South Africa sits at the southern tip of the African continent and encompasses a range of landscapes and ecosystems. From lagoons to beaches, mountains to national parks – South Africa has a lot on offer. Here are BackHackers’ Top 5 picks to help you narrow it down…
Table Mountain
Table Mountain sits within a National Park of the same name. It is officially a UNESCO Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site and contains 2 pretty well known landmarks: Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope (see below for more information). Table Mountain itself is a flat-topped mountain, from which there are absolutely epic views of Cape Town. Head to the cable-way or why not hike to the top?
Cape of Good Hope
This rocky headland sits on the coast of the Cape Peninsula. Keep an eye out for the local zebra, cheeky baboons and cute penguins that you may encounter! Not only providing great views and wildlife, Cape of Good Hope also boasts a mad range of local plant life that can only be found here.
Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa, covering an area of 19,485 km². Head here for a guarantee of seeing some of Africa’s best wildlife, such as lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalos. The park also has an amazing landscape, boasting views of mountains, tropical forests and bush plains.
Boulders Beach
Head to Boulders Beach to check out the local penguin colony who have set up home in this sheltered area. The penguins themselves are actually under the protection of the Cape Nature Conservation given their proximity to becoming extinct and the area is part of the Table Mountain National Park.
Robben Island
Robben Island can be found in Table Bay, situated just under 7 km off the coast of Cape Town. The island is an important part of South African history, and is both a South African National Heritage Site as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Added to my list 🙂