Cape Town
One of two statues of Jan Smuts located in the city centre, this is the more traditional interpretation of the former general and prime minister (1870…
Cape Town
One of two statues of Jan Smuts located in the city centre, this is the more traditional interpretation of the former general and prime minister (1870…
Western Cape
Birkenhead is one of the country's oldest microbreweries and one of its most scenic, with a lovely view of the Klein River Mountains. Sip your way through…
Umhlanga Lagoon Nature Reserve
KwaZulu-Natal
Found on a river mouth just north of town, the reserve is home to many bird species (despite its small size: 2600 sq metres). Trails lead through stunning…
International Library of African Music
Sunshine Coast
There are 200 or so instruments to examine here – you can listen to field recordings and try to emulate what you’ve heard on nyanga (pan) pipes from…
KwaZulu-Natal
Formerly known as Voortrekker Museum, Msunduzi Museum comprises a complex that incorporates the Church of the Vow, the home of Andries Pretorius, a…
Limpopo
This 13-sq-km reserve on Rte 101 is a breeding centre for the National Zoo in Pretoria and has a wide variety of native and exotic animals, including…
Northern Cape
Housed in a former synagogue, this museum is surprisingly large and interesting for a small town. It concentrates on the white settlement of the region,…
Eastern Cape
This mixed late Victorian and early Edwardian mansion has a good collection of South African paintings from landscapes to city scenes, featuring the likes…
Winelands
Ceres was once a famous centre for making horse-drawn vehicles. Consequently, the museum has an interesting collection of original wagons and carriages…
Western Cape
Located on the site of an early-20th-century whaling station, Stony Point is a much quieter place to watch the diminutive African penguins than at the…
Limpopo
Located 9km south of Polokwane on Rte 37 to Chuniespoort, this museum evokes the customs of the Northern Sotho people who lived here 300 years ago. The…
Johannesburg
An icon of the city's rebirth, this massive power station was refurbished in 2007 and now houses the impressive new headquarters of AngloGold Ashanti as…
Knysna
Reached by a turn-off along the N2 10km east of Knysna, Noetzie is a quirky little place with holiday homes in mock-castle style. There’s a lovely surf…
Western Cape
Dating from 1895, the lighthouse is set in pretty grounds and has some information on the 1852 HMS Birkenhead shipwreck. It's best to call in advance as…
Johannesburg
If you've not made it out on safari, this long-established zoo offers a chance to see the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino) as well as…
Durban
The shops of Madressa Arcade are a flurry of colourful fabrics and piles of spices. Even if you don't find anything to buy, the architecture makes for a…
Western Cape
It's not often you find a wine estate slap bang in the middle of town, but SoetKaroo is quite possibly the smallest wine estate in the country. The…
Cape Town
In the City Bowl along St George's Mall there's a plaque at Krotoa Place commemorating the 17th century Khoe-San woman Krotoa van Meerhof, who acted as an…
Knysna
Since this region has plenty of wet weather, a rainy-day option is welcome. The main museum is a pleasant complex in a mid-19th century building that was…
Johannesburg
This fine late-Edwardian building received a welcome renovation in 2012. Designed by William Hawke and William McKinlay in a mixture of neo-classical and…
Johannesburg
Ninety per cent Disneyland clone, this theme park offers a vaudevillian ride through Johannesburg’s gold-rush period with a token nod to historical…
Winelands
This tiny cellar is the epitome of the garagiste (garage) winery. Set back from the main road in the centre of town, there are just two tables – one…
Sea Point to Hout Bay
This bronze leopard statue on a rock has been sitting since 1963 on the approach to Chapman's Peak Dr from Hout Bay, and is a reminder of the wildlife…
National English Literary Museum
Sunshine Coast
Housed in a snazzy building on the outskirts of town, this museum contains South African manuscripts, first editions and works dating back to 1797, with…
Northern Cape
North of town, this 275-sq-km reserve has one- and two-day hiking trails. The best time to visit is spring, when the wildflower bloom carpets the…
Northern Cape
It's a good idea to start your Mokala visit at this small museum, which gives information on the history and geology of the park. There's a touch station…
KwaZulu-Natal
One of the less famous sites in the area, Fugitive’s Drift is best visited with a local guide. It's the route those attempting to flee the Battle of…
National Library of South Africa
Cape Town
Facing the north end of the Public Garden, this neoclassical building is based on the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, UK, and holds a copy of nearly…
Northern Cape
This sandstone memorial remembers the soldiers who died defending the British-held city in the 124-day Siege of Kimberley, which took place during the…
Gauteng
North of Vilakazi St is Hector Pieterson Sq; it’s named after the 12-year-old who was shot dead in the run-up to the Soweto uprising in 1976. The poignant…
Limpopo
The town museum has an impressive collection of artefacts, ranging from a ‘house guard’ totem used by the Rain Queens to some pretty spine-chilling…
Jan van Riebeeck & Maria de la Queillerie Statues
Cape Town
Apparently on the very spot where they stepped ashore in 1652 are statues of Jan van Riebeeck and Maria de la Queillerie, the first Dutch boss of Cape…
KwaZulu Cultural-Historical Museum
KwaZulu-Natal
This museum, located within Ondini, has excellent exhibits on Zulu history and culture. It also has one of the country’s best collections of beadwork on…
Hermanus
There's lots of info on whales, including daily audiovisual shows. The admission fee is included in the ticket for the Old Harbour Museum and the…
Stellenbosch
A small nature reserve at the foot of the Helderberg mountains. There are several short day trails and you're likely to see tortoises, bonteboks and…
Cape Town
This bronze statue of the politician and mining magnate Cecil Rhodes was erected in 1908 in the Company's Garden on a plinth carved with the phrase ‘Your…
Eastern Cape
This community arts centre exhibits huge tapestries made locally. Julia Malgas, the granddaughter of Helen Martins's assistant Koos, or another artist can…
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum
Port Elizabeth
The museum housed in two handsome buildings at the entrance to St George’s Park has a small gallery of paintings and sculpture by contemporary South…
Eastern Cape
Given the Eastern Cape's rich past, this museum is worth a visit, with an excellent natural-history collection, a great section dedicated to Xhosa culture…
Hantam National Botanical Garden
Northern Cape
There are gentle walks through this park, 4km south of the town. From August to October, this is a good place to spot wildflowers. Opening times are…