♪
AFRICA IS THE HOME OF BIG, QUIET, UNBROKEN LANDSCAPES--
KNOWN AS THE CRADLE OF HUMANITY.
BUT AT ITS SOUTHERN EDGE, IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A ROCKY RIDE.
THIS IS A PLACE BORN OF UPHEAVAL.
OCEAN WATERS CRASHING AND ERODING...
FAULT LINES THROWING ROCK TOWARDS THE SKY...
AND WAVE AFTER WAVE OF HUMAN CULTURE
ARRIVING TO LEAVE ITS MARK.
THIS IS WHERE MANKIND SKETCHED ANCIENT CAVE DRAWINGS--
AND NOW SIGNS GOLF SCORECARDS...
WHERE SOME OF THE WORLD’S WILDEST PLACES COEXIST
WITH SOME OF THE CONTINENT’S TRENDIEST TOWNS.
WHERE HISTORY, INDUSTRY, AND WILDERNESS ALL COLLIDE,
TRANSFORMING SOUTH AFRICA’S COAST
INTO SOMETHING NEW EVERY SINGLE DAY.
STAND AT THE PRECIPICE OF TIME
AND DIVE INTO A LAND THAT STILL STRETCHES YOUR IMAGINATION.
THIS IS AFRICA’S WILD SOUTH COAST.
♪
AROUND THE YEAR 1500,
A PORTUGUESE SHIP WAS EXPLORING THE SOUTHERN COAST OF AFRICA
WHEN THEIR COMPASS NEEDLES REVEALED A MILESTONE MOMENT--
THEY WERE AT THE VERY SOUTHERN TIP OF THE CONTINENT.
THEY NAMED IT CAPE AGULHAS, OR CAPE OF NEEDLES.
IT IS NOW CONSIDERED THE DIVIDING LINE
BETWEEN THE INDIAN AND ATLANTIC OCEANS--
AND THE CRUX OF A COAST
THAT IS A MICROCOSM OF NATURAL AND HUMAN HISTORY.
THE PORTUGUESE WERE NOT THE FIRST HERE--NOR THE LAST.
♪
AS THE COAST BECKONED OTHER EXPLORERS,
IT ALSO REPELLED THEM.
SHARP AND SHALLOW REEFS HAVE SUNK ABOUT 130 SHIPS
OVER THE CENTURIES.
SURVIVORS SOMETIMES BUILT SHELTERS
OUT OF THE SHIPWRECK DEBRIS.
BUT THE REGION’S FIRST PEOPLE
MAY HAVE BEEN THE MOST RESOURCEFUL OF ALL.
♪
THIS DRAMATIC WALKWAY LEADS BACK IN TIME--
TO SEASIDE CAVES FOUND LITTERED
WITH EVIDENCE OF HUMAN HABITATION
REACHING BACK 170,000 YEARS.
THESE ANCESTORS ARE CALLED "STRANDLOPERS,"
OR BEACH WALKERS.
AND SCIENTISTS THINK THEY MAY BE AMONG THE ANCESTORS
OF ALL HUMANKIND.
THE BOUNTY OF THIS LOCATION MAY HAVE PROPELLED THEIR SUCCESS
ON THE LADDER OF EVOLUTION.
LOCAL SPRINGS PROVIDED PLENTY OF FRESH WATER.
AND THE SALT WATER OF THE OCEAN DELIVERED THE REST.
A STEADY DIET OF SHELLFISH PROVIDED NUTRIENTS
TO HELP DEVELOP THE MODERN HUMAN BRAIN.
DEEP OCEAN CURRENTS BROUGHT UP SMALL CRUSTACEANS,
ATTRACTING SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALES.
ANY ONE WHALE WOULD BRING A WEALTH OF RESOURCES
TO THE BEACH WALKERS.
THEY ATE THEIR BLUBBER AND FASHIONED TOOLS FROM WHALEBONE.
SUCH TOOLS WERE EXCAVATED FROM WITHIN THESE CAVES.
AND OTHER CLUES TO THEIR INTELLIGENCE REMAIN.
AT HIGH TIDE, FISH ENTERED THESE ANCIENT TRAPS
TO FEED IN THE SHALLOWS.
AS THE TIDE RECEDED, THE BEACH WALKERS IMPALED THEM
WITH SPEARS MADE FROM WHALE BONES.
♪
BUT FOR THE BEACH WALKERS,
THE SEA WASN’T JUST FULL OF UNLIMITED ABUNDANCE.
IT WAS ALSO FULL OF THREATS.
CAPE FUR SEALS BY THE THOUSANDS
STILL OVERTAKE ENTIRE ISLANDS IN THE SHALLOW BAYS.
DON’T LET THEIR LOUNGING AROUND FOOL YOU--
THEY ARE FIERCE PREDATORS.
AND THEY HAVE SCUFFLED WITH MANKIND FROM THE START.
EARLY HUMANS ATE SEAL PUPS.
BUT MODERN HUMANS ARE GETTING THEIR FOOD STOLEN.
THESE SEALS CAN HIJACK UNSUSPECTING FISHING BOATS,
STEAL CATCHES FROM LINES,
AND SOMETIMES EVEN CLIMB ABOARD TO GORGE ON OILY FISH.
♪
EVENTUALLY OUR ANCESTORS MOVED INLAND--
BY NECESSITY OR CURIOSITY.
BUT STANDING IN THEIR WAY WAS A BARRIER OVER 460 MILES WIDE--
THE CAPE FOLD MOUNTAINS.
THEY RISE UP OVER 7,000 FEET--
STEEP, SHARP, DESOLATE, AND FORBIDDING.
SCIENTISTS THINK THE NOMADS WERE FUELED
BY RICH WHALE MEAT AND BLUBBER CARRIED FROM THE COAST.
THEY WOULD HAVE GRAPPLED WITH WILD ANIMALS
WHILE CLIMBING STEEP CLIFFS AND MOUNTAIN PEAKS COVERED IN SNOW.
♪
BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE WAS A MORE FORGIVING LANDSCAPE--
NOW CALLED THE KAROO.
KAROO MEANS "THIRST"--
AN APT DESCRIPTION FOR THIS VAST EXPANSE OF SEMI-DESERT.
IT FANS OUT FOR NEARLY 250,000 SQUARE MILES
IN THE GEOGRAPHIC MIDRIFF OF SOUTH AFRICA.
IT WAS ONCE AN ANCIENT INLAND SEA--
THEN LATER A DIVERSE ECOSYSTEM
PRESERVED IN FOSSILS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF YEARS OLD.
