Social media is taken over by messages about making the most of life. One way to do so seems to be to travel. When people talk about travel the inference may be on faraway places requiring hefty flight ticket prices, exorbitant accommodation fees, expensive tour guides – all this for security while in a distant unfamiliar world where the culture and language are foreign.
But what about home? What does South Africa have to offer the traveler who wants to break away from routine and experience something refreshing.
Some people travel for a good time, packing away a pair of denims and sandals en route to the endless option of festivals and concerts throughout the year, throughout the country, throughout the world. Others travel for scenery – taking with them lenses to zoom in on breathtaking landscapes and slowing down to absorb the beauty of the sun setting over unique architectures. Others travel for rest in untouched coastlines, or hidden deep in the privacy of a forest. Some people travel for the thrill of spotting untamed animals in the wild or jumping off the edge of the cliff.
Before we leave the country, which we will, is it not incredible that South Africa, this 1.22 million square kilometers of land, where the Atlantic Ocean on its west and the Indian Ocean on the east meet at Cape Point satisfies everything a traveler might be hungry for. There is certainly something for everyone in South Africa.
Here are just some of South African sites from each province to satisfy a traveler’s appetite for landscape, history, art, outdoor adventure, adrenaline rush and tranquility:
Kruger National Park, Limpopo Province
Blyde River Canyon, Mpumalanga
Hartbeespoort Dam, North West
Vilakazi Street Soweto, Gauteng
Sterkfontein Dam, Free state
Umkhahlamba Drakensburg Park, Kwa-Zulu Natal
Hole in The Wall, Eastern Cape
View of Cape Town from Lion’s Head or Table Mountain, Western Cape
The Big Hole, Northern Cape
There is much more that each province has to show than these relatively famous destinations. If you have been to any and found some gems off the beaten track drop us some suggestions in the comments, or email us directly, and help us enjoy South Africa and all it has to give.
This blog aims to facilitate a conversation about the places we have been including the practicalities of how much it cost, where we stayed and everything else we have to recommend. We’re starting with home, but we have the entire globe to cover.
Where have you been in South Africa that took your breath away?
Mpumalanga surely has served some of the most beautiful landscapes as far as my traveling experience. As per that list , my next destination is “Hole in the wall” ,if pictures are anything to go by , I cannot wait for the real experience 😊.
And when you do, take lots of pictures and write a little something something about the experience for publishing here. Deal?