.

This one is Waterfall Bluff, and here,

the water cascades down a near 200-foot drop.

The falls attract visitors all year round,

even though it's in a very remote part of the Wild Coast.

And another reason for visiting this part of the coast

is to see the wonderful rock formations,

including Cathedral Rock.

It's freestanding, and over the centuries has been sculpted

by the sea and wind, and does indeed

take on the appearance of a great flying buttress

on a Medieval cathedral.

Over the border in KwaZulu-Natal, sugarcane production

provides much needed employment in rural areas.

And most of the country's sugar

comes from this part of the country.

There are well over 30,000 registered growers,

and parts of the landscape are covered

with sugarcane fields.

When the cane is cut, it goes to one of the mills.

And this one is on the coast

at Bazley Beach, close to Durban.

The delicious burnt sugar smell

spreads downwind for several miles.

Our route now takes us up the coast to South Africa's

third-largest city, and busiest port, Durban.

The harbor is natural, one of only a few

on this stretch of the coast, and was opened in the 1840s

when it was known as the Port of Natal.

But perhaps Durban is most famous for its seafront

and beaches, and is in complete contrast

to the Wild Coast we have just seen.

Here are all the usual ingredients of a different style

of tourism, theme parks, large hotels, and casinos.

Durban also played its part in the World Cup story

at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, which comes complete

with a funicular cab that takes visitors

to the top of the arch for breathtaking views

over the city and coast.

Inland from Durban is the Valley of a Thousand Hills,

which is very much part of the Zulu Kingdom

founded at the beginning of the 19th century by Shaka Zulu

who united tribes together by diplomacy and force.

At the height of his empire, Shaka commanded an army

of over 50,000 Zulu warriors.

Today the area is full of small villages and farms

which dot this beautiful landscape,

and have changed very little over the centuries.

And for centuries, the Umgeni River

has flowed over Howick Falls.

The Zulu people call the falls KwaNogqaza,

meaning Place of the Tall One.

(gentle music)

European settlers first saw the falls in the early 1800s,

and when the river was in flood, some lost their lives

trying to cross the river upstream

by getting swept over the edge,

plunging 300 feet to their deaths.

From here it's only a few miles to South Africa's

highest mountain range, which in total runs

for some 600 miles, the Drakensbergs.

(gentle music)

The Zulus refer to the mountains as uKhahlamba,

meaning Barrier of Spears.

In Afrikaans it's Drakensberg, which translates

as Dragon Mountains,

where vultures glide on the rising air.

To the north is another spectacular

natural rock formation, The Amphitheatre

This awe-inspiring natural feature is one of the most

impressive cliff faces in the world

and dominates the Royal Natal National Park.

A small stream runs off the top and drops

just over 3,000 feet to the valley below.

This makes the Tugela Falls the second-highest waterfall

in the world, by only a hundred foot,

from the Angel Falls in Venezuela.

(gentle music)

Perhaps the best known mountain

in the Drakensberg Range is Cathedral Peak.

And from the hotel in the valley,

there is a clear view up to the summit.

And by flying up the path to the top,

the climb will take us less than a minute.

So sit back and enjoy the ride.

(majestic music)

The views from the top of Cathedral Peak are spectacular

and a perfect place to end this journey.

(majestic music)

(pulsating music)

(whooshing)