Things to do and see in South Africa

484 places

To do

Lapalala Wilderness

Vaalwater, Limpopo

A 48,000 ha reserve on the Palala and Kgogong rivers north of Vaalwater offering game drives, water safaris and tours of Iron Age sites and San rock art; Africa's first International Dark Sky Park.

lapalala.com ↗
To see

Mokolo River

Vaalwater, Limpopo

Vaalwater lies on the upper reaches of the Mokolo River, whose erosion carved the area's bluffs and buttes.

To see

St John's Church, 24 Rivers

Vaalwater, Limpopo

Small stone church outside Vaalwater on the farm 24 Rivers, dedicated in 1914 to a design requested from Sir Herbert Baker; it survived the 2020 fire that destroyed the newer hall.

To do

The Waterberg Meander

Vaalwater, Limpopo

Self-drive route of about 8,000 sq km through the Waterberg savannah linking towns, reserves and craft stops.

To see

Zebediela Citrus Estate

Zebediela, Limpopo

Historic citrus estate founded in 1917 and once one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere; now community-owned and in the early stages of a rehabilitation programme. Not a formal visitor attraction - the orchards can be seen from the public roads.

To do

Barberton Heritage Walk

Barberton, Mpumalanga

Self-guided signposted walk past the town's gold-rush era buildings and monuments, including the Blockhouse, Belhaven and Stopforth houses, the Phoenix Hotel, Market Square and the Garden of Remembrance.

To do

Barberton Makhonjwa Geotrail

Barberton, Mpumalanga

38 km self-drive route from Barberton to the Bulembu border with 11 geosites explaining 3.2-billion-year-old rocks such as pillow lavas and fossil biomats.

To see

Barberton Museum

Barberton, Mpumalanga

Local history museum covering the area's geology, gold mining and people; starting point of the Heritage Walk, with walking maps (tel 013 712 4208).

To see

Golden Quarry

Barberton, Mpumalanga

Historic gold quarry site near the Sheba mine where early prospectors struck gold.

To see

Sheba Gold Mine

Barberton, Mpumalanga

One of the oldest working gold mines in the world,, on the site where prospector Edwin Bray found gold.