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When I was very young my parents had a huge hardcover coffee table book about South Africa entitled Land of Splendour and Beauty . And that is just what South Africa is as the latest campaign to showcase the country involving a collaboration between South African Tourism and National Geographic shows.

Award-winning National Geographic adventure photographer, filmmaker and climber Jimmy Chin travelled to South Africa in September on behalf of National Geographic Channel (NGC) and South African Tourism to create a magnificent 60 second vignette in the South African province of Mpumalanga.

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"The place where the sun rises" is the literal translation of Mpumalanga, and quite apt given its breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. Mpumalanga offers an array of unique experiences, and the world-renowned photographer Chin has a unique flair for beautifully capturing this magnificent eastern South African location, where the land rises and merges with mountain peaks and blends into an immense escarpment. The NGC vignette showcases Mpumalanga’s magnificent scenery, mountains, panoramic passes, waterfalls and glorious landscapes. The region is also home to the world’s most famous game reserve, (The Kruger National Park), the world's third-highest canyon, the world's oldest cave and many of the world's finest private game lodges.

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Through the lens

Enhancing this longstanding partnership with South African Tourism, the latest campaign launched in September 2015 on National Geographic Channel, airing in South African Tourism's key markets around the world with an estimated audience of over 300 million. The video forms part of the NGC "Through The Lens" series, featuring vignettes by a portfolio of top National Geographic photographers including Pablo Corral Vega, Jodi Cobb, Mattias Klum, Joel Sartore and Stephen Alvarez.

For global explorer Jimmy Chin, his travels around South Africa were revelatory. "There are moments in creating photographs when everything falls away. That is an amazing space to be in, when you are so involved and passionate and the only thing guiding you is the pure intent to do something and do it well," he says.

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Deborah Armstrong, EVP Media Sales & Brand Partnerships, FOX International Channels, commented: "Our partnership with South African Tourism has allowed us to celebrate and showcase to the National Geographic Channel audience the many wonders of the country and its magnificent historic landmarks."

During his travels, Jimmy Chin managed to also capture the indomitable spirit of the South African peoples who manage to touch and affect the travellers that visit the country from all over the world. It is these heartfelt connections, exceptional interactions and the unrestricted beauty of the land that have a profound effect on visitors and shine through in the video journals that form a key element of SAT's collaboration with National Geographic Channel.

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Spirit of South Africa

South African Tourism Chief Executive Officer, Thulani Nzima noted that National Geographic's "Through the Lens" series of vignettes shows the world the amazing beauty, immense variety, and the warm and welcoming people of South Africa. "While this latest vignette by Jimmy Chin showcases Mpumalanga's unique and matchless beauty, it's also a study in the deeply emotional response that our destination evokes in tourists. The combination of the South African destination and its people creates a magic that no other destination on earth can equal. We value our partnership with the National Geographic Channel. This global media network gives us access to 300 million people in key markets around the world, delivering compelling messages about a destination whose people extend a warm invitation to come, to explore and to be amazed by all South Africa offers."

View the vignette and the entire "Through the Lens" series at: www.throughthelens.tv