There is a country, on the ancient continent, that offers extraordinary encounters by virtue of its natural variety. A land influenced by cold Antarctic currents and warm African winds, alternating mountains with desert areas and rocky coastlines. In a word, South Africa: the rainbow nation, as Desmond Tutu defined it, which embraces different ethnicities and cultures so much so that it counts eleven official languages.

We are in the country of Nelson Mandela, a symbol of peace but also of the struggle against the racist system of apartheid that kept him imprisoned for 27 years. Until his party, the African National Congress (ANC), won the 1994 elections, when Madiba, his tribal name, became the first non-white president to lead the country. And today, thirty years on from that democratic turning point, South Africa reveals all its contradictions and complexities with the first elections in which the ANC failed to win a majority. A new chapter, yet to be written, that must take into account the many souls of the country and the colours of its rainbow.

Cape Town, the country's mother city

A trip to South Africa can only begin in Cape Town, the country's mother city, founded by Dutch settlers in 1652. An emblem of the country's complexity, it is a chaotic agglomeration of neighbourhoods and townships that alternates off-limits zones with regenerated areas buzzing with creative energy. This is the case with the Waterfront, the old harbour — once abandoned and now filled with restaurants, shops and contemporary art museums. Right where you board the ferry for Robben Island, the prison island where Mandela was held, the Zeitz Mocaa rises prominently: the museum of contemporary African art housed in a former grain silo transformed into an iconic cultural space. The Woodstock neighbourhood also boasts a notable address in the Old Biscuit Mill, a former biscuit factory that has become an artists' village with workshops, bistros and a weekend farmers' market. Entirely in pastel shades, meanwhile, is Bo-Kaap, the so-called Malay Quarter, named for the style of its flat-roofed coloured houses, from which mosques and minarets emerge.

From here, looking up to the sky, the symbol of Cape Town comes into view: that flat mountain wreathed in clouds that offers a natural terrace overlooking the city and the ocean. Table Mountain is a sandstone massif reaching one thousand metres, accessible by cable car or on foot for the more energetic. Once at the top, the gaze is divided between the spectacular view over the bays and neighbourhoods and the endemic rock and flora — the fynbos shrublands of Table Mountain National Park — to be explored along the marked trails.

Towards the Cape penguins

Leaving Cape Town, a road unfolds through the natural landscape of Table Mountain National Park, heading south. The destination is the Cape of Good Hope, in a crescendo of wild beauty that alternates broad bays with rugged cliffs covered in endemic flora. For those wishing to see fur seals, there is Duiker Island, reachable by boat from Hout Bay, where these noisy marine mammals can be observed from the sea.

But the stars of the Cape are the African penguins. A resident colony that nests among the beaches and rocky outcrops of Boulders Beach, where the ideal habitat is created thanks to the cold currents coming from Antarctica. Alongside the penguins are gulls, cormorants, terns and other coastal birds. All share the same characteristic as seabirds: white chest and grey or black wings and back. The reason? To remain invisible to sharks looking up from beneath the water's surface, and to blend in with the colour of the water when seen from above.

To Hermanus to spot whales

Following the coastal road heading down towards the Western Cape, from June to November it is possible to spot southern right whales that migrate from Antarctica in search of warmer waters in which to mate and give birth. There is a place along the coast that the WWF considers one of the best whale-watching destinations in the world. It is called Hermanus, a small town nestled around its clifftop and renowned for cetacean observation. Along the 12 kilometres of the Cliff Path, there are dozens of information panels about the wildlife and designated viewing points.

If you are lucky, you can witness humpback whales passing just metres from the shore: a thrilling spectacle of leaps, splashes and movements of flippers and tails. These giants of the oceans can weigh as much as the equivalent of ten African elephants.

Among the Big Five of Kruger

And speaking of elephants, heading into the arid savannahs of the north-east takes you into one of the continent's wildest kingdoms. Kruger National Park, covering around twenty thousand square kilometres — roughly the size of Tuscany — is the waking dream of every traveller who makes it this far.

"Among our Sensibility-themed offerings, South Africa is a must for those conscious travellers who care about environmental and human respect," explains Stefano Sogne, brand manager at Made by Turisanda. "We have created the itinerary Sudafrica, seduzione australe con accompagnatore, which departs from Cape Town and reaches the wild heart of Kruger Park, where it is possible to spend two nights in a small permanent tented camp located within a private concession. With only five tents available, it is the ideal setting to immerse yourself in unspoilt nature, coming into direct contact with the legendary Big Five for a unique and authentic experience. The tour culminates with a visit to the majestic Victoria Falls, crossing the border into Zimbabwe, where the roar of the water and the beauty of the landscape offer unparalleled photographic opportunities. This journey is not merely an expedition, but a true adventure in the wild, enriched by the expertise and passion of an official Nikon photographer who, as an experienced and passionate guide departing from Italy, is always by the participants' side to capture every magical moment with them."

Paved roads mark the possible routes through this corner of ancestral nature, and visitor centres post boards showing sighting locations for the great animals. Everyone can contribute by reporting where they have spotted lions, cheetahs, leopards or rhinoceroses. Or they can keep that distant encounter to themselves, in respectful silence towards the last witnesses of original Africa.