A country with charms as plentiful as they are diverse, from the dramatic Drakensberg and Kruger National Park and beyond

WHEN IT comes to deciding how best to explore this vast country, South Africa's got more angles than a John Grisham thriller.

Whatever you choose, the country's appeal is only magnified at this time of year, when peak sunshine hours and balmy temperatures around 30C offer an irresistible escape.

Climate aside, there are more compelling reasons to make 2009 the year you go. While the pound plummets against the euro, it remains as strong as ever against the rand, making your spending money go pleasingly far.

Plus, what environmental sins you commit in air miles getting there, you can offset in food miles on arrival, dining on the cheapest and freshest produce, wine included, wherever you go.

Best for. . . SAFARI

Driving into Kruger National Park, catching sight of lolloping giraffe, it's hard to shake the feeling that you're on a day trip to Longleat.

Your first encounter with an agitated elephant (reversing at speed advisable) or glimpse of a majestic eagle owl roosting in a baobab tree is all the proof you need that you're not in Wiltshire.

The size of Wales and home to 147 species of mammal, Kruger is the place to track elephant, lion, rhino, leopard, cheetah and buffalo.

Go in South Africa's autumn (May to June) for lower prices and better chances of spotting game.

Nkambeni Tented Lodge, near Pretoriuskop restcamp in the south of the park, has 150 timber and canvas suites on stilts, plus a large pool for wallowing.

Somak (020 8423 3000/www.somak.co.uk) offers a four-night Kruger self-drive package from £1,079pp (two sharing), including one night at Misty Mountain in Johannesburg, three nights at Nkambeni, breakfast, return flights from London to Johannesburg and car hire.

Best for. . . WALKING

To experience the majestic scale of South Africa's mountains, head to the Drakensberg in the Natal Midlands and trade in the hire car for a pair of walking boots. A 125-mile stretch of imposing basalt cliffs, the Drakensberg straddles Zululand and Lesotho.

Hiking trails around this World Heritage site cater for all abilities and the area's yellowwood forests, riverine scrubland and towering waterfalls offer a desolate beauty that makes for a unique walking holiday.

In the Kamberg valley near Giant's Castle, stay beside a trout-filled dam at the Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse. Your hosts, Richard and Mouse Poynton, are foodies who will serve you as much fresh trout and springbok fillet as your day's walking can justify.

Rainbow Tours (020 7226 1004/www.rainbowtours.co.uk) offers six nights' half-board at Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse from £1,247pp (two sharing), including return flights from London to Johannesburg and seven days' car hire.

Best for. . . WINE

Constantia is South Africa's original wine-growing area and at the Steenberg vineyard they've been treading grapes since 1682. One of the Cape's oldest farms, the Steenberg sits at the foot of the Stone Mountains and looks out on to False Bay, 20 minutes from Cape Town.

Its 17th-century, Dutch-gabled buildings are home to 24 hotel rooms and suites, so you can book in for a leisurely stay and taste the vineyard's flagship vintages both at tastings and in the hotel's Catarina restaurant.

Rooms range from the traditional (chandeliers, armoires, four-poster beds) to the modern (sleek furniture, muted colours, leather headboards). Nearby, the picturesque 18-hole course is a temptation for any golfer and it would be churlish not to check out the valley's four other vineyards while you're in the area.

Carrier (0161 491 7610/www.carrier.co.uk) offers our nights' B&B at the Steenberg Hotel from £955pp (two sharing), including return flights with BA from Heathrow to Cape Town and return transfers.

Best for. . . CITY

Fringed by beaches and mountains, with great shops, restaurants and museums, Cape Town is the true diplomat of the African cape, with something to please everyone. Take the cable car up Table Mountain in the early morning before the queues, or experience a different kind of perspective with a boat trip to the former offshore prison Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held.

At the heart of the city is the restored V&A Waterfront with its harbourside restaurants and boutiques. Here the grand, 329-room Table Bay Hotel has spacious rooms with ostentatious modern furnishings and marbled bathrooms for you'd-neverknow-this-was-Africa luxury. The colonial-style afternoon tea is a hit with guests and non-residents, while a surprising highlight is the magnificent breakfast buffet; easily the kind of spread that could tempt you to feast like kings and skip lunch.

Virgin Holidays (0844 557 3861/www.virginholidays.co.uk) offers five nights' B&B at the Table Bay Hotel from £1,329pp (two sharing), including return flights from Heathrow to Cape Town and transfers.

Best for. . . BEACH

In a country where there's so much to see and do, the fly-and-flop option seems deliciously indulgent. Give the Atlantic beaches of the Cape a miss and head northeast to the wilder stretches of pristine sand and wind-ruffled Indian Ocean surf in KwaZulu-Natal.

Tucked away in the dunes north of Durban in Maputaland, Thonga Beach Lodge oozes honeymoon charm but is too good to leave to the newlyweds.

Thatched cottages on stilts (inspired by traditional fishing villages) are furnished simply with stone plunge baths, rush-matted walls and elegant rattan furniture.

Best of all are the beach views; admire them from your private terrace or as you wake. Any hotel where you can sightsee from your bed has to score highly.

Destinology (0800 634 2866/www.destinology.co.uk) offers seven nights all inclusive at the Thonga Beach Lodge from £2,179pp (two sharing), including return flights from Heathrow to Durban and transfers.

South African Tourism: 020 8971 9350/ www.southafrica.net