371 Best Sights in South Africa

This eco-award-winning flagship &Beyond reserve, established in 1991, is a heartening example of tourism serving the environment with panache. Phinda (pin-da) is Zulu for "return," referring to the restoration of 220 square km (85 square miles) of overgrazed ranchland in northern Zululand to bushveld. It's a triumph. Today Phinda has a stunning variety of seven healthy ecosystems including the rare sand forest (which grows on the fossil dunes of an earlier coastline), savanna, bushveld, open woodland, mountain bush, and verdant wetlands. The Big Five are all here, plus cheetahs, spotted hyenas, hippos, giraffes, impalas, and the rare, elusive, tiny Suni antelope. Birdlife is prolific and extraordinary, with some special Zululand finds: the pink-throated twinspot, the crested guineafowl, the African broadbill, and the crowned eagle. The reserve is a little more than a two-hour drive from Richards Bay or four hours by road from Durban.

If there's a symbol of Johannesburg, it's Ponte City, a massive, hollow 54-story cylinder of apartments that you might recall from watching District 9. Built in 1975, and standing at a height of 568 feet with a flashing advertisement at the top, it was, until recently, the tallest residential building in Africa. Once the apex of grand living, it became a slum in the 1990s as the middle class fled to the suburbs. It has since been revitalized, with young professionals, students, and immigrants moving in.

The Dlala Nje Foundation, on the ground floor of the building, is a safe space and community center for the neighborhood’s youth. It is funded by the four fascinating tours offered by the Dlala Nje Experiences Business, which takes visitors on walking tours of the inner city’s misunderstood suburbs. Leave all your prejudices behind as you explore Hillbrow, Yeoville, and Berea on a culinary, shopping, or queer tour, where you can interact with locals, many of whom are small business owners, to gain a refreshed perspective on this vastly diverse city.

Made famous by its most illustrious inhabitant, Nelson Mandela, this island, whose name is Dutch for "seals," has a long and sad history. At various times a prison, leper colony, mental institution, and military base, it is finally filling a positive, enlightening, and empowering role in its latest incarnation as a museum.

Declared a World Heritage site on December 1, 1997, Robben Island has become a symbol of the triumph of the human spirit. In 1997 around 90,000 made the pilgrimage; in 2006 more than 300,000 crossed the water to see where some of the most prominent struggle leaders in South Africa spent decades of their lives. A visit to the island is a sobering experience. The approximately four-hour tour begins at the Nelson Mandela Gateway to Robben Island, an impressive embarkation center that doubles as a conference center. Changing exhibits display historic photos of prisoners and prison life. Next make the 45-minute journey across the water, remembering to watch Table Mountain recede in the distance and imagine what it must have been like to have just received a 20-year jail sentence. Boats leave three or four times a day, depending on season and weather.

Tours are organized by the Robben Island Museum (other operators that advertise Robben Island tours only take visitors on a boat trip around the island.) Many of the guides are former political prisoners, and during the two-hour tour, they will take you through the prison where you will see the cells where Mandela and other leaders were imprisoned. The tour also takes you to the lime quarry, Robert Sobukwe's place of confinement, and the leper church. Due to increased demand for tickets during peak season (December and January), make reservations at least three weeks in advance. Take sunglasses and a hat in summer.  You are advised to tip your guide only if you feel that the tour has been informative.

From the moment you enter Sabie Valley Coffee the delicious smell of freshly roasted beans lures you in. A fascinating coffee tour, led by owner Tim Buckland, takes you through the whole coffee-making process—from orchards to roasting to packaging. Find out about a coffee grower's life, and the different kinds of beans that produce different tastes, which is why there are so many (often bewildering) coffees available today. Challenge your taste buds with a tasting of homegrown, 100% pure Arabica specialty coffees, before sampling some of the coffee-related goodies for sale: coffee liqueur, cake, and candies. Reservations are best.

