Whether you’re a born-and-bred South African or a tourist wanting to visit the beautiful country, there is a lot that South Africa has to offer in terms of holiday destinations, tourist destinations, and heritage sites. So if you’re keen to explore the beautiful places this country has to offer, keep reading as we narrow down the 10 places to visit around SA. Take a look!
10. Robben Island – Western Cape
Located in Table Bay, Robben Island, a World-Heritage-listed site, is a haunting reminder of the atrocities of apartheid. Nelson Mandela spent eighteen years imprisoned in a little cell there alongside other political nonconformists and social rebels.
Although touring Robben Island can be a painful experience, the best part about this experience is that ex-prisoners are typically the guides, sharing influential first-hand records of the horrors they endured.
Visits to the island start with mixed media displays in the museum at the Nelson Mandela Gateway in the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. At that point, Tourists board boats to Robben Island, regularly overcoming rough swells on the thirty to forty-five minute boat ride. Make sure that you book ahead of schedule, as the tours fill up quickly.
9. Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve – Mpumalanga
The lovely Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve (also called Motlatse River Canyon) is a most loved pitstop on the route between Johannesburg and the Kruger National Park. The park is home to Africa’s second-biggest canyon, including a wide variety of plants and wildlife. Rich subtropical foliage, glistening rivers, waterfalls, and lichen-covered rock formations provide a phenomenal texture and colour canvas.
Game review can be incredibly fulfilling, with every standard South African primate and numerous crocodiles and hippos.
The best way to experience and explore this magnificent park is by taking scenic driving routes or hiking the broad trails. Plus, the panoramic viewpoints include the Three Rondavels and the appropriately named God’s Window.
8. iSimangaliso Wetland Park – KwaZulu-Natal
iSimangaliso translates to “miracle and wonder “in the Zulu language, and it’s a very fitting name for this World Heritage Area. It is home to Africa’s most extensive estuarine system. Previously known as the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, iSimangaliso can be found on the northeastern coast of Kwazulu Natal and joins eight connected ecosystems, including croc-filled rivers, coral reefs, lakes, swamplands, transcending coastal dunes, and savanna.
Of course, the region upholds a large assortment of wildlife, with over 526 species of birds inhabiting the reserve, including loggerhead and leatherback turtles, rhinos, leopards, and Africa’s highest concentration of crocodiles and hippos.
This extraordinary wilderness offers you the opportunity to combine the standard safari experience with coastal adventures in the marine reserve, like kayaking, diving, fishing, and snorkelling.
7. Pilanesberg National Park
Pilanesberg National Park is home to a stunning variety of birds and a prolific assortment of wildlife, and it’s only about 2.5 hours from Pretoria and Johannesburg. The Pilanesberg National Park is easily accessible from these cities. It makes for an incredible road trip or multi-day stay. It’s a lot more modest than the immense Kruger National Park, but as a result, it has a much higher concentration of game.
The Pilanesberg National Park lies in a transition zone between the rainy Lowveld and the dry Kalahari Desert. This means that you can see a rich assortment of animals here. Other than the majority of the Big 5 (buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion, and rhino), you also get the opportunity to spot herds of zebra, African wild dogs, the sublime sable and roan antelope, giraffes, and over 350 different species of birds.
6. The Drakensberg – KwaZulu-Natal
The breathtaking Drakensberg, also known as “Dragon Mountains,” is one of the top spots to visit in KwaZulu-Natal and a well-known vacation destination for South Africans. It’s additionally home to South Africa’s highest peaks.
The area encompasses the World Heritage-recorded uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, a region consisting of stunning beauty, with rugged basalt buttresses and San rock art and Royal Natal National Park, which is home to the great Amphitheater, a heavenly cliff face and wellspring of South Africa’s main rivers.
The Giant’s Castle Game Reserve in the area secures large herds of land. Thick forests thrive in the protected valleys, and the region is home to more than 800 unique species of blooming plants, including a wide variety of wildlife.
