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South Africa is a fascinating place to visit. You can watch African penguins, pet cheetahs, enjoy yourself in a bar right inside a baobab tree and explore the city that Forbes has declared to be one of the 10 most beautiful in the world! That’s quite a bit.:)

Here are 6 South African tourist attractions that you will love when you travel to South Africa.

1 Cape Town

If you had to visit only one place in South Africa, Cape Town has to be that place. What is so special about this city is that it has a magnificent Table Mountain right next to the sea! This is a rare phenomenon and makes for a stunning view. There’s a special Aerial Cableway that takes you to the top of the table mountain and when you board it, you get a mesmerizing glimpse of the whole city.

Another beautiful place to visit is the “Bo Kaap” locality of the city. This place is famous for its brightly coloured houses standing side by side. There are pink, blue, green, purple and even red houses! Then there is the famous V and A Waterfront with its shopping arcade by the sea, Robben Island – the island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for more than a decade, and the ‘pet-a-cheetah’ experience at Cheetah Outreach. And we haven’t even talked about the exotic beaches yet…:) Nor have I yet mentioned the Penguins of Hout Bay nearby, the lazy seals of Seal Island, and the magnificent Cape of Good Hope which has views of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meeting!

No wonder Forbes has declared Cape Town to be one of the 10 most beautiful cities in the world!

2 The Garden Route

The Garden Route is a beautiful stretch of land that starts from Cape Town. What experiences does it offer? There is the Ostrich Capital of the World – Oudtshoorn where you can feed a real ostrich! There are the Cango Caves – the largest underground caves in the world – with exotic limestone structures. And there is the “one-of-its-kind” Knysna with its unforgettable cruise, beaches and souvenir shops. Did I mention the Elephant and Bird parks yet? They’re awesome too.:)

3 Kruger National Park

Just for the numbers, Kruger has 114 species of reptiles, 147 species of mammals, 517 species of birds, and 1982 species of plants! We’re not talking about the number of animals or birds or plants here. We are talking about the number of species. A game drive in the Kruger National Park, might mean an encounter with the big five of Africa: the Lion, the Elephant, the African Buffalo, the Leopard and the Rhino. And all of these could be a stone’s throw away from you!

If you really want to catch the essence of Kruger National Park, this might help.

4 Sun City

They call it “Africa’s Kingdom of Pleasure” and “The Vegas of Africa”. There are casinos. There’s a ravishing water park. There are luxury resorts. And there’s a palace that is magnificent. Take your pick.

5 Johannesburg

Johannesburg is the largest city of South Africa. But apart from the “life” that you will find in any big city, it offers two interesting experiences. “Gold Reef City” is a tourist attraction that re-creates the world of miners who mined gold a century ago… You get to wear the uniforms they wore and descend down the very mines they worked in. And to top it, you can see a bar of gold being solidified from molten gold right in front of your eyes!

The second interesting attraction near Johannesburg is the “Sterkfontaine Caves” area. One of the oldest human fossils ever found was found here. And even now we keep hearing of new discoveries of skulls millions of years old at this place! What makes the place more fascinating is that you can yourself mine and uncover fossils! Who knows what you may find?

There is definitely no doubt that a visit to South Africa is going to be worth it. Why not try it?:)

Meghashyam C is an active part of Namaste South Africa – an initiative to tell aspiring travellers, especially Indians about the stunning experiences that South Africa offers. At http://www.namastesouthafrica.com, he tells people, “See how amazing South Africa is. Now come, visit.” Namaste South Africa’s website http://www.namastesouthafrica.com also offers more than 60 holiday ideas including romantic, wildlife based, luxury, off-beat and golf tours to South Africa.