Top 10 Reasons to Visit South Africa
What are your thoughts about an ideal holiday?
Is it spending time with the family or friends at the beach, exploring new places, trying exciting activities, trying out delicious local cuisine or meeting interesting people?
Well, you can virtually experience all of these things during your holiday in South Africa. Here are the top 10 reasons to visit South Africa :
Top 10 Reasons to Visit South Africa
1. Outdoor Activities
Hot Air Balloon is a popular activity in South Africa. You can even enjoy a Wildlife Safari and Hot Air Balloon together in many places in South Africa.
With plenty of outdoor opportunities and sunshine, this country is regarded as a massive playground by many.
To get a taste of its great outdoors, you can try riding a horse in the Drakensberg, hiking to the top of Table Mountain, cycling through Cape Winelands, whale-watching in Hermanus, cage-diving with great whites, paragliding over Cape Town, taking a walking safari in the Kruger, and exploring the forest canopy on the Garden Route.
Aside from this, many of its outdoor spots are family-friendly, which means that you will never have a dull moment with your family. You will find child-friendly accommodation and other loads of options for a beach break, family safari or other such types of holiday.
2. Wildlife
Elephant close up during a Game Drive in South Africa Source: Manyeleti Tintswalo Safari Lodge
South Africa is known for having a selection of fascinating nature reserves and game parks, such as the Kruger National Park, which is most famous for Africa’s Big 5—the lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, and rhinoceros.
You can take an exclusive safari in the world-famous Sabi Sands, a tour in the Madikwe Private Reserve, or embark on a game-viewing trip to the Eastern Cape.
3. Food and Wine
Some destinations in this country are known for offering some of the world’s best cuisine. For example, on the eastern seaboard, you can indulge in a gourmet getaway in the beautiful hills of the Kwazulu-Natal Midlands before you embark on a hike in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains.
As for the wine, you can explore the beautiful estates of the Cape Winelands in Cape Town and get the chance to sample its award-winning wines on vine-covered patios and in cool cellars.
4. Beaches
Cape Of Good Hope
South African cities, such as Cape Town, arguably have some of the best urban beaches that are not only known for white sands and clear waters, but also for the animals that make them their home, such as penguins.
Along the Garden Route and the coastline of Kwazulu-Natal, you will find long stretches of pristine white-sand shores that are lapped by waves of warm waters. There are also tropical coral reefs that you can find here, especially at the Rocktail Bay.
5. History and Culture
Robben Island is an Island in Table Bay, this is where Nobel Laureate and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela was kept in prison for 18 year out of total 27 years he served in prison. Robben Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
South Africa can take you as far back in time as you want—after all, it is not called the Cradle of Humankind for nothing.For a taste of more interesting history, you can go to the Kwazulu-Natal Battlefields where excellent guides can walk you through the bloody battles that played out between the Zulu warriors, Boer commandos and British soldiers.
You can also learn about the country’s remarkable modern history on a visit to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 18 years along with other political prisoners during the Apartheid.
By exploring the rich history here, you will also learn about the ethnic and diverse culture here, which still strongly survives until today.
The country is basically a melting pot of many fascinating cultures, which you will notice in the local’s accents, faces and in their food.
6. People of South Africa
South Africans are known to smile a lot, and yes, they are definitely friendly. It is also this aspect that many people from all over the world love to visit this part of the world.
As you can see, a holiday in South Africa will allow you to meet new people who would passionately recommend great attractions and activities for your holiday.
7. Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi stayed in South Africa from 1893 to 1914
Did you know that South Africa served as the vessel that forged Mahatma Gandhi’s political activism and played an important role to his return to India to secure his country’s independence from British rule in August 1947.
It was in this country where Gandhi worked on securing significant legal concessions for the local Indian population here.
During his stay, he contrived the strategy known as satyagraha or “truth-force”, which involves campaigners going on peaceful marches and presenting themselves for arrest to protest against injustice.
A holiday in South Africa will give you the chance to trace the steps of this great humanitarian.
8. Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela - Nobel Laureate and former President of South Africa.
The legacy of Nelson Mandela is very alive and well for the country’s tourism, even boosting the industry in the wake of the passing of this iconic leader.
It is said that he opened up this beautiful country to the rest of the world, and now millions of tourists are interested in walking in his footsteps and learning about his life.
You can do this once-in-a-lifetime experience through a trip to South Africa
9. Natural Landscapes
Table Mountain in Cape Town
As we all know, South Africa is filled with stunning landscapes and vistas that make for a variety of great attractions for a memorable South African holiday.
These include the beautiful natural wonders, such as God’s Window and the Blyde River Canyon in the provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo; the popular Kruger National Park; the spectacular Drakensberg Mountain Range in Kwazulu-Natal coast we enter the Eastern Cape; the spectacular Valley of Desolation in the Karoo region; and the majestic Table Mountain and the wonderful wonder of nature Cape Point in the Western Cape.
When travelling this country, you are definitely going to be spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding where to go to see some stunning landscapes.
10. Great Cities
Aerial view of Cape Town city with Table Mountain
South Africa has great and large cities that offer world-famous destinations, where any type of traveler can meet his/her needs.
The top cities that you can visit here include Cape Town in Western Cape, which is known as one of the most beautiful cities in the world; Johannesburg in Gauteng, which was founded during the gold rush; and Durban in Kwazulu-Natal, which is a hot destination that is known for its fine weather, beautiful beaches, heady cultural mix and sultry nightlife.
If you wish to ride an Ostrich, visit one of the Ostrich Farms in Oudtshoorn, South Africa. Oudtshoorn in Karoo region has largest ostrich population in South Africa.
Now, are you convinced yet ? By visiting South Africa, you will have a holiday that you have not experienced before.