South Africa is known the world over for its outstanding beauty and countless parks and reserves in which to see some of the most impressive animal wildlife in the world. What it also has though are some of the most impressive cities in the world, rich in culture, history and with all the attributes of a regular city. These cities are home to some of the best luxury homes in south africa, ones which you can rent during your stay and obviously a host of more budget-friendly options. Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape town are just a few places which you will know of, but you may not know what they have to offer the regular visitor. Everything from the home of Nelson Mandela to the seat of parliament can be visited throughout these cities and towns. Here we are going to take a brief look at a few of these areas and show you what is on offer in these places.
Cape Town:
Cape Town is the legislative capital and most southern city in Africa. It is also the capital of the western cape province and its surrounding areas are home to some of South Africa’s main wine districts.
Most websites advise visitors to avoid walking at night and to get around mainly by metered taxis. Transportation can also be arranged from your accommodation if there are specific areas you wish to visit. Some of the popular activities to get up to in Cape town include wine tasting tours, Visits to Robben Island and cage diving with great white sharks. All these activities can be arranged upon your arrival to the city as it boasts a huge array of tour operators.
Reaching Table Mountain and lions head are also two very popular locations in which to view Cape town from unique vantage points. These can be reached by hiking or in the case of Table Mountain by cable car.
Johannesburg:
Johannesburg is South Africa’s largest city and the economic hub of the country also. It does have issues with crime due to the disparity between its rich and poor inhabitants although this should not put you off visiting as it has plenty to offer a visitor who wishes to see the city. Many of its over 9 million residents live in the suburb of Soweto one of its most famous suburbs.
Getting around the city can be a bit of an adventure due to bad signage and an underdeveloped transport network. Renting a car or safe metered taxis are two of your best options for getting around the city. Make sure to ask at your accommodation of the best and safest routes to take to your destination.
Regeneration of the CBD means it is now a relatively safe place to visit with many public art galleries and spaces for visitors to spend a few hours. Soweto is another area increasingly popular with visitors it contains the home of Nelson Mandela and the apartheid museum an eye-opening experience for those who wish to understand the history of South Africa. Other popular activities in Johannesburg include visiting gold mines, the botanic gardens, constitution hill and many Museums in the city.
Johannesburg is also seen as the gateway to Kruger national park, so this would be a good place to start your journey tone of the world’s best safaris. It’s possible to arrange tours and accommodation etc while in the city but due to costs and logistics its far more advisable to have this arrange before you arrive.
Durban:
Durban is home to the busiest port in Africa and is the third largest city in southern Africa. Like most of the cities in South Africa, Durban continues to have issues in developing its public transportation network and therefore getting around is easiest by rental car or taxi cab.
The main attractions in Durban are its sandy beaches and botanic gardens. These offer an escape from the city and the chance to see some wildlife. The waters off the coast of Africa are known for its abundance of sharks to be advised to stay away from the water unless you feel safe enough to enter although this is never guaranteed.
Crocodile Creek is another area which is popular with visitors as you can see Crocodiles, alligators caimans snakes and a whole bunch of other animals. A great day trip from Durban it’s quite safe and well organised with restaurants and shops for visitors.
Pretoria:
The destination on our list is Pretoria, the administrative centre of South Africa. With the best public transport on this list, Pretoria is far easier to get around than many of the other major cities in southern Africa. With buses and taxis available getting around during the day is quite safe, however, use caution when going out at night.
There are numerous museums, parks and gardens for visitors to while away a few hours of the day while on a visit to the city. There are of course several game reserves nearby giving you the opportunity to see some more of the countries wildlife.
As you can see, although nature is the biggest draw to South Africa there are also plenty of things on offer in the towns and cities of South Africa. Many do have some issues with safety but with some planning and a little common sense, this can be easily overcome for an enjoyable stay in the cities and towns of South Africa.