Surrounded by the melancholic beauty of the Great Karoo with its scattered koppies and ridges of flat-topped mountains, Samara is a 67,000-acre private game reserve tucked beneath the Sneeuberg mountain range in the fabled plains of Camdeboo National Park some 45 minutes from the historic town of Graaff-Reinet. Owners Sarah and Mark Tompkins opened the reserve in 2005 with a promise to return former farmland to its natural state—the malaria-free reserve encompasses 11 former farms and is home to a variety of reintroduced species, including cheetah, lion, Cape mountain zebra, white rhino and desert-adapted black rhino, giraffe, black wildebeest, and a variety of antelope; there are also meerkats and aardvarks. By day, it’s a build-your-own-adventure of game drives, picnics atop the lofty heights of Mount Kondoa, and exploring the reserve’s topographical diversity at a civilized pace. Due to the lower density of predators and the sparseness of vegetation, rangers stop the game-viewers often so that guests can experience some of their safari on foot. One of its signature experiences is the opportunity to track a telemetry-collared rehabilitated cheetah and her family, and then get within whispering distance of them. The relatively low density of dangerous game also means this reserve is well-suited to families with children.

Sanbona Game Reserve couldn’t be more different than Kruger National Park and the Lowveld. The gorges and ridges of the towering Cape Fold mountains, the semi-arid terrain of the Karoo plains, and unique vegetation of the fynbos (scrubland) make this a must for visitors to the Cape. Expect to feel dwarfed by the vast landscape. Even elephants look tiny compared to their majestic surroundings. The roads are rough and the distances long, but the overall experience is breathtaking.

Roughly the size of Singapore, this enormous area supports a free-roaming population of animals that were indigenous to the Western Cape before European settlers arrived. Here you’ll find the Big Five (lion, rhino, elephant, buffalo, and leopard), although the area is so vast and desolate that you're certainly not guaranteed to spot them all. Guides make use of tracking devices to locate them. A unique experience is to spend time on foot with wild cheetahs that have grown accustomed to being approached by rangers.

Wildlife isn’t all you’ll find here. Be sure to climb up to some rare examples of San rock art, some reputed to be over 3,500 years old. Crystal-clear night skies deliver exceptional stargazing.

Conservation is the primary concern of the non-profit Caleo Foundation, and it shows in every detail from the building materials to the hand-carved furniture to your personal water bottle. Three luxury lodges cater to all types of guests. Historic Tilney Manor has an old-world feel, Gondwana Lodge is geared toward families, and the strikingly beautiful Dwyka Tented Camp is styled as a bush safari camp and is perfect for couples. If you want to get even more immersed in the wilderness, choose a two-day hike from Explorer Camp where you sleep in tents and dine under the stars around a crackling fire.

Charles Back, the owner of Fairview, also owns the neighboring farm in Paarl. Spice Route produces deep-flavored wines, using mostly untrellised "bush" vines. This practice, which is uncommon outside of South Africa, leads to fruit with great flavor intensity but lower volumes. Try the Spice Route Chakalaka, a signature Swartland blend, which has clove and savory notes. There is good reason to spend an entire day on the estate: artisan shops include Barley & Biltong Emporium; De Villiers Chocolate, where you can join a tutored chocolate pairing; and the Cape Brewing Company, which offers craft beer tasting. At the Grapperia, you can taste grappa and schnapps made on-site and nibble on pizza and charcuterie. There's ice cream for the kids, plus lovely lawns and two jungle gyms.

This is one of the oldest farms in the area, established in 1692 on the banks of the Eerste River. The farm produces excellent wines, which go from strength to strength. The flagships are the Frans K. Smit red and white blends, named after the winemaker. Also try the 21 Gables Chenin Blanc and Pinotage—both excellent. The farm's owners value biodiversity and arts and culture: their enormous art collection is displayed across the farm's public spaces, and their farm-grown produce is used in the restaurants. You can order a picnic and enjoy it on the banks of the river. Visit Eagle Encounters, an on-site rehabilitation center for raptors—your kids will never want to leave. And if you just can't drag them away there is a delightful hotel on site complete with kids' club, so you can sip while they play.

It was in the Sterkfontein Caves, in 1947, that Dr. Robert Broom discovered the now famous Mrs. Ples, as she is popularly known—a skull of an adult Australopithecus africanus that is more than 2 million years old. The find reinforced the discovery of a skull of an Australopithecus child, the Taung Skull, by Professor Raymond Dart in 1924, which was the first hominid ever found. At the time, Dart was ostracized for claiming the skull belonged to an early human ancestor. Scientists in Europe and the United States simply didn't believe that humanity could have originated in Africa. Today, few disagree with this theory. Another important find was the discovery in the 1990s of Little Foot, a near-complete skeleton of an Australopithecus, embedded in rock deep inside the caves. And even more recently, the 2013 discovery of hundreds of Homo Naledi fossils (dating from around 300,000 years ago) in the Cradle of Humankind area. These fossil specimens remain one of the largest hominin finds in Africa. Guided tours of the excavations and caves last an hour and are not advisable if you are claustrophobic. Wear comfortable shoes. Start with the excellent museum, which has exhibits depicting the origins of the Earth, life, and humanity. A small on-site restaurant that serves light meals is open daily.

