15 Best Places to Visit in South Africa 2022, Beautiful Places to Visit in South Africa, What is the most visited place in South Africa,15 Beautiful Places to Visit South Africa,How pretty is South Africa?
15 Best Places to Visit in South Africa 2022
South Africa is a nation on the African continent’s southernmost point, with various diverse ecosystems. Big game abounds in Kruger National Park, an inland safari destination. Beaches, rich winelands around Stellenbosch and Paarl, rugged cliffs at the Cape of Good Hope, woodland and lagoons along the Garden Route, and the metropolis of Cape Town, which is nestled under flat-topped Table Mountain, may all be found in the Western Cape.
1. Tshukudu Game Reserve, Limpopo
Tshukudu, a Big 5 Game Reserve with a beautiful view of the Drakensberg Mountain Range, has 5000 hectares of unspoiled wilderness. The Sussens family has put a lot of effort into establishing Tshukudu Game Reserve. On what used to be a cow ranch, the Reserve was established in 1980. A variety of animals had to be reintroduced despite the fact that numerous antelope species and giraffe were already on the land. Rhinoceros was one of the earliest, thus the name “Tshukudu,” which means “rhino” in Sotho.
Tshukudu is now alive with game, brimming with birds, and the bush has returned to its natural form. The abundant Acacia and Marula trees give the area a true African Bushveld feel, and the sunsets over the Drakensberg Mountains, particularly during the dry winter months, are simply stunning.
Tshukudu is home to lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, white rhinos, buffalo, eland, waterbuck, kudu, bushbuck, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, warthog, impala, steenbuck, duiker, porcupine, jackal, hyena, caracal, serval, civet, genet, African wild cat, hippo,
Guests may connect with our orphaned animals and go for walks with some of them, in addition to seeing all of the large and tiny creatures in their natural habitat. We’ve cared for, reared, and released a variety of creatures into the wild throughout the years. We specialize in the rehabilitation of large cats, and our lion breeding program began in 1986.
Project to bred lions
On the whole African continent, just 22,000 lions are left (compared to 600,000 elephants). We’ve made it our aim to help refill as many private game reserves as possible with lions, and we’ve sold over 250 of them so far. As part of the game drive, guests may see this breeding effort and all of its “Kings of the Jungle.”
Because Tshukudu is a restricted reserve, it must be carefully managed. Every year, the grasslands institute counts the animals and monitors the vegetation (grasses) and rainfall. This assists Tshukudu Private Game Reserve’s management in maintaining a healthy balance in the reserve. Excess game is sold to other reserves, and precautions are made to avoid inbreeding by exchanging rhino or elephant males with other reserves, for example, in order to maintain the gene pool healthy.
2. Knysna, Western Cape
Knysna (/nazn/; presumably from a South Khoekhoe term meaning “place of wood” or literally “fern leaves”) is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa with 76,150 residents as of 2019. It is part of the Garden Route. It is located 34 degrees south of the equator, 55 kilometers east of George on the N2 highway, and 33 kilometers west of Plettenberg Bay on the same route.
The beginning of time
Forty fossilized hominid footprints discovered in Knysna about 90,000 years ago, together with other archaeological finds, imply that people had lived in the area for well over 300,000 years. The first were the San Hunter-gatherer peoples, who occupied much of Southern Africa throughout the paleolithic period. The San were progressively dispossessed and assimilated by Khoekhoe peoples travelling south.
Khoe Houtunqua (Outeniqua)
The Houtunqua or Outeniqua are a southern Khoekhoe people that once lived in the Knysna region. “The People Who Bear Honey” is their moniker. The Khoekhoegowab words ‘/hao ‘honey,’ tun'(teni) verb ‘to carry,’ and khoe translated as qua ‘people’.
A portrayal of the Khoekhoe people from the nineteenth century.