NOW THE KAROO IS FULL OF SUCCULENT, LEAFY SHRUBS--
FAVORITES OF THE RESIDENT WILD GIRAFFES.
THE ECOSYSTEM ALSO SUPPORTS HERDS OF BLACK WILDEBEEST,
SPRINGBOK, AND ELAND.
BUT NOT AS MANY AS BEFORE.
THIS AREA ONCE TEEMED WITH WILDLIFE,
WITH EXPLORERS RECALLING FANTASTIC HERDS
THAT STRETCHED BEYOND THE HORIZON.
♪
TODAY, OTHER ANIMALS DOMINATE THE KAROO--
ANIMALS DOMESTICATED BY HUMANS.
THIS WINDMILL SIGNALS THE BIRTH OF THE KAROO LAMB INDUSTRY.
STARTING IN THE 1850s,
GROUNDWATER PUMPED UP BY THESE WINDMILLS
TRANSFORMED THE KAROO
INTO A THRIVING SOURCE OF LAMB MEAT AND WOOL.
IN THE 1950s, WOOL FROM THE KAROO
WAS TURNED INTO UNIFORMS
FOR AMERICAN SOLDIERS FIGHTING THE KOREAN WAR.
THE KAROO IS NOW HOME TO 7 MILLION SHEEP.
THEY SUPPLY A THIRD OF SOUTH AFRICA’S MEAT
AND PRODUCE 28 MILLION POUNDS OF WOOL EVERY YEAR.
EVERY SHEEP REQUIRES ALMOST 10 ACRES OF LAND TO SURVIVE.
SOME THINK THAT THE SWEET-SMELLING QUALITY
OF THE LOCAL PLANTS
GIVE THE SHEEP’S MEAT A DISTINCTIVE FLAVOR.
THEY ARE LITERALLY SPICED FROM THE INSIDE OUT.
♪
FARMERS DO ALL THEY CAN TO PREPARE LANDS FOR GRAZING,
BUT THE ARID ENVIRONMENT OF THE KAROO
DOESN’T ALWAYS PLAY BALL.
WHEN IT RAINS, BIRDS FLOCK TO THIS PAN
THAT STRETCHES FOR 35 MILES AND 7 MILES WIDE.
EVAPORATION LEVELS ARE HIGH,
AND WITHIN A FEW MONTHS, IT QUICKLY RETURNS TO DESERT.
IT’S KNOWN AS VERNUEK PAN.
"VERNUEK" MEANS TO MISLEAD OR SCREW AROUND...
LIKE THESE SPIRAL SHAPES
THAT HYPNOTIZE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS.
SOME BELIEVE THAT THESE FORMATIONS
ARE RELATED TO ANCIENT GEOGLYPHS
LOCATED IN THE NAZCA DESERT IN PERU,
WHERE GIANT FIGURES RANGE IN COMPLEXITY
FROM HUMMINGBIRDS TO LIZARDS.
BUT HERE, SPIRALS, U SHAPES, AND STRAIGHT STRIATIONS
SCAR THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH.
AS THE DEBATE RAGES ONLINE, LOCAL FARMERS ARE SMIRKING.
BECAUSE THE PAN IS SO FLAT, FARMERS TRY DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES
TO HELP THE NATURAL PLANT SPECIES GROW.
THEY PLOW THESE TROUGHS INTO THE EARTH WITH TRACTORS.
RAINWATER AND WINDBLOWN SEEDS
GET CAUGHT UP IN THE LABYRINTH OF SPIRALS,
CONTRIBUTING TO THE WATER TABLE AND GERMINATING SEEDS.
THE NEW GROWTH PROVIDES THE PERFECT GRAZING
FOR SHEEP AND CATTLE.
THESE GEOGLYPHS COULD HELP EXPLAIN THE ORIGINS
OF THE ANIMATED FIGURES ETCHED IN THE NAZCA DESERT.
♪
WHILE PLANTS AND ANIMALS
DOMINATE THIS WIDESCREEN LANDSCAPE,
THE 21st CENTURY IS POPPING UP IN UNLIKELY PLACES.
THIS IS THE S.K.A., OR SQUARE KILOMETER ARRAY.
STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION,
200 RADIO TELESCOPE DISHES WILL DOT THE KAROO,
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ITS REMOTE, QUIET, AND DRY ENVIRONMENT--
FAR FROM ELECTRONIC INTERFERENCE.
WHEN COMBINED WITH OTHER DISHES AROUND THE GLOBE,
THE ARRAYS WILL COLLECTIVELY BECOME
THE WORLD’S LARGEST RADIO TELESCOPE.
IT PROMISES TO REACH DEEP INTO SPACE,
AND BACK IN TIME,
TO SOLVE SOME OF THE MOST VEXING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE UNIVERSE.
AS ENGINEERING FEATS GO,
BUILDING A RADIO TELESCOPE IN THE DESERT IS ONE THING.
BUT BUILDING A ROAD TO GET THERE IS ANOTHER.
FOR CENTURIES,
THE SWARTBERG MOUNTAIN RANGE THAT BORDERS THE KAROO
WAS SO TREACHEROUS THAT THE ONLY WAY THROUGH WAS ON FOOT.
BUT ENGINEER THOMAS BAIN SAW A WAY THROUGH.
IN 1881, HE VISUALIZED A ROAD ROUTE WITH THE NAKED EYE.
THEN HE GATHERED CREWS OF CONVICTS
AND TONS OF GUNPOWDER
TO BLAST THROUGH ROCK THAT IS 120 MILLION YEARS OLD.
IT TOOK SEVEN YEARS TO CARVE JUST 16 MILES OF ROAD
INTO THE MOUNTAINSIDE--
MOSTLY GUT-WRENCHING HAIRPIN TURNS.
BUT IT BECAME ONE OF THE MOST DARING ENGINEERING FEATS
OF ITS TIME.
TODAY IT’S STILL GRAVEL, STILL HARROWING,
AND STILL A THRILLING VIEW FROM THE TOP.
BUT IT’S NOT THE ONLY THRILL IN THE BACKCOUNTRY
OF AFRICA’S WILD SOUTH COAST.
♪
THE N2 HIGHWAY CARVES A RIBBON
ALONG ONE OF THE MOST SCENIC COASTLINES IN SOUTH AFRICA.
IT’S CALLED "THE GARDEN ROUTE"
FOR ITS DENSE AND UNIQUE BIODIVERSITY.
