100 Reasons to Visit South Africa

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In general South Africa is a very sunny country, with many areas experiencing over 300 sunny days per year. The Western Cape, where Cape Town is located, has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters.

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In South Africa, you can even afford luxury and have spending money for shopping and other treats! It’s easy to find a cosy guesthouse or family-run lodge that offers that extra bit of holiday pampering plus great value for money.

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Whether you are interested in going Shark Cage Diving, Paragliding off of a mountain over a capital city or blokarting down by the beach then South Africa is definitely the place you should visit.

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With vineyards so close to Cape Town, it's no wonder the city is full of an incredible selection of wines (and at affordable prices). The wines are on par with those from other top regions like Bordeaux, but it takes some trying to know which ones are for you.

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When it comes to playing with their food, South Africans have no fear of experimenting. Foraged, raw, and local ingredients are thrown into the mix of ethnic cuisines making up South African fare.

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The Apartheid Museum opened in 2001 and is acknowledged as the pre-eminent museum in the world dealing with 20th century South Africa, at the heart of which is the apartheid story.

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There is no denying visitors to South Africa will have a checklist which includes getting up close to the "Big Five": lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino. With about 700 national parks and game reserves in the country, there's plenty from which to choose.

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From English speaking South Africans to Afrikaans, Tswana, Zulu and Xhosa, the people are as diverse as the languages, and yet they all live in the same country, sometimes only a suburb apart

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The waterfall is approximately 95 m in height and lies on the Umgeni River.

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A laid back, yet busy city, Durban (Durb’ to the locals) combines an exciting mix of urban Zulu culture, a sizeable Indian population together with English speaking South Africans.

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Whether you opt for Afro-chic or authentic Africa, you’ll find it easy to get around, find a comfortable place to stay, have a great meal, connect.

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In SA you can travel with care as you explore our protected areas, contribute to social and conservation projects, buy recycle art and stay green.

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Get up close and personal with the incredible creatures that call South Africa home. There are many different companies offering fantastic safari tours so you’re sure to find one to suit your budget and itinerary.

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Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town, and is featured in the Flag of Cape Town and other local government insignia.

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The Valley of a Thousand Hills lies between the cities of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. The valley also intersects the Umgeni River and the Msunduzi River.

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Kruger National Park, in northeastern South Africa, is one of Africa’s largest game reserves. Its high density of wild animals includes the Big 5: lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalos. Hundreds of other mammals make their home here, as do diverse bird species such as vultures, eagles and storks. Mountains, bush plains and tropical forests are all part of the landscape.

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Hogsback is a magical world of mountains and forests. It is situated high up on the Amathole mountains of the Eastern Cape Province.

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Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 km west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town.

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The Drakensberg is the name given to the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, which encloses the central Southern African plateau. The Great Escarpment reaches its greatest altitude in this region.

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The Garden Route is a stretch of the south-eastern coast of South Africa which extends from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape to the Storms River in the Eastern Cape

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Coffee Bay is a small town situated on the Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It is located about 250 kilometres south of the city of Durban.

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Kirstenbosch is a famous botanical garden nestled at the eastern foot of Table Mountain in Cape Town. The garden is one of nine National Botanical Gardens covering five of South Africa's six different biomes.

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The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town has sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean, Table Bay Harbour, the City of Cape Town and Table Mountain.

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Massive Table Mountain National Park stretches from north of Cape Town down the Cape Peninsula to Africa’s southwestern extremity, the Cape of Good Hope.

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Boulders Beach is a sheltered beach made up of inlets between granite boulders, from which the name originated. It is located in the Cape Peninsula, near Simon's Town towards Cape Point, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

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The Cango Caves are located in Precambrian limestones at the foothills of the Swartberg range near the town of Oudtshoorn, in the Western Cape Province.

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The Cradle of Humankind was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. It is about 50 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg in the Gauteng province.

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The Cederberg mountains and nature reserve are located near Clanwilliam, approximately 300 km north of Cape Town.

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Gold Reef City is an amusement park in Johannesburg. Located on an old gold mine which closed in 1971, the park is themed around the gold rush that started in 1886 on the Witwatersrand.

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The Tsitsikamma National Park is a protected area on the Garden Route, Western Cape and Eastern Cape. It is a coastal reserve well known for its indigenous forests, dramatic coastline, and the Otter Trail.

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Muizenberg Beach has beautiful restaurants, coffee shops, and apartments located along the beach.

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The Blyde River Canyon is a significant natural feature of South Africa, located in Mpumalanga, and forming the northern part of the Drakensberg escarpment. It is 25 kilometres in length and is, on average, around 750 metres deep.

South Africa has well developed infrastructure and modern amenities

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The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula.

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South Africa has plenty of child-friendly accommodation and loads of great options for a family holiday.

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The Cape Peninsula is a generally rocky peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope.

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One of the most luxurious trains in the world, you can take a 27 hour train ride from Pretoria to Cape Town or in the other direction. The rooms vary from having two single beds to a full bed and some even have full sized bathtubs while others include standing showers.

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The Constitution Hill precinct is located at 11 Kotze Street in Braamfontein, Johannesburg near the western end of the suburb of Hillbrow.

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It's been a little over a year since the death of Nelson Mandela and Sun International has commemorated the former president with an installation and "beacon of hope" on top of Signal Hill in Cape Town.

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This massive granite structure is prominently located on a hilltop, and was raised to commemorate the Voortrekkers who left the Cape Colony between 1835 and 1854.

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A Canopy Tour takes you on an unforgettable adventure as you slide from one platform to the next along a series of steel cables set amongst magnificent natural surroundings.

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The Union Buildings form the official seat of the South African government and also house the offices of the president of South Africa.