Prior to European contact, nothing is known about Houtunqua civilization. There aren’t many historical sources, and the ones that do exist aren’t very detailed. It is thought that the Houtunqua’s realm spanned from the mouth of the Krom River in the east, along the Outeniqua Mountains that bear their name, to the mouth of the Grootbrak River in the west, during the height of their culture.
Hunters from the Khoekhoe tribe.
The Houtunqua seem to have stayed independent of the Inqua (Hamcumqua) advance in the north, with lesser Khoekhoe tribes like as the Gamtobaqua joining the Houtunqua to seek shelter from the Inqua’s northward expansion. Through the west, the Houtunqua were linked to trading routes with the Attaqua and Hessequa.
According to archeological evidence, the Houtunqua retained animals and practiced Nomadic Pastoralism, but they also made considerable use of the resources found in mountain forests. Many caverns have been discovered in the area that indicate traces of pre-colonial habitation. The finding of shell middens at Knoetzie beach supports the theory that the Houtuniqua, like other Khoekhoe peoples, relied on the ocean for their supplies.
The Houtunqua had special beliefs concerning Europeans and regarded them to be “baleful spirits,” according to oral tradition. As a result, the Houtunqua went to great lengths to avoid interaction with Europeans. The Houtunqua tribe retreated farther and deeper into the mountain woods, while other Khoekhoe tribes developed official connections and commerce with Europeans. As a consequence, the Houtunqua vanished from history for a period of time, with some Houtunqua ultimately merging into colonial culture. The last known Chief of the Houtunqua was Chief Dikkop, who died in 1816.
Settlement in Europe
In 1910, the SS Agnar tows an unidentified sailing ship into Knysna Harbour.
In 1760, the first Europeans came in the region, and the Melkhoutkraal farm (literally’milk wood kraal’ in Afrikaans) was constructed on the eastern coast of the Knysna Lagoon. In 1770, the first European farmer to establish in the region, Stephanus Terblans, was granted a loan permission to farm here.
George Rex, a British-born entrepreneur who is credited with founding Knysna, purchased the loan rights to Melkhoutkraal in 1804 and subsequently, in 1816, to the estate Welbedacht, which he renamed Eastford, after coming to Knysna. He provided the Colonial Government 80 acres (32 ha) of Eastford, on which the Royal Navy founded the settlement of Melville. When Rex died in 1839, his estate was auctioned.
The cargo brig Emu of the Cape Town Dockyard was the first European vessel to approach the Knysna Heads in April 1817. She was holed when she hit Emu Rock, which is today known as Emu Rock. Emu was pushed ashore by her crew to avoid sinking. The HMS Podargus arrived in late April to help. Podargus sailed safely into the Knysna after assessing the area and retrieving Emu’s cargo.
Captain Thomas Henry Duthie, who married Caroline, George Rex’s daughter, and acquired a piece of the Uitzigt estate from his father-in-law, which Rex had called Belvidere, was the second important settler in Knysna. Duthie commissioned the building of a tiny Norman-style church on his land, which was dedicated in 1855. The population of the colony progressively increased, and Englishmen like Henry Barrington and Lt. Col. John Sutherland, who founded the hamlet of Newhaven on a section of acquired property, arrived in the region. Knysna was a Plettenberg Bay field cornetcy under the Magisterial Division of George at the time. Knysna became a distinct Magisterial Division in 1858, and additional businesses and lodging facilities arose, becoming Knysna the region’s new commercial center.
The Thesen family, who were traveling from Norway to New Zealand, fell in love with the little hamlet of Knysna and chose to remain, bringing their expertise of business and sailing with them. Soon, lumber from the huge forests around Knysna was being sent to the Cape, and a steam sawmill and a small shipyard were built. These were then transported to Paarden Island, which was later renamed Thesen’s Island.