IT’S A LUSH WONDERLAND
AND A WORLD-FAMOUS HOLIDAY PARADISE.
PEOPLE COME FOR NATURE, FOR PANORAMIC VIEWS,
AND FOR PURE FUN.
♪
THE GARDEN ROUTE STRETCHES FROM MOSSEL BAY TO PORT ELIZABETH...
A SCENIC STRETCH THAT OFFERS SMALL TOWNS, OPEN EXPANSES,
AND SURPRISES AT EVERY TURN.
♪
ONE OF THEM IS THE BLOUKRANS RIVER BRIDGE--
THE HIGHEST AND LARGEST BRIDGE IN ALL OF AFRICA.
IT WAS BUILT IN THE 1980s
TO SPAN THE BLOUKRANS RIVER 700 FEET BELOW.
♪
BUT ITS ORIGINAL BUILDERS COULD NOT HAVE IMAGINED
THE MAIN ATTRACTION OF THE BRIDGE TODAY--
THE HIGHEST BUNGEE JUMP IN THE WORLD.
JUMPERS COME FROM ALL OVER.
ONE MAN JUMPED AT THE AGE OF 96.
THEY ARE TOLD TO LOOK OUT AT THE HORIZON--
AND CRY "3, 2, 1, BUNGEE!"
♪
WHILE HANGING UPSIDE DOWN, JUMPERS CAN ENJOY
A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF A RIVER THAT RUNS COFFEE BLACK--
NOT FROM POLLUTION,
BUT FROM THE RICH TANNINS OF THE MOUNTAINSIDE HERBS
THAT LEACH INTO THE WATERWAY.
THESE HERBS ARE ONLY FOUND IN THIS REGION
AND ARE USED TO BREW ONE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S MOST FAMOUS TEAS,
CALLED "ROOIBOS," OR RED BUSH.
BUT THE BIODIVERSITY OF THE GARDEN ROUTE
DOESN’T ALWAYS COME IN SMALL PACKAGES.
♪
HERE LIES THE LARGEST CONTINUOUS NATURAL FOREST IN SOUTH AFRICA--
400 SQUARE MILES OF UNBROKEN CANOPY.
ONE TYPE OF TREE IS HIGHLY PRIZED BY FURNITURE MAKERS--
BUT IT EMITS AN UNFORGETTABLE ODOR WHEN FRESHLY CUT.
TIMBERMEN HOLD THEIR NOSES
WHEN HARVESTING THE TREE KNOWN AS THE STINKWOOD.
♪
BUT ONE TREE STANDS OUT-- THE OUTENIQUA YELLOWWOOD.
THIS ONE IS NAMED "KING EDWARD THE SEVENTH"--
A 650-YEAR-OLD GIANT THAT RISES 130 FEET.
BEFORE THE AREA WAS PROTECTED,
LEGEND HAS IT THAT A WOODCUTTER BOUGHT THE TREE
IN HOPES OF FELLING IT FOR A KING’S RANSOM.
BUT IT WAS TOO LARGE TO BRING DOWN.
THE TRUNK’S CIRCUMFERENCE IS 20 FEET.
♪
THESE FORESTS BRUSH UP AGAINST THE OCEAN
AT ONE OF THE GARDEN ROUTE’S TOP HIKING DESTINATIONS--
TSITSIKAMMA NATIONAL PARK.
TSITSIKAMMA MEANS "PLACE OF ABUNDANT WATER"
AND "WATERS BEGIN."
MANY COME FOR DAY HIKES,
BUT THE CROWN JEWEL IS THE GRUELING OTTER TRAIL--
A FIVE-DAY, 25-MILE EXCURSION
THAT IS HARD ON THE FEET, BUT EASY ON THE EYES.
TREKKERS MUST BOOK THE TRIP UP TO A YEAR IN ADVANCE.
IT’S WORTH THE WAIT.
TUCKED INTO THIS TIMELESS LANDSCAPE
ARE TINY OVERNIGHT HUTS--
DWARFED BY THEIR SURROUNDINGS, BUT BELOVED BY WEARY HIKERS.
♪
FROM HERE, HIKERS MIGHT GET LUCKY
AND SPOT THE TRAIL’S NAMESAKE--
THE SHY AND RECLUSIVE CAPE CLAWLESS OTTER.
♪
FURTHER ALONG THE COAST,
HIKING HUTS GIVE WAY TO FORMIDABLE FORTRESSES--
NICKNAMED THE NOETZIE CASTLES.
THE EARLIEST VACATION HOMES WERE BUILT HERE IN THE 1930s,
USING NATURAL STONE FROM NEARBY.
WHILE UNDER CONSTRUCTION,
THE FRIEND OF ONE BUILDER SAID THAT WITH A FEW TURRETS,
IT COULD LOOK LIKE A SAND CASTLE.
SO THE BUILDER OBLIGED, AND THE BEACH CASTLE WAS BORN.
♪
JUST AROUND THE CORNER LIES A BEAUTIFUL LAGOON--
AND A CLASSIC BOOM AND BUST STORY.
FOR CENTURIES, THE KNYSNA LAGOON WELCOMED SEAFARING HUNTERS
WHO FOUND BIG GAME RIGHT INSIDE THE COASTAL FOREST.
EUROPEANS SLOWLY SEEPED IN
AND CREATED A SLEEPY FARMING TOWN.
THEN IN 1878, GOLD WAS FOUND NEARBY, AND THE TOWN BOOMED.
BUT AS THE GOLD DRIED UP, SO DID THE TOWN.
THEN THE TIMBER BARONS MOVED IN,
EXPLOITING THE COASTAL FOREST FOR PRIZED HARDWOODS.
THE ECONOMY BOOMED AGAIN.
NOW, THE ATTRACTION ISN’T GOLD OR TIMBER--
BUT SUN AND SEAFOOD.
THE ANNUAL OYSTER FESTIVAL SEES OVER 200,000 OYSTERS CONSUMED
OVER A 10-DAY PERIOD.
MOST ARE WASHED DOWN WITH SOUTH AFRICAN WINE.
BUT ALL THIS MODERN SEASIDE GLAMOUR HIDES AN AGE-OLD TRUTH--
THE SEA REMAINS AN UNPREDICTABLE AND OFTEN DANGEROUS PLACE.
♪
THE GATEWAY TO THE LAGOON IS NARROW, SHALLOW AND TREACHEROUS,
STRADDLED BY TWO SANDSTONE CLIFFS
CALLED THE KNYSNA HEADS.
