South Africa boasts spectacular scenery with its savannas, deserts, soaring mountains and lush plant life, all embraced by the Indian and Atlantic oceans. The country's landmarks are predominantly natural places, attractive to visitors who appreciate wildlife, ancient forests and endangered species of plants and birds. With its diverse culture and history, South Africa offers not only exotic landscapes as landmarks but also heritage monuments and preserved archaeological wonders.
Eight World Heritage Sites
UNESCO recognizes natural, cultural and historical heritage sites and in South Africa, the organization has named eight World Heritage Sites, which are protected and preserved. These include natural wonders such as the Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape, a mountainous desert in the northern cape of the country, as well as the Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park, a system of coral reefs, lake systems and coastal dunes in KwaZulu Natal. Also in KwaZulu Natal, the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park protects globally threatened birds and plants in its rolling grasslands and sandstone ramparts. The Cape Floral Kingdom in the Western Cape is one of the richest areas for plants in the world and includes eight protected areas. The Cradle of Human Kind in Gauteng boasts the scientific evolution of the human being in the Fossil Hominid sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans and Kromdraai. Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape in Limpopo, South Africa's first kingdom, features a savanna landscape, home to animal life including elephants, giraffes, buffalo and the golden rhinoceros. Near Capetown, Robben Island, at various times a prison, hospital and military base, housed Nelson Mandela in his incarceration during apartheid. The Vredefort Dome in the Free State, formed about 2,000 million years ago, is the oldest and largest meteorite impact site in the world, with a crater 24 miles in diameter.
South Africa has hundreds of game reserves and parks devoted to wildlife in several landscapes, including deserts, forests and mountains. Kruger National Park, possibly best known of all, boasts the location of Africa's big five: the leopard, lion, buffalo, elephant and rhinoceros. Other notable reserves include Phinda Game Reserve, Limpopo and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, with hundreds of bird species as well as whales and sharks in the nearby Indian Ocean.
Capetown has several landmarks for visitors, including the renowned, flat-topped Table Mountain, an enormous flat rock overlooking the city with a dramatic 360-degree view from cable cars taking visitors to the top. The city's Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a commercial waterfront venue set against the waterfront between Robben Island and Table Mountain, has developed from an historic dockland to a bustling facility for shoppers and restaurant goers. The V&A Waterfront also features notable icons such as The Clock Tower, Time Ball Tower, the 100-year old Dragon Tree and the Robben Island Embarkment Building.
One of South Africa's major cities, Durban has notable landmarks attracting visitors, including the Umhlanga Lighthouse, the City Hall built in the same design as Belfast's city hall in Northern Ireland, and the Juma Musjid Mosque, the largest mosque in the southern hemisphere. Part of the province of KwaZulu Natal, Durban sits on the Indian Ocean and is a starting point to visit nearby game reserves and the magnificent Drakensberg Mountains to the west.
Bonnie Cowan began her career in 1979 as a writer and editor in the magazine industry for publications such as "Reader’s Digest," "Best Health magazine," "Zoomer Magazine," "Canadian Living" and EverBetter.ca. She focuses her writing in the areas of travel, relationships, gardening and food. Bonnie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Waterloo.