Social media shows us lots of videos and images posted by people jetting around the world on their international holidays. As a South African, you’re allowed a wry smile whenever you see the hashtag #VacationInParadise, because there are so many heavenly holiday spots right here at home.

South Africa has plenty of options for a couple’s weekend, a group of friends on a getaway, or a family holiday – and some of our travel gems can be found nowhere else in the world. It’s cheaper and less effort to plan your vacation locally. You're spared the hassle of sorting out passports, visas, and foreign currency, and you’ll most likely spend less on travel and accommodation. Best of all, you’ll get to visit amazing places that attract foreign tourists from all over the world, right in your own backyard.

To whet your wanderlust, we’ve made a list of 6 must-see tourist attractions in SA – consider these world-class experiences when you plan your next holiday.

Drakensberg San rock art, KwaZulu-Natal

The San are SA’s earliest indigenous inhabitants, and their rock art has adorned the landscape for more than 8,000 years. Although created with simple tools and pigments on cave walls or rock overhangs, San rock art combines storytelling and history with spiritual practice – rock painting was part of the rituals through which San shamans interacted with the spirit world.

The Maloti-Drakensberg World Heritage Site is a prime hunting ground for rock art – more than 20,000 individual paintings have been found at 500 different sites in the central Drakensberg, particularly around the Amphitheatre, Cathedral Peak, Kamberg Nature Reserve, Injasuti Valley and Giant’s Castle.

These ancient cultural treasures need vigilant preservation – many have already been damaged by later cooking fires or souvenir hunters. You must observe strict protocols if you want to view rock art, and group sizes are limited to 8–10 people. Book a tour with a registered tour company – one that has the landowner’s permission to take visitors onto the site, and which will ensure that you are accompanied by a rock art custodian trained and certified by the KwaZulu-Natal heritage association Amafa aKwaZulu-Natali. Find more information online.

There are some good rock art sites around Mont-Aux-Sources, and if you’re in the area you can also visit the sources of the Orange and Tugela rivers, or Tugela Falls – the tallest waterfall in the world.

Sharks vs seals in False Bay, Western Cape

If you want to feel like you’ve just stepped into a Natural Geographic documentary, visit Seal Island in False Bay, Cape Town. You can enjoy the thrill of seeing nature at its most primal without having to brave the big swells of the Atlantic Ocean, because the island is less than 6 km from the shore, sheltered in the arms of the bay. It’s home to more than 70,000 Cape fur seals who feed on the shoals of fish in the shallow waters of the bay, but in winter, they become prey as well as predators.

Seals are a popular prey species for great white sharks, which are most active in False Bay from April to August. They hunt by smacking seals into the air with their tails or snouts, stunning them, then thrusting their bodies in a flying lunge out of the water after their prey. You can view this awe-inspiring spectacle on a boat trip. Tours usually leave from Hout Bay on the Atlantic side of the Peninsula, so you’ll also get to sail around Cape Point on your way into False Bay.

This is also an area where you’ll be able to enjoy dolphin and whale watching tours – or if you’re still in intrepid National Geographic mode, even shark cage dives.

Oribi Gorge and Lake Eland, KwaZulu-Natal

There’s nothing as breath-taking as standing on the edge of a great cleft in the earth, taking in a magnificent view of an African landscape buzzing with life – except perhaps jumping into that great cleft for an adrenalin rush. Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve lets you enjoy both. It's home to the world’s highest gorge swing, which will drop you 165 m into the 400 m canyon for the thrill of a lifetime.

It also gives you a spectacular bird’s-eye view over the waterfall, and when your heart rate returns to normal, you can explore the plant and animal life up close at a more sedate pace. The gorge is about 5 km across at its widest point and extends for 30 km, with thick subtropical vegetation that supports a variety of species.

If you extend your adventure with a short trip up the road to Lake Eland Game Reserve, you can zipline, take 4x4 game drives, play paintball, or just unwind at the spa.

Clarens, Free State

If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of big city life, this small town will win your heart. It was founded in 1912 in the foothills of the Maluti Mountains, but in recent decades it has become a magnet for artists seeking rural peace and an engaged, arts-loving community.

The Clarens that we know today has been transformed into a modern take on quaint town life. Rolling hills and scenic views make you want to slow down and appreciate the little things, like a homemade pie at a cosy café and lazy Sundays without traffic and busy malls.

Fun activities in and around Clarens include:

• Horse riding
• Annual Clarens Arts Festival
• Independent brewery and beer tastings
• Art galleries
• Clarens Kloof Dam
• Clarens Waterfall
• Antique stores
• Extreme adventures
• Castle in Clarens – Rapunzel's Tower and Aladdin’s Palace
• Golf
• Golden Gate Highland National Park

God’s Window, Mpumalanga

The view from God’s Window is a truly humbling experience. As you stand on what feels like a cliff at the end of the world, you can’t help but be in awe of the natural spectacle. Perched on the Drakensberg escarpment along Mpumalanga’s Panorama Route and gazing down on the Lowveld, God’s Window offers 360° views of lush forests, plunging cliffs, and sweeping valleys that stretch as far as the eye can see. On a clear day, you can even spot the Kruger National Park in the distance.

There are plenty of viewing sites to explore along the route, and each offers a new perspective on the jaw-dropping landscape. You’ll also find more energetic adventures like river-rafting, tubing, and the Big Swing at Graskop. If you crave some peace and quiet, the nearby Rainforest Trail will wrap you in cool mist and towering trees, creating the perfect escape from the everyday hustle.

Namaqualand spring flowers, Northern Cape

This unique South African tourist delight is so well-known, we hesitated to mention it. The riot of orange and yellow daisies and purple vygies that bloom in arid Namaqualand every spring has almost become a tourism cliché. However, just as many Capetonians never take the cable car up Table Mountain to enjoy their city’s premier attraction, many South Africans tend to take our annual desert miracle for granted too.

Seeing images online really isn’t the same – watching that great surge of returning life happen in real time can be a profoundly spiritual experience. People travel from all over the world to witness this wonder of nature, so it’s a privilege to be able to do the same without having to journey nearly as far. The best time to go is between August and October.

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