So, we (England that is – commiserations Scotland and Wales) are off to South Africa! And so far there are only two other teams in Europe booked to go: Spain and Holland (who were the first to qualify).  There are still another ten places up for grabs in Europe.  But what about the other continents?

Africa have 53 teams competing for 5 + 1 places (the +1 bit is confusing so I’m not going to explain it).  Asia have 43 teams grappling for 4.5 places. North, Central America and the Caribeean have 35 teams competing for 3.5 places. Oceania, bless them, have 35 teams going for 0.5 place! (that just doesn’t seem fair does it, not even a full place) and lastly, South America have 10 teams going for 4.5 places (a far higher ratio of places to teams).  South Africa have a free pass, being the host country and all. Altogether that’s 204 countries competing for 32 places.  So far (as of the 10th September) only ten places have been secured.  So whilst England can relax there are still a lot of countries (not least Argentina, Portugal and France!) sweating on a place.

So, in preparation for June, we thought we’d try and kick start a “prospective travelling fans must-see itinerary of South Africa”. Catchy.  We’ll start it but you need to keep adding to it, please, or it will die as swiftly as Maradonna’s managerial career.  Add your ideas for the itinerary to the comments and if we start to get enough we’ll build up a proper travellers guide with maps n’ stuff.

So here’s our top 10 for a prospective football fans itinerary of South Africa (we presume you’re seeing a few football games too).

1. Go whale watching in Hermanus. It’s a bit early in the season for whales but you should see some.  Failing that, hop on one of the many shark diving trips in the area.  When you’ve finished up, head to the harbour in working Hermanus which has a couple of great fish restaurants.
2. They’re an outdoorsy bunch the South Africans, and they do bungee jumping. So, for people who either have no reason to live or who have been lobotomised and have no reason to think about a reason to live,   this one is the biggest commercially operating bungee in the world.  Try it. Wimp.
3. Have a drink.  The SAB Centre is perhaps the best place to do that in Jo’ Burg.  The local tipple Castle is good and Windhoek from Namibia is also very good. (there’s a fuller round up on wikipedia).  But for the more genteel fan, you need to head over to the Winelands and celebrate (no commiserating this time around!) over a few glasses of grape.
4. Cape Town does seem to have more of an abundance of stuff to recommend.  It’s hard to avoid Table Mountain because it’s big.  The cable car is good but walking is better (but you should go in groups because there’s been a few muggings over the last few years). Perhaps take an organised walk.
5. Surf.  In Durban on the Eastern Cape and along the many beaches of the Western Cape are some excellent surf spots.  You’ll look like a pasty battery chicken compared to the buffed South Africans of course.  Just challenge them to a game of football if they get all Alpha Male on you.
6. The Valley of 1000 Hills near Durban sounds interesting.  It sounds like a Russ Meyer film .  No idea if it’s any good.  References to witch doctors suggest it may be worth a look.
7. Visit the Dynamite Museum nr Jo’ Burg.  Dynamite allowed the gold industry to develop and made South Africa what it is now.  Flicking through the blurb, it also seems to have been where Alfred Nobel (the man behind the Nobel prize) discovered dynamite.  According to this Wikipedia article by 1903 one plant in Somerset West in South Africa was producing 340, 000 cases of dynamite annually, with each case being 50lbs in weight (17 million lbs!).
8. Hear the word of The Lord.  Gospel is really quite uplifting and very popular.  Grab a pew at one of the many churches or take a tour.
9. Do a safari, a ghost hunting safari.  Who cares about the Big 5 anyway (especially when you’ve got to get up at the crack of dawn and train your eyes to focus on the far horizon)?   If you really need to go all David Attenborough then Medikwe reserve gets lots of good reviews.
10. Visit the Big Hole in Kimberly.  It’s big.  It’s a hole.  It was made a big hole by dynamite (see 7 – can you tell I’m running out of ideas…). See …

Now it’s your turn.  Where would you go?

NB: if you’re after more practical advice The Times has a nice piece on tickets, flights and important stuff and The Guardian has a great interactive guide to the football venues.

Image credit: marxchivist