Table Mountain truly is one of Southern Africa's most beautiful and impressive natural wonders. The views from its summit are awe-inspiring. The mountain rises more than 3,500 feet above the city, and its distinctive flat top is visible to sailors 65 km (40 miles) out to sea. Climbing up the step-like Plattekloof Gorge—the most popular route up—will take two to three hours, depending on your fitness level. There is no water along the route; you must take at least 2 liters (½ gallon) of water per person. Table Mountain can be dangerous if you're not familiar with the terrain. Many paths that look like good routes down the mountain end in treacherous cliffs.  Do not underestimate this mountain: every year local and foreign visitors to the mountain get lost, some falling off ledges, with fatal consequences.

It may be in the middle of a city, but it is not a genteel town park. Because of occasional muggings near the Rhodes Memorial east of the mountain, it's unwise to walk alone on that side. It's recommended that you travel in a group or, better yet, with a guide. If you want to do the climb on your own, wear sturdy shoes or hiking boots; always take warm clothes, including a windbreaker or fleece; travel with a mobile phone; and let someone know of your plans. Consult the staff at a Cape Town Tourism office for more guidelines. Another (much easier) way to reach the summit is to take the cable car, which affords fantastic views. Cable cars (R135 one way) depart from the Lower Cable Station, which lies on the slope of Table Mountain near its western end; the station is a long way from the city on foot, so save your hiking energy for the mountain, and take a taxi or the MyCiti bus to get here.

This is what Nieu Bethesda is best known for, and why tourists began traveling to this small, once-forgotten hamlet in the first place. Its creator, Helen Martins, was the subject of the Athol Fugard play, The Road to Mecca, which was made into a film starring Kathy Bates. The story of Helen Martins, who was born in 1897 and died in 1976, has been extensively elaborated upon, and the truth may never be known. Whether she was mad with grief, a visionary, or a mystic genius, the reclusive Martins externalized her loneliness by spending the last 30 years of her life (she eventually committed suicide) transforming her home into a jewel-box with bits of mirror and colorful crushed glass all designed to beautifully reflect the candlelight. Her wondrous vision then spread into her backyard, where she and her assistant Koos Malgas spent over a decade creating the country's most famous sculpture garden, a mystical world cluttered with concrete sirens (which everyone mistakenly calls mermaids), sphinxes, serpents, glittering peacocks, camels, owls, and wise men. The figures and scenes find their inspiration in the Bible, in William Blake, in the poetry of Omar Khayyam, and also in the visions and personal obsessions of Martins herself.  Her house and yard are now a gallery and museum at the heart of the village and worthy of an hour or two of your time. 

This is one of the most spectacular vistas in South Africa—you'll find it in almost every travel brochure. Here the Blyde River, hemmed in by towering buttresses of red rock, snakes through the bottom of the Blyde River canyon. The Three Rondawels are rock formations that bear a vague similarity to the round, thatch African dwellings of the same name. Before Europeans moved into the area, the indigenous local people named the formations the Chief and His Three Wives. The flat-top peak to the right is Mapjaneng (the Chief), named in honor of a Mapulana chief, Maripe Mashile, who routed invading Swazi at the battle of Moholoholo ("the very great one"). The three "wives," in descending order from right to left, are Maseroto, Mogoladikwe, and Magabolle.

Perched on the crest of the Helshoogte Pass between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, Tokara is the brainchild of banker G. T. Ferreira. For a city slicker with lots of money, he's done everything right and has scooped up awards. The Chardonnay was once voted one of the top 10 wines from around the world at the Chardonnay-du-Monde Awards. The flagship red, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec, is well worth taking home. Be on the lookout for the farm's limited-release Pinotage, taken from one block on the foothills of the Simonsberg. Tokara also has farms in the cooler Elgin and Hemel-en-Aarde regions, which means it can produce a stunning white wine blend (Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon) with plenty of complexity. The farm also presses its own premium olive oil, which you can buy from the Olive Shed. The restaurant is a foodie's delight, and the Delicatessen is a perfect venue for a breakfast or light lunch. Kids love the free-form jungle gym—as good-looking as any contemporary sculpture—and the weaver's nest they can climb into that hangs in a huge oak.

