South Africa is a leader in responsible tourism and is a magnet for those who are interested in adventure, wildlife, culture and history. It was named by Conservational International as one of the seventeen megadiverse countries in the world. It is full of remarkable wildlife like wildebeest, elephants, great white sharks, impalas, zebras, lions, and leopards. There are 11 official languages, including English, Afrikaans, and isiZulu. Its history is complex and poignant, from the San who first inhabited the land to the establishment of Cape Town as a stopover for the Dutch along the spice trade route until the overthrow of Apartheid, a 50-year period of institutionalized racism. It was also the home to the global leaders Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, and Mahatma Gandhi who once said that South Africa was essential to his personal achievement.

Biodiversity

South Africa is a megadiverse country with 10% of the world’s plant species and 15% of the world’s marine species. Endemism rates are very high as well, reaching 56% for amphibians, 65% for plants, and 70% of its invertebrates. However, South African biodiversity is greatly endangered. During the 1960s the rhino population plummeted to only a few hundred. Mountain zebras had the same issue. National Parks, such as Mountain Zebra, and nature reserves helped bolster their numbers. Elephant overpopulation can actually damage local eco-systems and threaten other species. So, conservation efforts are being undertaken to create megaparks and transnational passages for them to roam. Penguins were in grave danger when in 2000, a ship carrying oil crashed into the penguin’s habitat. Hundreds of volunteers rehabilitated the oil penguins, taking more than 20,000 to Port Elizabeth, nearly 1000 km (621 mi) from their home. As the penguins swam back home, it gave authorities two weeks to clean up the beaches before the penguins arrived.

NATIONAL PARKS

Garden Route National Park

Located along the south coast of South Africa, the Park is renowned for its diverse natural beauty. Its landscape consists of evergreen temperate forests, rocky beaches with warm Indian Ocean waters, tall cliffs, and forest floors covered in mosses and ferns. Look out for monkeys, genets, otters, and even leopards. From June to December, you’ll also been able to spot whales and dolphins along the shore. Dotted along the forests are coastal towns like Knysna and Plettenberg Bay where you can eat fresh oysters and drink locally brewed beer.

Kruger National Park

Protecting the South African lowveld, a subtropical region of savanna, this National Park is inhabited by 336 different species of trees, 49 species of fish, 507 species of birds, and 147 species of mammals, including elephants, hyenas, impalas, blue wildebeest, kudu, cheetahs, and lions. The Park also contains numerous rock paintings and archaeological sites.

Mountain Zebra National Park

Established in order to protect a dwindling mountain zebra population, the Park is a conservation success story. Working with local landowners, who donated zebras from their farms, the Cape Mountain Zebra population was slowly brought back from near extinction. Today their numbers are healthy enough for some zebras to be relocated to re-establish herds elsewhere. The endangered black rhino and cheetah have also been re-introduced to the area.

Namaqua National Park

Birds and butterflies dance amidst valleys filled with Namaqualand daisies and vygie, a succulent with neon-bright flowers. You might also spot a Namaqua speckled padloper, the worlds smallest turtle, or even a baboon.

Table Mountain National Park

A mountain chain that descends down to beautiful white sand beaches, Table Mountain National Park offers sweeping views of Cape Town. Hiking, angling, cycling, and surfing can all be enjoyed at the Park. Visitors should look out for elands, red hartebeests, bonteboks, and zebras. There’s a also penguin colony, home to the endangered African penguin.

UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES

Cape Floral Region Protected Areas

Called the “hottest hot-spot” in the world for plant diversity, Cape Floral Region is made up of eight protected areas and is home to nearly 20% of Africa’s flora. There are plants with unique reproductive strategies, adaptations to fire, and interesting patterns of seed dispersal by insects, making it invaluable to science. It’s beautiful too, with a landscape full of rugged mountain passes, rivers, rapids, cascades and pools.

Maloti-Drakensberg Park

Consisting of Drakensberg National Park in South Africa and Sehlathebe National Park in Lesotho, this site is exceptionally beautiful with its caves, cliffs, and rock pools. The Park is an important habitat for endangered species such as the Cape vulture and the bearded vulture. Rock paintings by the San people, who lived here for over 4,000, can be found. The images depict animals and human figures. There are also paintings done during the 19th and 20th centuries that have been attributed to Bantu-speaking people. Drakensberg in Afrikaans means “Dragon Mountains”.

Robben Island

Between the 17th and 20th centuries, Robben Island has been used as a prison, a military base, and a hospital for socially unacceptable people. It is now a museum where you can still see the 17th quarries, the tomb of Hadije Kramat, 19th administrative buildings, WWII military structures, and the maximum-security prison used during Apartheid. The prison was closed in the 1999s when Apartheid ended and the political prisoners were freed. Its most famous prisoner was Nelson Mandela, who was incarcerated here for roughly 20 years.

!Simganaliso Wetland Park

Covering an area of 239,566 ha, its landscape consists of coral reefs, long sandy beaches, coastal dunes, lakes, swamps, and reed and papyrus wetlands. The name !Simganaliso means miracle and a wonder, the perfect name for this breath-taking place.