51 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in South Africa - Atlas Obscura

Unusual
Attractions
in South Africa

Duiwelskloof, South Africa

Sunland Baobab

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

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.

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.

Cape Town, South Africa

Bo Kaap

Formerly known as the Malay Quarter, Bo Kaap is a colorfully-painted township located in the “Mother City” of South Africa.

Ehlanzeni, South Africa

Adam's Calendar

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

Cape Town, South Africa

Macassar Beach Pavilion

An abandoned water park overtaken by the dunes.

Johannesburg, South Africa

Collectors Treasury

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

Cape Town, South Africa

Seal Island

Haven for Cape Fur Seals, until the Ring of Death of jumping Great White Sharks arrives.

See All 51 Things to Do in South Africa See All 51 Places

Unique
Food & Drink
in South Africa

Melktert

Four centuries ago, Dutch dairy farmers made this spiced custard pie into a South African classic.

Stinging Nettles

Boil away this plant's poisonous hairs, and you're left with a tasty, spinach-like leaf.

African Horned Cucumber

The spiky, fruit cup-flavored orb made an appearance on “Star Trek.”

Ingberlach

Grandmas fashion this near-forgotten Passover treat from ginger and honey.

See all 17 things to eat in South Africa See all 17 things to eat in South Africa

Community Forums / Africa / South Africa

Top Discussions in the South Africa Travel Forum

Post	Replies	Views	Activity
Boulders Beach Penguin Sanctuary	1 January 31, 2019	891	January 31, 2019
Baleni Salt	2 June 18, 2019	789	June 18, 2019
Mosbolletjies	1 May 27, 2019	867	May 27, 2019
Chapman's Peak Drive	3 July 31, 2019	806	July 31, 2019
Melktert	1 April 21, 2019	1042	April 21, 2019

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Stories
About South Africa

The spectral ship has a curious, centuries-old history.

The World's Most Famous Ghost Ship Is an Enduring Symbol of Empire

The Flying Dutchman's long afterlife began with a British power trip.

by Isaac Schultz

October 24, 2019

One fossil depicts a near-perfect circle in the sand, with a point in the center.

Are These Markings in South Africa the World's Earliest Sand Sculptures?

It depends on whether a natural process could explain them.

by Sabrina Imbler

October 11, 2019

Baby loggerhead turtles, newly hatched in South Africa.

Found: Fossilized Tracks of Baby Sea Turtles in South Africa

Prehistoric squee!

by Sabrina Imbler

September 4, 2019

A serval, captured by a camera trap, stalks Secunda.

Why a South African Petrochemical Plant Is Like Catnip to Servals

The wildcats are an example of resilience and adaptation.

by Sabrina Imbler

The Klasies River Cave.

Found: The Earliest Evidence of Humans Cooking and Eating Starch

We were eating rhizomes and tubers as early as 120,000 years ago.

by Matthew Taub

A woman sweeps the red carpet for the annual traditional ceremony for summoning the rains at Queen Modjadji's palace, Limpopo, South Africa, October 13, 2012.

The Restoration of South Africa's Rain Queen

A teenager will become the country's first tribal queen in almost 50 years.

September 21, 2018

The desert landscape is varied—and often foggy.

The Secret World Inside Tiny Fog Droplets

From the Namib Desert to Maine, fog is teeming with life.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

August 30, 2018

Thulani Mabaso, former Robben Island prisoner, on the soccer field in Robben Island, South Africa.

From Apartheid-Era Inmate to Tour Guide—at the Same Prison

Thulani Mabaso spent six years in a cell at Robben Island. Now he’s back to show visitors around.

by Christina Ayele Djossa