Top 50 attractions in South Africa

South Africa offers so much more than the normal tourist attractions

South Africa one of the most beautiful places on earth, with so many exciting activities. These 50 activities are a good representation of whats available in South Africa

1. Paddle the Orange River: Awesome scenery, fun but easy rapids, great food and sleeping under the stars is one of the best destressers around.
2. Ride a horse along a beach: The long white beach at Buffels Bay near Knysna is just perfect for a gentle canter in the surf line. More experienced riders can do a longer ride returning through the fabulous coastal forest of the Goukamma Nature Reserve.
3. Learn to dive: From Cape Towns icy kelp forests to Maputalands coral wonderland, South Africa has some of the best and most varied diving in the world. There is a dive school near you.
4. Watch the sun set over the Atlantic:You may even see a green flash. And, certainly, you can enhance the experience with a good Cape wine.
5. Spend a night in a township B&B: Thats assuming you dont live in a township already, in which case concentrate on the other 49 options. Enjoying a meal with your hosts and getting to know them is all part of the experience. Youll find all the info you need at local tourist info offices.
6. Walk in the Berg: You can choose between a short-day walk to visit waterfalls, caves or rock art, or opt for the full Drakensberg traverse that will take you anything from two to four weeks.
7. Ride the cable car up Table Mountain: Yes, of course, its a touristy thing to do - thats cause it takes you to what must be one of the most stunning viewpoints in the world. Youd be amazed how many Capetonians havent been up the cable car - its that old backyard mentality at work again.
8. Explore the Cango Caves: Extending for miles into the limestone of the Little Karoo, these fabulous caves contain huge stalagmites and stalactites, as well as some spectacular flow formations. Unless youre really claustrophobic, or unfit, opt for the longer adventure tour. This way you get to slither through the Devils Chimney and post yourself through his little postbox. Hmmm. Obviously he doesnt get much mail.
9. Do the Grahamstown Festival: Every July thousands of culture vultures descend on this fascinating little town to freeze their butts off, eat their way through a dozen ephemeral restaurants that pop up for the duration and - of course - see the best performance art South Africa has to offer.
10. Amble around Kalk Bay: Browse in the antique shops, sample the many cappuccinos on offer, buy crusty ciabatta (possibly the best in the world) from the Olympic Café and fish fresh off the boats in the harbour.
11. Paddle with dolphins: Take a kayak trip from Plett where you are almost guaranteed to see a pod or two of dolphins. If they dont oblige, the scenery is great, anyway, and its a fun trip.
12. Walk the cliff top in Hermanus: The flowers and views are fantastic and - in winter - the whales are there.
13. Spoil yourself rotten:
    There is no more gloriously self-indulgent experience than to check into a game lodge with a wellness centre attached. You do the usual - up at dawn, game drive, monster brunch, late afternoon tea, game drive, sundowners, night drive and huge supper.
    
