Must see in South Africa

South Africa Essentials

This collection spans South Africa’s diverse heritage and natural wonders. It features Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain and the historic Cape of Good Hope, alongside the wildlife-rich Addo Elephant National Park. Significant historical sites include the Apartheid Museum, Soweto’s Mandela House, and the Cradle of Humankind’s Sterkfontein caves. The list also highlights dramatic landscapes like the Three Rondavels and God’s Window on the Panorama Route, the 17th-century Castle of Good Hope, and the deep excavation of the Big Hole in Kimberley.

South Africa Essentials — Map

Abu Shawka / CC0

A

Table Mountain

Table Mountain is a flat-topped mountain forming a prominent landmark overlooking the city of Cape Town in South Africa.

Katangais / CC BY-SA 3.0

B

Apartheid Museum

The Apartheid Museum is a museum illustrating apartheid and the 20th-century history of South Africa.

Charlesjsharp / CC BY-SA 3.0

C

Boulders Beach

Boulders Beach is a sheltered beach made up of inlets between granite boulders, from which the name originated.

Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0

D

Cape of Good Hope

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

Gouldingken / CC BY-SA 3.0

E

Addo Elephant National Park

Addo Elephant National Park is a diverse wildlife conservation park situated close to Gqeberha in South Africa and is one of the country's…

Mike Peel / CC BY-SA 4.0

F

Sterkfontein

Sterkfontein is a set of limestone caves of special interest in paleoanthropology located in Gauteng province, about 40 kilometres…

Zaian / Public domain

G

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

Kirstenbosch is an important botanical garden nestled at the eastern foot of Table Mountain in Cape Town.

Super.lukas / CC-BY-SA-3.0

H

Three Rondavels Viewpoint

Located along the Panorama Route, these three geological formations consist of quartzite and shale. They resemble traditional round African huts and rise over 700 meters above the surrounding Blyde River Canyon.

I

God's Window

A vantage point on the Drakensberg escarpment offering panoramic views of the Lowveld, situated over 900 meters above a lush forest-clad ravine. On clear days, the view extends across the Kruger National Park toward the Lebombo Mountains.

Dominik Peters / CC BY 3.0

J

Chapman's Peak

Chapman's Peak is a mountain on the western side of the Cape Peninsula, between Hout Bay and Noordhoek in Cape Town, South Africa.

Daniel Case / CC BY 2.0

K

Tsitsikamma Coastal National Park

The Tsitsikamma National Park is a protected area on the Garden Route, Western Cape and Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Tim_giddins / Public domain

L

Voortrekker Monument

The Voortrekker Monument is located just south of Pretoria in South Africa.

NJR ZA / CC BY-SA 3.0

M

Union Buildings

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

N

Cango Caves

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

Irene2005 / CC BY 2.0

O

Big Hole

The Kimberley Mine or Tim Kuilmine is an open-pit and underground mine in Kimberley, South Africa, and claimed to be the deepest hole…

P

Mandela House

Located at 8115 Vilakazi Street in Soweto, this single-story red-brick house was the residence of Nelson Mandela from 1946 to 1962. It now serves as a museum featuring original memorabilia and photographs of the Mandela family.

Thomas.macmillan / CC BY 3.0

Q

Hector Pierterson Memorial

The Hector Pieterson Museum is a museum located in Orlando West, Soweto, South Africa.

Vincent Steenberg / CC BY-SA 2.5

R

Castle of Good Hope

The Castle of Good Hope is a bastion fort built in the 17th century in Cape Town, South Africa.

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