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3. Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is a national park in South Africa and one of Africa’s biggest wildlife reserves. It spans the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa, covering 19,623 km2 (7,576 sq mi) and extending 360 km (220 km) north to south and 65 km (40 mi) east to west. Skukuza is home to the administrative headquarters. The park’s areas were originally protected by the South African Republic’s government in 1898, and it was designated as South Africa’s first national park in 1926.
The two South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga are located to the west and south of the Kruger National Park, respectively. Zimbabwe is to the north, while Mozambique is to the east. It is currently part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a peace park that connects Kruger National Park to Zimbabwe’s Gonarezhou National Park and Mozambique’s Limpopo National Park.
The park is part of the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve, which has been declared as an International Man and Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The park features nine major gates via which visitors may enter the various camps.
4.The city of Cape Town
Cape Town is the one destination in South Africa that you definitely must see. It is commonly referred to as the Mother City since it was the first European settlement in South Africa (1652).
It’s impossible to sum up what Cape Town is all about in a few words. You have to see it to appreciate the fusion of African and European cultures, the combination of tradition and modernity, and the unique balance of city life and nature… If South Africa is the globe encapsulated in a single nation, Cape Town is the world encapsulated in a single city. When visiting South Africa, this is a must-see!
The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Table Mountain, Signal Hill & Lion’s Head, Robben Island, the Bo-Kaap area, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Two Oceans Aquarium, and the city center with its local markets, shops, restaurants, and museums are just a few of the must-see attractions in Cape Town.
5.Tsitsikamma National Park, Eastern Cape
Tsitsikamma National Park is a protected region on the Garden Route in South Africa’s Western and Eastern Cape provinces. It’s a coastal preserve famous for its native trees, stunning shoreline, and Otter Trail. It was merged with the Wilderness National Park and other sections of land to establish the Garden Route National Park on March 6, 2009.
The park stretches for 80 kilometers (50 miles) along the seashore. The major lodging is at Storms River Mouth, while Nature’s Valley is towards the park’s western end. The Bloukrans Bridge, at 216 meters, is the world’s tallest bridge bungee jump (709 ft).
The term “Tsitsikamma” comes from the Khoekhoe words tse-tsesa, which means “clear,” and gami, which means “water,” and is most likely referring to the Tsitsikamma River’s clean water. ‘Waters begin’ and ‘site of great water’ are two further meanings.
6.Cape Peninsula
Cape Peninsula, along with Cape Town, is one of South Africa’s most beautiful locations. This is one of those sites you don’t want to miss out on!
Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point, as well as the spectacular 12 Apostles coastline from Camps Bay to Hout Bay and farther south along the Chapman’s Peak Drive, are indisputable highlights of the Cape Peninsula.
Simon’s Town, with its Boulder’s Beach penguin colony (yes, you can see wild penguins in South Africa!) is a must-see. Also, there is a lovely ocean path that connects Muizenberg and Kalk Bay through St. James Beach. The Groot Constantia wine area on the Cape Peninsula features stunning scenery and some of South Africa’s top wines.
You may also take a boat from Hout Bay to visit a seal colony named Duiker Island, although most people simply call it Hout Bay Seal Island. Because this is a popular tourist site, you may wish to make a reservation ahead of time. You may also go snorkeling with the seals for a more unique experience.
7. God’s Window, Mpumalanga
The Drakensberg escarpment area of eastern Mpumalanga, South Africa, is home to the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve (or Motlatse Canyon Provincial Nature Reserve). The Blyde River Canyon is protected, as are portions of the Ohrigstad and Blyde Rivers, as well as the geological formations near Bourke’s Luck Potholes, where the Treur River flows into the Blyde below. The reserve follows the escarpment south of the canyon, passing via the Devil’s and God’s Windows, the latter a popular lowveld vista near the reserve’s southern end.
The reserve includes the massifs of Mogologolo (1,794 m), Mariepskop (1,944 m), and Hebronberg (1,767 m). The elevation ranges between 560 and 1,944 meters above sea level. F.H. Odendaal and Swadeni are its resort areas, with the latter only accessible from Limpopo province. The Mpumalanga Parks Board manages an area of around 29,000 hectares (290 km2) in Mpumalanga.
