South Africa Activities

While South Africa offers numerous theme parks and other manmade attractions such as swimming pools and skating parks, it offers an abundance of opportunities to discover nature and follow animal trails. You will find wildlife parks and safaris that welcome children, allowing them the chance to see wild animals in their natural surroundings

Animal sanctuaries
Monkey Town is a primate centre which can be found just outside Somerset West. The aim of the sanctuary is to provide shelter for displaced primates and rehabilitate them. This centre offers much needed help for many monkeys and chimpanzees. You will find over 25 exotic species roaming freely over and around the covered walkways. Many of the monkeys are endangered and are fascinating and hilarious to watch. Guided tours are offered, as are talks at feeding time and interaction with tame monkeys. For the children, there is a touching farmyard, jungle gym and birthday party facilities.

The Drakenstein Lion Park is home to the largest lion population in South Africa and is only a 30-minute drive from Cape Town. The park strongly opposes the hunting of captive born lions and does everything in its power to rescue lions destined for hunting farms and provide these animals with a safe haven. The animals at the park are given the chance to live out their natural lives in a free and natural environment. Children of all ages will not fail to be overwhelmed by the sight of these magnificent, regal animals. For more details, phone: +27 21 883 3584.

Beaches
With such a long and stunning coastline, South Africa offers some of the best beaches in the world, many of which are full of attractions guaranteed to keep the children busy for hours at a time. The Wild Coast in the Eastern Cape is especially popular with both national and international holidaymakers, with a number of the hotels offering children’s playgrounds and dining areas and babysitting services.

National parks
Children of all ages, but especially those who can walk and talk, will enjoy and savour their time at one of South Africa’s national parks. There are many parks throughout the country to choose from, with the most popular being Kruger National Park. This is among the biggest in the country and is also the oldest. Kruger is home to lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and rhinos among countless other animals such as giraffes, hippopotamus and other smaller animals. Although children may have seen many of these animals in zoos, it is a completely different experience seeing them in their natural environment. Kruger also offers accommodation.

Addo Elephant National Park can be found in the Sundays River Valley. There are literally hundreds of elephants to be found in the park, all living free in their herds.

Theme parks
There are many theme parks located across the country, but two of the best and most popular include Ratanga Junction and Gold Reef City. Ratanga Junction is located just outside Cape Town and is home to over 30 attractions including children’s, family and white knuckle rides as well as train and boat rides and snake and bird shows. You are guaranteed hours of fun whatever you decide to do here. For more information, phone: +27 21 550 8504.

Gold Reef City can be found in Johannesburg and is an extremely popular complex, as it is home to a giant casino, theme park and a fascinating apartheid museum. The complex is open 24 hours and while the casino might be out of bounds for the little ones, the theme park certainly isn’t and they are guaranteed to have hours of fun here. The complex can be contacted on: +27 11 248 5212.

If you are interested in partaking in some sporting activities during your holiday, you will not be short of options. Horse racing is extremely popular in South Africa and regular racing takes place across the country. There are three major races that take place annually, with the entire country coming to a halt when they begin. The Summer Cup takes place in Johannesburg, Cape Town is home to the J & B Met, while Durban hosts the Vodacom in July.

If you prefer races run by humans, two world-renowned marathons are held every year. The Comrades Marathon is an exceptionally long race, with a distance of 55 miles being run by all of the competitors. The race attracts over 13,000 runners from across the world and sees the streets lined with enthusiastic supporters. If you fancy a spot of endurance running while on holiday, this could be just the thing. The second most popular endurance event is the Two Oceans Marathon. This covers a lesser distance of 34 miles and follows an extremely picturesque route that winds along the coastline

Cycling is an incredibly popular sport and leisure time activity in South Africa, with numerous cycling races being held every year. These races attract top cyclists from all across the world and thousands of supporting spectators. Whether you spend an afternoon cycling through exiting trails and beautiful countryside or train and compete in one of the many races, you will find that cycling is an efficient and popular means of getting about the country.

The Dusi Canoe marathon is a three-day event that usually takes place in January. It requires all participants to have remarkable stamina and strength as it is not only a race in a canoe, but also on land; there are many points in the race when the racers have to hoist the canoe over their shoulders and make a run for it. Over 2,000 people compete for gold in the marathon every year, with the majority of competitors coming from South Africa. There is a great atmosphere during the marathon and afterwards and it is common for many supporters to hop into their canoes and have a go for fun.

South Africa is home to the world’s largest swimming event, the Midmar Mile. Over 15,000 swimmers take part each year and travel from around the world. It is such a popular event that it is now swum over a two-day period. If you prefer to swim for leisure, the many beaches and swimming pools that are located all across South Africa make for ideal venues.

South Africa boasts a thriving agricultural sector which produces excellent meat, vegetables, fruit and wines. There is a very wide selection of food on offer and many choices of restaurants. International cuisine is very popular, but you should make an effort to try and sample some of the local dishes while you are here, as there are many delightful dishes that you will not find anywhere else in the world.

Modern South African cuisine is influenced by two primary cultures: the native people of South Africa such as the Khoisan and Xhosa, and Afrikaner and British people. There are also influences from Malaysia, Indonesia, Portugal and Mozambique. 

Popular national dishes include sosaties, a type of meat kebab; bobotie, a curried mince dish; potjjekos, a casserole that is slow cooked for hours in an iron pot outside; bredies, a meat, tomato and bread casserole and biltong, seasoned dry meat.

Restaurants vary in price and quality. You will find many top-class hotels located in many of the larger towns and cities. International restaurants are equally as popular as national ones, but are often more expensive. Curry is a very popular dish with all South Africans and you will find many curry houses across the entire country.

South Africa is renowned for having a dining out culture. Visitors will find many restaurants specialising in traditional South African dishes and their modern interpretations, with most establishments offering excellent value for money and generous portions. In addition to the numerous international and traditional restaurants, South Africa also houses some home-grown chain restaurants such as Spur and Mugg & Bean.

There has also been a vast increase in the number of fast-food restaurants in South Africa such as McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Nando’s. These are especially popular with younger generations.

South Africa is not renowned for its shopping, mainly due to the fact that the national parks and safaris are what attract visitors. Shopping in South Africa does, however, compete with many major countries across the world.

Upmarket boutiques and modern department stores can be found next to groceries and high street stores. You can buy designer clothes and accessories in one shop and pop next door for a bar of chocolate and a paper. There is a wide range of designer goods on offer although they are very expensive and generally most people prefer to window shop.

The larger cities such as Johannesburg and Cape Town have large, air conditioned shopping malls. These modern complexes offer a whole host of national and international clothing outlets as well as excellent dining and entertainment facilities. Try Sandton City in Johannesburg or Bayside Centre in Cape Town.

Street traders can be found right across the country, selling everything from handicrafts to art and jewellery. The street stalls are very popular and you will often be able to pick up a fantastic bargain or two. You might even need to buy a larger bag to fit all of your purchases in.

South Africa is famous for its Swakara gold, diamonds and semi-precious stones, leather, suede and ceramics. Local wine and brandy is very cheap and is usually excellent quality.

Shopping hours are generally 08:30 to 18:00 Monday to Friday and 08:30 to 12:30 on Saturdays. The larger shopping complexes stay open longer hours and typically open on Sundays.