The Breathtaking Vacation Destination That Was Named The Friendliest Country In The World

If you think you're generous, helpful, and good at compromising with others, you might play well with people in the friendliest country in the world, South Africa. In a survey of 3,000 participants from 27 countries, the financial services company Remitly used the Big 5 Personality Test's questions about one of the five traits, "agreeableness," to gauge how welcoming and friendly locals were. After harmonizing individual scores, participants from South Africa came out on top of the friendliness scale, with their country being ranked the friendliest in the world.

With coastline stretching out around the Cape of Hope, South Africa's vibrant coastal villages and world-class, tourist-friendly wine region could make anyone just a little more friendly than they might be at home. But it wasn't always this way. Today, strangers offer polite greetings and chatter proliferates in 11 official languages, but before the 1990s, South Africa's strict apartheid policy kept Indigenous and mixed-race Africans segregated and impoverished by the white minority population. The end of apartheid, which could have brought civil war and retaliation, resulted in the country's first democratically elected Black Prime Minister, Nelson Mandela, opting instead to reconcile and embrace friendship between South Africa's different tribes, races, and former oppressors. No wonder Archbishop Desmond Tutu dubbed the country the Rainbow Nation, a symbol for the diverse, multicultural and multilingual populace, as well as one of hope, harmony, and the agreeableness South Africans demonstrated in bringing a peaceful end to a brutal regime.

The options for adventure travel routes, scenic drives, and animal-encountering safaris are nearly endless in South Africa. Meet with friendly animals in Cape Town, where you can get up close and personal on a beach with African penguins or hike up Table Mountain on a route that matches your hiking agility. A cable car station (5821 Tafelberg Road), which can be reached by taxi, Uber, public bus, or a Hop-On, Hop-Off sightseeing bus, takes hiking-shy visitors to the peak, too.

For picturesque beaches and to experience that friendly South Africa town out of the big city, drive the Garden Route. It starts at Mossel Bay, on the eastern edge of the Western Cape province, and stretches 124 miles east along the coastline to Storms River via highway N2. Along the way, you can experience an important piece of South Africa's past and present on a Knysna Township tour. Townships were once off-limits to visitors and seen as extremely dangerous, but on a Travelers' Choice-winning Emzini Tour, the township and its vibrant Xhosa culture are accessible. As you continue the route, you'll also hit the cove and cliffs of Lookout Beach at Plettenberg Bay (park at 25 Hill Street), where whales, dolphins, and surfers enjoy the water below.

In the north of the country, drive across Mpumalanga province, stopping along the trail of Kruger National Park's epic panorama, God's Window, to the numerous waterfalls in Graskop — Berlin, Lisboa, and Mac-Mac, to name the heavy hitters — along the gorgeous Panorama Route. The drive takes you from Mbombela, the provincial capital, north to Blyderivierspoort Nature Reserve. If you lose your way, the South African Tourism Bureau advises that locals are always happy to help.

As with any trip to the southern hemisphere, you'll want to plan backwards: summers in South Africa are from November until March, when the country experiences extreme heat (up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit). While the south and west of the country have dry summers, the sub-tropical northern region experiences frequent rainfall during this main season, so if you plan a Panorama Route tour, you might want to wait for the dryer autumn (April and May) or spring (September and October). Winter temperatures (May through August) are mild, but can get cool at night (in the 50s Fahrenheit). Citizens of the U.S., Canada, European Union countries, and many African nations won't require a visa for entries up to 30 (and sometimes 90) days.

Roadtrippers should utilize key practices for driving in the country and use printed maps (mobile service can be spotty), check road conditions ahead of time to make sure the roads haven't been flooded or closed, and always fill up the car's fuel tank when you see a station — even if it's already almost full. Rest stops can be few and far between sometimes, and it's best to take any opportunity you see.

And finally, if you're a fan of comedy, you probably already know one of South Africa's friendliest and most successful exports: comedian and former host of "The Daily Show," Trevor Noah. A good source to start to understand its people and history is his memoir, "Born a Crime." Reading it is a great way to dive into the country's history in an approachable way and prepare for your trip.