This geological feature and day visitors’ attraction, named for prospector Bernard Thomas Bourke (brother of Eddie Bourke), is located on the reserve’s western edge, 24°40′28′′S 30°48′39′′E, near the junction of the Treur and Blyde Rivers. At the canyon’s southern, or higher, reaches, the reserve’s nature conservation offices are situated near the community of Moremela. The beginning of the Blyde River Canyon is marked with Bourke’s Luck Potholes.
The Treur River’s plunge pools have excavated a number of cylindrical potholes known as giant’s kettles, which may be seen from the crags above. It was named after Tom Bourke, a local prospector who forecast the existence of gold despite finding none himself. The pedestrian bridges link the different potholes and gorge viewpoints downstream.
8. Hermanus
Hermanus (formerly known as Hermanuspietersfontein, but reduced in 1902 because the name was too lengthy for the postal service) is a town in South Africa’s Western Cape region.
It is a popular retirement destination and is noted for Southern Right whale viewing throughout the winter and spring seasons. The Southern Right whale is the most common species in the area, but it is not the only one that comes to visit. From as early as June, whales may be seen from cliffs all around the coast, and they normally leave in early December.
They were originally hunted at Betty’s Bay, but are now protected in order to safeguard the species’ survival. The Old Harbour Museum has many exhibits on the whaling industry, and the De Wetshuis Picture Museum has a photo exhibition about the history of Hermanus by T. D. Ravenscroft. The Whale Museum has a whale skeleton on display and twice daily displays an audio-visual exhibition about whales and dolphins.
9. Boulders Beach,Western Cape
Boulders Beach gets its name from the protected beach made up of inlets between granite boulders. It’s in Simon’s Town, a suburb of Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa, on the Cape Peninsula. Boulders Bay is another name for it. It’s a famous tourist destination because to a colony of African penguins that arrived in 1982. Table Mountain National Park includes Boulders Beach.
These African penguins can only be found along the southern African coasts – (South Africa & Namibia). These penguins are on the brink of becoming extinct. As a consequence, the Cape Nature Conservation has taken steps to safeguard the penguins.
Despite being in the middle of a residential neighborhood, it is one of the few places where this endangered species (Spheniscus demersus) may be seen up close and roaming freely in a natural setting. The penguin colony has expanded from two breeding couples in 1982 to over 3,000 birds in recent years. This is largely owing to the ban on commercial pelagic trawling in False Bay, which has improved the quantity of pilchards and anchovy, both of which are important components of the penguins’ diet. , as well as assistance from Van the Penguin Man, a former SANDF naval officer
The region consists of a series of tiny sheltered coves, partly encircled by 540 million-year-old granite boulders, and is bordered on one side by indigenous vegetation above the high-water level and on the other by the clear water of False Bay.
Boulders Beach is the most popular recreation area, although the penguins can be seen best from Foxy Beach, where recently erected boardwalks bring people within a few meters of the animals. Although humans are prohibited to beaches near to the penguin colony, it is a popular bathing beach.
10.Paarl Western Cape
Paarl (/prl/; Afrikaans: [prl]; derived from Parel, which means “pearl” in Dutch) is a town in the Western Cape province of South Africa with a population of 112,045 people. After Cape Town and Stellenbosch, it is the third-oldest city and European settlement in the Republic of South Africa, as well as the biggest town in the Cape Winelands. The Mbekweni township has grown to the point that it is now a de facto urban unit with Wellington. It’s approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Cape Town in the Western Cape Province, and it’s noted for its gorgeous surroundings, as well as its wine and fruit-growing tradition.
