If aesthetics, beauty, and luxury were ever a Country, it would be South Africa. First, there’s the endearing view from the mountain top in Central Drakensberg. Hikers around the world can wander off to the many locations in the Drakensberg. Then, you can enjoy the safari in the wildlife park. If you have only ever seen the Big Five: Lion, Elephant, Rhino, Leopard, and Buffalo, on Nat geo wild, let South Africa’s wildlife park officially introduce you to them.
With South Africa being the Melting Pot of diverse cultures and traditions, you’re in for a treat, especially food-wise. With so many places you can visit, there are a million things to do in South Africa.
The above-highlighted top tourist spots in South Africa are just a tip of the iceberg of all the country has to offer. As a tourist or travel blogger, you just need to open up yourself to the distinct beauty the country has. So, if this is your first visit to the country or you want to have newer adventures in South Africa, we have compiled 10 of the best tourist attractions in South Africa for you. Let’s jump right in.
Kruger National Park, Limpopo Provinces.
One of the South African Attractions that claims the first spot on our list is the Kruger National Park. With the size of about 19, 465 km2, it is no surprise that it is one of the largest reserves in the country. Since its inception on May 31st, 1926, it has attracted an impressive number of tourists.
These tourists go on a safari around the park.
Here, you’ll meet nature in its purest form. There is a large expanse of green that stretches across the field. It also accommodates the big five: Lion, Rhino, Leopard, Elephant, and Buffalo. Even though some tourists visit the park to see the Big Five, there are other species in the park. They include 150 mammals, 336 different breeds of trees, 116, reptiles, 507 birds, and 34 amphibians.
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One thing tourists might find fascinating about this park is the preservation of all the different breeds of animals in their most natural habitat. There are a few campsites in this game reserve. So, be sure to have an exciting camping experience with family and friends. Even though this game reserve has been in existence since the early 1920s, the wildlife experience never gets old.
Cape of Good Hope, Cape Peninsula
If you do not want to visit the game reserve, the cape of good hope is another one of the tourist attractions in South Africa that you can visit. So, what makes this tourist attraction unique? Let’s find out.
As a rocky promontory, it is a place that lives up to its name to inspire hope. How? The beautiful nature view inspires hope and can remind you of life’s beauty. The headland gives you a fantastic view of the blue sea that seems to stretch out forever.
Also, If you simply enjoy listening to the forward and backward movement of the ocean wave, you should visit this place. Simply stand on the rocky land and stare into the beauty that lies ahead of you. Then, allow the breezy atmosphere to wrap you in its embrace. Most people refer to it as being at the southern tip of South Africa. It is a one and a half-hour drive from Cape Town. A free tip? Go with a jacket because it does get breezy and cold there.
Boulders Beach, Cape Town
If you fell in love with Penguins by watching their exploits on the Nickelodeon’s Penguin of Madagascar, let me introduce you to the Penguins of South Africa. Finally, you get to see the Penguins graciously displayed on Nat geo wild at this Boulders beach.
This beach for Penguins is a mesh of white sand, granite boulders, and warm temperature water. Sadly, neither the clean white sand nor the granite is the center of attraction here, but the Penguins. Simply enjoy a nice view of the Penguins on the boardwalks that’s around the Foxy Beach. Watch these Penguins revel in the beach’s essence as they play on the beach, enjoy the ocean wave, etc.
As a travel or wildlife photographer, you would have more than enough sight to capture. We suggest you visit the beach in the summertime. The Penguins bloom into full action during the summertime. Nevertheless, you can also capture great Penguin pictures in other periods in the year.
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town
You don’t have to be a Botanist before visiting South Africa‘s botanical garden. The goal of the garden is to preserve indigenous plant life in South Africa. You can expect a lot from this garden. First, there is the Cycad Amphitheatre. It houses 29 plant species. Since this plant breed has a slow growth, it is preserved here and kept from the reach of plant collectors.
There is also the JV Mathews Rock Garden. Here, you’ll find the aloe vera plant and other plant species. You can explore the fragrance garden in this botanical garden if you love the natural fragrance of flowers. It contains a beautiful collection of fragrance plants. Hence, you can revel in the refreshing smell of these plants. The garden also has a Protea garden, which assumes its full potential in winter. Let’s also not forget about the sculpture garden that is home to Africa’s stone sculptures that have spiritual and traditional meanings to them.