♪
THIS PLACID WATERWAY IS REALLY
ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS HARBOR ENTRIES IN THE WORLD
AND HAS CLAIMED MANY SHIPS.
DIVERS STILL POKE AROUND THE MANY SHIPWRECKS
LEFT ON THE SEA FLOOR.
IN 1817,
THE VERY FIRST EUROPEAN SHIP TRYING TO ENTER THE LAGOON
STRUCK A ROCK AND WAS SCUTTLED.
MODERN SAILORS FACE THE SAME CHALLENGE.
THEY ARE TESTED UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYE
OF RESIDENTS FROM ABOVE.
ALSO UP ON THE KNYSNA HEADS
IS ONE OF THE MANY ADDITIONS TO THE ANCIENT COASTAL LANDSCAPE--
THE GOLF COURSE.
THIS ONE IS CALLED PEZULA, MEANING "HIGH UP WITH THE GODS."
GOLF HAS BECOME ONE OF THE GARDEN ROUTE’S CALLING CARDS.
GORGEOUS AND CHALLENGING COURSES HAVE BEEN DESIGNED
BY SOME OF THE GAME’S MOST FAMOUS NAMES.
THIS IS THE OUBAAI GOLF COURSE, DESIGNED BY ERNIE ELS,
A SOUTH AFRICAN-BORN INTERNATIONAL GOLF CHAMPION.
HIS NICKNAME IS "THE BIG EASY" FOR HIS EFFORTLESS SWING.
BUT GUSTY OCEAN WINDS MAKE THE COURSE ANYTHING BUT EASY.
IT’S A CHIP AND A PUTT INLAND TO A CITY NAMED GEORGE,
KNOWN AS THE WESTERN CAPE’S GOLFING CAPITAL.
THE CROWN JEWEL HERE IS THE LINKS AT FANCOURT--
DESIGNED BY GARY PLAYER, WHO WON NINE MAJORS OVER A LONG CAREER.
THIS COURSE RANKS IN THE TOP 100 IN THE WORLD.
YOU CAN PLAY IT EVERY DAY,
IF YOU’RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO LIVE ON IT.
GOLFING LEGENDS LIKE TIGER WOODS AND JACK NICKLAUS
HAVE PLAYED HERE,
AND IT HAS ALSO HOSTED THE PRESIDENTS CUP.
BUT IF THE SYMBOL OF MODERN GEORGE
IS THE GOLF COURSE,
THE SYMBOL OF ITS PAST IS THE CHURCH.
WITHIN THESE STONE WALLS LIE THE SECRETS OF A STORIED CITY.
GEORGE IS THE BIGGEST TOWN ON SOUTH AFRICA’S GARDEN ROUTE,
AND EVERY ROUNDABOUT SYMBOLIZES THE CONSTANT FLOW
OF CULTURAL INFLUENCES THAT SHAPED ITS HISTORY.
IT WAS FIRST ESTABLISHED IN THE LATE 1700s
AS A SMALL COMMUNITY OF WOODCUTTERS
TO MEET THE INCREASING DEMAND FOR TIMBER.
BUT THE BRITISH SOON OCCUPIED THE TOWN
ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE CAPE.
TO SPREAD THEIR INFLUENCE,
THEY TRIED TO SPREAD THEIR CHRISTIAN FAITH.
THE PACALTSDORP CHURCH IS THE NAMESAKE OF CHARLES PACALT.
THIS LONDON MISSIONARY ARRIVED IN 1813 TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL,
PUTTING LOCAL SLAVES TO WORK
BUILDING HIS FIRST CENTER OF WORSHIP.
HERE HE OVERSAW A CONGREGATION OF ABOUT 300,
BOTH SLAVE AND FREE.
IT REMAINS THE OLDEST CHURCH IN THE GEORGE DISTRICT.
OTHER CHURCHES FOLLOWED, EACH WITH THEIR OWN STORY.
THE DUTCH REFORMED MOTHER CHURCH WAS FINALLY FINISHED IN 1842
AFTER A GRUELING 12-YEAR BUILD,
THANKS TO A 75-FOOT TOWER AND WALLS 3 FEET THICK.
♪
WHEN THE FIRST BISHOP ARRIVED IN 1848,
HIS WIFE DESIGNED A SMALL STONE CHURCH CALLED ST. MARK’S
TO BE THEIR RELIGIOUS HOME.
A CHURCH THAT BECOMES THE SEAT OF A BISHOP
CAN BE CALLED A CATHEDRAL.
SO FOR A TIME, THIS WAS THE SMALLEST CATHEDRAL
IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE--
AND IT REMAINS THE SEAT OF THE LOCAL BISHOP TODAY.
BUT SPREADING RELIGION BEYOND THE TOWN
WOULD HAVE BEEN A DIFFICULT PROPOSITION--
GEOGRAPHY STANDS IN THE WAY.
♪
GEORGE LIES AT THE FOOTHILLS OF A FORMIDABLE MOUNTAIN RANGE
CALLED THE OUTENIQUA, WHICH MEANS "PEOPLE WITH HONEY."
EARLY TRAVELERS REPORTED SLOPES OF EMERALD-GREEN MOUNTAINS
COVERED WITH HEATHER AND SWARMING WITH BEES.
THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL AND RICH WITH FLOWERS,
BUT STILL DAUNTING TO TRAVERSE.
SETTLERS WHO MANAGED TO GET THROUGH
FOUND A BEAUTIFUL VALLEY
NESTLED BETWEEN THE OUTENIQUA AND SWARTBERG MOUNTAINS--
CALLED THE SMALL KAROO.
IT QUICKLY BECAME KNOWN
FOR ONE OF THE MOST STORIED ANIMALS IN SOUTH AFRICA...
THE OSTRICH.
IN THE LATE 1800s,
OSTRICH FEATHERS WERE THE HEIGHT OF FASHION,
SOUGHT BY RICH PATRONS ALL OVER THE WORLD.
LADIES IN EUROPE WORE OSTRICH FEATHERS IN THEIR HATS
OR BOAS AROUND THEIR NECKS TO SHOW THEIR STATUS.
BY WEIGHT, THEY WERE AS VALUABLE AS DIAMONDS.
AND YOU COULD GET MORE FOR AN OUNCE OF OSTRICH FEATHERS
THAN AN OUNCE OF GOLD.
RELICS OF THIS RICH HISTORY STILL STAND--
HUGE PALACES BUILT ON THE PROFITS
OF THE 19th CENTURY FEATHER FAD.
