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All South Africa

The Atlas Obscura Guide To South Africa

66 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in South Africa

Updated June 5, 2023

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Top Cities
SA Penguins are very social animals. Like for all the penguins, communication is essential for recognition of families and couples. They emit a unique sound like  that is usually accompanied by intensive gesturing.
Cape Town
Collectors Treasury.
Johannesburg
Orlando Towers
Soweto
Paarl
Map of Africa
Wilderness
Bourke's Luck Potholes
Ehlanzeni
All Cities
  1. Cape Town
  2. Dollaaskraal
  3. Ehlanzeni
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  5. Johannesburg
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Unusual Attractions in South Africa

Bourke's Luck Potholes

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.
SA Penguins are very social animals. Like for all the penguins, communication is essential for recognition of families and couples. They emit a unique sound like  that is usually accompanied by intensive gesturing.

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.
Higher-altitude view of Bo Kaap

Cape Town, South Africa

Bo Kaap

Formerly known as the Malay Quarter, Bo Kaap is a colorfully-painted suburb located in the “Mother City” of South Africa.
Adam's Calendar from above

Ehlanzeni, South Africa

Adam's Calendar

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

Johannesburg, South Africa

Collectors Treasury

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

Cape Town, South Africa

South African Astronomical Observatory

This historic observatory was established to keep shipwrecks from littering the Cape of Good Hope.

Cape Town, South Africa

Seal Island

Haven for Cape Fur Seals, until the Ring of Death of jumping Great White Sharks arrives.
Chamber with Screaming Monster formation in  Sudwala Caves.

Dollaaskraal, South Africa

Sudwala Caves

These otherworldly caverns form Earth's oldest known cave system.
See All 66 Things To Do in South Africa

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in South Africa

Neighbourgoods Market, Braamfontein Precinct, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Johannesburg, South Africa

Neighbourgoods Market

A growing popular hipster market with over 100 local specialties and live music.

Cape Town, South Africa

Tapi Tapi Ice Cream

The frozen treats at this Cape Town parlor are inspired by Africa's food cultures.
The Big Pineapple.

Bathurst, South Africa

The Big Pineapple

The world's largest pineapple building honors Bathurst's favorite fruit.
Permanently Closed
Hollowed out bar inside the Baobab

Duiwelskloof, South Africa

Sunland Baobab

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

Animals 12
Caves 7
Ecosystems 7
Geology 5
Architectural Oddities 4
Water 4
Birds 4
History 4
History & Culture 4
Plants 4
Places To Stay 2

South Africa Leaderboard

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Add an unusual place to South Africa.

Places Edited

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Recent South Africa Activity

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    peerie

    has been to Sudwala Dinosaur Park

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    sb9vsz7py2

    wants to go to Time Ball Tower

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    pegandky

    wants to go to Ntaba ka Ndoda

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    worshamrob

    has been to Time Ball Tower

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    md56144

    wants to go to Witwatersrand Basin

Stories About South Africa

Divers on the site of the São José Paquete D'Africa wreck off the northwestern coast of Cape Town, South Africa.

Near Cape Town, the São José Shipwreck Is a Unique Symbol of A Painful Legacy

More than 200 enslaved people perished when the Portuguese ship sank in 1794.
by Sam Jones
February 6, 2023

South Africa's Penguins May Beat the Heat With New Ceramic Nests

The artificial nests could shield the endangered seabirds from rising temperatures.
by Ryan Truscott
December 12, 2022
Sports presenter and musician Selema Masekela is obsessed with amapiano, a genre of South African genre of house music.

The Genre-Bending World of Amapiano, South Africa’s Township House Music

You can’t not dance when amapiano comes on.
by Selema Masekela
June 15, 2022
Wilderness guide and author Sicelo Mbatha observes elephants during one of the excursions he leads in South Africa.

How to Connect With Nature Like a South African Wilderness Guide

Tragedy set Sicelo Mbatha on a course to understand, and make peace with, the wild on its own terms.
by Gemma Tarlach
March 4, 2022
Elephants, such as these in South Africa's Kruger National Park, are highly social—and loud.

Can We Track Elephants With Earthquake Detectors?

Low-cost seismometers could give rural communities an alert system, or begin to decipher elephant communication.
by Robin George Andrews
February 8, 2021
Archaeologists Joshua Kumbani (left) and Sarah Wurz (right) work at a site near the Klasies River in South Africa.

The Archaeologists Recreating the Sounds of the Stone Age

Researchers are working to uncover whether ancient objects in South Africa were once used to make noise or music.
by Sarah Wild
January 12, 2021
Plastic bottles are a must to avoid potentially dangerous explosions.

Under Pandemic Prohibition, South Africans Resort to Pineapples

A strict lockdown has meant a spike in homebrewing.
by Nick Dall
May 20, 2020
Circellium bacchus, a rare subspecies of dung beetle, is a scarab like no other.

The Outsize Allure of South Africa's Flightless Dung Beetle

In Addo Elephant National Park, the smallest residents may be the biggest draw.
by Sandra MacGregor
March 4, 2020

Lists Featuring South Africa

ALMA.
The observatory.
Ulugh Beg Observatory.

20 Out-of-This-World Stargazing Spots

These observatories boast truly stellar views.

20

Including Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), National Observatory of Colombia, and Pic du Midi Observatory

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