Ten Amazing Facts About South Africa

Number 10: African Penguin

South Africa is home to a breed of penguin that is expected to be extinct in 15 years. Due to South Africa’s relatively close distance to Antarctica, these birds have migrated and enjoyed the adaptation to beach life conditions as we see in this photo. These birds go fishing for anchovies and known to eat squid and small crustaceans as well. These penguins are often targets of vicious predators of the diverse South African Oceans.

They’re often eaten by orcas, sharks, and large seals. They then have to deal with land-based predation as well like mongooses, genets, and caracals. Some scientists believe that since their main food source of anchovies has been extensively fished, they’ve had trouble finding nutritious food sources. Hopefully, we’ll find a way to keep these unique creatures alive.

Number 9. The Palace of The Lost City

If you thought resorts in Las Vegas were good, try checking out the Palace of the Lost City. It’s a rather remarkable feat of architecture and features custom built botanical jungles. With lavish pools, lakes and hotel rooms, it would make for an excellent place to stay on vacation, located northwest of Pretoria. Safaris are rightfully on the list for most people who stay here.

Number 8. South African Bungee Jumping

With South Africa’s unique landscapes, it makes for a bungee jumping mecca for those who dare to take the plunge. It’s home to the highest bungee jump in the world at 710 feet. The Bloukrans Bridge is located near Port Elizabeth and is probably somewhere you don’t want to go if you’re afraid of heights. In this photo, you can truly see how high the bridge is and this experience most likely won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

Number 7. Shipwrecks

There have been over 2000 shipwrecks on the coast of South Africa within the past 500 years. The Cape of Good Hope gets its name for the dangerous waters that sailors and explorers would try to get around. People would hope that people got past this stretch of water without any issues. As we can see in this photo, it's a beautiful piece of land but a risky one to get around.

Number  6. Rovos Rail

Considered to be the most luxurious trains to explore in Africa, travelers can take a step back in time and travel like a royal safari enthusiast. They love landscapes that come with the experience as well as a luxury, a butler, all gourmet meals prepared on the train, and only the best wines grown in South Africa.

Number 5. Meteor Strike

South Africa possesses the oldest known crater and is now a UNESCO world heritage site. The Vredefort Dome is believed to 4 billion years old and is about 15-20 kilometers or 9-12 miles in diameter. Here in the photo, you can see the vastness from this scar of the past.

Number 4. Nobel Peace Prize Winners

South Africa is home to many progressive and influential figures. But this unique country had two Nobel peace prize winners on the same street! Can you guess who they are? Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu both had properties on Vilakazi Street in Soweto. 

 Number 3: Festivals

South Africa is home to some of the wildest and colorful festivals. The South African Afrika “burn” Festival took place in the Karoo in the middle of the desert as we see in this photo. It strikes an eerie resemblance to the burning man festival in northern Nevada but with an African Twist. 7 days of this event might be too much if you can survive, this you can do just about anything

Number 2: Three Capitals

South Africa is the only country with three capitals Pretoria is the administrative capital where the president lives. Cape Town is the legislative capital where the Parliament is located and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital where the Supreme Court resides.

Number 1 Table Mountain

Table  Mountain is believed to be the oldest remaining mountain in the world and has a richer biodiversity that some countries! With the 2285 species of plants on this mountain, it has more than the entire country of the United Kingdom