Paarl is the administrative center of the Drakenstein Local Municipality, and although it is not part of the Cape Town metropolitan region, it is part of its economic catchment area. Paarl is unique among South African place names in that it is pronounced differently in English and Afrikaans; also unique about the town’s name is Afrikaners’ traditional attachment to it, referring to it as in die Paarl or in die Pêrel, rather than in Paarl (literally, “in the Paarl”).
Nelson Mandela stepped out of Victor Verster Correctional Centre (now known as Drakenstein Correctional Centre) in Paarl on 11 February 1990, completing his 27-year incarceration and setting the stage for South Africa’s post-apartheid period, which included multi-racial elections.
Mandela was imprisoned here for three years, residing in a private residence behind the prison gates. Outside the jail now, a bronze monument of Nelson Mandela stands.
Paarl played home to a match from the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup. Ceres Fruit Juices’ offices are in the city, despite the fact that Ceres Valley, the company’s namesake and the source of most of the fruit, is about an hour to the northeast.
Pearl Mountain, also known as “Paarl Rock,” is a prominent feature of the neighborhood. The magnificence of this massive granite rock, which is made up of three circular outcrops, has been likened to Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Australia. (However, geologically, they are not the same.) Paarl Rock is an intrusive igneous rock, while Uluru is a sedimentary relic made mostly of arkose.)
11. The Drakensberg
The Drakensberg (Afrikaans: Drakensberge, Zulu: uKhahlamba, Sotho: Maluti) is the easternmost part of the Great Escarpment, which surrounds the central Southern African plateau. Within the border area of South Africa and Lesotho, the Great Escarpment reaches its highest height – 2,000 to 3,482 meters (6,562 to 11,424 feet).
The central plateau, bordered by the Great Escarpment, and its proximity to the Cape Fold Mountains to the south are shown on a map of South Africa. The Drakensberg is the section of the Great Escarpment indicated in red.
The Drakensberg escarpment spans for almost 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from the Eastern Cape Province in the south, then forms the boundary between Lesotho and the Eastern Cape, as well as the border between Lesotho and KwaZulu-Natal Province, in order from south to north. The boundary between KwaZulu-Natal and the Free State follows, followed by the border between KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga Province. From there, the escarpment runs north across Mpumalanga, passing past the Blyde River Canyon, Three Rondavels, and God’s Window. It then continues north to Hoedspruit in southeastern Limpopo, where the Afrikaners call it ‘Klein Drankensberg.’ It stretches west from Hoedspruit to Tzaneen, also in Limpopo Province, and is known as the Wolkberg Mountains and Iron Crown Mountain. The Wolkberg, at 2,200 meters (7,200 feet) above sea level, is Limpopo’s highest point. The escarpment continues westward and is known as the Strydpoort Mountains near Mokopane.
12.The V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
The Victoria & Alfred (V&A) Waterfront is located in Cape Town and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, Table Bay Harbour, the City of Cape Town, and Table Mountain. The facility was designed by Adrian van der Vyver.
The 123 hectares (300 acres) property has been built for mixed-use, featuring both residential and commercial real estate. It is located in South Africa’s oldest operational port.
More than 23 million people visit the Waterfront each year.
As a sixteen-year-old Royal Navy Midshipman aboard HMS Euryalus, Prince Alfred, Queen Victoria’s second son, visited the Cape Colony port in 1860. On this first-ever visit by a member of the Royal Family, he made a tremendous impression on the colonials. The new Navy Yard’s first basin was named after him, and the second after his mother.
The Planet Hollywood bombing occurred on August 25, 1998, in the (now closed) Planet Hollywood restaurant within the V&A, killing two people and injuring 26 others.
13. Pringle Bay
Pringle Bay (Afrikaans: Pringlebaai) is a tiny seaside community in South Africa’s Western Cape’s Overberg area. It’s on the other side of False Bay from Cape Point, at the foot of Hangklip. The Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, encompasses the town and its environs. The bay was named after Royal Navy Rear-Admiral Thomas Pringle, who commanded the Cape’s naval post in the late 1790s.
