Escape the 2010 Football World Cup

Buitenverwacht in the Cape winelands © South African Tourism

Escape the 2010 football World Cup: Cape Town

Parked right in the middle of the city, Table Mountain is the most obvious place to start your visit in Cape Town. Catch the rotating cable car to the top and make sure you hike around the pinnacle for spectacular, panoramic views. Try abseiling or walking down, if you fancy some adventure. Visit in the morning before the mist descends.

Missing home? Enjoy some afternoon tea amid the colonial splendour of one of the city's best properties, the Mount Nelson Hotel, which offers a staggering buffet of delicate sandwiches, 30 different types of cuppa and mouth-watering cakes and pastries, every afternoon.

Walk off your calories with a brisk stroll to the V&A Waterfront, a popular tourist spot. It's easy to spend the day here, browsing its smart shops and craft hall, visiting the world-class aquarium, or taking a boat trip for stunning views of the city and its flat-topped mountain. Make sure you return in the evenings when its buzzing restaurants and bars are a magnet for party-goers.

If you enjoy a tipple, visit the Cape's gorgeous wine lands to the west, just an hour's drive from the city. Several wine-tasting trails all have spectacular views across rolling mountains studded with picturesque gabled manor houses. Join an organised tour to Franschhoek, Paarl or Stellenbosch. Better still, stay overnight -some of the wine estates offer South Africa's finest dining experiences, allowing you to indulge as well as sleep off your hangover.

Escape the 2010 football World Cup: Johannesburg

Johannesburg's excellent Apartheid Museum is an eye-opener and a tearjerker all in one. Documenting the implementation of apartheid by the National Party from 1948 to the release of Nelson Mandela and the birth of democracy in South Africa, its highlights include a room where 121 nooses hang from the ceiling, representing the 121 political prisoners executed during apartheid; footage of a remarkable 1961 interview with Nelson Mandela and a section on the 1976 Soweto student uprising.

Soweto itself is worth visiting. This township is a living history lesson, with uplifting sights like Vilakazi Street, where both Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu lived. Join the locals in a shebeen afterwards for beers and good home cooking.

Shopaholics should head for the massive Sandton shopping centre where you may spot a WAG or two. For more exotic purchases, the African craft market at Rosebank is a warren of fascinating stalls close to some lovely outdoor eateries.

There are no safari parks close to the city but the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve in Gauteng, 40km (25 miles) from Johannesburg, offers the closest animal sightings. Enjoy a day trip to the reserve and see lions, cheetah, hippos, ostriches, wildebeest, crocodiles and rhinos.

For an alternative experience, head to The Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre, an hour's drive away. Enjoy a three-hour guided tour at this excellent breeding sanctuary where you'll have a chance to spot cheetahs, plus wild dogs, antelopes and vultures.

Escape the 2010 football World Cup: Durban

Durban isn't the prettiest city compared to its rivals, but it has a boisterous spirit. June is a bit on the nippy side (it's winter, after all) but it may still be moderate enough to enjoy a stroll on the beach. For an adrenalin thrill, try kite boarding - the experience of racing over sand and water is unforgettable.

Thaw out afterwards with a curry in the Indian quarter around Musgrave Road, where cheap, excellent restaurants offer a wealth of spicy fare.

Being out your inner child by visiting Durban's uShaka Marine World featuring an aquarium, dolphin and seal shows, a penguin rookery and a restaurant with a view into a shark tank. The Wet ‘n Wild World area has swimming pools and high-speed water chutes too.

Escape the 2010 football World Cup: Rustenberg

You may never have heard of Rustenberg but don't despair. Head off to two wildly opposite local attractions: Sun City and Pilanesberg Game Reserve.

Sun City is truly the Vegas of South Africa, thanks to its casinos, flashy hotels, a water park, golfing, spa and shopping options. For a soccer-free nirvana, this is the place to come.

Meanwhile, Pilanesberg is literally on Sun City's doorstep, but is a million miles away in character. This malaria-free reserve is great for safari-lovers who want to tick off Africa's big five - lion, rhino, elephant, buffalo and leopard. Hot air balloon trips are also offered for bird's eye views.

Escape the 2010 football World Cup: Port Elizabeth

Want to impress your friends back home? Step into the lion's enclosure at Seaview Game & Lion Park near Port Elizabeth where visitors have the chance to interact with young cubs. A truly wild encounter.

If you fancy pampering yourself, head to Youtopia Health and Wellness Centre which offers an unusual Chocolate Body Pack treatment. The experience starts with a sauna and a bath, including the chance to relax with a cup of hot chocolate. It's followed by a full body massage with chocolate body butter, and a chocolate mud wrap, which aids slimming and de-toxing. You could lick yourself clean afterwards, but the usual method is to take a shower before moisturiser is applied all over.

More traditional treatments are also available for a day of pampering. While you're there, you could book a Destress package for your other half to console him if England loses.