Historic sites
Apartheid Museum and Soweto, Johannesburg
Johannesburg, Gauteng
A powerful museum telling the story of apartheid and the struggle against it.
Travel tips in South Africa
Natural features
Blyde River Canyon and the Panorama Route
Mpumalanga
One of the largest canyons in the world, green and forested.
Natural features
Cape Point and Boulders Beach penguins
Western Cape
The dramatic cliffs of Cape Point, in Table Mountain National Park, with a lighthouse and the Cape of Good Hope nearby.
Tours and activities
Cape Winelands: Stellenbosch and Franschhoek
Franschhoek, Western Cape
Wine valleys among mountains east of Cape Town, with Cape Dutch estates.
Walks and treks
Drakensberg Amphitheatre
KwaZulu-Natal
A 5 km wall of basalt cliffs in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, a UNESCO site, over which the Tugela Falls drop 948 m, among the highest in the world.
Walks and treks
Garden Route and Tsitsikamma
Eastern Cape
A scenic coastal drive between Mossel Bay and Storms River, with lagoons, forests and beaches.
Natural features
Hermanus whale watching
Hermanus, Western Cape
From June to November, southern right whales come close to shore in Walker Bay, making Hermanus one of the world's best places for land-based whale w…
Natural features
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
Newlands, Western Cape
One of the world's great botanic gardens, on the slopes of Table Mountain, devoted to South Africa's native plants, including proteas.
Natural features
Kruger National Park
Mpumalanga
One of Africa's largest game reserves, about 20,000 km², with the Big Five and more.
Historic sites
Robben Island
City of Cape Town, Western Cape
The island prison where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 of his 27 years in prison, a UNESCO site.
Natural features
Table Mountain, Cape Town
Cape Town, Western Cape
The flat-topped mountain above Cape Town, 1,085 m, one of the New7Wonders of Nature.
Natural features
The Knysna Heads
Knysna, Western Cape
Two huge sandstone cliffs guarding the narrow, dangerous channel between the Indian Ocean and the Knysna lagoon.
Natural features
Addo Elephant National Park
Kirkwood, Eastern Cape
A park near Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) with more than 600 elephants, as well as lions, buffalo and rhinos, and a malaria-free safari option.
Historic sites
Bo-Kaap, Cape Town
City of Cape Town, Western Cape
A neighbourhood of brightly painted houses and cobbled streets on the slopes of Signal Hill, the historic home of the Cape Malay community.
Walks and treks
Cederberg Wilderness
Western Cape
A rugged mountain area of red sandstone formations, rooibos tea farms and San rock art.
Historic sites
Cradle of Humankind
Gauteng
A UNESCO site of limestone caves that have produced many of the world's early human fossils, including 'Mrs Ples'.
Natural features
Featherbed Nature Reserve, Knysna
Knysna, Western Cape
A private nature reserve on the Western Head of Knysna, reached only by ferry across the lagoon.
Natural features
iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Mtubatuba, KwaZulu-Natal
A UNESCO site of lakes, swamps, dunes and coral reefs, with hippos and crocodiles in the estuary at St Lucia, turtles nesting on the beaches in summe…
Food and drink
Knysna oysters on Thesen Island
Knysna, Western Cape
Knysna is famous for its oysters, grown in the lagoon, and cheap and delicious.
Places to stay
Mkomazana Mountain Cottages, Sani Pass
KwaZulu-Natal
Self-catering cottages at the foot of the Sani Pass in the southern Drakensberg, inside the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg World Heritage Site and 8 km from …
Attractions
V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
City of Cape Town, Western Cape
Cape Town's working harbour, turned into a lively area of shops, restaurants, hotels and museums, with Table Mountain as a backdrop.
Places to stay
Backpackers Paradise, Oudtshoorn
Oudtshoorn, Western Cape
A long-running hostel in a converted old house on Baron van Reede Street, on the Cango Caves side of Oudtshoorn.
Food and drink
Durban beachfront and curry
Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
Durban has a long beachfront promenade, the Golden Mile, warm Indian Ocean surf, and a large Indian community.