This game reserve northeast of Upington is one of the most child friendly in southern Africa, and children are not only welcomed but also well accommodated. The dedication of the rangers and attentiveness of the staff also allows for flexibility and special opportunities, from sleeping under the stars on the "Malori" open deck to enjoying an in-room Champagne breakfast in lieu of going out on a game drive. In addition, every group of guests is guaranteed its own game-viewing vehicle with a dedicated ranger and a tracker who knows the terrain and the animals intimately.

The reserve plays a very important conservation role. Backed by funds from the De Beers family, its desert black rhino population represents one-third of South Africa's remaining animals. In addition to rhino sightings, the on-foot experience with a colony of meerkats is a highlight, as are visits to 380,000-year-old rock engravings from the earliest residents of these phenomenal landscapes.

If you wish to see a pangolin, consider prearranging a visit with the reserve's specialist researcher. A few hours with Dr. Wendy Panaino will improve your odds of spotting one of these elusive, shy, adorable creatures. You can also explore parts of the reserve on horseback. Two stables welcome riders of all skill levels to participate in anything from short, gentle outings to adventurous outrides that offer utterly unique views of the reserve and its wild creatures.

Your stay will include a meal at the memorable Klein JAN restaurant, a true original in the culinary universe. Other meals will also be fabulous, too, with breakfast and lunch served whenever you please and, perhaps, a surprise dinner on the dunes.

This aquarium is widely considered one of the finest in the world. Stunning displays reveal the regional marine life of the warmer Indian Ocean and the icy Atlantic. It's a hands-on place, with a touch pool for children, opportunities to interact with penguins, and (for certified divers only) to dive in the vast, five-story ocean exhibit with shoals of fish, huge turtles, and stingrays, or the shark exhibit, where you might share the water with large ragged-tooth sharks (Carcharias taurus) and enjoy a legal adrenaline rush (for an additional fee, of course). If you don't fancy getting wet, you can still watch daily feedings in either the ocean, penguin, or shark exhibits. But there's more to the aquarium than just snapping jaws. Look for the fascinating jellyfish display, the endangered Knysna seahorses, and the alien-like spider crabs.

Some of the country's finest beaches are on this stretch of the coast, and they can be less crowded than those in central Durban. Safe and clean—Umhlanga Rocks beach has a Blue Flag award—the beaches are easily accessed via pathways from parking lots down to a promenade skirting the busy beachfront. Vacation apartments and premier hotels like the Oyster Box, Cabanas, and Beverly Hills line this paved walkway southward to Umhlanga’s famous lighthouse. If you're driving here, arrive early at peak times so you'll have a better chance of finding a parking spot. Amenities: food and drink; parking. Best for: jogging; sunrise; surfing; swimming; walking.

Established in 1700 by Willem Adriaan van der Stel, who succeeded his father as governor of the Cape, this traditional thatched Cape Dutch homestead looks like something from a fairy tale. An octagonal walled garden aflame with flowers surrounds it, and huge camphor trees, planted over 300 years ago, stand as gnarled sentinels. The homestead is now a museum, furnished in period style. Other historic buildings include a magnificent library and the old stables, which is now the Stables Restaurant, where you can have breakfast or lunch while looking onto the Hottentots Holland Mountains. You can also purchase a picnic to enjoy in the grounds during the summer months. 

Vergelegen's flagship wines include Vergelegen V (a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon), and Vergelegen GVB Red, a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.  Reservations are recommended for the hour-long wine tours, but no children are allowed. Note that there are also 70 steep stairs leading to the cellar. Apart from award-winning wine, there are 18 themed gardens, including the Camellia Garden of Excellence—a collection of more than 1,000 plants which flower during the winter months (June–August). There's also a lovely children's play area adjacent to the restaurant.

Victoria Yards is an urban renewal project on the fringe of the inner city that has reimagined abandoned warehouses into a mixed-use lifestyle complex. It supports the surrounding community through its three on-site non-profits and urban farming project, while locals and tourists explore the 50-odd artists’ workshops, decor showrooms, galleries, and fashion outlets housed in its brick face buildings. The driving force behind Victoria Yards is sustainability with tenants making designer bags from vibrant shweshwe fabric (a printed cotton fabric) and plastic waste, homeware made from recycled industrial parts, upcycled pre-loved clothing, and a sorbet stand that buys overripe, unsold fruit from community street-side sellers to make frozen desserts.