TODAY, OSTRICHES ARE VALUED FOR THEIR MEAT,
WHICH IS FREE FROM CHOLESTEROL.
THEIR SKINS ARE TURNED INTO FINE LUXURY LEATHER.
THEIR FEATHERS ARE STILL USEFUL,
BUT MORE FOR FEATHER DUSTERS THAN STATUS SYMBOLS.
BUT THE OSTRICH IS NOT THE ONLY ANIMAL
TO SHAPE SOUTH AFRICA’S ECONOMIC STORY.
WHALES HAVE LEFT THEIR OWN UNIQUE LEGACY IN THEIR WAKE.
PLETTENBERG BAY IS A SMALL TOWN
FOREVER TIED TO EARTH’S BIGGEST CREATURES.
THIS IS THE BEACON ISLE SOUTHERN SUN RESORT.
IT SITS ON A SMALL OUTCROPPING
THAT ONCE HELD A SIMPLE NAVIGATIONAL BEACON.
IN THE 18th CENTURY,
DUTCH SETTLERS PLACED A BLOCK OF STINKWOOD ON THE ROCKS,
INSCRIBED WITH THE BAY’S LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE.
IT HELPED GUIDE IN NEW WAVES OF SETTLERS--
INCLUDING WHALE HUNTERS.
WHALING WAS BIG BUSINESS BY THE TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY.
WHALES WERE HARVESTED RIGHT WHERE THE RESORT SITS TODAY.
WHALING HAS SINCE CEASED,
BUT THEY REMAIN AN ECONOMIC RESOURCE,
THANKS TO THE MORE HUMANE SPORT OF WHALE WATCHING.
A RELIC OF MORE MODERN HISTORY LIES SUNK IN THESE WATERS--
A SHADOWY REMINDER OF THE DANGER STILL LURKING BENEATH THE WAVES.
IN 1967, NEAR THE ROBBERG PENINSULA,
THE GREEK TRAWLER ATHENA STRUCK A ROCK
AND STARTED TO SINK
IN WATERS INFESTED WITH GREAT WHITE SHARKS.
THE QUICK-THINKING CAPTAIN STEERED FOR SHORE,
AND THE FRANTIC CREW ABANDONED SHIP.
THE SHARKS BUZZED THE CASTAWAYS LIKE SO MANY MOSQUITOS--
BUT NONE WERE ATTACKED.
INSTEAD, THE SHARKS FEASTED ON THE SHIP’S SINKING CARGO--
A BOATLOAD OF TUNA.
THIS SHADOW BENEATH THE WAVES IS THE REMAINS OF THE ATHENA.
ITS SEAFARING LIFE IS LONG OVER,
BUT ITS UNDERWATER LIFE CONTINUES
AS A VALUABLE ARTIFICIAL REEF.
SHARKS STILL PATROL THIS BAY, ATTRACTED BY THE SEALS
THAT GATHER ALONG THE CLIFFS OF ROBBERG.
TO A GREAT WHITE SHARK, THEY LOOK LIKE EASY PICKINGS.
THEY ALSO LOOK A LITTLE LIKE A BEACH FULL OF PEOPLE.
THAT’S WHY SHARKS AND HUMANS
HAVE A LONG AND TENSE RELATIONSHIP IN THESE WATERS.
HERE AT ST. FRANCIS, SURFERS ENJOY
WHAT IS CONSIDERED THE WORLD’S LONGEST SURF RIDE.
AND THE CLIMATE ALLOWS FOR GOOD SURFING
300 DAYS A YEAR.
NEARBY, JEFFREY’S BAY HAS SOME OF THE FASTEST
AND MOST PERFECTLY FORMED WAVES IN THE WORLD.
BUT GREAT WHITE SHARKS,
SOMETIMES CALLED THE PERFECT PREDATOR,
HAVE IMPERFECT EYESIGHT.
RIGHT AT THIS BEND IN THE BEACH, PROFESSIONAL SURFER MICK FANNING
WAS UPENDED BY A GREAT WHITE DURING A COMPETITION.
HE PUNCHED THE SHARK IN THE BACK BEFORE IT FINALLY RELENTED.
IT WAS ALL WITNESSED BY FANS WATCHING FROM SHORE.
NEARBY AT THE MOUTH OF THE NAHOON RIVER,
15-YEAR-OLD SHANNON AINSLIE WAS SURFING WHEN HE WAS ATTACKED
BY TWO GREAT WHITES AT THE SAME TIME.
SHANNON SURVIVED
AND WAS BACK ON HIS BOARD WITHIN SIX WEEKS.
SURFERS ARE NOT THE FIRST SALTWATER TRAVELERS
TO FIND THIS COASTLINE IRRESISTIBLE--
AND SOMETIMES DANGEROUS.
IN 1488, PORTUGUESE EXPLORER BARTHOLOMEW DIAZ
WAS THE FIRST EUROPEAN TO ROUND THE SOUTHERN TIP OF AFRICA.
HE OPENED A SEA ROUTE TO THE INDIES,
SPURRING TRADE BETWEEN AFRICA, EUROPE AND ASIA.
THEY ERECTED A STONE CROSS HERE AT THEIR TURNAROUND POINT
BEFORE RETURNING TO PORTUGAL.
IT WASN’T DISCOVERED UNTIL THE 1930s,
BROKEN IN PIECES ON THE ROCKS.
A MODERN REPLICA MARKS THE SPOT.
BUT OTHER SHIPS NEVER MADE IT HOME.
HERE, A SHIP CALLED THE DODDINGTON SANK IN 1755.
THE FEW SURVIVORS WHO MADE IT TO THIS ISLAND
ATE THE RESIDENT BIRDS, CALLED CAPE GANNETS, TO SURVIVE.
AFTER SEVEN MONTHS, THEY FINALLY GOT OFF ON A HOMEMADE BOAT,
NAMING THEIR REFUGE "BIRD ISLAND"
AS THEY FLOATED AWAY.
NOW, OVER 200,000 CAPE GANNETS
COVER BIRD ISLAND LIKE A BLANKET.
WHILE THERE ARE STILL PLENTY OF REMOTE ISLANDS ALONG THE COAST,
THERE ARE ALSO THRIVING CITIES.
PORT ELIZABETH SITS ON THE EASTERN END OF THE GARDEN ROUTE.
NOW ONE OF THE LARGEST CITIES IN SOUTH AFRICA,
CLUES TO ITS HISTORY STILL STAND OUT
AMID THE MODERN CITYSCAPE.
