Must see places in South Africa | Things in South Africa you should not miss

updated 7/21/2021

#01 The Wild Coast Dropdown content

This part of the Eastern Cape offers peace and seclusion along a remote and spectacular subtropical coastline.

Eastern Cape, South Africa © Vincent van Oosten/Shutterstock

#02 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park Dropdown content

KwaZulu-Natal Dropdown content’s finest game reserve offers an unsurpassed variety of wildlife-spotting activities, from night drives to self-guided walks and even donkey trails.

© 4uphoto_Valeria De Mattei/Shutterstock

#03 Soweto Dropdown content

A tour around the vast, sprawling township – South Africa’s largest – provides a graphic idea of how the majority of black South Africans live.

© Gil.K/Shutterstock

#04 Indian culture

Durban Dropdown content, Africa’s busiest port, boasts a large Indian population, brightly coloured Hindu temples, buzzing markets and zinging curries. For more information, see the section on Durban.

Panorama Durban, South Africa © lcswart/Shutterstock

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#05 The Drakensberg Dropdown content

Hike in the “dragon mountains”, which harbour South Africa’s highest peaks, plus waterfalls, rock art and awesome panoramas.

© EcoPrint/Shutterstock

#06 Vernacular architecture

Beautifully decorative Basotho Dropdown content huts are characteristic of the eastern Free State’s Maloti Route Dropdown content.

© Ariadna22822/Shutterstock

#07 Addo Elephant National Park Dropdown content

Encounter elephants and the rest of the Big Five at the end of the Garden Route Dropdown content.

© Hajakely/Shutterstock

#08 Traditional arts and crafts

Find traditional handicrafts in rural and urban areas alike, such as the Venda region of Limpopo Dropdown content.

© Jane Rix/Shutterstock

#09 Wine routes

The Cape’s wine estates combine stunning scenery, Cape Dutch architecture and some fine vintages.

Cape vineyard Buitenverwachting, South Africa © Gareth Weeks/Shutterstock

#10 The Sani Pass

The most precipitous pass in Southern Africa, connecting Lesotho to KwaZulu-Natal Dropdown content.

© Lukas Bischoff Photograph/Shutterstock

#11 Game trails

Spot wildlife on a guided hike in Kruger National Park Dropdown content.

© Andrzej Kubik/Shutterstock

#12 Cape Point Dropdown content

The rocky promontory south of Cape Town is one of the most dramatic coastal locations on the continent.

© HandmadePictures/Shutterstock

#13 Storms River Mouth Dropdown content

The Garden Route’s most spectacular coastline, where you can cross Storms River Mouth by footbridge.

Suspension bridge in Storms River Mouth national park in South Africa © Deyan Denchev/Shutterstock

#14 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park Dropdown content

View cheetahs, meerkats and other desert dwellers amid the harsh beauty of the Kalahari Dropdown content.

© Danita Delmont/Shutterstock

#15 Wild flowers

Following the winter rains, Namaqualand Dropdown content’s normally bleak landscape explodes with colour in the stunning Northern Cape Dropdown contentregion.

© Irmelamela/Shutterstock

#16 The Bo-Kaap Dropdown content

Cape Town’s oldest residential area is filled with colourful Cape Dutch and Georgian architecture.

#17 Kruger National Park Dropdown content

Get spine-tinglingly close to lions and other big game at Southern Africa’s ultimate wildlife destination.

#18 Richtersveld Transfrontier Dropdown content

Fierce, rugged and hot, the Richtersveld has some of the most dramatic mountainscape in the country, sparsely populated by science-fiction vegetation.