South Africa is a vast, varied, and beautiful country and it attracts an increasing number of tourists every year. International visitors flock to its beautiful beaches, cosmopolitan cities, and extraordinary safari parks. It has a little bit of everything and if you’re visiting the Rainbow Nation anytime soon, you’ll want to include these popular attractions on your itinerary.
Cape Town
Cape Town represents everything great about South Africa, which is why it’s one of the biggest destinations for UK, Irish, and US tourists. It’s a blend of style and culture—European and African; contemporary and traditional.
You can visit Table Mountain, a flat-topped mountain that provides mesmerising views of the city’s skyline; see some of the continent’s most majestic animals at the Two Oceans Aquarium or Aquila Private Game Reserve, and venture into the city itself to do some shopping.
When you’re feeling peckish, drop by one of the city’s many award-winning restaurants, including Aubergine, The Stack, Greenhouse, The Shortmarket Club, and Kyoto Garden Sushi.
Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is one of the most famous destinations in South Africa, and not without reason. It’s a safari experience that covers over 2 million hectares. To put that into perspective, it’s approximately twice the size of Cyprus and four times the size of Trinidad and Tobago!
Imagine if you combined the total area of Essex, Sussex, Kent, Suffolk, and Norfolk, and filled it with beautiful fauna and wild animals—that gives you an idea of just how massive this park is.
You’ll see elephants, rhinos, buffalo, lions, and other big cats in their natural habit. The best you can hope for in Essex is the odd stray cat.
Spend the night in luxury accommodation, take day tours, or drive around in your own car. You’re in control and you have a vast territory to explore.
GrandWest Casino & Entertainment World
The GrandWest Casino is located in Cape Town, but it’s a destination all of its own and is deserving of a distinctive place on this list. During those long summer nights, when the casino is lit from the outside, it’s one of the most magical destinations in the city.
The casino is home to over 2,500 slots and 79 gaming tables, similar to the ones found here. But it’s not just for gamblers, as there are several fine dining restaurants and entertainment options, including ten-pin bowling, a gaming arcade, an ice-skating rink, and a cinema.
You can even take the kids along, and they’ll be kept busy in the arcade or entertained with a theatre show
The Garden Route
The Garden Route is a stretch of coastline that spans for around 200 km and showcases some of the natural beauty of South Africa. It covers several towns and parks, including the Tsitsikamma National Park, where you’ll find dozens of kilometres of rocky coastline and sea.
It also includes the Storms River and the Featherbed Private Nature Reserve and is a great way to spend a day exploring the country’s natural beauty.