THE DONKIN MEMORIAL HONORS SIR RUFANE DONKIN,
WHO FOUNDED THE TOWN IN 1820.
HOWEVER, HIS WIFE RECEIVED A MORE LASTING HONOR--
THE CITY’S NAME.
PORT ELIZABETH IS NAMED AFTER HER.
100 YEARS LATER, THE CAMPANILE WAS BUILT
TO CELEBRATE THE CITY’S CENTENNIAL.
THOUGH IT’S NOW SURROUNDED BY MODERN NECESSITIES,
THE OLD BELL TOWER STILL OFFERS GREAT VIEWS.
TODAY PORT ELIZABETH IS A MAJOR SEAPORT
AND AN IMPORTANT CENTER OF COMMERCE.
ITS MODERN SHIPPING INFRASTRUCTURE
MAKES IT AN ATTRACTIVE MANUFACTURING CENTER.
HERE, NEWLY MADE CARS ARE LOADED ONTO GIANT CARGO SHIPS
FOR WORLDWIDE DELIVERY.
GENERAL MOTORS, FORD, AND OTHER COMPANIES
HAVE ASSEMBLY PLANTS NEARBY.
MODELS INCLUDING THE HUMMER H3 POUR OUT OF FACTORIES
AND GATHER ON THE ASPHALT LIKE HERDS OF ANIMALS.
♪
THE REAL HERDS OF ANIMALS
HAVE MOSTLY DISAPPEARED FROM THE EASTERN CAPE--
DRIVEN OUT BY HUMAN SETTLEMENT, HUNTING AND AGRICULTURE.
BUT LOOMING IN THE DISTANCE IS A MIND-BENDING NATURAL WONDER
THAT SURVIVED HUMAN ENCROACHMENT.
THE ALEXANDRIA DUNE FIELD HAS BEEN HERE FOR 6,500 YEARS,
THE RESULT OF A PERFECT STORM
OF WIND DIRECTION AND SAND CREATION.
IT COVERS 55 SQUARE MILES, WITH DUNES AS HIGH AS 300 FEET.
THEY APPEAR LIFELESS, BUT WALK AMONG THEM
AND YOU CAN HEAR SEVERAL BIRD SPECIES,
OR SPOT A VERVET MONKEY IN THE SAND.
♪
FLY INLAND FROM THE DUNES
AND FIND A RESERVE THAT TRIES TO REKINDLE
THE WILD LEGACY OF THIS REGION.
THIS IS THE SHAMWARI GAME RESERVE,
WHERE MORE THAN 26 SPECIES HAVE BEEN REINTRODUCED,
INCLUDING WHAT SOUTH AFRICANS CALL THE BIG FIVE:
LIONS, ELEPHANTS, CAPE BUFFALOS, LEOPARDS, AND RHINOS.
SINCE THESE ANIMALS ARE WORLD-FAMOUS,
FAMOUS PEOPLE COME TO SEE THEM--
WITH A CERTAIN EXPECTATION OF LUXURY.
ROOMS IN THE LONG LEE MANOR START AT ABOUT $500 PER NIGHT.
BUT OTHER PARTS OF THE EASTERN CAPE
HAVE RETAINED A VINTAGE, HOMEY FEEL.
PORT ALFRED WAS DESCRIBED BY A SETTLER’S DAUGHTER
AS "THE LONELIEST, BARRENEST VILLAGE IMAGINABLE."
WHILE THE ORIGINAL STONE HOUSES WITH THATCHED ROOFS
ARE LONG GONE,
THE TOWN HAS KEPT ITS OLD-TIME CHARM--
EXCEPT FOR THE CONSTANT BUZZ OF MODERN AIRCRAFT.
PORT ALFRED IS HOME TO THE 43 AIR SCHOOL.
HERE PILOTS ARE TRAINED FOR COMMERCIAL JETS--
AND BUSH PLANES THAT CAN LAND JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE.
THE ORIGINAL 43 AIR SCHOOL OPENED IN 1941
AND TRAINED PILOTS FOR ACTION IN WORLD WAR II.
NOW IT OFFERS TRAINING FOR THE AIR FORCE AND FOR AIRLINES.
THERE ARE 60 PLANES, 60 INSTRUCTORS,
AND ENDLESS BLUE SKIES.
BUT BEFORE THE AGE OF MODERN TRAVEL,
THE CULTURES PROTECTED BY THESE JAGGED CLIFFS HAD FEW VISITORS.
WHEN OUTSIDERS DID GET IN, THEY OFTEN DIDN’T GET OUT.
♪
THE WILD COAST IS A 300-MILE STRETCH
OF UNDEVELOPED AFRICAN COASTLINE.
IT OCCUPIES OVER 16,000 SQUARE MILES
OF MOSTLY UNTOUCHED TERRAIN.
FOR CENTURIES, THESE SHEER CLIFFS AND RAGGED REEFS
REPELLED NEWCOMERS, SHIPWRECK AFTER SHIPWRECK.
THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE REMAINED ISOLATED,
BECAUSE THE OUTSIDE WORLD RARELY GOT IN.
WHEN ANYBODY DID, THEY FOUND IT ROUGH SAILING INDEED.
IN 1552, THE SAO JOAO, OR ST. JOHN,
BECAME THE FIRST CARGO SHIP TO WRECK ON THE COAST.
100 PERISHED ABOARD AS THE SHIP PUSHED
INTO THE BARNACLE-COVERED TEETH OF THE SHORE.
BUT THE CAPTAIN MANAGED TO GET 400 SURVIVORS TO LAND.
THEY CAUTIOUSLY INTERACTED WITH THE LOCAL TRIBES,
BUT APPARENTLY NOT TOO WELL.
MOST WERE MURDERED, DIED OF DISEASE,
OR KILLED BY WILD ANIMALS.
ONLY 21 SURVIVED.
THERE IS STILL A SENSE OF ISOLATION HERE.
THE LAND IS PROTECTED BY BARRIERS OF OCEAN AND RIVER.
EVEN TODAY, CARS MUST CROSS THE KEI RIVER
BY FLOATING PONTOON.
IN DOING SO, THEY ARE ENTERING THE CULTURAL HEARTLAND
OF THE XHOSA PEOPLE.
THESE POOR RURAL COMMUNITIES
SUBSIST ON AGRICULTURE AND FISHING--
AND MONEY SENT BACK BY FAMILY WORKING IN THE CITIES.