    But then, instead of spending the time between brunch and afternoon tea reading or sleeping, you could be getting a massage, facial, manicure or whatever. Definitely the best of both worlds. Almost every second game lodge has a wellness centre, now so there are dozens to choose from.
14. Visit the Apartheid Museum: We need to know our history to make sure we dont repeat it. And, while youre there, you can dilute the serious soul-searching stuff with a carnival ride at Gold Reef City.
15. Do Kruger: If youve never explored this mega South African icon, youre really missing out. Dont listen to the mother grundies who say its too developed. Its 20 000sq km with, granted, some tarred roads and huge rest camps, but this is a wild place. You go self-drive, join a night drive, take a self-guided 4x4 trail or even adventure on an escorted mountain bike trail.
16. Check out the spring flowers: Almost every obscure little place north of Cape Town all the way to the Namibian border is renowned for one or two species, or a family, or just the sheer overwhelming number of flowers. Iridescent carpets of colour stretch towards the horizon as far as the eye can see. Although August is usually the best time, September can be good, too.
17. Take a horseback safari: If youre pretty competent, try Wait a Little or Equus in Limpopo Province, but beginners can still enjoy the thrill of seeing big game on horseback with Horseback Africa, near Cullinan, or Aquila, near Cape Town.
18. Go on a boat-based whale watching trip: Theres something to see almost any time of year, but between June and November the southern right whales hanging around between Cape Town and the Garden Route offer the most dependable viewing. Other species regularly sighted around the coast are humpback whales and Brydes whales, and even orcas and sperm whales have been seen on occasion.
19. Watch nesting turtles in Maputaland: These huge reptiles are so graceful underwater, but when Mama turtle comes ashore to lay eggs between November and January, she lumbers up the beach in a fashion that is certainly dignified but cant, by any stretch of the imagination, be called graceful. And when the babies hatch in February or March, the only adjective that will fit is cute. Guided walks are offered along the beaches between November and March.
20. Go wine-tasting on horseback: In theory you dont have to watch how much you swallow as - lets face it - most of us arent really in control, anyway. The horse just follows its nose until it finds itself back at the stables.
21. Abseil off Table Mountain: Its not the highest abseil in the world, but it is very exposed. The actual abseil is just over 100m, but youre hanging out more than a km above the city.
22. Bungee jump off the Bloukrans Bridge: It is the highest in the world - 216m - and its a real scream machine. Other attractions on this bridge include a flying fox, a bridge tour and a winch experience - you get to hang underneath the bridge without jumping.
23. Spend some time really looking at rock art: The northern Cedarberg, just over two hours north of Cape Town, has some of the most easily accessible and best documented rock art around. If youre in a position to splurge out on a luxury game lodge experience, stay at Bushmanskloof, where youll be pampered and taken on escorted rock art tours. If, however, youd rather watch your budget, Travellers Rest, next door, is an inexpensive self-catering establishment that offers access to the equally spectacular rock art on the Sevilla Trail. You wont be accompanied by a hunky game ranger, but you can buy an inexpensive map and explanatory guidebook.
24. Ride with the herd at Kaapsehoop: This fabulous, misty, mountainous landscape is home to what is probably the largest herd of feral horses in South Africa. Theyll often join up and spend some time with the domestic horses (and riders, of course) on an escorted horse trail. You also stand a good chance of seeing the rare and endangered blue swallow.
25. Eat seafood at Muisbosskerm: This was the first of the West Coast seaside seafood "restaurants". Its a simple shelter, with a sand floor. All cooking is done on an open fire and "cutlery" is of the Strandloper variety - usually mussel shells. Not the place to wear your finest outfit and youll probably ditch your shoes for the whole duration of the meal. Arrive hungry and set aside a few hours.
26. Ride the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe: Even if youre not a steam buff youll enjoy the awesome coastal scenery from this narrow gauge steam train.
27. Fly off Lions Head: Do a tandem paraglider flight into the setting sun. After flying around for a while you land on the lawns in front of La Med for a sundowner. Youll find a couple of operators on
28. Fly through the trees: A treetop canopy tour will offer you a birds eye view of the forest - and a bit of an adrenalin rush - as you slide through the trees on a strong steel cable. There are three treetop tours: in the Tsitsikamma Forest, near Stormsriver; at Karkloof in KZN; and off the edge of the Magaliesberg.
29. Hot-air ballooning over the Magaliesberg: There is no sillier form of transport but its so much fun - and the bubbly and lovely breakfast complete the outing.
30. Brewery tour: The KwaZulu Natal "beer route". From SA Breweries to some tiny micro-breweries, this route offers a variety of tastes for beer lovers.
31. Learn to surf: Every Capetonian that ever surfed learned at Muizenberg. A handful of good surf schools have sprung up over the last couple of years - try one.
32. Visit your ancestors: The Cradle of Humankind is probably not the actual place where humans evolved. Lets be realistic - it must have happened all over southern Africa simultaneously, but The Cradle is where the evidence remains.
33. Tramp through battlefields: The battlefields of KwaZulu Natal are among the most well preserved in the country. Take a self-drive tour using maps, guide books and tapes, all available from the local tourism offices. But if you want a real experience, take a guided tour with raconteur-extraordinaire David Rattray.
34. Hike, ride or paddle around Kosi Bay: Four beautiful lakes, each with its own unique character. Choose between a community run/hike, a canoe trip from one of the lodges, or a horse trail around the lakes.
35. Sleep under the stars: Anywhere - but the Karoo or the Kalahari are highly recommended.
36. Do the Otter Trail: Its still the most popular hike in the country - if you like the idea but are not into roughing it, do the Dolphin Trail next door. Similar scenery, but its guided, catered and your luggage is transferred by vehicle. Accommodation is in comfy guest houses with mod cons.
37. Mountain bike Harkerville Forest: Probably the best mountain biking in the world. Gorgeous forest scenery and some of the most fabulous single track.
38. Sleep in a lighthouse: The National Ports Authority has made a number of lighthouses available as self-catering accommodation.
39. Ride an elephant: Elephant ride at sanctuaries near Addo, Plett, Hartebeespoort Dam and Mpumalanga.
40. Take the train: Its a once- in-a-lifetime indulgence. Choose between the contemporary Blue Train and the more traditional Rovos Rail.
41. Hang out at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe: One of SAs premier climbing spots at Waterval Boven, in Mpumalanga, this immense cliff has over 300 bolted routes. Lessons available.
42. Catch a fish: And then put it back! Places to hunt the indigenous yellow fish include Sterkfontein Dam near Harrismith, and the Vaal, near Parys.
43. Go to the end of the world! Cape Agulhas is the most southerly point of Africa, and its here the Indian and Atlantic Oceans officially meet. Its a wild, rugged place - dramatic on a stormy day. Cape Point, is not the official dividing line between anything. But its a needle-sharp, steep-edged promontory that just seems to divide the world.
44. Walk on the wild side: There is no better way to get close to nature than to walk in big game territory. Hluhluwe-Umfolozi, Kruger Park, Shamwari.
45. Get wet: Kloofing is a great way to spend a day. Youre in the water most of the time, either swimming, slithering, sliding, lurching or hopping between boulders. In between youre jumping off cliffs, abseiling over waterfalls or - more radically - sliding down them. Try Suicide Gorge or the Steenbras River Gorge (also called Kamakazi Kanyon) near Cape Town, the Kaaimans River near Wilderness, Rainbow or Tugela Gorge in the Drakensberg, or the adrenalin-intensive Mfongosi Gorge near Eshowe.
46. Paddle the Wilderness wetlands: The Wilderness National Park is a treasure trove of fan- tastic scenery, wetlands, streams, waterfalls and birds. Do a catered, guided and portaged three-day paddling and hiking trail from the Ebb and Flow Camp.
47. Check out the birds: Birds of Eden, near Plett, is the largest free-flying aviary in the world. A little paradise of indigenous forest.
48. Visit the Owl House: Helen Martins house in Nieu Bethesda is one of the better-known examples of outsider art in the world.
49. Tour Premier Diamond Mine at Cullinan: This mine produced most of the large diamonds in the world - including the mind-blowingly enormous 3 000 carat Cullinan Diamond.
50. Walk the Wild Coast: Fabulous scenery, endless beaches. The main attraction has got to be the regularly spaced coastal hotels. Trek through really wild terrain during the day and then snuggle up in a nice comfy hotel at night. Treks guided or unguided.

Accommodation in and around South Africa