Guests visit the Drakensberg to hike the fantastic mountain trails, fish for trout, do adventure activities such as abseil, rock climb, parasail, and raft the fast-flowing rivers. Plus, hot air balloon rides are an incredible way to appreciate the spectacular topography.
5. Stellenbosch, Western Cape
Stellenbosch is a beautiful historical town in South Africa. A mosaic of old oak trees, farms, and white-washed Cape Dutch abodes, it’s one of the most well-preserved towns from the Dutch East India Company. Today it is a university town.
History buffs can take a stroll back in time at The Stellenbosch Village Museum, where there are four restored houses and gardens, dating as far back as 1709 to 1850. The Rupert Museum shows significant artworks by local artists. Walking around the Botanic Garden at the University of Stellenbosch is another fun experience to try. Plus, nature-buffs can bike and hike on the wilderness trails in the unique Jonkershoek Nature Reserve.
4. Kgalagadi (Kalahari) Transfrontier Park – Northern Cape
A merger of South Africa’s Kalahari Gemsbok National Park and Botswana’s Gemsbok National Park, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is one of the most significant wilderness locales in the world.
Officially established in 2000, Africa’s first announced transfrontier park and one of the top spots to visit in South Africa’s Northern Cape. Contorted camel thorn trees, golden grasslands, red sands, and intense blue skies give photos and game viewing a striking backdrop.
Among the remarkable wildlife, this vast conservation region is home to the famous black-maned Kalahari lion; impressive gemsbok, with their V-formed horns; meerkats, the rambling homes of sociable weavers; and various birds of prey. There are also other predators like cheetahs, leopards, and hyenas that are likewise found here. Four-wheel drive cars are suggested for a portion of the minor rough roads or those wandering into Botswana.
3. The Garden Route
Along South Africa’s southeast coast, the Garden Route runs for roughly 200 kilometres through several of South Africa’s most stunning seaside views. The route stretches along the Indian Ocean from Mossel Bay, Western Cape, to the Storms River, Eastern Cape.
This famous driving route goes via rolling green slopes, pretty waterfront towns, lakes, lagoons, and seaside cliffs. Features of the Garden Route also include:
- The charming town of Knysna, nestled between thick forests and also a sparkling lagoon.
- The stunning Garden Route National Park, with its tidal pools, gorges, and dense forests.
- Oudtshoorn’s ostrich farms and Cango Caves.
- The sealed settlement of the Robberg Nature Reserve in Plettenberg Bay.
The best part, there are many adventures en route, from elephant encounters and whale watching outings to tree canopy tours and bungee jumping.
2. Cape Town, Western Cape
One of the top activities in Cape Town is to visit Table Mountain, the flat-top peak that presides over the city. For an excellent overview, climb to the top, or take the cableway up. The drawn-out hike up Lion’s Head additionally provides the best all-encompassing panoramic city vistas.
The wonderful Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens exist as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Table Mountain’s eastern slopes. Cape Town is additionally known for its lovely boulder flanked seashores. Camp’s Bay is a top choice, with a lot of stylish shops and restaurants close by.
The residents of Cape Town love their coast so much that at sunset, they claim a spot along Chapman’s Peak Drive to toast the sunset in a dusk custom known as “sundowners.”
1. Kruger National Park – Mpumalanga & Limpopo Provinces
The Kruger National Park is one of the most incredible game reserves in Africa and one of the most established in South Africa. If you love nature and the wildlife, this popular park should undoubtedly be on your itinerary of places to visit in South Africa.
The park is roughly a 3.5-to 4.5-hour drive from Johannesburg and offers guests the opportunity to see the “Big Five”: buffalo, elephant, leopard, and rhino, including a fantastic variety of other wildlife. It’s additionally home to San (bushman) rock paintings and archaeological locales.
Perhaps the best thing about Kruger National Park is that the accommodation obliges all budgets. You can stay in a thatched bungalow, a simple campsite, or unwind in a luxurious lodge.