Places to visit in South Africa

With more than 20 national parks and reserves across South Africa, you’re spoiled for choice when to comes to a safari, but Kruger National Park is still the original and best. The country’s first national park, formally established in 1926, it sprawls across an enormous two million hectares, with an equally huge number of animals within its boundary. One of the top places to see the Big Five, there are 147 different types of mammal, 507 species of bird, 114 kinds of reptiles, 34 amphibians and 49 separate types of fish. If you’re very lucky, you could even see the rare scaled pangolin, plus some fascinating smaller inhabitants, from tiny fruit bats and elephant shrews to rhino beetles. It’s possible to self-drive here, as well as joining guided game drives.

One of the best places in South Africa to spot leopards, Sabi Sands Game Reserve is a private reserve bordering Kruger National Park that’s home to an impressive variety of wildlife. Another great location to see the Big Five, you can also find endangered wild dogs and more than 500 species of bird. Looking for a wildlife challenge? Attempt to spy a few of the Sabi Sands Secret Seven, a set of famously elusive nocturnal creatures – aardvark, African wild cat, civet, large spotted genet, pangolin, porcupine and serval. Add in some luxurious accommodation, and this is the perfect place for a safari in style.

If you’re hoping to see elephants during your holiday in South Africa, Addo Elephant Park has to make the shortlist, with more than 600 living in the herds here, ranging from calves following their mothers to solitary bulls. But that’s only the start of the wildlife to be spotted; along with the other members of the Big Five, you could tick off the Big Seven during your visit, with the Southern right whale and Great white shark to be found just off the coast, and spy the rare flightless dung beetle, which has right of way on Addo’s roads.

There’s so much to tempt you to South Africa’s second city, that a couple of days in Cape Town barely scratches the surface. The ‘Mother City’, as it’s known, is a buzzing, colourful spot, set around a string of beaches and the V&A Waterfront along the old harbour. If you’re hoping to discover history, you could take a boat trip to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was held for so many years, or explore brightly-painted Bo Kaap, with its predominantly Muslim community. Descended from enslaved people brought from Southeast Asia in the 17^th century, it has own culinary heritage too – try bobotie, which mixes minced meat, curry, raisins, apricot chutney and egg. For art lovers, the Zeitz MOCAA is the largest museum of contemporary African art in the world, or simply relax with a glass of local wine and some fantastic fresh fish at one of the waterfront restaurants.

The backdrop to colourful Cape Town, you shouldn’t miss a visit to Table Mountain during your stay in the city, especially if its flat top is without the ‘tablecloth’ of cloud that often covers its summit. You can climb up in about two hours or there’s a cable car to whisk you to the top in around four minutes (letting you take the easier option of climbing down if you prefer). As you explore, look out for some of the 2,200 plant species found here, as well as dassies, or rock hyrax – these small furry mammals are actually one of the closest relatives of the African elephant. In the wider Table Mountain National Park, Boulders Beach is home to a colony of endangered African penguins who’ll waddle and lounge by the water as you sunbathe and paddle yourself.

Only around 40 miles from Cape Town, a visit to Cape Point is a chance to leave civilisation far behind. Lined with rugged coast and quiet beaches, the Cape peninsula is packed with walking trails and history. Wander the shipwreck trails to view some of the vessels which fell foul of the peninsula’s storms, visit the lighthouse, and spot monuments to Portuguese explorers including Vasco da Gama and Bartolomeu Dias – who named this the Cape of Storms, before it gained its later name Cape of Good Hope. While it’s not quite the southernmost tip of Africa – that distinction goes to Cape Agulhas 250km to the south-east – its spectacular good looks mean you won’t care.

Just outside Cape Town, you’ll find around 200 wineries in South Africa’s wine region, many dotted around the pretty towns of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, with their whitewashed Cape Dutch and French buildings (Franschhoek means French corner in Afrikaans). The Cape Winelands are known for their great food too, but the big highlight is tastings at the vineyards. One of the best ways to explore is by bike, pedalling along quiet paths and soaking up the view before stopping to enjoy the range of local vintages in the South African sunshine. Save some time to wander through the botanical university gardens in Stellenbosch during your stay.

One of the world’s best road trips, the Garden Route stretches for over 185 miles from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape to the Storms River in the Eastern Cape, passing mountain, forest, beach, river and ocean galore along the way. The perfect self-drive holiday in South Africa, you can explore at your own pace, stopping to spot wildlife and relax in towns like Plettenberg Bay and Knysna, as well as the Bloukrans Bridge bungee jump for an adrenaline thrill like no other – the highest commercial bungee jump in the world, you’re 216 metres above the ground when you jump. But you’ll also find wildlife, views and more views, and some wonderful seafood as you go

One of the best places in the world for whale watching, Hermanus is on the migration route for several species of whale, which often come so close in to the shore that you can see them from land. Visit between June and November, and you can spot everything from humpback and Bryde’s whales to Southern right whales, which calve in the waters between August and October. If you’re lucky, you might even spot an orca, with dolphins appearing around the coast too. Save time for at least one boat trip to get a glimpse of the whales up close; while boats have to keep a respectful distance from the creatures, these curious mammals will often come closer to check you out.