If your appetite gets the better of you on a visit, there’s an old-school "tuck shop," coffee roastery, and bakery that stands shoulder-to-shoulder to a small-batch gin distillery, as well as a bar, and a traditional walk-in fish and chip shop with wooden benches arranged in the courtyard. While it’s open 7 days a week, the First Sunday Market (first Sunday of the month, 10 am–4 pm) hosts a collection of additional vendors who sell everything from collectibles, antiques, and handmade African curios to food and drink. There is free, undercover parking available, as well as overflow on-street parking with parking guards, making it safe to visit on your own.

This Ratcliffe-family-run farm is all business. Norma Ratcliffe, the grande dame of the estate, spent a couple of years in France perfecting traditional techniques, which have influenced Warwick's reds. The first female winemaker in South Africa, Norma pioneered the way for a new breed of young women who are now making their mark in the industry. Trilogy is a stylish and complex red made with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Another great red, the Three Cape Ladies, was named after the indomitable Ratcliffe women, and is a fabulous blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Pinotage. The Cabernet Franc is undoubtedly one of the best wines made from this varietal in the Winelands. There are kid-friendly vineyard tours that compare grape varietals to the Big Five animals. Afterward, enjoy a picnic on the lawn.

The descent out of the nature reserve, down the escarpment, and through Abel Erasmus Pass is breathtaking. (From the Three Rondawels, take the R532 to a T, and turn right onto the R36.) Be careful as you drive this pass. Locals graze their cattle and goats on the verges, and you may be surprised by animals on the tarmac as you round a bend. The J. G. Strijdom Tunnel serves as the gateway to the Lowveld. At the mouth of the tunnel are stands where you can buy clay pots, African masks, wooden giraffes, curios of many kinds and subtropical fruit. As you emerge from the dark mouth of the tunnel, the Lowveld spreads out below, and the views of both it and the mountains are stunning. On the left, the Olifants River snakes through the bushveld, lined to some extent by African subsistence farms.

Originally named Heerengracht after a canal that once ran the length of the avenue, this street has always been Cape Town's principal thoroughfare. Although there are a couple of historical buildings dating to the early 1900s, and the beautiful Adderley Street Flower Market—one of the city's oldest markets, located in Trafalgar Place between Strand and Darling streets—has hung on, Adderley Street in recent years has become mostly a commercial hub for office buildings and franchise stores. The sidewalks are packed with street vendors selling everything from fruits and vegetables to cell phone covers and tea towels, serving people going to and from work. This is the place to experience the busy hustle and bustle of everyday Cape Town. 

This company lets you get up close and personal with a small group of trained African elephants. You get to do a short elephant ride and then go for a scenic walk through the bush with them. You can touch them, feed them, and watch them as they bathe themselves with sand, water, or both (i.e., mud). The whole experience lasts about two to three hours and includes a meal either before or after the safari. You can also arrange for a fly-in day-trip from Port Elizabeth.

Smack in the middle of a citrus-growing and horse-breeding area, Addo Elephant National Park is home to more than 600 elephants, not to mention plenty of buffalo (around 400 of them), black rhino, leopards, spotted hyena, hundreds of kudu and other antelopes, and lions. At present the park has just under 445,000 acres, including two islands, St Croix and Bird, which can be visited as part of tours out of Gqeberha. The most accessible parts of the park are the original, main section and the Colchester, Kabouga, Woody Cape, and Zuurberg sections.

The original section of Addo still holds most of the game and is served by Addo Main Camp. The Colchester section, in the south, which has one SANParks camp, is contiguous with the main area. The scenic Nyathi section is separated from the main section by a road and railway line. Just north of Nyathi is the mountainous Zuurberg section, which doesn't have a large variety of game but is particularly scenic, with fabulous hiking trails and horse trails, and it's where you might glimpse Cape mountain zebra, mountain reedbuck, blue duiker, red rock rabbits, and—if you are extremely fortunate—aardwolf. There are also hippos in the Sundays River, at the base of the Zuurberg range.

You can explore the park in your own vehicle, in which case you need to heed the road signs that claim "dung beetles have right of way." Addo is home to the almost-endemic and extremely rare flightless dung beetle, which can often be seen rolling its unusual incubator across the roads. Watch out for them (they're only about 2 inches long), and watch them: they're fascinating. Instead of driving you could take a night or day game drive with a park ranger in an open vehicle from the main camp. A more adventurous option is to ride a horse among the elephants. Warning: no citrus fruit may be brought into the park, as elephants find it irresistible and can smell it for miles.

