Here is a small selection of major tourist attractions in South Africa which we recommend that you add to your list of places to visit:
TABLE MOUNTAIN On 11 November 2011, Table Mountain was named among the New 7 Wonders of Nature.
You can get to the top of Cape Town’s most famous icon in just five minutes by taking a cable car, or spend the better part of your day hiking up.
Table Mountain Cableway, established in 1929, takes visitors to the top in one of two cable cars, each with rotating floors and huge windows to ensure your views while travelling are almost as spectacular as those on the summit. Cable cars depart every 10 to 15 minutes.
From the top of Table Mountain, there are magnificent views of the Cape Town city centre, surrounding suburbs and the Atlantic Ocean. Landmarks in view include the Cape Town Stadium, Robben Island and Camps Bay beach.
There are a number of short walks on the top, as well as longer ones that can take you down to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, or even further along, to the Silvermine Nature Reserve.
ROBBEN ISLAND Once “home” to some of South Africa’s most famous political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, Robben Island is one of the country’s most visited tourist attractions, and rightly so. Do not leave Cape Town without visiting the island – it is likely to be a highlight of your trip.
Robben Island is situated some 9 kilometers offshore from Cape Town. Dubbed “Robben” (“the place of seals”) by Dutch settlers, the island was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999. Over the centuries it has been used as a prison, a hospital, a mental institution, and a military base.
It is most famous for being a political prison during apartheid, an era of racial
segregation in South Africa, when many of South Africa’s most prominent freedom fighters spent time here. Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of the 27 years he was imprisoned on the island.
FRANSCHHOEK WINE ROUTE The Franschhoek Valley is arguably the most beautiful of all of the Cape wine routes. As you travel alongside the mountain
on your way in, you are greeted with spectacular views.
Many of the wine farms were developed by the French Huguenots centuries ago. Famed as a culinary region, as well as for its wine, Franschhoek boasts around 40 wine estates and over 28 restaurants. A new route has also been launched in Franschhoek called the Cap Classique Route (sparkling wine) which includes nine cellars.
The village of Franschhoek also offers a wonderful selection of art galleries, antique shops and boutique hotels.
GARDEN ROUTE This popular and scenic stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa stretches from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape to the Storms River in the neighbouring Eastern Cape.
The name comes from the verdant and ecologically diverse vegetation encountered here and the numerous lagoons and lakes dotted along the coast.
The Garden Route includes the coastal resorts of Mossel Bay, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and Nature’s Valley, with George and Oudtshoorn as inland attractions.
KRUGER NATIONAL PARK This world-renowned National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. Established in 1898 to
protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld, this park of nearly two million hectares is unrivalled in the diversity of its life forms and is a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies.
Truly the flagship of the South African national parks, Kruger is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals.
Man’s interaction with the Lowveld environment over many centuries - from bushman rock paintings to majestic archaeological sites like Masorini and Thulamela - is very evident in the Kruger National Park. These treasures represent the cultures, persons and events that played a role in its history and are conserved along with the park’s natural assets.
SOWETO Infused with the history of the struggle against apartheid and abuzz with the energy of the city of gold, Soweto is a must-see for tourists who are looking for more than sun, sea and the big five.
With heritage sites, restaurants, shebeens and budget accommodation options aplenty, Soweto is well worth visiting, whether on a day tour or for a longer period to experience the real Soweto – a place of friendship, vibrancy and contrasts.
Soweto is the most populous black urban residential area in the country. Thanks to its proximity to Johannesburg, the economic hub of South Africa, it is also the most multicultural township in the country - setting trends in politics, fashion, music, dance and language.