Splendid Places To Visit When In South Africa (Pt. 1)

South Africa Offers a lot of luxury places for first time visitors and even those who are visiting again would find it a beautiful and exciting experience. South Africa is home to a fine blend of beaches, mountains, wildlife and 2500 km of exhilarating coastline, which makes it a famous place for rugby sport (you could run into the Springboks Play  then you’ll understand the passion). The country is also famous for its gold and diamonds, while travelling through the country can be a bit tricky due to its size. Here’s a list of some of the top places to visit while in South Africa:

1. Table Mountain

The Table Mountain overlooks Cape Town And is flat topped, offering visitors in South Africa, a key tourist attraction. To be able to get to the top of the mountain, you can decide on taking a cable car or hike to the top of the mountain for the adventurous type. Certainly, the climb is worth it, once you get to the top of the mountain, the view is spectacular. The table offers some biodiversity like rock hyrax, porcupines, playful monkeys who are on the loose for food, mongooses, snakes and tortoises.

2. Robben Island

The Robben Island is located 7km off the coast of South Africa. The Island measures 3.3km long and 1.9km wide. The notorious prison was home to former president Nelson Mandela for 18 years (1964-1982), and is situated on Robben Island  The prison remains a central attraction to all who visit the island and would love to witness the prisoners living conditions. The prison which measures 7ft by 7ft, has in it a replica chair, mat, bowl and a blanket that was purported to have been used by Mandela himself.

You should expect to see a list of food served place outside the cell, and the menus are served differently for black South Africans, white South Africans and mixed race. You can employ the use of a Ferry, which leaves for the island from V&A Waterfront in Cape Town Six times a day. It is wise for wealthy visitors to book their ferry in time, as only 1800 people are allowed on the island every day.

3. Garden Route

The Garden Route Is a scenic stretch that’s located on the south eastern coast of South Africa, beginning at Mossel Bay and terminating around the storms River. You’ll find a host of wonderful stop offs along the way, notable among them is two towns – Knysna and Oudtshoorn. The Garden Route Is home to almost 300 species of beautiful multi-colored birds. It also has varied nature reserves that houses dolphins, seals and endangered Southern Right Whale.

To be able to get a good view of these, you should hire a car or go by Africa’s last remaining passenger steam train – the Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe. Although the train doesn't make the full stretch of the Garden Route, it’s still worth checking out. An alternative budget is to go on the Baz Bus.

South Africa offers that deep exciting experience, but it comes with a price and rich visitors would find it even more intriguing. The say “Money Makes the World go Round” and South Africa is not an exception to this rule.