Housed in the old Kimberley Public Library (1887) is one of the country's premier reference libraries, where books are shelved from floor to ceiling, an ornate wrought-iron staircase connects the floors, and locally published, limited-edition books are for sale. Included in the 20,000-volume collection are such rarities as the Setswana Bible, the first-ever Bible in an African language, printed by Robert Moffat in the 1850s, as well as four books dating from the 1400s. The library is said to be haunted by the ghost of Bertram Dyer, the country's first qualified librarian. After he was caught defrauding the library of money, he committed suicide. He now purportedly stacks files on the floor and rattles teacups in the kitchen.

Set high on a hill overlooking Paarl, the towering Afrikaanse Taalmonument is a fascinating step back into the past. It was designed by architect Jan van Wijk and built with Paarl granite and cement. The rising curve of the main pillar represents the growth and potential of Afrikaans. When it was unveiled in 1975, the monument was as much a gesture of political victory as it was a paean to the Afrikaans language. Ironically, the monument—although built during apartheid—gives recognition to all the diverse origins of Afrikaans (from Africa, Europe, and Asia). Afrikaans is one of South Africa's 11 official languages and although it is gradually coming under threat, attempts are being made to ensure that the rich culture isn't lost. The view from the top of the hill is incredible, taking in Table Mountain, False Bay, Paarl Valley, and the various mountain ranges of the Winelands. A short, paved walking trail leads around the hillside past impressive fynbos specimens, particularly proteas.  You can buy a picnic basket at the monument's restaurant and find a pretty spot to enjoy the wonderful view.

Set against the dramatic Drakenstein Mountains and surrounded by vineyards and orchards, Allée Bleue is one of the oldest wine farms in the Cape. This picturesque estate is well known for its fresh and fruity white wines and well-matured, spicy reds. You can taste their award-winning wines on the tree-shaded terrace overlooking the vineyards or by an open fire in the tasting room. Bistro Allée Bleue offers breakfast and light lunches on weekend, or in summer you can buy a picnic basket filled with a selection of salads, breads, nibbles, cheeses, and desserts. There's even a kids' picnic menu, along with a jungle gym, trampoline, sand pit, and jumping castle to keep the little ones occupied. The farm also produces a range of fruit including pears, plums, and nectarines.

The red wines here are big, bold, and delicious. Packed with black-currant and tobacco flavors, and with a lingering fruitcake finish, the port (called the Allesverloren Fine Old Vintage) is an award-winner and perfect for cool winter evenings. A family-friendly restaurant and pub on the premises means you can dine in a beautiful setting. Translated from Afrikaans, Allesverloren means "all is lost." The bleak name derives from a story from the early 1700s, when the widow Cloete owned this farm. Legend has it that she left the farm for a few weeks to attend a church gathering in town, and in her absence the resentful tribespeople set her homestead alight. When she came back to a smoldering ruin, she declared, "Allesverloren," and the name stuck. These days though, there's plenty to celebrate and plenty of reasons to visit.

Take a tour to see how this 100% homegrown coffee, very popular with locals, is grown, roasted, and packaged. You may also find this distinctive, delicious coffee—from dark roast through to espresso—in your local speciality coffee store. Look for the distinctive calico bag packaging.

The area's only hot springs open to day visitors, Avalon Springs is not the most stylish, and the architecture leaves a lot to be desired. But if you look beyond this and the numerous signs carrying stern warnings and instructions, you'll get some good insights into South African culture as people splash around in the various pools. If you're not staying at the resort, you can rent bikes from the village and cycle to the springs, where you can spend a few hours before heading home again. Try to visit on a weekday, as it can get unpleasantly crowded on weekends.

Although the farm was established as early as 1693, current owners Johnny and Ginny Grieve have done some serious reorganizing in the vineyards and built a state-of-the-art cellar that's dug into a dry riverbed. Avondale started producing wines in 1999, making it one of the newer kids on the block. The winery hit the ground running, and its wines win one award after another. The reds are especially good, and the intense Paarl summers result in full-bodied grapes that deliver knockout flavors. Great care is taken to maintain top-quality soil, and no pesticides or herbicides are used. If you're interested in the wine-making process, book an Eco Wine Safari and visit Avondale's state-of-the-art gravity-flow cellar, constructed three stories underground. There are also gentle hikes and a bike track, or if you're looking for something less energetic, book a table at the fabulous Faber restaurant.