In a previous article, I gave you my opinion on South Africa: Here. In this article, I will tell you: What to do in South Africa when you visit this country?
📋 The essentials to remember: South Africa combines 3 experiences in one trip: Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula (Table Mountain, Cape Point, vineyards), the Garden Route (a wild 200 km coastline between Mossel Bay and Storms River), and a safari in Kruger Park. Plan for 14 to 21 days minimum. Average budget: 50-80 €/day excluding high-end safari. Ideal period: April-September (dry, animals visible around water points).
What to do in South Africa and Cape Town?
During my 2-month trip to South Africa, I was able to do a lot of different activities because South Africa has varied climates, landscapes, and cities very different from each other. I will first talk about a city I loved: Cape Town. Knowing that most tourists who go to South Africa only visit Cape Town and Kruger Park (in the north of the country a few hours from Johannesburg).
Me and the landscape at Drakensberg
Visiting South Africa: What to do in Cape Town?
Cape Town is a city with mountainous landscapes and the sea. There are therefore possibilities to do dozens and dozens of activities during your visit to South Africa.
Water activities in Cape Town:
- Watching and Swimming with seals, there is a tour where you can swim among the seals for several hours.
- Swimming with sharks, it is one of South Africa’s specialties, you are in a cage and the South Africans attract the shark with fish blood. The sensation is guaranteed the first time even if they are only young sharks but they are big enough to give you a big scare.
- Sunbathing on the beach, I don’t need to draw you a picture for this activity. I really like Cable Beach for the beach.
Me and Cable Beach
- Watching whales (seasonal): there are boat tours to watch whales (June to November). I spotted whales when I was canoeing in a two-seater.
- Learning to surf, it is one of the most popular activities in Cape Town once you have finished the major attractions. There are many schools and it can allow you to meet people to go out and do other activities.
- Kayaking, you go offshore to try to see seals and dolphins along the coast.
- Scuba diving, less known than other activities, the coast is full of underwater activity spots.
Mountain activities:
- Going to the top of Table Mountain by walking or taking the cable car. Whoever hasn’t been to Table Mountain hasn’t been to Cape Town. You can see the city from several angles if you hike on foot. You can take the cable car and visit the summit but you won’t have earned the view.
- Going to Lion’s Head. There is a very beautiful sunset.
Sunset at Lion’s Head
- Climbing to the summit of Devil’s Peak, among the 3 most visited hikes. It takes about half a day.
Of course, there are other hikes, it depends on what you want to do but I have presented the 3 most popular ones. If you want to hike in South Africa, it’s here.
🌍 Did you know?
South Africa has 11 official languages, including English, Afrikaans, Zulu, and Xhosa. It is also one of the few countries in the world to have 3 capitals: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial).
Fun and cultural activities:
- The Cape of Good Hope: There are tour operators who take you to different places like the Cape of Good Hope, you can go cycling there, they will take you to see penguins, and bring you to the southernmost point of Africa.
- The Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden: one of the things I love about the Cape is the special climate that prevails there and you can see that this climate really favors the cultivation of plants and flora.
- Robben Island: It is a historic island with a prison, this is where Nelson Mandela was held for more than twenty years, it is a symbolic place. Book your stay on the island in advance because spots fill up quickly.
- The port, the Waterfront: It is a very pretty place with a shopping center, nice boats, there are good restaurants and pubs. You can buy souvenirs there, it is the most visited place in Cape Town. When I went there, there were some shows for children.
Not the best view of the waterfront
- Party in Cape Town: Long Street, as its name suggests, is a long street with bars and nightclubs, be careful of pickpockets and theft when going out and do not linger on the street.
- Learn English: Doing a language stay in the Cape can be a good opportunity to improve your English.
- Visit museums in Cape Town: there are quite a few good museums like in every big city.
- Have a barbecue “a Braai”: it is a culture here in South Africa. I used to do at least one a week when I was there and I miss it!
A braai with locals.
🗣️ My experience: At Kruger in self-drive mode, I encountered in 4 days: lions 8 m from a family of tourists, a herd of 30 elephants crossing the track, a leopard sleeping in a tree, a curious hyena and angry hippos. Cost: €110/day for the car + €25/day driver pass + €60/night in a rest camp bungalow. Three times cheaper than the lodge version with guide, equally strong experience.
