Travel to South Africa completely without tourist traps! Here you will find a list of the top 10 attractions of South Africa! What are the highlights and attractions that you can not miss on vacation in South Africa?
South Africa is an exotic mixture of overwhelming nature and modern cities. Cultural and active vacations are just as possible in South Africa due to the pleasant climate as a classic safari to Africa's Big Five.
In Kruger National Park or iSimangaliso Wetland Park, travelers get to know African wildlife, while in the business centers of Cape Town or Johannesburg, steel and concrete buildings dominate the landscape.
Hikers and climbers will be thrilled by the Drakensberg Mountains or the Cederberg Wilderness Area, while nature lovers will get their money's worth in the breathtaking Cape Floral or Cape of Good Hope protected areas. Or how about a look into the world's largest meteorite crater?
Table of contents
Kruger National Park
The Kruger National Park is one of the largest and most famous national parks in Africa and is especially popular because of its high biodiversity. The chance to meet Africa's "Big 5" is particularly high due to the excellent tourist infrastructure. Besides lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant, more than 100 other mammals and about 500 different bird species live in the Kruger National Park.
Drakensberg National Park
The breathtaking landscape of the Drakensberg Mountains is home to the highest peaks in southern Africa. The rugged mountain landscape is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and attracts diverse wildlife and spectacular hiking and climbing routes. The highest mountain pass in Africa, the second longest waterfall in the world and the world's highest concentration of ancient petroglyphs can be found here.
Article: Drakensberg National Park
Cederberg Wilderness Area
The Cedar Mountains in western South Africa are also protected by UNESCO as part of the Cape Floral. The entire region is geared towards ecotourism and preserves its enormous biodiversity through strict visitor restrictions. Hiking, climbing and camping are the most popular activities in the Cederberg Wilderness Area.
Article: Cederberg Wilderness Area
Photo gallery: Cederberg Wilderness Area
Cape Floral
The Cape Floral stretches from South Africa's famous Cedar Mountains to the Cape of Good Hope and lives up to its name. The vast nature reserve was awarded the title "Hot Spot of Biodiversity" by UNESCO and boasts the world's greatest diversity of plants. The so-called "flower safaris" through a wide variety of landscapes are most impressive from July to October.
Article: Cape Floral
Photo gallery: Cape Floral
Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve
The famous Cape of Good Hope marks the most southwestern point of Africa. Feared by seafarers since time immemorial because of its dangerous cliffs, the picturesque peninsula with its snow-white sandy beach now looks like a small paradise that can be walked through within a few hours.
iSimangaliso Wetland Park
The iSimangaliso Wetland Park stretches around South Africa's largest lake and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lake St. Lucia is home to most of the country's crocodiles and hippos, numerous water birds feast on the countless fish, and the shores are populated by rhinos, wild dogs, monkeys, buffalo and big cats.
Article: iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park
The Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park stretches from South Africa to across the border into Namibia and is characterized by wild, unspoiled scenery and absolute desertedness.
Due to the sparse settlement, the most species-rich desert in the world could develop here. The over 500m deep Fish River Canyon, the largest gorge in Africa and the second largest canyon in the world, is one of the main attractions of the nature reserve.
Article: Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park
Sabie Waterfall Route in Mpumalanga
The approximately 100km long Sabie Waterfall Route leads from one breathtaking waterfall to the next near the famous Kruger National Park. Nowhere else in South Africa is such a high density of waterfalls to be found. Among the most spectacular destinations are the Horseshoe Waterfall, the Bridal Veil Falls, the Lone Creek Waterfall and the 90m high Lisbon Waterfall, the highest waterfall in South Africa.
Article: Sabie Waterfall Route in Mpumalanga
Kalahari
The Kalahari stretches across four countries and is one of the largest sand deserts in the world. Amidst its up to 30m high rust-red dunes and savannah-like plains live enormous colonies of weaver birds, wildebeest, oryx antelope, springbok and the shy Kalahari lions.
Vredefort meteorite crater
120km southwest of Johannesburg lies the world's largest asteroid impact crater. The Vredefort crater was hit by a 10km large rock from space about two billion years ago. The crater is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and provides a safe habitat especially for birds.
