South Africa is a country of immense natural beauty, rich history, and cultural diversity. I was lucky enough to spend a whole year in the southernmost country of Africa once. I spent this time exploring its wonders and delving into its culture.
South Africa is known for its safaris, beautiful coastline, braais, and wine. It’s also famous for its troubled past, apartheid, and the legendary Nelson Mandela, the country’s first black president.
While there, I managed to try out all the things the country is known and famous for! Read on to find out what they are.
Table of Contents
1. Safaris
South Africa is famous for being one of the best safari destinations in the world. Its many national parks are great places to go to view wild animals in their natural environment.
If you want to see the “Big Five” (i.e. the African buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion, and rhino) in particular, South Africa is definitely the right place for you! A great safari park is Kruger National Park, where you can see the endangered African wild dog. If you are lucky, you might also spot some raptors in the nearby Hluhluwe-iMfolozi reserve, which is a birdwatcher’s dream come true.
Addo Elephant National Park is also a good choice for safari, as it is very diverse. It is surrounded by mountains, savannahs, beaches, and forests. There, you will get to see the “Big Seven” (which are the “Big Five” plus a great white shark and a southern right whale).
2. Braais
Some of my favorite memories in South Africa involve braais, which are the equivalent of a barbecue. Braais are synonymous with fun: South Africans host them on the weekends, to mark celebrations or accompany important Springboks’ games!
Everybody has their own different method to braai, which involves using charcoal. The ‘braaimaster’ is responsible for keeping the fire lit for the entire duration of the braai. He is also responsible for grilling all types of meat, from beef to springbok and ostrich.
For a special outdoor party vibe and extra tasty meat, Mzoli’s in Gugulethu outside of Cape Town is known to be a great spot.
3. Boulders Beach penguins
In the charming Simon Town just outside Cape Town lies Boulders Beach. The name might not ring familiar to you at first. But what if I told you this is the beach with the penguins that you’ve probably seen so many times online? I bet then you’d know exactly what I am talking about!
The African penguin is a gorgeous penguin that is under threat from the degradation of its surrounding habitat and declining sources of food. Visiting Boulders Beach contributes to preserving the species.
And Boulders is also the only place in the world where you can get up close to penguins on a beautiful beach!
4. Surfing
South Africa, with its very long coastline, is a perfect destination for surfers! There are many beaches that make good surfing spots all over the country.
Jeffrey’s Bay in the Eastern Cape is the home of the prestigious J-Bay Open, the World Surf League’s annual competition.
Equally, in the Western Cape, one can also find awesome options, like the photogenic Surfer’s Corner beach in Muizenberg. Muizenberg is famous for its nice swells, good surf schools, and colorful beach huts lined in front of the water.
5. Wine
South Africa is known for its fantastic wine and, while there, I made sure to take every opportunity I was given for some wine tasting and grape stomping! I also made sure to learn as much about wine as I could.
Rolling hills peppered with lush vineyards at Stellenbosch created a stunning backdrop for learning about and celebrating the country’s wines.
I especially loved the Pinotage variety, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut, which is unique to South Africa and very popular worldwide.
6. Biltong
Biltong is one of the most famous things about South Africa! Resembling an American beef jerky, biltong is a cured beef snack.
Biltong is prepared in a unique way, dried with vinegar and seasoned with various herbs and spices, with no artificial preservatives.
Even though it was originally conceived as survival food for Dutch settlers in South Africa, biltong is still a popular on-the-go snack. Biltong is high in protein, gluten-free, and low in carbs. It also has a good amount of nutritional value. This is why it has become popular even outside of South Africa.
7. Robben Island
Robben Island is a small island six miles north of Cape Town. It is known around the world for the prison that held Nelson Mandela for 18 of his 27 incarcerated years.
From the mid-1960s to 1991, Robben Island functioned as the country’s maximum-security prison. Most of the prisoners held there were black activists, among which was Nelson Mandela. Mandela was put in prison for campaigning to end white minority rule. He was released in 1990 and moved on to become the country’s first black president.
Since 1997, Robben Island has been a visitable museum. Since 1999, it has also been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
8. Table Mountain
I will never forget my hikes on Cape Town’s Table Mountain! This iconic landmark was named after its signature tubular shape. Upon reaching the top of the mountain, travelers are always rewarded with stunning views of the city.
The mountain features thousands of species of diverse fauna and flora, most of which are endemic to the mountain.
While hiking up the mountain, you may be lucky enough to witness the ‘Tablecloth’. This is Table Mountain’s very own cloud cover formation!
9. Apartheid
South Africa is, unfortunately, also known for some of its dark history. The apartheid era was very tough for the country. This was a set of racial segregation policies that the National Party imposed after it won the general election in 1948.
Under apartheid, non-white South Africans would be forced to live in separate areas from whites. Non-whites would also have to be separated from each other based on their racial group. Contact between groups was mostly prohibited.
