Table Mountain
Mountain overlooking Cape Town, South Africa
A mountain with a flat top that stands over the city of Cape Town, South Africa, as a prominent landmark.
Photo: Matthiasmullie, CC BY-SA 4.0
ZA · Curated travel guide
South Africa: 10 places worth the journey
Table Mountain, Vredefort impact structure, ISimangaliso Wetland Park and 7 more — what each one is, and why it is worth the detour.
- Places
- 10
- World Heritage
- 2
- Language
- Afrikaans, English +9
- Currency
- ZAR
What to see in South Africa
Chosen from everything Wikidata knows about South Africa and ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions describe them, which is about as close to "famous" as open data gets. 2 are on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
World Heritage
Vredefort impact structure
Largest verified impact structure on Earth
One of Earth's largest impact structures. The crater, since worn away, is estimated to have been 170–300 kilometres (110–190 mi) across when it formed; the upper figure would make it bigger than Chicxulub, Earth's largest impact crater that is still mostly intact.
Photo: Tadpolefarm, CC BY-SA 4.0
World Heritage
ISimangaliso Wetland Park
South Africa's third-largest protected area, spanning 280 km of coastline
A park on KwaZulu-Natal's east coast, in South Africa, lying north of Durban, roughly 235 km (146 mi) away by road. The third-largest protected area in South Africa, it stretches along 280 km (170 mi) of shoreline, starting at the Mozambican border in the north and ending at Mapelane, south of the estuary of Lake St. Lucia. Its natural ecosystems, some 3,280 km² (1,270 sq mi) in all, are looked after by the iSimangaliso Authority.
Photo: Christian Wörtz ( woertz ), CC BY-SA 2.5
Tugela Falls
Waterfalls in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
A group of seasonal waterfalls in the Drakensberg, in Royal Natal National Park, KwaZulu-Natal Province, Republic of South Africa. By some measurements it is the tallest waterfall in the world.
Photo: Juniper339, CC BY-SA 4.0
Augrabies Falls
Waterfall in Northern Cape, South Africa
A waterfall on the Orange River, South Africa's largest river. Since 1966 it has been protected, in a harsh, desolate setting, within Augrabies Falls National Park.
Photo: Zaian ( talk )., Public domain
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Sun City (South Africa)
Luxury resort and casino in North West, South Africa
A luxury resort and casino in South Africa's North West Province, between the Pilanesberg and the Elands River, built on Bakubung Village land about 140 km northwest of Johannesburg, near Rustenburg.
Photo: Ger1axg, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sterkfontein
Archaeological site in Gauteng, South Africa
Limestone caves of special importance to paleoanthropology in Gauteng province, South Africa, about 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Johannesburg, in the Muldersdrift area near Krugersdorp. The Kromdraai and Swartkrans archaeological sites are nearby.
Photo: Anrie, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Castle of Good Hope
17th-century bastion fort in Cape Town, South African
A five-sided bastion fort of the 17th century in Cape Town, South Africa. It first stood on the shore of Table Bay, but since land was reclaimed in the Foreshore area it lies inland.
Photo: Martinvl, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Blombos Cave
Archaeological site in Western Cape, South Africa
An archaeological site in Blombos Private Nature Reserve, about 300 km east of Cape Town on South Africa's Southern Cape coast. Its Middle Stone Age (MSA) deposits are now dated to c. 100,000–70,000 years Before Present (BP), with a Late Stone Age sequence from 2000 to 300 years BP.
Photo: Vincent Mourre / Inrap, CC BY-SA 3.0
About South Africa
Officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), Africa's southernmost country, with nine provinces. To the south it has 2,798 kilometres of coast on the Indian Ocean and the South Atlantic; Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia lie to its north, and Eswatini and Mozambique to its east and northeast. It also surrounds Lesotho.
Officially The Republic of South Africa. Known locally as Suid-Afrika, South Africa, iNingizimu Afrika, uMzantsi Afrika, Afrika-Borwa, Afrika Borwa, Aforika Borwa, Afurika Tshipembe, Afrika Dzonga, iNingizimu Afrika, iSewula Afrika.
Based on the Wikipedia article, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0: the facts are Wikipedia's, the wording is this site's.
Questions travellers ask
What is worth seeing in South Africa?
This guide lists 10: Table Mountain, Vredefort impact structure, ISimangaliso Wetland Park and Tugela Falls and others. Vredefort impact structure and ISimangaliso Wetland Park are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
How were these places chosen?
By machine, from open data, with no human ranking them and nobody able to pay for a place on the list. Everything Wikidata records in South Africa that is a building, a landform, a protected area or a tourist attraction, has coordinates, a photograph and an English Wikipedia article, is ranked by how many Wikipedia language editions wrote about it. Provinces, cities, airports, stations and stretches of sea shared with the neighbours are filtered out.
Which places here are UNESCO World Heritage Sites?
2 of the 10 in this guide: Vredefort impact structure and ISimangaliso Wetland Park. That is not the full count for South Africa, only the listed sites that made this guide.
What language is spoken in South Africa, and what currency?
Afrikaans, English, isiZulu, isiXhoas, Pedi, Sotho, Tswana, Venda, Tsonga, Swazi, Ndebele. The currency is ZAR.
How do I get mobile data in South Africa?
A travel eSIM is usually the cheapest way, and avoids a roaming bill. The plans suggested at the foot of this guide start at $2.24 for 1GB for 7 days. The eSIM is data-only and sits alongside your normal SIM, so calls, texts and WhatsApp keep working on your own number.
Which networks would my phone use in South Africa?
Vodacom. Your phone picks whichever has the best signal where you are, the same way a local phone does.
One practical note: staying online
Maps, tickets and translation all want data, and roaming is the expensive way to get it. A Computatus eSIM eSIM connects to Vodacom once you land, and installs by QR code before you leave.
See 13 Computatus eSIM plans for South Africa from $2.24
| Plan | Data | Valid | Price | Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GB for 7 days Cheapest | 1 GB | 7 days | $2.24 | Get it → |
| 1GB per day | 1 GB | 1 day | $2.58 | Get it → |
| 1GB per day | 1 GB | 1 day | $2.88 | Get it → |
| 2GB per day | 2 GB | 1 day | $4.85 | Get it → |
| 2GB per day | 2 GB | 1 day | $5.44 | Get it → |
| 3GB for 15 days | 3 GB | 15 days | $5.94 | Get it → |
No app needed. Install by QR code before you fly, keep your own number for calls, and it connects the moment you land.
Vodacom 5G
A commission on plans bought through these links is what pays for this guide. Nothing above depends on it: the places are chosen before any price is looked up.