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The Atlas Obscura Guide To South Africa

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

Updated November 30, 2023

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  1. Cape Town
  2. Dollaaskraal
  3. Ehlanzeni
  4. Howick
  5. Johannesburg
  6. Paarl
  7. Soweto
  8. Wilderness

Unusual Attractions in South Africa

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Animals 12
Caves 7
Ecosystems 7
History & Culture 5
Geology 5
Water 4
Birds 4
History 4

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Stories About South Africa

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
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
Divers on the site of the São José Paquete D'Africa wreck off the northwestern coast of Cape Town, South Africa.

Near Cape Town, the São José Shipwreck Is a Unique Symbol of A Painful Legacy

More than 200 enslaved people perished when the Portuguese ship sank in 1794.
by Sam Jones

South Africa's Penguins May Beat the Heat With New Ceramic Nests

The artificial nests could shield the endangered seabirds from rising temperatures.
by Ryan Truscott
Sports presenter and musician Selema Masekela is obsessed with amapiano, a genre of South African genre of house music.

The Genre-Bending World of Amapiano, South Africa’s Township House Music

You can’t not dance when amapiano comes on.
by Selema Masekela
Wilderness guide and author Sicelo Mbatha observes elephants during one of the excursions he leads in South Africa.

How to Connect With Nature Like a South African Wilderness Guide

Tragedy set Sicelo Mbatha on a course to understand, and make peace with, the wild on its own terms.
by Gemma Tarlach
Elephants, such as these in South Africa's Kruger National Park, are highly social—and loud.

Can We Track Elephants With Earthquake Detectors?

Low-cost seismometers could give rural communities an alert system, or begin to decipher elephant communication.
by Robin George Andrews
Archaeologists Joshua Kumbani (left) and Sarah Wurz (right) work at a site near the Klasies River in South Africa.

The Archaeologists Recreating the Sounds of the Stone Age

Researchers are working to uncover whether ancient objects in South Africa were once used to make noise or music.
by Sarah Wild

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

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