Great sources of national pride, a country’s cuisine and local produce are as much a cause for celebration as its culture and history. Not a month goes by without an homage to food and drink somewhere in the world, so check out our selection of events encouraging you to kick up your heels, eat, drink and be merry.

The day after Spain held aloft the 2010 World Cup trophy, we found ourselves listening to South African talkback radio during a long drive down towards the country’s picturesque Eastern Cape. The topic for the show was what hosting the World Cup had meant to each listener. As the kilometres whizzed by caller after caller expressed their pride, as South Africans, at having proven the doubters wrong by staging one of the most spectacular sporting events ever.

Nothing beats the experience of staying with locals and supporting their local communities. The WHL Group puts forward here five of its favourite community-based accommodation initiatives in Africa.

The clock’s ticking. Every hour we move closer to 4pm South Africa time on 11 June 2010, when the World Cup 2010 kicks off in Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium. The anticipation is palpable, but so is the growing frustration and sometimes anger about the absurd room rates and out-of-focus travel opportunities in a country driven…

When the stadiums are empty, plan a tour or activity in or near the World Cup host cities to get to know the real South Africa “This World Cup belongs to Africa!” declared Sepp Blatter, FIFA president, at the Cape Town Convention Centre on 5 December 2009, the long-awaited day of the World Cup 2010…