Things to do in South Africa
Hop on Hop Off Cape Town14 optionsHelicopter Cape Town9 optionsRobben Island Tour24 optionsWine Tasting Cape Town29 optionsSafaris from Johannesburg22 optionsSafaris9 optionsTwo Oceans Aquarium Tours9 optionsCape Town Safari Tours17 optionsStellenbosch Wine Tour6 optionsSoweto Tours23 optionsBoulders Beach Tours68 optionsBoat Ride Cape Town32 options
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Sea Kayaking Cape Town: Table Mountain from the waterSea kayaking in Cape Town's Table Mountain Marine Nature Reserve is a 2-hour paddle along the Atlantic shoreline with a professional guide, all equipment and safety gear included. You launch from the V&A Waterfront, navigate protected waters with unobstructed views of Table Mountain and Lion's Head, and watch for Cape Fur seals, dolphins and sunfish. Children must be at least 8 years old and accompanied by an adult; groups stay under 14 people.Is it for me?Book the early morning departure if you want the calmest water and the fewest crowds on the Atlantic; the later slots work better if you're staying nearby and want to paddle after other activities. Groups stay under 14 people, so the paddle never feels crowded even at midday.
Cape Town: Helicopter Tour Camps Bay & Hout Bay with ChampagneYou depart from the V&A Waterfront helipad, fly over Table Mountain, the 12 Apostles, Camps Bay and Hout Bay with live commentary through your headset, land back at the same spot, and receive champagne and return transport to the shopping center. Arrive twenty minutes early to check in, and bring a camera—the angles from the air are the only ones you'll get.Is it for me?Right for travelers who want to see Cape Town's geography and coastline in one frame without spending a full day on the ground. The flight is short and sharp—you're in the air and back with champagne in hand, which is exactly what makes it a strong way to start a holiday.
Cape Town: Tandem Paragliding Flight & Table Mountain ViewsYou’ll launch from Signal Hill with a local guide, glide above Cape Town’s coastline with Table Mountain beside you, steer the paraglider for a moment if you want, and maybe get your heart racing with some aerial twists before landing gently back on solid ground.
Harley Davidson Motorcycle Ride Cape Town: Atlantic Ocean ViewYou’ll ride pillion on a classic Harley Davidson with a local driver along Cape Town’s dramatic coastline, stopping for coffee in small towns and feeling every shift in sea air. Expect laughter with your guide, helmet included, flexible tour lengths, and honest moments that stick with you long after you’re back in town.
Knysna Lagoon: Vintage Boat Cruise on Coquette LaunchYou’ll feel the grain of century-old mahogany as you board Coquette in Knysna, hear local stories from your captain on the way to the Heads, sip drinks while gulls wheel overhead, and catch those small silences when everyone’s watching for eagles or just soaking up the lagoon light. It’s not fancy — it’s honest, warm, and quietly memorable.
Cape Town Airport Transfer: On-Time Pickup & ReturnYou get picked up by name at arrivals before your flight lands, travel in a cool, connected car with water included, and take the direct freeway route to your hotel. The return transfer works on your schedule, not your flight time. No surprises, no waiting around, no negotiation at the curb.Is it for me?Book this if you're landing in Cape Town with luggage and want the airport-to-hotel leg handled without thinking — the driver waiting before you land and the fixed route mean you skip the taxi rank and arrive on schedule.
Cape Town Cape of Good Hope & Boulders Penguin tourThis half-day guided tour from Cape Town travels south along the Atlantic coast to Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve and Boulders Beach, where you walk a boardwalk among African penguins. The route includes Chapman's Peak Drive, Camps Bay, and stops in Simon's Town and Kalk Bay; a live English-speaking guide, air-conditioned vehicle, bottled water and Chapman's Peak toll fees are included, while entrance to the penguin colony and the nature reserve are optional add-ons you choose at booking.Is it for me?Most half-day Cape Town tours rush through the same stops on a fixed schedule. This one gives you a guide who knows the route and can adjust the pace — you linger at Camps Bay if the light is right, skip the funicular if the walk appeals more, or spend extra time at Boulders Beach with the penguins instead of moving on the minute the group is ready.
Cape Town: Private Peninsula Day Tour & Penguins at Boulders BeachYou’ll ride along dramatic coastal roads with a local guide who shares real stories (and maybe some laughs), meet penguins up close at Boulders Beach, wander secret corners of Cape Point Nature Reserve with lunch overlooking two oceans, and stroll among ancient trees at Kirstenbosch Gardens. Expect honest conversation, salt air, and memories that linger longer than you’d think.
