Top 10 South African Activities

You may venture to Africa numerous times and fail to encounter a leopard; it is the most elusive of the Big Five animals that pose the most danger to humans on foot. This is where the private reserves bordering Kruger National Park come into their own, renowned as places where lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and – most importantly – leopard, can be seen on a regular basis.

Staying in the midst of the Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, you will benefit from access to the vast wildlife populations moving in and out of the Kruger National Park but without any of the crowds. And, just like you, leopards don’t like crowds, so prepare to spot the lesser-spotted spotted cat.

Stunning Table Mountain is the number one attraction in Cape Town and can be accessed via numerous hiking trails, all offering fantastic views over the city. Surrounded by gorgeous proteas amongst the fragrant vegetation of the Cape fynbos, you will appreciate why this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

For the most adventurous travellers, a guided hike at dawn is the way to experience this thrilling mountain. There’ll be a breakfast welcome at the top as you soak up the views before heading down by cable car to save your precious knees.

A 7ft by 9ft cell on Robben Island, with a solitary bulb burning day and night, was the austere and lonely home of Nelson Mandela for 18 years. On release in 1990, he went on to become South Africa’s president and took his deserved place in the pantheon of the world’s greatest humans.

Christo Brand was lucky enough to get to know him, as a young prison warder and then as a friend, and you will be able to spend personal time with Christo before taking a flight by helicopter to the stark, mysterious and disturbingly beautiful island where both men – in their different ways – spent time. The views of the Atlantic seaboard and the vineyards on the flight to and from the island are spectacular and uplifting, as is the human story of the transformation of South Africa under Nelson Mandela.

South Africa is a country that abounds in opportunities to encounter wildlife, from the small, harmless and pretty to the downright big and dangerous. On the land, adventurers seek sightings of the Big Five land animals, but here at Journeysmiths we also suggest going to the coast to see the Marine Big Five: a great white shark, the southern right whale, the bottlenose dolphin, the Cape fur seal and the African penguin.

All these are on the cards when you venture out into the waters of the Western Cape coastal region, Gansbaai and the Southern Peninsula. We suggest starting with the unforgettable experience of watching whales from the shore at Hermanus, where the world’s only whale-caller will blow his horn to announce when whales have been spotted.

As part of the apartheid history of South Africa, townships are places of cultural significance and should be on the itinerary of any truly interested traveller. They’re also the homes of vibrant communities, as well as places of hope where many great things are happening. On a trip to a township, you will see different types of housing and socio-economic areas including worker hostels and informal settlements.

You will see self-help and charity-funded improvements, you’ll speak to residents, and you may be treated to traditional music or even a gumboot dance. By taking a tour in a township, the money you pay will go towards improvements in these traditionally under-resourced communities.