- Go skydiving: With the beautiful landscapes, you have to see the Cape from above and askew.
- Visit the vineyards in Stellenbosch: less known in Europe, South African wine surprised me, by the way I recommend you try it.
What to do in South Africa in other places?
There are many similar activities you can do in Cape Town and that is why tourists love this city so much. However, I chose to do some activities outside Cape Town because it is often 30-40% cheaper.
- Watching a rugby match, South Africans are crazy about rugby, just look at the atmosphere on match day.
Rugby match, they are going to score the try!
- Going on a safari, there are many animal parks on the South African coast, including the Kruger Park where you can see all the animals in the wild. This park is huge.
- Hiking, there are many hikes along the South African coast (Tsitsikamma Park) and also in the Drakensberg.
- Visiting the ostrich city in Oudtshoorn: you can try the meat, visit farms, ride an ostrich, etc.
Me and my new friend
🍀 South Africa
- Diversity (city, vineyards, beaches, safari)
- Reasonable budget compared to other African countries
- Decent road infrastructure
- English widely spoken
🔻 Limitations
- Security vigilance (burglaries)
- No efficient public transport
- Township to visit with a guide
- Long flight from Europe (11 h)
- Visiting a township, the most visitable is Soweto, which is near Johannesburg and has a particular history, I’ll let you discover it.
- Going to the Apartheid Museum, it’s a place to visit if you want to learn about South Africa’s history.
- Visiting the KwaZulu Natal region with their hut houses, a discovery for me of this region with a very different landscape.
On the coast of the KwaZulu Natal area
- Bungee jumping or swinging (pendulum jump): South Africa has one of the longest bungee jumps in the world (at Nature Valley) and the highest swing in the world (at Oribi Gorge). You can also go rappelling (climbing descent) if you wish from the gorge.
- See the town where hippos and humans coexist in Sainte Lucia, they mostly come out in the evening. It is better to go out discreetly with your headlamp and observe them.
- Take a zipline tour in the forest at Storm River, you spend a few hours moving from tree to tree, guaranteed sensation.
- Watch a cricket match: it is one of the other most famous sports in South Africa.
- Take a road trip by car along the South African coast: I regret not having done it but doing it can be wonderful because you have your own freedom.
- Rent a bike to explore part of the South African coast or mountain biking: in every place, I tried to rent a bike to discover the region.
Mountain landscape in Oudshoorn
| Region | To see / do | Duration | Specificity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Town | Table Mountain, V&A Waterfront, Robben Island | 3-4 days | Full cosmopolitan city |
| Cape Peninsula | Cape Point, Boulders Beach (penguins), Chapman’s Peak Drive | 1-2 days | Coastal road trip |
| Wine Region | Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl | 2 days | Wineries + starred restaurants |
| Garden Route | Mossel Bay → Storms River | 4-7 days | Wild coast, whales |
| Kruger Park | Big Five Safari | 3-5 days | Self-drive or lodge |
| Drakensberg | Hiking, rock paintings | 2-3 days | Mountains |
- Horseback riding at Blade River Canyon, it’s a different experience from the others.
- Visit a water park in South Africa: uShaka Marine World in Durban, Valley of Waves in Sun City, Gold Reef City in Johannesburg, The Cap Wheel in Cape Town.
- Discover South African music and musical atmosphere: an unforgettable moment throughout your trip.
Drumming class at the hostel
⚠️ Classic trap
Visiting Cape Town in November-February without booking Table Mountain in advance. The cable car often has 2-3 hours of waiting time in high season, and it closes in strong winds (statistically 1 day out of 5). Pre-book online (opens around 8:30 am), or plan a flexible slot in the middle of your stay.
- Visit Lesotho : it is one of the only countries in the world to be inside another country.
- See the wonderful varied landscapes of South Africa, Krysna, Drakensberg, Pletten Berg bay, Stormriver, etc.
- Eat in a South African restaurant : you must try the local cuisine.
African food after the safari.
- Go to the casino : it’s good entertainment, and the exchange rate is quite good.
If you want to go to South Africa, I recommend this series of books:
To prepare the trip practically, the right travel insurance is essential. On the security side, traveling safely provides the right specific reflexes for South Africa. And if you compare with other destinations, the most beautiful destinations in the world can help you decide.
