South Africa is divided into two definite geomorphological regions, the central plateau and the plateau slopes. The dominant relief feature between these two regions is the Great Escarpment. It is a continuous barrier stretching from the northeast in the shape of an arch to the northwest. The most impressive part is a mountain range known as the Drakensberg (“Dragon Mountain”). Famous peaks in this range include Champagne Castle (3375m) and Giant’s Castle (3312m). This great diversity of regions offer various travel experiences which are unique in South Africa

The central plateau covers nearly two thirds of the country. It rises from west to east from about 1000m in the central and northwestern parts to 2500m in the central northern regions. The central plateau can be divided into a few high-lying areas and several depressions/ basins. The high-lying areas include the northern or Upper Karoo, The Ghaap Plateau and the Highveld. The Kalahari basin, Cape Middleveld, Bushveld Basin and the Middle Limpopo Valley are the low-lying areas of the central plateau.

The plateau slopes are situated between the Great Escarpment and the coast. The Lowveld and the eastern plateau slopes are particularly beautiful regions with a high rainfall, high temperatures and dense vegetation. The Cape folded mountains, the Great Karoo, The Hardeveld and the coastal plains are all on the windward side of the Great Escarpment.

The plateau is drained by two major river systems namely the Orange-Vaal River system and the Limpopo-Olifants River system, separated by the Witwatersrand watershed. The greater part of the high-lying land is drained by the Orange-Vaal system. The Great Escarpment is the most important watershed in the country, which separates the Orange River system that flows westward to the Atlantic Ocean from the rivers in the east like the Tugela, Umzimvubu and Kei Rivers that flow to the Indian Ocean. The Orange River is the longest river in South Africa – 2340km long. The Limpopo and its tributaries, which flow to the Indian Ocean, drain NorthWest and Limpopo Province. South Africa is a semi-arid country and therefore water and water supplies are very important. The Gariep Dam with a capacity of 106m³ is the largest dam followed by the Vanderkloof Dam, the Sterkfontein Dam and the Vaal Dam. Water transfer schemes have been introduced to transfer water from the areas with high rainfall to areas where water is needed like Gauteng with its dense population. The Lesotho Highlands Water Scheme was built in conjunction with Lesotho to provide South Africa with water supplies and to generate hydro electrical power for Lesotho.

The variation in climate is the main reason for the differences in vegetation from region to region. The following are the main biomes you will encounter when traveling in South Africa (followed by a short description/ list of vegetation and important fauna) in South Africa:

• Savannah: (30.8% of SA’s area)
  Bushveld in north and east and grassland in the west.
  The big five: buffalo, lion, elephant, leopard and rhinoceros. Also zebra, giraffe etc.
• Nama-Karoo: (29,5% of SA’s area)
  Low, sparse shrub land and grass adapted to droughts.
  Springbok (now largely replaced by sheep, fox, jackal, ostrich.
• Grassland: (25.2% of SA’s area)
  Sweetveld in the drier west. Sourveld in the wetter east.
  Eland, black wildebeest, blesbok, hartebeest, reedbuck, cheetah.
• Succulent Karoo: (7,2% of SA’s area)
  Dwarf shrub lands, strongly adapted to aridity, salty soils and hot dry summers.
  Zebra, hyena, cheetah, red hartebeest and animals of the fynbos and Nama-Karoo.
• Fynbos: (7,0% of SA’s area)
  Mediterranean evergreen hard-leaved plants called fynbos. Adapted to long dry summers and fire.
  Variety of buck, dassies (rock rabbits), tortoise, baboon, leopard, honey badger.
• True forest: (0.3% of SA’s area)
  Evergreen and semi-deciduous forest: Mountain and South Coast forest.
  More than 25% of SA’s mammal fauna. Also Knysna lourie and Cape parrot.
  

To protect South Africa from damage caused by overgrazing, pollution and bad land management, environmental conservation is getting more and more important. Large areas of land have been set aside as game parks and wilderness areas. Eco-tourism focuses on the natural environment. Other measures that are taken include the controlling of the number of farm animals on an area; suggesting how many trees may be cut down or changing the ways fields are ploughed. These measures do a great deal to protect the natural enviroment and contribute to South Africa being a leading travel destination.