Many of the properties in the little village, which is located between Betty’s Bay and Gordon’s Bay, are solely utilized as vacation homes by their owners. The R44, which links it to the N2, is the only way to get to it.
The Hangklip (hanging rock) that marks the eastern extremity of False Bay is a well-known feature in Pringle Bay. The Hangklip Mountain, which stands at 484 meters above sea level, is home to various natural caverns and was formerly a haven for bandits and slaves fleeing their Dutch lords, thus the name “Drostersgat” – Deserters Cave.
The beach faces the wind and is usually deserted. The hamlet is one of the safest in the nation, and it is inherently family oriented, with a multitude of eateries and curio stores catering to residents, tourists, and passers-by.
14. Cape Agulhas
The rocky headland of Cape Agulhas (/ljs/; Portuguese: Cabo das Agulhas [kau z u], “Cape of the Needles”) is located in the Western Cape of South Africa.
According to the International Hydrographic Organization, it is the physical southern point of Africa and the start of the dividing line between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
Sailors have always considered the cape to be a serious danger on the classic clipper route. It is sometimes referred to as one of the great capes. Until the twentieth century, it was known in English as Cape L’Agulhas. L’Agulhas is a little village close to the coast.
Cape Agulhas lies 170 kilometers (105 miles) southeast of Cape Town in the Overberg area. After noting that the direction of magnetic north (and hence the compass needle) matched with true north in the location around the year 1500, Portuguese navigators dubbed it Cabo das Agulhas—Portuguese for “Cape of Needles.” [2] The Cape Agulhas Local Municipality is located in the Overberg District of South Africa’s Western Cape province. Andrew’s Field, a tiny airfield near Agulhas, serves the town.
The warm Agulhas Current, which runs south along Africa’s east coast, retroflects back into the Indian Ocean south of Cape Agulhas. It pinches off gigantic ocean eddies (Agulhas rings) that drift into the South Atlantic Ocean and transport massive quantities of heat and salt to the neighboring ocean while retroflecting. One of the most important parts in the worldwide conveyor belt circulation of heat and salt is this mechanism.
The coastline of Cape Agulhas is gently curving, with rocky and sand beaches. At the southernmost point of Africa, a survey marker and a new marker symbolizing the African continent are positioned. The shallow waters off the shore of the Agulhas Bank are known as one of South Africa’s premier fishing places.
Cape Agulhas is made mainly of rocks from the Table Mountain Group, sometimes known as the Table Mountain Sandstone. They are inextricably tied to the geological structures seen in Table Mountain, Cape Point, and the Cape of Good Hope’s stunning cliffs.
15. Addo Elephant National Park
Addo Elephant National Park is one of South Africa’s 20 national parks and is home to a broad range of animals. It is located near Gqeberha. After Kruger National Park and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, it is now the third largest park in South Africa.
History
The park’s first segment was established in 1931, thanks in part to Sydney Skaife’s efforts, to offer a safe haven for the area’s eleven surviving elephants. The park has proven to be a huge success, with over 600 elephants and a big number of other creatures now living there.
Expansion
The original park was later expanded to include the Woody Cape Nature Reserve, which stretches from the mouth of the Sundays River to Alexandria, as well as a marine reserve that includes St. Croix Island and Bird Island, both of which are breeding habitat for gannets and penguins, as well as a diverse range of other marine life. Bird Island is home to the world’s biggest breeding colony of gannets (about 120,000 birds) as well as the world’s second largest breeding colony of African penguins (St. Croix Island). The proposal to extend the 1,640-square-kilometer Addo National Elephant Park into the 3,600-square-kilometer Greater Addo Elephant National Park includes these maritime assets.
The extension will make the park the only park in the world to house Africa’s “Big 7” (elephant, rhinoceros, lion, buffalo, leopard, whale, and great white shark) in their native environment, as well as five of South Africa’s seven primary vegetation zones (biomes).
Credit : Displore
