Awesome Cultural Tourism in South Africa

South Africa is a land of disparities, numerous diverse peoples and their cultures – this makes cultural tourism a budding industry in every province where numerous tribes have made their homes. Nelson Mandela has become one of the keystones of cultural tourism in South Africa and historically, it is the nomadic San people (Bushmen) whose ethos still permeates much of our heritage today.

South Africa has an increasing number of cultural landmarks which are visited by a growing number of tourists each year. Some of these are World Heritage Sites, an example of which is the Cradle of Humankind in north-east Gauteng where the ancestries of South Africans lie. You can go for a meditative moment someplace quiet in this 47,000ha site to ponder on where you come from, tour the phenomenal Sterkfontein Caves to witness the site where ‘Mrs Ples’ was discovered, the renowned pre-human skull dating back some 2.3 million years!

All over South Africa, there is proof of the Bushmen in rock art remnants - in the majestic uKhahlamba-Drakensberg mountains, rock art in sandstone caves is preserved, revealing a story about the San people – portraits of eland seem to be the most prolific.

Mapungubwe in the Limpopo Province is one of the most mesmerizing places to visit if you are fascinated with your ancestry and ancient African civilizations. Archaeological digs at the ‘Lost City’ on Mapungubwe Hill have estimated it was thriving during 1200-1207 AD, an Iron Age civilization which traded with other people as far as Egypt, India and China!

Cultural tourism and luxury holidays South Africa begins at these retrieved and conserved national sites of importance and ends with the Apartheid legacy and its emancipation under Nelson Mandela. He is therefore a significant icon who influenced the cultural history of the country in a positive manner.

Start with a tour on Robben Island in Cape Town to see the cell in which Madiba spent so many years, imprisoned. Parliament in Cape Town, Constitution Hill in Johannesburg as well as the Nelson Mandela Capture Site in Howick are all reflections of the contributions made by Mandela to the freedom of South Africa.

Take time to explore the Battlefield Route in KwaZulu-Natal and engross yourself in the drama that unfolded between Zulus, British as well as the Boers, so much a part of the country’s culture, and now a tourist destination.

Try a township tour in Johannesburg’s Soweto or Cape Town’s Khayelitsha, where people dwell in shacks and close proximity to one another, dis-empowered economically by history and circumstance. South Africa has a wealth of possibilities for cultural tourism and it is up to you to choose which dimension means more to you to explore. Ask one of our friendly consultants to guide you in making that choice around a doable package deal!