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Gods Window is so called for the panoramic view of the Lowveld more than 900 m down into lush indigenous forest clad ravine.

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The aerial cableway offers some of the most breathtaking panoramic views of Hartbeespoort Dam and Magaliesberg Mountain range.

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The Hole in the Wall at Coffee Bay in the Eastern Cape is a unique structure with a huge detached cliff that has a giant opening carved through its centre by the waves.

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The Two Oceans Aquarium is an aquarium located at the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, Western Cape.

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South Africa is known as the best land-based whale watching destination in the world. It also offers many opportunities to get closer to the whales by boat.

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uShaka Marine World is a 16-hectare theme park which was opened in 30 April 2004 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. It comprises 4 sections: uShaka Sea World, uShaka Wet 'n Wild, uShaka Beach, and uShaka Village Walk.

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Sterkfontein is a set of limestone caves of special interest to paleo-anthropologists located in Gauteng province, about 40 km Northwest of Johannesburg.

This short video is an excellent illustration of why South Africa is a dream destination for millions of tourists worldwide.

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Lion's Head is a mountain in Cape Town, between Table Mountain and Signal Hill. Lion's Head peaks at 669 metres above sea level.

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Brimming with farming towns and tribal villages, Zululand covers the northeastern area between the Dolphin Coast and Richard’s Bay, extending inland over lush grasslands.

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The Johannesburg Zoo is an 55-hectare zoo in Johannesburg. The zoo is dedicated to the accommodation, enrichment, husbandry, and medical care of wild animals, and houses about 2000 individuals of 320 species.

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The Swartberg Pass on the R328 run through the Swartberg mountain range which runs roughly east-west along the northern edge of the semi-arid area called the Little Karoo in the Western Cape province.

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Signal Hill, or Lion's Rump, is a landmark flat-topped hill located in Cape Town, next to Lion's Head and Table Mountain. The hill was also known as "The Lion's Flank", a term now obsolete.

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Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town

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The Moses Mabhida Stadium is a stadium in Durban, named after Moses Mabhida, a former General Secretary of the South African Communist Party. It is a multi-use stadium. It was one of the host stadiums for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

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It's located on the Shambala Private Game Reserve, around 160 miles north of Johannesburg. Prices start at R70,000 (£3,248) per night. While this might seem expensive, the property can sleep up to 12 people.

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Montecasino is a leisure and casino complex covering 26 hectares of land located at No.1 Montecasino Boulevard in Fourways, Sandton, Johannesburg.

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Guests are taken to the 'Chalkey Treehouse' at sunset for a picnic supper and then left to spend a luxurious night in the bush. After dark, the night air is filled with the chatter of hyenas and the occasional roar of a lion.

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Lion Park is a 2 km² wildlife conservation enclosure in Gauteng province in South Africa for Transvaal lions. The Lion Park is situated near Lanseria Airport and Fourways within distance of Johannesburg and Pretoria.

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The Big Hole, Open Mine, Kimberley Mine or Tim Kuilmine is an open-pit and underground mine in Kimberley and claimed to be the largest hole excavated by hand, although this claim is disputed.

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Ukhahlamba Drakensberg is southern Africa’s highest mountain chain with spectacular views.

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The National Zoological Gardens of South Africa is an 85-hectare zoo located in Pretoria.

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The Rietvlei Nature Reserve is located in Pretoria and is about 3,800 hectares in size. Located within the reserve is the Rietvlei Dam.

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The uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park is in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, covering 242,813 ha of area.

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Visit Mgwali, a Xhosa Cultural Village, for an authentic experience.

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Constantia is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, situated about 15 kilometres south of the centre of Cape Town. It is considered to be one of the most prestigious suburbs in South Africa.

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The Hector Pieterson Museum is a large museum located in Orlando West, Soweto, two blocks away from where Hector Pieterson was shot and killed.

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This stunning landscape trail provides the only route over the Drakensberg escarpment into the Kingdom of Lesotho. The enormous rocky trail is known as the Roof of Africa, since it stands approximately 9,426 feet or 2,873 meters above sea level.

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Birds of Eden is the world's largest free flight aviary and bird sanctuary, located near Plettenberg Bay in the Western Cape.

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Groot Constantia is the oldest wine estate in South Africa and provincial heritage site in the suburb of Constantia in Cape Town.

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The Groenkloof Nature Reserve, located adjacent to the Fountains Valley at the southern entrance to Pretoria, was the first game sanctuary in Africa.

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Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a large wildlife preserve and conservation area in southern Africa.

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Melrose House is a stately mansion and museum located on Burgers Park in Pretoria.

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This giant pineapple shaped dome is based in the Eastern Cape town of Bathurst. The 55 foot or (16.7 meter) dome, is actually an auditorium made from fiber-glass and metallic structuring.

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The Umgeni River Bird Park is a bird zoo located in Durban, in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

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The Highgate Ostrich Show Farm is an ostrich farm located 10 kilometres south of Oudtshoorn.

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Hartbeespoort Dam is an arch type dam situated in the North West Province of South Africa. It lies in a valley to the south of the Magaliesberg mountain range and north of the Witwatersberg mountain range, about 35 kilometers west of Pretoria.

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The Iziko South African Museum is a South African national museum located in Cape Town and has the famous prisoner site of Robben Island. The museum was founded in 1825, the first in the country.

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The Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town, is stadium that was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

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On a 200-hectare working farm dating back to 1690, this Cape Dutch-style hotel is 13.7 km from Afrikaans Language Monument.

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Loftus Versfeld Stadium is a rugby and association football stadium situated in the Arcadia suburb of Pretoria. The stadium has a capacity of 51,762 for rugby union. It is occasionally used for local football matches as well.