One of my most frequently asked questions as a South African travel blogger is: How do you find unique travel destinations in South Africa? So in this article, I’m giving my best advice for discovering destinations in South Africa that we seldom hear about but that are very worthy of a visit. It’s time to unearth the hidden gems in South Africa. Keep reading!
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Find unique travel destinations in South Africa
I have always encouraged travelling your home country. For me, that is South Africa but my advice remains the same for whichever country you’re in. Therefore most of the tips in this post can be applied to finding unique destinations anywhere.
The key thing about finding unique destinations in South Africa is that you need to look for them. Below are 4 working ways that I use to look for special destinations in South Africa.
1. Engage with people who live in the area
It is undeniable that the people who live in an area know it really well. I remember the first time I visited a small town called George in Western Cape. I happened to meet a group of young locals who showed me where the locals party and also introduced me to the neighbouring regions such as Oudtshoorn.
If you feel a little awkward starting conversations with strangers when you travel, start with your Airbnb host or your waiter. Find out what they would recommend and what they wouldn’t. You will find that people who live in the area and are in the hospitality industry are excited and happy to share their best travel advice.
Another way to engage with locals is to go on a tour with a knowledgeable local guide. That’s what I did for my first visit to the West Coast in Western Cape and it was the best introduction to the region.
2. Go on a multi-stop road trip
Choosing to drive to a destination opens up the possibility for a whole lot of discovery along the way.
When I explored Limpopo, we travelled from the north of Limpopo to the south and visited all 5 regions of the province. We stayed at a different hotel/lodge each night and so our accommodation was our final destination each day. On day one we stopped at a small goat cheese farm called Geluksfontein and did outdoor activities at Klein Kariba. Both of these were road trip worthy stops en route to Leeuwenhoff Country Lodge.
Keep your eyes open as you drive and look out for signs to attractions. A unique road-trip stop could even be as simple and wonderful as a beautiful viewpoint.
I highly recommend that you consider driving instead of flying and allow enough time for planned and even unplanned stops. To plan your stops, simply use Google Maps. Zoom into your route on the app and look for interesting attractions that you could visit. Do a quick browse through Google reviews then be on your way. It’s that simple 🙂
3. Browse location tagged content on instagram
The first time I saw Blyde River Canyon was in an Instagram post. That post had me packing my bags to explore the Panorama Route in Mpumalanga for the first time. Since that trip, I have been obsessed with traveling South Africa.
Use Instagram to find unique travel destinations in South Africa. You can do so by searching hashtags or locations. For example, searching the hashtag #limpopotourism will show you a range of destinations in Limpopo province. Even better is to follow the hashtags for the regions that you are most interested in.
There is no shortage of South African travel inspiration on my Instagram page, @Gophari. I mostly post about South African destinations so there is a high chance that you will discover unique locations through my Instagram page.
4. Subscribe to South African travel blogs to discover unique travel destinations in South Africa
I can’t emphasise this point enough. You don’t need to figure things out by yourself or from scratch. There are many travel writers/bloggers/journalists who share about unique destinations in South Africa. Take full advantage of this information and use it to have rich travel experiences in the country. Checkout these 10 female South African travel bloggers for inspiration.
On Gophari.com, I like to not only make my audience aware of South African attractions but also give planning advice on how to make these trips happen.
Check out these blog posts about South Africa to kickstart your next trip:
Explore the Panorama Route in One day
Travel destination options in KZN
Hi, I'm Farirai
I’m the travel writer behind Gophari.com. I’ve had an interesting journey from working in a small town as a chemical engineer to becoming a travel entrepreneur.
Traveling South Africa is my JOY and I would love to help you discover the best of the country through this website, Gophari.com. WELCOME
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