Things not to miss

Rough Guides Editors

7/1/2020

#01 The Wild Coast

#02 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park

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

#03 Soweto

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, 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.

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#05 The Drakensberg

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 huts are characteristic of the eastern Free State’s Maloti Route.

#07 Addo Elephant National Park

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

© Hajakely/Shutterstock

#08 Traditional arts and crafts

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

© Jane Rix/Shutterstock

#09 Wine routes

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

#10 The Sani Pass

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

© Lukas Bischoff Photograph/Shutterstock

#11 Game trails

Spot wildlife on a guided hike in Kruger National Park.

© Andrzej Kubik/Shutterstock

#12 Cape Point

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

© HandmadePictures/Shutterstock

#13 Storms River Mouth

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

#14 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

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

© Danita Delmont/Shutterstock

#15 Wild flowers

Following the winter rains, Namaqualand’s normally bleak landscape explodes with colour.

© Irmelamela/Shutterstock

#16 The Bo-Kaap

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

© MG Africa/Shutterstock

#17 Kruger National Park

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

© PACO COMO/Shutterstock

#18 Richtersveld Transfrontier

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

© Geoff Sperring/Shutterstock

#19 Live music

Johannesburg offers the best nightlife in South Africa, attracting top musical performers from around the country and abroad.

© wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock

#20 Table Mountain cableway

The most spectacular way to ascend Cape Town’s famous landmark is also the easiest – the revolving cable car.

© Daleen Loest/Shutterstock

#21 De Hoop Nature Reserve

Slide down mountainous dunes or watch whales from the high vantage point they provide.

#22 Robben Island

Just half an hour from Cape Town is the notorious offshore jail where political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, were incarcerated.

#23 Whale-watching

Regularly visiting the southern Cape Coast, whales often approach surprisingly close to the shore.

© Ken C Moore/Shutterstock

Travel advice for South Africa

Find even more inspiration for South Africa here