20. Aliwal Shoal
Image by Santhan Naidoo from: flickr.com
Just half an hour south of Durban lies one of the top 10 dive spots on earth in Aliwal Shoal. Located 5km off the coast near the little seaside town of Umkomaas on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, its home to some spectacular marine life. Shoals of the reasonably docile ragged tooth shark are found here between July and December (no divers have ever been attacked by this species), as well as an array of fish, turtles, dolphins and whales. The coral reef, which is a marine protected area, boasts a spectacular hole called The Cathedral, as well as various scenic spots along the 5km stretch and the wrecks of two ships.
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19. Otter Trail, Garden Route
Image by SA-Venues.com from: flickr.com
Embark on a coastal trail of discovery along the famous Otter Trail, from Storms River Mouth through the spectacular Tsitsikamma Forest to Nature’s Valley in the breathtaking Garden Route National Park. This exciting 5-day adventure encompasses 42km of trails on cliff tops along the shoreline, and offers an exceptional diversity of scenery and experiences. Hikers cross rivers and explore fascinating sights en route, stopping off to camp overnight. The Otter Trail is an experience of a lifetime along one of the most beautiful trails in the world.
18. Steenberg Farm, Cape Town
Located in the Cape’s oldest wine region, Steenberg is a gracious five star hotel renowned for its excellent winery and 18-hole championship golf course. Set in the pretty suburb of Constantia just 20 minutes from Cape Town’s CBD, the hotel, which was originally built in 1682, offers an unsurpassed experience that includes superb cuisine, a countryside atmosphere, personalised service and every modern facility. Aside from wine tasting and relaxing in the magnificent surrounds, guests also enjoy treatments at the spa, or a relaxing game of golf.
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17. Matjiesfontein
Image by Gary Bembridge from: flickr.com
Untouched by time, Matjiesfontein is a tiny Victorian town in the Little Karoo that has been designated a national monument. White-washed little houses line its main street, as well as a traditional Victorian hotel, the Lord Milner, which is believed to be haunted. The railway line is an integral part of the town, which was a popular luxury health resort in the late 19th Century. Restored to its former glory in 1970, Matjiesfontein is a well-kept secret worth discovering. Visitors can explore the little town on a red double decker bus and learn about its history, which is very much a part of the Cape’s fascinating past, and then enjoy refreshments in the wooden Laird’s Arms Bar.
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16. Sunlands Baobab Bar, Limpopo
This ancient giant baobab tree is believed to be around 6000 years old. Located in Limpopo Province near Tzaneen on a mango farm called Sunlands, home to many such trees, this baobab stands out from the crowd. After a baobab has reached the age of a thousand years, it becomes hollow inside. The Sunlands Baobab is not only immense, but its hollows have been filled with a world-renowned little bar, one of the most unusual places in the world to stop for a drink. The bar, which has been serving drinks since 1933, is an excellent base from which to explore the surroundings, including Magoebaskloof.
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15. Neighbourgoods Market, Braamfontein
Based on the popular Old Biscuit Mill in Cape Town, the Neighbourgoods Market is a market set up every Saturday in Juta Street in Braamfontein. This Johannesburg suburb on the edge of the city is in the process of being regenerated, and the market has proved itself to be a successful part of the project. Located in a two-storey heritage building, the Neighbourgoods Market boasts around 100 fabulous food stalls offering fresh specialty, organic and local fare, everything from burgers to paella, with artisan products thrown in too. The beer garden on the top floor spills out onto a verandah where people relax for hours. Various events are regularly held at the market, which has fast become an institution.
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14. Cheetah Experience, Bloemfontein
The perfect opportunity to get up close to cheetah, the Cheetah Experience is a sanctuary for big cats set up for conservation purposes. Owner Riana van Vieuwenhuizen founded this non-profit 10-hectare sanctuary for cheetah, lion, leopards, tigers, jaguars and other animals in Bloemfontein in 2006 to ensure the animals’ long-term survival. People come from all over the world to visit, and many stay for between 3 weeks and 3 months as volunteers. Visitors enjoy game viewing in the sanctuary and learn all about cheetah and other endangered species.
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13. Johannesburg Botanical Gardens & Emmarentia Dam
Image by Derek Keats from: flickr.com
Nestling in one of Johannesburg’s oldest suburbs 6km from the city centre one finds the 7.5 hectare Emmarentia Dam and the neighbouring Botanical Gardens. Both create an oasis amidst the hubbub of this vast city, and are visited by residents and tourists alike, especially on weekends. The Dam is a great spot for picnics, sailing and long walks, and the Gardens are quite spectacular and worth exploring. Divided into seven different sections, they include a Herb Garden, Hedge Garden, Chapel Garden, The Shakespeare Garden, a spectacular Rose Garden, the Succulent Garden and the Arboretum, which is full of beautiful trees.
12. Battlefields of KwaZulu-Natal
Image by Rob from: flickr.com
If you are interested in learning about some of the bloodiest battles fought on South African soil between the British, the Dutch-born Boers and the Zulu nation, then head for the famous Battlefields Route in KwaZulu-Natal. Home to more than 82 battlefields, as well as museums, forts and memorials, this route takes visitors through a selection of wars in different periods. The best way to explore is by choosing a specific war or period and then following the relevant route to see the historic sights. The more famous battles include Isandlwana and Rourke’s Drift, and these routes, as well as the others, are best explored with an experienced guide.
