All South Africa

The Atlas Obscura Guide To South Africa

97 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in South Africa

Updated August 7, 2026
Email

Cities

Top Cities
All Cities
  1. Cape Town
  2. Dollaaskraal
  3. Ehlanzeni
  4. Howick
  5. Johannesburg
  6. Mossel Bay
  7. Paarl
  8. Soweto
  9. Wilderness

Unusual Attractions in South Africa

Places

Discover your next amazing Atlas Place.

Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter.

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

See All 97 Things To Do in South Africa

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in South Africa

Discover your next hidden gem with the Gastro Obscura
Newsletter—your guide to extraordinary food and drink.

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

See all 5 Places to Eat in South Africa
In partnership with GetYourGuide

Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore South Africa

Animals 12
Museums 10
Caves 8
Ecosystems 7
Plants 6
Geology 6
History & Culture 5
Monuments 5

South Africa Leaderboard

Recent South Africa Activity

Stories About South Africa

New Phasmid from Expedition Panama

Travelling for Insects

An open invitation
by Jace Porter, Community Contributor
Lebollo ceremony

Two Weeks Early

How a month in South Africa redirected a life.
by Carl Le Dunff, Atlas Obscura
A close-up of an unidentified species of Conophytum with yellow flowers. This is one of many tiny succulent plants that have been confiscated by South African law enforcement.

Demand for Tiny Plants Is Driving a Poaching Crisis in South Africa

The Succulent Karoo is home to desert plant species found nowhere else on the planet—criminal networks have been digging them up by the millions.
by Adam Welz, Atlas Obscura
A mine shaft elevator that descends some 3 kilometers underground offers scientists a glimpse of ancient Earth.

Searching for 'Dark Oxygen' in One of the World's Deepest Mines

A scientist's quest for mysterious sources of underground oxygen may offer clues about the origins of life.
by Alice Sun, Atlas Obscura

World’s Oldest Human Footprint Found in South Africa

The ichnofossil, or trace fossil, is more than 150,000 years old.
by Charles Helm and Andrew Carr, Atlas Obscura
African penguins develop a unique arrangement of black speckles on their white bellies at around three months old.

How Polka Dots Help African Penguins Stand Out From the Crowd

A new study shows how the birds identify their mates in a sea of black and white.
by Roxanne Hoorn, Atlas Obscura
Researchers in an inflatable boat prepare to tag a bull shark they have flipped on its back, inducing tonic immobility. Science cannot yet explain why many species seem to go into a trance in this position.

To Track Bull Sharks, First Hit Their Snooze Button

For these researchers in Southern Africa, tagging the apex predators starts with putting them in trancelike tonic immobility.
by Ryan Truscott, Atlas Obscura
South Africa’s northeastern region is a complex landscape of savanna, forest, and dramatic mountains, such as eMhlongamvula. The varied landscapes sit on massive gold deposits and some of the oldest continental crust on the planet.

The World's Oldest Glaciers Are Buried Under South African Gold

2.9-billion-year-old evidence could be proof of a lost ice age—the first “Snowball Earth.”
by Gemma Tarlach, Atlas Obscura

Lists Featuring South Africa

ALMA.
The observatory.
Ulugh Beg Observatory.

20 Out-of-This-World Stargazing Spots

These observatories boast truly stellar views.

20

Including Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), National Observatory of Colombia, and Pic du Midi Observatory

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member

Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member