Ultimate South Africa: 5 things you have to do
South Africa, the land of adventure? There is so much to do in this country you'll have a hard time fitting it all into one holiday. From Cape Town to Jo'burg, the Garden Route to the wineries and coastal beaches... with landmarks, local culture and sights to see, you'll have to narrow it all down. Here are five essential things to do when you visit South Africa.
Taste the local cuisine
South African cuisine is often called "rainbow cuisine" because it pulls inspiration from so many different cultures. There are some dishes inspired by the South African indigenous communities, cookery from the Dutch, German, French and British colonial periods, even some dishes with Indonesian and Portugese influence. You must try certain foods while on holidays in South Africa if you want a real experience. Biltong is a salty dried meat that is so delicious, bobotie is a dish with meatloaf and raisins, bunny chow is a curry stuffed into a bread bowl, malva pudding from apricots and for dessert, a melktert, a milk tart.
Visit a musuem
As you can imagine there are a lot of museums to visit in South Africa but if you had to choose just one, we'd recommend the District Six Museum in Cape Town. It is located in the neighbourhood that became famous in the 1960s for remaining multicultural despite government attempts to make it a "white only" district. Today no one lives there as many houses were demolished and families forced to move. It is one of the best places to learn about the apartheid and South Africa's history.
Learn some local language
South African's mostly speak English but their English is just a bit different than the dialect we're used to in England. Surprise the locals by learning a few phrases of South African English and a few words only they'd understand.
- takkies/tackie/tekkie = trainers
- combi/kombi = small van
- kiff = pleasurable
- lekker = nice
- braai = barbecue
- jol = party
- costume/cozzie = bathing suit
- gogga = insect
- howzit = good morning, how are you?
Experience the local nature
South Africa is home to some amazing natural parks and wildlife. If you're interested in adventure and natural history, this is your place. Kruger National Park is a popular choice for sighting big game. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the Kalahari desert is ideal for watching hordes of Gemsbok dart across the wide open fields. While you can explore the country's national parks on your own, you'll get way more out of them if you join one of the many adventure tours South Africa.
Watch a cultural tradition
If there's one thing we can say about culture in South Africa, it's very diverse! Many native South Africans are speaking, English, Afrikaans plus their rural tongue. There are festivals taking place year round, many around food like the Knysna Oyster Festival, the Calitzdorp Port and Wine Festival, the Riebeek Kasteel Olive Festival and the Hantam Vleisfees to celebrate meat, in particular lamb.
What are you planning for your South African adventure?