South Africa

Cape Town

Table Mountain, the V&A Waterfront, and nearby beaches make it an easy place to see the sea and the city in one trip.

Kruger National Park

It is one of the best-known places for seeing elephants, lions, rhinos, leopards, and buffalo in the wild.

Johannesburg

The city’s museums, markets, and nearby Soweto give a direct look at modern urban life and the country’s recent history.

Drakensberg

The mountains have big hiking country, rock art sites, and quiet views that feel far from the cities.

Bobotie

A baked dish of spiced minced meat topped with an egg custard, often served with rice and chutney.

Bunny chow

A hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with curry, especially associated with Durban.

Boerewors

A coiled spiced sausage usually grilled over coals and eaten at a braai.

Biltong

Air-dried cured meat, sliced as a snack, made from beef or sometimes game.

The country’s culture is shaped by many languages and histories living side by side, including Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English, and others. Apartheid still sits close to everyday life in memory and in places like the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg and Robben Island off Cape Town, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. Music, church singing, township jazz, and street food all carry that mix of pain, pride, and daily resilience.

• Hello / How are you?

  Please note: South Africa has many languages; these are useful greetings in three common ones.

• Sawubona / Unjani?

  sah-woo-BOH-nah / oon-JAH-nee

  Hello / How are you? in Zulu

• Molo / Unjani?

  MOH-loh / oon-JAH-nee

  Hello / How are you? in Xhosa

• Hallo / Hoe gaan dit?

  HAH-loh / hoo khahn dit

  Hello / How are you? in Afrikaans

The country has 11 official languages, and that is visible in everyday life on signs, in schools, and on television.

The national flag was adopted in 1994.

The flag has six colors in a distinctive Y-shape, representing the country's diversity and unity after apartheid.

See who has been there and what you need to travel.