Robben Island, Western Cape
If you love history and would love to see some historic locations in South Africa, start with Robben Island. This historic prison is where one of Africa’s Icon, Nelson Mandela, was jailed. According to the history books, he was held in this prison for 18 years out of the 27 years he was imprisoned. After leaving prison, we went on to become one of the greatest African men. Once Apartheid was over, this prison was no longer useful. Robben Island became a museum in 1997. The year 1999 turned it into a UNESCO world heritage site. It has now become one of the tourist attractions in South Africa.
Nelson Mandela wasn’t the only one to be housed in this prison. Other freedom fighters, like Harold Matsididi, were held hostage in prison. Their superiors tortured them on the Island for opposing Apartheid. So, while you won’t enjoy the view of the deep blue sea on this island, you would learn about the dark history of South Africa that made it into what it is today.
V&A Waterfront
The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, often abbreviated as the V&A waterfront, perfectly answers the “why visit South Africa” question. How do I mean? Located in one of the oldest functional Harbours in the country, it offers foreigners and locals a myriad of things to do.
For starters, it is considered the home of shopping. The reason is that it is home to five shopping districts in the country, Breakwater Point, The Clock Tower, The Alfred Mall, and Pierhead, the Watershed, and Victoria Wharf. With close to 500 stores in these shopping districts, you can shop for your favorite local and international brands.
Aside from shopping districts, the V&A waterfront has a lot of restaurants where you can both eat and enjoy the beautiful view of the harbor. Their coffee shops offer one of the best and refreshing coffees. A cup of coffee is enough to revive your energy after a long day of going around the busy waterfront. Other iconic places at the waterfront include bars, fast-food outlets, cafes, food markets, beach clubs, Chavonnes Battery Museum, etc.
Newlands Brewery
Beer lovers, get in here! We’ve got something for you to do when you ever find yourself in the South Africa. Yes, you guessed it. You should visit the Newlands Brewery in Cape Town. Existing since 1820, this brewery is one of South Africa’s oldest Breweries
Unless you are a full-fledged lover of great quality beer, you probably won’t enjoy your visit to this brewery. The reason is that you would tour the Brewery and discover different brewing methods. There are some set of rules that tourists and foreigners who visit the Brewery must follow. These rules aren’t harsh. It is safety conscious.
Perhaps the most interesting part of this brewery tour experience is that there would be a beer tasting session. This session is part of the one hour stipulated tour time allocated to tourists. Also, visitors would not leave the brewery empty-handed. The brewery would give them two complimentary drinks.
Cango Caves
How about we take a stroll back to the stone ages where humans lived in caves? This cave takes you back to 20 million years ago. Well, that’s how old the cave is. There are various limestone collections in this cave. History has it that some of these limestones are older than the cave itself. Specifically, these limestones formed about 4,500 million years ago.
You can do a Heritage tour around the cave. You can also do an adventure tour if you’re feeling adventurous. Here, you’ll go through tunnels that lead to specific places. The word “cave” in Cango caves is pluralized because there are three different caves in the same location.
The Cango Caves has an auditorium where people watch a short film about the second Cango Caves. There is also a curio shop for African gifts and artifacts, a restaurant for tourists to sit, relax and eat, and an interpretive center.
Gold Reef City
Entertainment fuels this city. It boasts of an exotic amusement park and a casino facility. You can call the casino complex an idea of fun and energy.
There are different sections of entertainment in the casino complex. First is the casino itself that offers you loads of gaming options. Then, there is the Lyric. The Lyric is an 1100 seat theatre where you can enjoy great movie productions. There is also a ten-pin bowling alley, restaurants and fast-food outlets for when you get hungry, and the amusement park.
You can never run out of what to do in South Africa once you are at the Gold Reef City. If you ever get tired of the casino, you can visit the amusement park. There are a lot of rides in the park. Some of the rides are Anaconda, Giant wheel, Jozi express, golden loop, Lazy boats, Log rides, Mermaid, Miner’s revenge, etc. The Gold Reef City would make you explode with fun. This fun city is located in Johannesburg.
Bill Harrop’s Original Balloon Safaris
This hot air balloon safari is a great way to relax those feisty nerves. It is a breath of fresh air. Imagine yourself at sunrise, floating over nothing but nature. You watch, in steady and calm movement, as the trees yield to the power of the cool breeze. You rise above mountain tops as your eyes meet the wonders of nature. The calmness would magically sap your stress and give you a fantastic massage.
Interestingly, you can grab an exotic breakfast at Bill Harrop’s Restaurant after the refreshing flight. What’s exciting about this balloon safari is that you can enjoy it with your lover. You can do it alone for peace.
Undoubtedly, this balloon safari is an amazing stress therapy. The next time you’re in the South Africa, try out the balloon safari. Bill Harrop’s original balloon safaris offer one of the best balloon safaris in the South Africa.