ANCIENT CUSTOMS AND FOLKLORE STILL THRIVE HERE TODAY--
CREATING A LIVING MYTHOLOGY BORN OUT OF THE GEOGRAPHY.
♪
THIS ROCK IS KNOWN AS HOLE IN THE WALL--
A GEOLOGIC WONDER THAT INSPIRED A WONDROUS STORY.
♪
XHOSA MYTHOLOGY DESCRIBES SEA PEOPLE,
WITH FLIPPER-LIKE HANDS AND FEET.
ONE OF THE SEA PEOPLE FELL IN LOVE
WITH A BEAUTIFUL GIRL LIVING IN A NEARBY VILLAGE.
BUT HER FATHER FORBADE HER
FROM LEAVING TO JOIN HER LOVER IN THE SEA.
SO ONE NIGHT THE SEA PEOPLE RETURNED WITH A GIANT FISH,
WHICH RAMMED A HOLE IN THE WALL.
THEY POURED THROUGH THE HOLE SINGING AND SHOUTING,
AND THE VILLAGE GIRL JOINED THEM,
DISAPPEARING BACK OUT TO SEA FOREVER.
IT’S CALLED ESIKHALENI-- THE PLACE OF THUNDER.
THEY SAY ON SOME NIGHTS
THEY STILL HEAR VOICES CALLING FOR THE GIRL.
♪
THE BEAUTY OF THE COAST CONTINUES TO INSPIRE WONDER.
THE EGOSO FAULT LINE RUNS ALONG THE SHORE,
THEN INLAND FOR 9 MILES.
IT CREATED 300-FOOT CLIFFS,
TURNING THE MOUTH OF EVERY RIVER INTO A MAGNIFICENT WATERFALL.
♪
HERE THE MKOZI RIVER THROWS ITSELF FROM THE CLIFFS,
PLUMMETING 180 FEET TO ITS END.
♪
FURTHER INLAND, THE GRACEFUL CURVE OF HORSESHOE FALLS
GETS ITS BEAUTY FROM ITS SHAPE, NOT ITS HEIGHT.
BUT IF YOU WANT HEIGHT, THE MAGWA WATERFALL
ROARS OVER 466 FEET INTO THE NARROW CANYON BELOW.
ALL THIS BEAUTY SURROUNDS XHOSA VILLAGES
THAT CONTINUE TO SEE LITTLE CHANGE THROUGHOUT THE DECADES.
BUT FROM A VILLAGE JUST LIKE THIS,
ONE LITTLE BOY SAW FURTHER THAN MOST
AND TOOK HIS IDEAS OF FREEDOM TO THE HORIZON AND BEYOND--
NELSON MANDELA.
IN 1918, HE WAS BORN ROLIHLAHLA MANDELA,
AND "ROLIHLAHLA" MEANS TROUBLEMAKER.
HE GREW UP INSPIRED BY A WORLD WHERE OLD AND NEW COLLIDE,
AND TRANSCENDED HIS IMPOVERISHED REALITY
TO BRING A DIVIDED NATION TOGETHER.
IN HIS BOOK "LONG WALK TO FREEDOM,"
MANDELA WROTE, "I HAVE THE MOST PLEASANT RECOLLECTIONS
AND DREAMS OF MY CHILDHOOD,
WHERE I HUNTED, PLAYED STICK-FIGHTING,
STOLE MAIZE ON THE COB,
AND WHERE I LEARNED TO COUNT."
THE REST IS WORLD-CHANGING HISTORY,
BUT IT ALL STARTED HERE
IN THE HUMBLE AND BEAUTIFUL LAND OF THE XHOSA PEOPLE.
SOUTH AFRICA WAS FOREVER TRANSFORMED BY NELSON MANDELA,
BUT THANKFULLY, ITS RICH HISTORY AND BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPES REMAIN.
♪
THIS IS PORT ST. JOHNS,
WHICH USED TO HAVE A DEEPWATER HARBOR,
ATTRACTING OLD TRADE SHIPS ON THEIR WAY AROUND AFRICA.
BUT OVER TIME, SILT FROM UPRIVER FLOWED INTO THE BAY,
MAKING IT TOO SHALLOW FOR BIG SHIPS.
NOW, ONLY SMALL FISHING BOATS
CAN FLOAT DOWN THE RIVER TO THE SEA.
THIS BEAUTIFUL BEACH IN PORT ST. JOHNS
HAS AN INFAMOUS NICKNAME--
THE DEADLIEST BEACH IN THE WORLD.
SHARK ATTACKS ARE MORE COMMON HERE
THAN JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE ON EARTH.
HERE, THERE WERE FIVE FATALITIES FROM SHARK ATTACKS
IN JUST FIVE YEARS--
THREE IN 2009 ALONE.
FURTHER UP FROM PORT ST. JOHNS
IS A COASTLINE WITH A DEEPER SHARK HISTORY--
A STRETCH BETWEEN SCOTTBURGH AND DURBAN.
IN JUST ONE YEAR, BEGINNING IN DECEMBER OF 1957,
NINE SHARK ATTACKS OCCURRED
WITHIN THE 40 MILES OF COASTLINE.
SIX OF THE ATTACKS WERE FATAL.
IT IS NOW CALLED "BLACK DECEMBER."
THESE BUOYS DOTTING THE SURFACE
ARE HOLDING UP UNDERWATER SHARK NETS,
INSTALLED IN 1964 TO PROTECT BEACHGOERS.
WE NOW KNOW THAT SHARK ATTACKS ARE MOSTLY MISTAKEN IDENTITY--
A SWIMMER ON THE SURFACE CAN LOOK LIKE NATURAL PREY.
BUT IF DONE RIGHT, SHARK DIVING IS SAFER.
THESE DIVE BOATS ARE GETTING READY
TO TAKE VISITORS UNDERWATER
TO MEET SHARKS UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL.
ABOUT 250,000 PEOPLE DIVE WITH SHARKS
EVERY YEAR IN SOUTH AFRICA.
AT ALIWAL SHOAL DIVERS GET TO SEE A VARIETY OF SHARKS,
INCLUDING TIGER AND, ON OCCASION, GREAT WHITES.
SOUTH AFRICA HAS ALWAYS ATTRACTED EXPLORERS
AND INVITED RISK--
FROM DIVING INTO THE DEEP TO CLIMBING INTO THE SKY.
IN 1948, BRITISH EXPLORER GODFREY EDMONDS
APPROACHED THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN RANGE IN SOUTH AFRICA
WITH A JEEP AND A SUPPORT TEAM WITH MULES.
THERE WERE NO ROADS.
