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

Unusual
Attractions
in South Africa

Duiwelskloof, South Africa

Sunland Baobab

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

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.

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.

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.

Ehlanzeni, South Africa

Adam's Calendar

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

Cape Town, South Africa

Macassar Beach Pavilion

An abandoned water park overtaken by the dunes.

Johannesburg, South Africa

Collectors Treasury

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

Cape Town, South Africa

Seal Island

Haven for Cape Fur Seals, until the Ring of Death of jumping Great White Sharks arrives.

See All 51 Things to Do in South Africa See All 51 Places

Unique
Food & Drink
in South Africa

Melktert

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

Stinging Nettles

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

African Horned Cucumber

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

Marula

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

See all 17 things to eat in South Africa See all 17 things to eat in South Africa

Community Forums / Africa / South Africa

Top Discussions in the South Africa Travel Forum

Post	Replies	Views	Activity
Boulders Beach Penguin Sanctuary	1 January 31, 2019	800	January 31, 2019
Baleni Salt	2 June 18, 2019	610	June 18, 2019
Chapman's Peak Drive	3 July 31, 2019	666	July 31, 2019
Melktert	1 April 21, 2019	877	April 21, 2019
Mosbolletjies	1 May 27, 2019	606	May 27, 2019

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Stories
About South Africa

One fossil depicts a near-perfect circle in the sand, with a point in the center.

Are These Markings in South Africa the World's Earliest Sand Sculptures?

It depends on whether a natural process could explain them.

by Sabrina Imbler

October 11, 2019

Found: Fossilized Tracks of Baby Sea Turtles in South Africa

Prehistoric squee!

by Sabrina Imbler

September 4, 2019

A serval, captured by a camera trap, stalks Secunda.

Why a South African Petrochemical Plant Is Like Catnip to Servals

The wildcats are an example of resilience and adaptation.

by Sabrina Imbler

The Klasies River Cave.

Found: The Earliest Evidence of Humans Cooking and Eating Starch

We were eating rhizomes and tubers as early as 120,000 years ago.

by Matthew Taub

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