These policies remained for nearly half a century, separating families and friends and scarring the national conscience permanently.
10. Mining
South Africa is known for being rich in a variety of minerals.
The country has been blessed with great reserves of diamonds and gold. It is home to some of the world’s largest gold mines like the impressive Witwatersrand Basin.
South Africa used to be one of the strongest leaders in the mining industry globally. However, tensions between the country’s government and the mining industry have delayed the section’s growth.
11. Click consonants
South Africa is known for the clicking speech sounds a lot of its inhabitants make.
With sounds that are a lot more difficult to recreate than you’d expect (I would know!), these clicks are used in Khoisan languages.
The Khoisan tribe used to be the largest group of humans on earth, but today only around 100,000 Khoisan remain. This is why the task of keeping their language alive is becoming increasingly difficult.
12. Shark diving
South Africa is the ideal destination for adventurers. Many people who want to swim with sharks come to the country specifically to do that.
South Africa is home to the great white shark, a tempting attraction for shark enthusiasts. Gansbaai is referred to as the great white capital of the world and also a good spot for beginners.
Most people choose to dive in a cage where sharks swim around. If they get lucky, they also get to see penguins, seals, and whales!
13. Palace of the Lost City
South Africa is not only known for its natural beauty but also for its man-made gems! Specifically, the Palace of the Lost City is a luxury resort destination that first opened in 1992. Since then, it has become a legend located in the area of Sun City in Rustenburg.
Today, the 5-star palace hotel receives tourism from all over the world, so it can be a busy destination. Yet, it is definitely worth visiting.
Built on an extinct volcanic site, it boasts stunning architecture within botanical jungles, swimming pools, and waterfalls. Visiting the premises always wows people!
14. Shipwrecks
Most travelers are very impressed by the fact that there are approximately 2,000 shipwrecks off the coast of South Africa. The shipwrecks are proof of the country’s famously treacherous waters.
Today, most of the shipwrecks have experienced significant degradation but make for awe-inspiring sites.
An easily-accessible shipwreck that is worth visiting is the Nightingale steam vessel wreck. It ended up on Glenmore Beach in Kwa-Zulu Natal in 1933.
15. The Zulu tribe
The Zulu tribe is one of the most famous tribes not only in the country of South Africa, but in the whole continent of Africa. They played a very important role in Africa’s history.
Today, the tribe still thrives with an estimated 10-12 million native people who are renowned craft-makers living mostly in KwaZulu-Natal.
Zulu beading and woven baskets are instantly recognizable and only a small, humble representation of the creativity that defines the Zulu people.
16. Multilingualism
Go to any crowded space in South Africa and you’ll find that you’re hearing so many different languages around you!
In 1996, the new Constitution of South Africa recognized 11 official languages. These are Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu. While African languages are spoken by over 80% of the country, it is English that is used in the government, public life, and the media.
Most South Africans are masters of more than two languages and often switch between them during a conversation. If you want to learn, you have to be a very attentive listener!
17. Rooibos tea
Rooibos tea is very popular across the globe. It is based on the herb ‘rooibos’ which is native to South Africa. The tea is sometimes also referred to as “African red tea”.
It has a very distinctive smell that could be described as smoky, woody, and herbal.
With a full body, rooibos tea also contains many nutritional ingredients. This is why it is chosen by more and more people as their go-to tea!
18. Bo Kaap
Bo Kaap is a Malay neighborhood of Cape Town. It is instantly recognizable by its iconic colorful little houses. The neighborhood lies at the bottom of Table Mountain.
When Malaysian and Indonesian slaves were freed, they chose Bo Kaap to settle in, as it was cheap. They worked hard to transform the area into the culturally-important and picturesque part of the city that it is today.
Modern Bo Kaap also gets bonus points for having exquisite Malay cuisine!
19. Bungee jumping
Famous for its quality bungee jumping, South Africa boasts the world’s highest bungee jump. It is located on the Bloukrans bridge along the Garden Route.
The jump from Bloukrans bridge is a 216-meter head-first jump, off a span arch bridge. A full-body harness is used rather than a simple ankle harness because of the extreme height.
You can find many cool spots to jump from in South Africa, all led by highly-experienced professionals that will make it a safe, fun experience!
20. Townships
A lot of people can’t help but notice the townships as their plane is about to land in South Africa.
These are large, densely-populated, and underdeveloped settlements. It is where non-white people were forced to move to during apartheid. Today, they are composed of clustered neighborhoods made up of containers that double as houses. Townships are known for their high rates of unemployment.
Most people will have heard of Soweto (short for “South Western Townships’ ‘), a settlement in southwest Johannesburg, that was home to both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.
South Africa: A country with a lot to offer
South Africa is undeniably a very interesting, culturally-rich country with extraordinary landscapes. It is known for a wide variety of things: from unique food to rare wildlife and amazing mountains.
Anyone who takes the time to explore it will definitely discover even more cool things about it!