BUT AS A FORMER ROYAL AIR FORCE PILOT,
HE KNEW ALL ABOUT BLAZING TRAILS.
HE WAS IN WHAT IS NOW CALLED
UKHAHLAMBA-DRAKENSBERG NATIONAL PARK,
WHERE MOUNTAIN PEAKS FORM THE BORDER
BETWEEN SOUTH AFRICA AND LESOTHO.
EDMONDS WAS TRYING TO GET THROUGH.
AS HE BOUNCED THROUGH RUGGED COUNTRY,
HE WOULD HAVE SEEN HERDS OF ELAND AND THE OCCASIONAL ZEBRA.
♪
WITH LOCAL TRIBESMEN, MULES AND ROPES,
HE TOOK HIS VEHICLE ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP--
9,400 FEET-- NOW CALLED SANI PASS.
♪
HIS DARING FEAT PROVED THAT A ROAD ROUTE WAS POSSIBLE,
AND CONSTRUCTION BEGAN A FEW YEARS LATER.
TODAY IT REMAINS ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS PASSES IN THE WORLD.
♪
IT’S A STEEP AND RUDDY TRACK--
TRICKY WHEN DRY,
AND ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE WHEN COVERED IN SNOW OR ICE.
♪
BUT IT CARVES A PATH
INTO STORIED, TEETH-BARING MOUNTAINS
THAT STILL TANTALIZES EXPLORERS
WHO DARE TO ENTER THE DRAKENSBERG.
♪
DRAKENSBERG MEANS "DRAGON MOUNTAIN."
IT TOOK NATURE OVER A BILLION YEARS TO FORM THIS RANGE.
THESE MOUNTAINS RESIST EROSION, SO THEY REMAIN RUGGED AND STEEP.
THEIR ZULU NAME, UKHAHLAMBA,
MEANS "BARRIERS OF UP-POINTED SPEARS."
DESPITE THEIR IMPOSING PRESENCE AND ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE ANGLES,
HUNTER-GATHERERS CALLED THE SAN LIVED HERE SINCE THE STONE AGE--
UNTIL THEY WERE FINALLY PUSHED OUT IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY.
FOR 4,000 YEARS, THIS WAS THEIR HOME--
AND THEY LEFT BEHIND THE LARGEST CONCENTRATION
OF CAVE ART IN THE WORLD.
THEY LIVED AMONG THE PEAKS
WITH NAMES DRAWN FROM THEIR IMPOSING SHAPES.
CATHEDRAL PEAK.
THE ORGAN PIPES.
♪
THE BELL.
THE DRAKENSBERG IS A HAVEN FOR HIKERS.
AND IT IS A ROCK CLIMBER’S PARADISE--
BUT NOT FOR AMATEURS.
ASIDE FROM THE HAZARDS OF CLIMBING,
THE DRAKENSBERG IS WELL-KNOWN FOR SUDDEN RAIN OR SNOW.
AND THE ROCK CAN BE CRUMBLY, SO LOOK OUT BELOW.
♪
THE IMPRESSIVE DEVIL’S TOOTH
IS ONE OF THE RANGE’S TOUGHEST ROCK CLIMBING CHALLENGES.
IT WAS CONSIDERED UNCLIMBABLE UNTIL SUMMITED IN 1950
BY THREE STUDENTS FROM JOHANNESBURG.
THE DEVIL’S TOOTH IS PART OF A MASSIVE, WONDROUS FORMATION--
THE DRAKENSBERG AMPHITHEATER.
IT IS ONE OF NATURE’S FINEST SCULPTURES--
3 MILES WIDE.
IT IS 6 TIMES BROADER THAN THE MATTERHORN
AND 10 TIMES THE BREADTH OF YOSEMITE’S EL CAPITAN.
IT WOULD BE AN ASTONISHING AMPHITHEATER TO SING IN...
AND BY COINCIDENCE, ANGELIC VOICES ARE RIGHT NEARBY.
THE DRAKENSBERG BOYS CHOIR SCHOOL IS HOME
TO ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS CHOIRS IN THE WORLD.
THEY ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR UNIQUE STYLE
AND DIVERSE RANGE OF MUSIC.
THEY HAVE TOURED THE WORLD,
BUT ALWAYS RETURN TO THEIR HOME BASE
PERCHED AMONG THE PEAKS.
AND THE PEAKS ARE ONLY GETTING HIGHER.
SOUTHERN AFRICA IS RISING
DUE TO A GIANT PLUME OF MAGMA DEEP UNDERGROUND,
SLOWLY FORCING THE ANCIENT DRAKENSBERG RANGE SKYWARD.
LIKE THE REST OF AFRICA’S WILD SOUTH COAST,
IT IS NEVER AT REST.
IT IS ALWAYS ON THE MOVE...
AND REINVENTING ITSELF WITH EVERY WAVE.
♪
THIS IS WHERE HUMANITY WAS BORN
AND CONTINUES TO CHALLENGE ITSELF.
WHERE LOCAL TRIBES MET WORLD EXPLORERS...
AND MOVIE STARS MEET NATURE’S ICONS.
WHERE YOU CAN TRACK THE IMPRINTS OF TIME
THROUGH WIDE OPEN SPACES.
SOUTHERN AFRICA IS STILL A LAND OF CONTRAST AND CONTRADICTIONS,
IMMOVABLE MOUNTAINS OF ROCK,
AND SHAPE-SHIFTING DUNES OF SAND.
NATURAL CATHEDRALS OF STONE
AND MAN-MADE MONUMENTS OF FAITH.
CITIES BUILT FROM COMMERCE AND CULTURE...
AND FOLKLORE BUILT FROM GEOLOGY AND MYTHOLOGY.
THERE IS STILL WILDLIFE FOLLOWING ANCIENT INSTINCTS,
CLINGING TO WHAT’S LEFT TO LIVE ON.
THERE ARE PLACES THAT STILL LOOK PRIMEVAL.
WHERE YOU CAN STAND AND FEEL IMMERSED IN CREATION...
EVEN WHEN SOMETHING NEW IS CREATED EVERY DAY.
IN THIS DYNAMIC STRETCH OF SOUTH AFRICA,
HOPE PREVAILS THAT CONSTANT CHANGE
WILL NOT SPOIL WHAT SHOULD BE PRESERVED FOREVER--
AN ANCESTRAL SENSE OF BELONGING.
THAT NO MATTER WHERE YOU’RE FROM,
THIS PLACE FEELS LIKE HOME.
♪