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11. Baxter Theatre, Cape Town
A Cape Town cultural landmark, the Baxter Theatre opened in 1977 on the University of Cape Town’s campus. The main theatre seats 666, and there’s also a concert hall with 683 seats and a small 162-seat theatre. The theatre provides a forum for theatre, dance and music in Cape Town and is renowned for its superb and varied performances, including classical music, opera, dance, dramatic theatre and comedy.
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10. Baviaanskloof
Image by Ralph Pina from: flickr.com
Baviaanskloof means “Valley of Baboons” in Dutch, and this magnificent narrow valley is a World Heritage Site not only because of its scenic beauty, but also because it’s one of the few places on earth with evidence of human history going back a million years! The valley is a little less than 200km in length and nestles between two mountain ranges, the Baviaanskloof Mountains on one side, and the Kouga Mountains on the other. Here, a variety of wild animals and birds have made their home in a wilderness that is not only scenic but extremely tranquil and remote.
9. Shamwari Game Reserve
The award winning Shamwari Private Game Reserve is situated in the malaria free Eastern Cape, only an hour away from Port Elizabeth Airport. The reserve has been running for almost 20 years and offers a wide variety of animal life, including Big 5 encounters. Shamwari’s biggest concern is conserving a vanishing way of life, as such their primary objective is to protect the wild flora and fauna of Southern Africa and share her immense but fragile beauty with the rest of the world.
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8. West Coast National Park
Located slightly inland from Saldanha Bay and surrounding Langebaan Lagoon, the West Coast National Park is home to thousands of seabirds, magnificent stretches of golden beaches and spectacular salt marshes. Just one and a half hours by car from Cape Town, the Park is a bird watcher’s paradise, home to thousands of waders that gather in the salt marshes and the lagoon. The Park is also famous for its antelope that reside in the idyllic Postberg Reserve, which is only open to the public in the summer when the multi-coloured wildflowers are blooming. Animals and spectacular flora have made this paradise their home, and in the Atlantic Ocean, passing whales and dolphins appear in the waves.
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7. Valley of 1000 Hills
One of scenic KwaZulu-Natal’s hidden gems, the Valley of 1000 Hills is a spectacular region that stretches from Botha’s Hill and follows the Umgeni River through Drummond, Assagay and Shongweni to the Indian Ocean with various hills and valleys to explore en route. Visitors to this region can gain an insight into age-old Zulu traditions and culture through various attractions and activities. The climate is tropical and warm, the scenery dramatic, and the diversity of landscape, from rolling hills to beautiful windswept beaches, is unmatched.
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6. Apartheid Museum
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This fascinating museum educates people about the horrors of South Africa’s Apartheid regime through photographs, research, films and artifacts. It reenacts the life of people who lived in the townships at that time, constantly being watched by security police, how they rebelled, and were suppressed. Located south of Johannesburg’s CBD, it’s an important place to visit, to understand the suffering of the oppressed and how they triumphed over adversity.
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5. Route 62
Stretching between Cape Town and Oudtshoorn, and further up the East coast to Port Elizabeth, Route 62, also known as the Mountain Route, is a renowned tourist route through various spectacular mountain passes. It’s far more scenic than taking the national motorway to reach these destinations, which is one of the reasons it’s so popular. Along the route one finds exquisite lush green scenery, sparkling rivers, magnificent mountains and sheer cliffs. The route also covers the Western Cape’s longest wine route, offering the chance to stop off and sample superb wines as you travel along.
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Most of the world’s proto-mammalian fossils are found in the Karoo region #MeetSouthAfrica
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4. The Big Tree, Tsitsikamma National Park
Image by FrauDeee from: flickr.com
The magnificent fairytale Tsitsikamma Forest on the Garden Route is renowned for its exquisite yellowwood trees, which are protected under the country’s National Forests Act. The most famous tree of all is dubbed The Big Tree; at 37m it towers over all the rest, and has been standing here for around 800 years. Located in the forest near Plettenberg Bay and boasting a trunk circumference of 9m, the tree is the largest and oldest remaining yellowwood in the region.
Join the SANParks – Garden Route (Tsitsikamma, Knysna & Wilderness) National Park group on facebook
3. KwaMuhle Museum, Durban
Durban’s KwaMuhle is a museum dedicated to telling the story of Apartheid and how the oppressed overcame harsh conditions. Housed in what used to be the punitive Native Affairs Building, the museum is one of Durban’s four major historical museums. Today it tells a thought-provoking story of those unjust years and how the new democratic South Africa has overcome its past. Emphasis is, of course, focused on Durban and the Zulu nation, but the strong South African message of freedom prevails.
2. Sedgefield
Image by Discover Sedgefield from: facebook.com
No longer a sleepy seaside town or a hidden gem, Sedgefield is one of the most famous places to visit in the Garden Route, and for good reason. Located within the Garden Route National Park just 490km from Cape Town and between George and Knysna, this scenic little town has just been awarded “Slow Town” status, which means slowing down to nature’s pace. Visitors come here to enjoy spectacular scenery, exquisite beaches and a lazy summer holiday strolling through the village, enjoying the famous Wild Oats Farmer’s Market, and interacting with some of the friendliest people in the province in one of the most idyllic settings on earth.
Visit the Sedgefield Wild Oats Farmer’s Market on facebook
1. Cape Point
Image by Bas Leenders from: flickr.com
Even though rumours are rife that this is where two oceans meet (that in fact happens at Cape Agulhas), the peninsula that comes to a head at Cape Point is an impressive sight on a tour of South Africa. It’s a wild stretch of coastline and must’ve been a nightmare for navigator’s in the early days; even so, Cape Point is a must see – the dramatic views will make you feel as if you’re standing at the definitive end of the world!
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Story from: travelstart.co.za