Top 7 Tips For Traveling in South Africa: Covering the Basics

South Africa offers weeks, if not months, of travel potential, so narrowing it down to the basics isn’t easy. But for your first visit to South Africa, you absolutely need to remember to hit these spots:

1. Table Mountain

Over 200 routes go up and around the famous flat mountain above Cape Town, so there is no shortage of walking opportunities. The fastest route up the mountain, Platteklip Gorge, will get you to the summit in about 2.5 hours. But keep in mind it might be busy and there are other routes that bear greater rewards in terms of views on the way or scenery.

Consider the 4-hour Kasteelspoort route or India Venster route. The latter will take about 3 hours of physically more demanding hiking and even scrambling, but the views!

And just in case you don’t feel like walking up or down, there is a cable car that goes to the top and back. Interesting fact: 70% of the flowers are endemic to Table Mountain. Isn’t it fascinating to imagine that 70% of what you are seeing you cannot see anywhere else in the world?

Before heading up, check if the view isn’t obstructed by “the table cloth”, clouds that like to come in and give a rather disappointing experience to unprepared tourists.

2. Robben Island

A historical landmark, Robben Island lies north of Cape Town and is most famously known as the place where Nelson Mandela was jailed for 18 of his 27 years in prison. You can now tour the museum and learn fascinating facts directly from former prisoners, who serve as guides here. Apart from the museum, you can enjoy a walk on the coast.

A ferry will need about 30 minutes to get to or from the island.

3. Safaris

Come on, you are in Africa, you want to see animals! Animals that you most likely have zero chance to see in your home country unless you visit them at a zoo. The largest and most popular is Kruger National Park. You can see all of the big 5 there: lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo. You can also spot giraffes, which is definitely a bonus!

If the big five isn’t enough for you, how about the big 7? Add on great white shark and African right whale and you get Addo National Park! It has an especially large population of elephants, so if you want the best chance of spotting the largest land mammal in the world, head on over. No giraffes here though.

4. Shark and whale watching

If the great white mention caught your attention, know that Dyer Island has one of the most dense populations of these creatures in South Africa. Yes, you can take a tour there and go cage diving and stare them in the eye! The best months to see them are May to August.

For something very unusual, try to go to False Bay, where the sharks have learned a different hunting technique – they jump out of the water and smash their prey by landing on it! There is a large fur seal colony here that attracts the sharks.

For whale watching, the peak season is from July to November. South Africa is one of the best countries in the world to see whales, and Hermanus is the whale watching capital. Humpback whales and right whales are some of the rarest whales you can catch a glimpse of here. Orcas and Bryde whales can be seen year-round.

The best option is to book a boat tour, of course, but you can even choose a higher point on dry land and spot whales in the water if you are lucky. Around False Bay, try Cape Point or Boyes Drive. For a less crowded experience, check out the De Hoop coastline.

5. The end of Africa

Some mistakenly come to the Cape of Good Hope and think they are at the southernmost point of Africa. Nope. For this, you will need to drive 250 km east to Cape AgulhasThis is truly the end of the African continent, where the Indian and Atlantic Ocean meets.

As everywhere in South Africa, you will be amazed by the stunning scenery. And you can try to figure out where exactly the border between the two oceans is!

6. Beaches

Camps Bay. This one is a no-brainer. Cape Town’s most popular beach is arguably one of the best urban beaches in the world. With powdery white sand, restaurants galore and some amazing sunsets, capetonians really have a reason to be proud of this gem!

The 4th Beach at Clifton in Cape Town is a Blue Flag beach lined with trendy cafés and all the amenities you could ask for. This is a swanky part of town and it shows.

Muizenberg Beach, the one with the colorful huts! This beach is in False Bay, protected from the chillier waters of the Atlantic and also from its waves.

For warmer water though, you’re going to need to head east. Ballito is a small town that attracts holiday-makers and has great swimming beaches. Or maybe you’d like Kelly’s Beach at Port Alfred, another blue flag beach with its brown sand and exceptionally clean water. There are also two viewing decks to make use of if you are visiting in whale-watching season!

7. The Drakensberg Mountain Range

You’ve seen cities, animals, beaches… but it would be a shame to leave South Africa and miss the stunning Dragon Mountains! These are the highest mountains in South Africa and the views are just devine.

The area is vast, but to see the top sights, make sure to go to the Amphitheatre, a cliff face 10 times the size of Yosemite’s El Capitan! It is located in the Royal Natal National Park. And from the main road to the national park, look up and you will see the second tallest waterfall in the world – Tugela Falls.

For a hair-raising driving experience that you will never forget, drive the Sani Pass. Those views! Just be sure to have your passport, you will be crossing into Lesotho, and a 4×4 vehicle is preferable (and a must in the winter).

South Africa is an exceptional experience

If that is all you have time for, you will still get an experience of a lifetime. But for your next trip, you will have no shortage of new cultural and natural gems to fill your vacation with! South Africa has so much to offer and this list is just scratching the surface.