Another of the best places to stop along the Garden Route, Plettenberg Bay – or Plett as the locals call it – is a relaxed town with wide sandy beaches, that’s famous for its seal-spotting.

Robberg Nature Reserve is home to about 6,000 fur seals, with boat trips taking you to see them relaxing on the rocks. From July to early December, you’ll also find whales in the waters off the coast, passing through on their annual migration. Or head back onto terra firma to hike in the Robberg Nature Reserve with some great trails through white sand dunes and up the rocky paths, before eating at one of the many seafood restaurants.

This remote corner of the Western Cape is home to one of the loveliest, most unspoiled reserves – well worth braving the bumpy gravel road to get here. At De Hoop Nature Reserve, high sand dunes back coastal walking trails where you can sometimes spot whales here between May and November. The landscape is home to a string of wildlife, including Cape mountain zebra, eland, bontebok, as well as around 260 species of bird. Hop onto mountain bikes for guided tours, or join a local ranger for guided walks to learn more about the fynbos landscape and coastal rock pools – bring your snorkel to explore them up close.

One of the highlights of the Garden Route, vibrant Knysna is packed with independent shops selling wood carvings and furniture, art galleries and some fabulous seafood restaurants. Set on a lagoon, the town is particularly famous for its oysters, harvested fresh from off the coast before making it to your plate. Enjoy a dip in one of the shallower corners of the lagoon from Bollard Bay, or take a boat trip across to Featherbed Nature Reserve where you can walk to Knysna Heads to look out onto the water, with the cliffs separating the lagoon from the Indian Ocean.

Part of the Garden Route National Park, it’s easy to see how Tsitsikamma got its name, which translates as ‘place of abundant water’. There’s a marine conservation area stretching for 5km off the shore, as well as a winding river which divides the park itself in two. Home to the famous five-day Otter Trail hiking route, there are shorter day hikes along the coast, but one of the most exciting activities is a chance to head up into the treetops with a canopy tour of the rainforest, where you’ll gaze out from platforms and zip between ancient Outeniqua Yellowwood trees.

The biggest city on the Eastern Cape, Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) is just a couple of hours east of Storms River, the traditional end of the Garden Route. A starting point for a safari in the Eastern Cape, there are a string of reserves within easy reach of the city – you can even reach some by water, to add a mini boat safari to your experience – along with Addo Elephant Park not far away. Set on Algoa Bay, you can spot whales between May and December, and relax on some gorgeous beaches year-round, including King’s Beach, white-sand Wells Estate Beach and Humewood Beach, plus several great locations for surfers.

The third largest city in South Africa is a fantastic mix of Zulu tradition with a multicultural flavour thanks to having the largest concentration of Indian descendants outside India. Add in endless curving golden beaches lining the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, British colonial architecture and Art Deco buildings, Africa’s oldest surviving botanical garden, plus art galleries, street art and a buzzing restaurant scene, and there’s no question this coastal city has plenty to tempt visitors. Save time to try the city’s bunny chow, hollowed-out bread filled with curry, as well as fantastic fresh fish and seafood. It’s also easy to combine with hiking in the Drakensberg, or the battlefields of KwaZulu Natal.

The main mountain range of southern Africa, the Drakensberg reminded settlers of dragons, while its isiZulu name is uKhahlamba – meaning ‘barrier of spears’. These are no gentle undulating mountains, but these rugged peaks and dramatic cliffs are a favourite of hikers, mountain bikers and those looking to enjoy South Africa’s wild landscapes. You needn’t be an experienced trekker to explore on foot either, with routes such as the Tugela Gorge Trail which leads you to Tugela Falls, a complex of cascades which some call the world’s highest waterfall. It’s also home to rock paintings created more than 2,000 years ago by the San people, hunter-gatherers who once lived in this area, with guided tours to see this ancient art.

South Africa’s biggest city is also one which visitors tend to overlook, travelling through only to fly in or out. But while Jozi, as the locals call it, isn’t the prettiest of South African cities, you’ll find everything from street art to apartheid history in the ‘City of Gold’. Start at the moving Apartheid Museum to learn more about the rainbow nation’s past, before visiting Mandela’s House in Soweto, where he lived before his long imprisonment – now a museum, you can take tours of Soweto too. While the crime rate has dropped in recent years, this still isn’t somewhere to wander around without a plan though; it’s best to know your destination and drive straight there.

Beaches may not be what first comes to mind when you’re planning a holiday in South Africa, but with so much fantastic coastline, you aren’t short of a tempting stretch of sand. If you’re spending time in and around Cape Town, the white sands and curving bays of Clifton’s four beaches and Camps Bay are perfect to while away an afternoon, although you’ll find countless more along the Garden Route, including some where you can spot whales. Meet the penguins on Boulders Beach or enjoy the rugged wilder landscape of the beaches at Cape Point, while on the Indian Ocean coast, Durban alone has more than 20 beaches to enjoy, including long stretches of golden sand.

Around 30 miles from Johannesburg, The Cradle of Humankind is one of South Africa’s UNESCO World Heritage sites, where the largest number of human ancestral remains has been found, along with tools and other traces of early human life. Around 40% of all hominin fossils have been discovered on the site, so whether you’re fascinated by archaeology or simply where we all came from, this is unmissable. The whole complex includes a cave system, some of which you can visit, and stretches for 120,000 acres.