From its towns, cities, coastlines and cultures, South Africa is definitely a very diverse place to visit. But what makes it such a tourist hot-spot? For one, it has a range of unique and exciting activities that will make you want to book a flight as soon as possible. One of the main attractions is the famous Kruger National Park, South Africa’s first national park which contains significant numbers of all the big five wildlife. There are so many more national parks and beautiful natural places to visit in South Africa.
There is also the Table Mountain, a beautiful natural phenomenon that you definitely want to see at least once in your lifetime. Luckily you don’t just have to admire its beauty from afar, you can book a spot on a cable car up to the mountain and admire its diverse flora up close, or you could hike up with a guide. Either option is just as amazing. Also, we have the Robben Island, also known as Seal Island, which you can enjoy as a day outing. This is the same place which kept political prisoners during the Apartheid era.
And then, of course, there’s
Monuments and Museums
South Africa isn’t only known for its natural monuments, it also has a very interesting and extensive history, with many places to visit that showcase that. It is more likely that you know who Nelson Mandela was, a great man who ended apartheid and became our democratically elected president. To commemorate that, South Africa has the Apartheid Museum, which tells the story of the 20th Century South Africa and the now-defunct apartheid system. There is also The Nelson Mandela House, a restored dwelling of the South African leader.
On our history menu is definitely not only Apartheid, so many historical monuments are open to visitors to learn, and see, all that was and is South Africa. There is the Castle of Good Hope, an expansive and colonial 17th century castle that is now a provincial heritage site. There is the Pilgrim's Rest, a small museum which offers the visitor a fascinating window into the past, and captures the spirit of a bygone era and its people in their quest for gold. There is also the Voortrekker Monument which commemorates the Afrikaans settlers who arrived in 1830. There are so many more museums and historical sites that tell South Africa’s story and are amazing places to visit.
A lot of tourists when they think Africa, they think wildlife and poverty. South Africa has a great urban lifestyle, and places that city lovers will never want to leave. One of the most popular international sites for tourists is the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, the mother city.
In and Around South Africa
Once you are in South Africa, in no particular order, we will make sure that we take you to the Lion & Safari park to get intimate with lions and a few other cats. We visit with you the
Lesedi Cultural Village to live and share in the South African cultural diversity. We then take you to the historically rich township, Soweto where the famous Valakazi Street is found. We are not done with you as we are still to take you to the Blyde River Canyon, one of the largest canyons on Earth, and it may be the largest 'green canyon' due to its lush subtropical foliage, offering you the Three Rondavels and God's Window. Also, on the list is Drakensberg “Ukhahlamba”, the Great Escarpment which takes a portion of the Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga province and Lesotho. As if that’s not enough, there is also Knysna, the heart of the Garden Route, which is surrounded by forests, lakes, mountains and sea, and is an ever-popular tourist destination and town of legends.
Lastly is South Africa’s culture. South Africa is very rich in, and well known for, it’s many diverse cultures. After all, it’s not known as ‘The Rainbow Nation’ for nothing. South Africa has 11 official languages and 8 other recognized languages, all of these coming from the natives and the colonizers.
As South Africa was being developed, more labor was required and slaves from Madagascar, East Africa, East Indies, India, and China were brought in. Visit Chinatown in Johannesburg, The Grey Street Musjid in Durban's CBD, and Cape Malays in Cape Town to learn more about the different cultures that aren’t originally from South Africa.
After learning all of this it probably comes as no surprise that tourists love South Africa so much, and that you’ll probably love it too.
