48 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in South Africa - Atlas Obscura

Unusual
Attractions
in South Africa

Duiwelskloof, South Africa

Sunland Baobab

South African bar inside a hollowed out 6,000-year-old Baobab.

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Cape Town, South Africa

Boulders Beach Penguin Sanctuary

This African beach is home to thousands of rare mainland penguins that are known for their annoying voice.

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Added by mlynch

Ehlanzeni, South Africa

Adam's Calendar

Hidden in the hills is a mysterious stone structure, known only to a few.

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Added by lewblank

Cape Town, South Africa

Bo Kaap

Formerly known as the Malay Quarter, Bo Kaap is a colorfully-painted township located in the “Mother City” of South Africa.

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Added by lewblank

Ehlanzeni, South Africa

Bourke's Luck Potholes

Raging waters have created a strange geological site that looks like something off of a progressive rock album cover.

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Added by johnsongeographic

Cape Town, South Africa

Cheetah Outreach

This big cat sanctuary allows visitors a face-to-face encounter with some of South Africa's rarest creatures.

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Added by Metallicar

Cape Town, South Africa

Macassar Beach Pavilion

An abandoned water park overtaken by the dunes.

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Added by Allison

Johannesburg, South Africa

Collectors Treasury

Over a million items cram the shelves at Africa's largest shop of used and rare books.

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See All 48 Things to Do in South Africa See All 48 Places

Unique
Food & Drink
in South Africa

Stinging Nettles

Gastro Obscura

Fruits & Vegetables

Stinging Nettles

Boil away this plant's poisonous hairs, and you're left with a tasty, spinach-like leaf.

Gastro Obscura

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Added by rachelrummel

Melktert

Gastro Obscura

Melktert

Four centuries ago, Dutch dairy farmers made this spiced custard pie into a South African classic.

Gastro Obscura

rachelrummel

Added by rachelrummel

African Horned Cucumber

Gastro Obscura

Fruits & Vegetables

African Horned Cucumber

The spiky, fruit cup-flavored orb made an appearance on “Star Trek.”

Gastro Obscura

susarm

Added by susarm

Marula

Gastro Obscura

Fruits & Vegetables

Marula

The intoxicating South African fruit is beloved by humans and elephants.

Gastro Obscura

ElizabethAnneSmith

Added by ElizabethAnneSmith

See all 13 things to try in South Africa See all 13 things to try in South Africa

Explore South Africa

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Launch Map

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Recent South Africa Activity

valeriee wants to go to Collectors Treasury

asdonkar wants to go to Montecasino Bird Gardens

asdonkar wants to go to The Big Pineapple

JonoBertibot has been to Boulders Beach Penguin Sanctuary

JonoBertibot has been to Seal Island

Stories
About South Africa

Masalanabo Modjadji, at her home in Midrand on April 24, 2017. When she turns 18, she will be crowned Queen Modjadji VII, the "Rain Queen."

The Restoration of South Africa's Rain Queen

A teenager will become the country's first tribal queen in almost 50 years.

September 21, 2018

The desert landscape is varied—and often foggy.

The Secret World Inside Tiny Fog Droplets

From the Namib Desert to Maine, fog is teeming with life.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

August 30, 2018

Thulani Mabaso, former Robben Island prisoner, on the soccer field in Robben Island, South Africa.

From Apartheid-Era Inmate to Tour Guide—at the Same Prison

Thulani Mabaso spent six years in a cell at Robben Island. Now he’s back to show visitors around.

by Christina Ayele Djossa

Why hello there.

Watch a Great White Shark Breach—Just Feet Away

Why, hello there.

by Kelsey Kennedy