minooka tap 2015

DAY 1 – FLY AROUND THE WORLD

DAY 2 – ARRIVE IN AFRICA

Go through customs and baggage claim in Johannesburg.

Meet our tour director.

DAY 3 – SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa borders:

In the north – Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe

In the east – Mozambique and Swaziland

In the south – The Atlantic and Indian Oceans

And, completely surrounds the tiny nation of Lesotho

The capital city is Pretoria, near where we’ll start our adventure

SOUTH AFRICA FACTS

South Africa’s population is about 53 million, about the same as California.

South Africa has the 25th largest population in the world, and it is the 5th most populous country in Africa (Nigeria, Ethiopia,

Egypt, Democratic Republic of the Congo).

South Africa is about 8.6 times the size of Illinois.

SOUTH AFRICAN FLAGAfter the Anglo-Boer War, from 1899-1902the

British Union flag was the flag of the four British colonies that became known as the Union of South Africa.

Shortly after (around 1910), the British Ensign flag with the South African Coat of Arms on it began to be used as the Union’s National Flag.

Coat of Arms - statue of the figure “Hope,” two Wildebeests, a wagon, and an orange tree, the lion with four rods, and two springboks.

SOUTH AFRICAN FLAG

• From 1928-1994.

• Base is the former Dutch flag – first flag to fly on SA soil.

• Three small flags in the middle – British representing the colonies and the two other representing the Afrikaner republics of the past.

• Adopted in 1994 to represent the new South African democracy

• Was supposed to be a temporary flag, and was barely made in time

• The yellow, black and green represent the African National Congress (a political party)

• The red, white, and blue are represent the South African Republic, the Dutch flag, and the British Flag

JOHANNESBURG• Guided tour of Soweto – SOuth WEstern

TOwnships

• The homes of Winnie Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu

• The former home of Nelson Mandela

• Guided tour of Johannesburg

• The Apartheid museum

SOUTH AFRICA’S NATIONAL SYMBOLS• The springbok is the national animal

• The national bird is the blue crane

• The giant or king protea is the national flower

• The galjoen is the national fish

• The national tree is the yellowwood

DAY 4 – GETTING CLOSE TO NATURE

DAY 5 – TRAVEL • We’ll travel about 4 ½ hours

east of Johannesburg towards Kruger National Park.

• Along the way we will stop and visit a traditional Shanagaan village

• We’ll also visit a local school

DAY 6 – KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

• At 7,580 square miles, Kruger is bigger than some countries.

• There are 93 species of mammals, 518 species of birds, and 118 species of reptile in the park

• Kruger is home to all of Africa’s Big 5 – Buffalos, Elephants, Leopards, Lions, and Rhinos.

• The biggest and tallest land animals in the world live in Kruger – elephants and giraffes.

We will take a full day game drive through Kruger

SOUTH AFRICAN MONEY

• South Africa uses the Rand

• Coins come in 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, 1R, 2R, and 5R denominations

• The bills come in 10R, 20R, 50R, 100R, and 200R denominations

• The current exchange rate is $1 US = 11R

• Or, each Rand is worth about 9¢.

• So, when you use a 50R note, you are spending about $4.50.

• For easy math, think of each Rand as a dime.

DAY 7 – BLYDE RIVER CANYON

On our way back to Johannesburg we will…

• Take a morning bush walk

• Travel along the panorama route

• Visit Blyde River Canyon

• Pilgrim’s Rest (gold rush town)

The Blyde River Canyon is home to hippos, crocodiles, and every primate species that can be seen in South Africa (incl. bush babies, vervet monkeys, and samango monkeys), as well as 100s of species of birds.

DAY 8 – FLY TO CAPE TOWN

• Pack up our stuff and fly 2 hours to Cape Town.

• About the same distance from Chicago to Savannah, Georgia.

• Since we don’t know yet what time of day our flight will be, we’ll have free time to explore Johannesburg some more or to visit the beach in Cape Town.

FAMOUS PEOPLE FROM SOUTH AFRICA• Author J.R.R. Tolkien

• Musician Dave Matthews

• Golfers Ernie Els and Gary Player

• Academy Award Winning Actress Charlize Theron

• Film Director (District 9, Elysium) Neil Blomkampand Actor Sharlto Copley

• Nelson and Winnie Mandela

• Bishop Desmond Tutu

DAY 9 –CAPE TOWN

During our first full day in Cape Town, we will…

• Visit the top of Table Mountain

• Visit the South Africa Museum

• Tour Robben Island where we’ll see Nelson Mandela’s prison cell

• Take a guided tour of the city

SOUTH AFRICAN DEMOGRAPHICS –Statistically South Africa’s population is generally broken down into 5 subgroups.

• Black African – 79.2% of the population

• White – 8.9%

• Coloured (a mix of black African and European descent) – 8.9%

• Indian/Asian – 2.5%

• Other/Unspecified – 0.5%

South Africa has eleven official languages. Zulu (22.7%), Xhosa (16%), Afrikaans (13.5%), and English (9.6%) are the most widely spoken first languages. Most of South Africa does speak some English.

79% of the South African population is Christian. 15% of the people claim no religious affiliation. The rest of the population is made up of Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and a variety of other religions.

DAY 10 – CAPE TOWN AREA

Venturing outside of Cape Town, we’ll visit

• Hout Bay

• A Cruise to Seal Island

• Cape Point Nature Preserve

• Kristenbosch Botanical Gardens

• And an African Penguin colony

DAYS 11 AND 12 –SAY GOODBYE TO AFRICA AND HEAD HOME

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