Johannesburg Maboneng: Street Art Walking Tour & Local ArtistsYou’ll walk through Johannesburg’s Maboneng district with a local guide, see bold street art up close, hear stories behind the murals, and maybe even meet an artist or two at work. Expect plenty of color, unexpected conversations, and small moments that stick with you long after the tour ends.
Urban Safari Cape Town: Street Art & Hidden AlleywaysYou walk through Cape Town's inner-city alleys, neighborhoods, and hidden corners with a knowledgeable local guide who shares stories about the city's past and present. The route includes stops near the District Six Museum, Castle of Good Hope, and the South African Museum, but focuses on street art, cultural moments, and photo spots most visitors miss. You're on foot for the duration, moving at a conversational pace, and the guide chooses the exact stops based on what's worth showing that day.Is it for me?This tour is for people who want to see Cape Town the way someone who lives there actually sees it — not the postcard version, but the alleys, the stories, and the neighborhoods that make the city real. You're trading the standard route for a guide who knows where to look.
Bo-Kaap walking tour Cape Town: Local guide, neighborhood historyA walking tour of Cape Town's Bo-Kaap neighborhood led by a local guide with family roots in the area. You meet at Wale Street for an introduction to the district's layered history—slavery, political exile, the arrival of Islam—and walk through the streets as a resident would show them, not as a postcard. Snacks are included; the tour runs one hour and suits ages 13 and up.Is it for me?The guide speaks English throughout, so you follow the commentary comfortably without translation. This tour suits anyone 13 or older who wants to understand Bo-Kaap's real history—not just its appearance—told by someone whose family lived it.
Cape Town Township Private Tour: Khayelitsha & LangaA private six-hour guided tour of Cape Town's townships—District Six Museum, Langa (the city's oldest township) and Khayelitsha (the fastest-growing)—with a live English-speaking guide, lunch and bottled water included. You start at the museum where forced removals began, then follow the route your guide's elders took when they were moved, visiting the Dom Pass Museum and local arts and crafts centre in Langa before moving through Khayelitsha. The tour is private, so the pace and stops adjust to your questions.Is it for me?The tour runs six hours and involves walking through neighborhoods on foot, so you need a comfortable pace and shoes that work on uneven ground. This is a private tour, which means your guide can slow down for questions or move faster if you prefer, and the route can adjust to what interests you most—but the length and the walking are fixed parts of how you actually see and understand these places.
Cape Town: Cape of Good Hope, Penguins & Seal Island Day TripYou’ll ride along Cape Town’s wild coastline with a local guide, take an optional ferry to see seals at Hout Bay, stand at windswept Cape Point lighthouse, and get close to African penguins at Boulders Beach. Expect laughter, salty air, and moments that linger long after you’re back at your hotel.
Cape Town Catamaran Cruise: Table Bay & Robben Island ViewsA 60-minute catamaran cruise departing from Cape Town's V&A Waterfront toward Clifton, with views of Table Bay, Robben Island, Cape Town Harbour and Table Mountain. The boat, A Beautiful Life, is a 53-foot catamaran built in 2021 that holds up to 60 passengers, with an open front deck and shaded rear seating. A live English-speaking guide is included, along with soft ambient music and the chance to spot marine life. Check in 20 minutes before departure.Is it for me?The fixed departure time and included guide mean you don't have to research what to look for or coordinate with others—you show up, board and spend an hour on the water with everything arranged. The boat's size keeps it intimate without feeling empty, and the mix of open and shaded space lets you choose your own comfort level once you're aboard.
Cape Town to Hermanus: Whale Watching, Wine & Farm Stall Day TripYou’ll ride along one of South Africa’s most beautiful coasts from Cape Town to Hermanus with a local guide, watch for Southern Right whales from cliffside paths or even by boat during season, sample wines in Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, and snack your way through Peregrine Farm Stall’s shelves of fresh-baked treats—all in one easygoing day.
Pilanesberg Safari Day Trip: Open Vehicle Big Five TourA full-day safari tour in Pilanesberg National Park, an hour from Johannesburg, with two open vehicle drives (one in the morning, one in the afternoon), a light lunch at a reserve restaurant, and an English-speaking guide. Pickup happens at Manyane Gate or Sun City Resort at 9:30am, and you return between 3 and 3:15pm. Children from age 4 are welcome.Is it for me?Spend your afternoon spotting the Big Five from an open vehicle in Pilanesberg Reserve and still make it back to Johannesburg by evening.
African Food Tasting in Johannesburg: Taste Multiple ContinentsTaste of Africa is a food tasting activity in Johannesburg where you sample dishes from six African countries—South African, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Cameroonian, Zimbabwean and Congolese—across Yeoville and Maboneng, two neighborhoods known for their Afro-cosmopolitan food scenes. The experience runs three hours and includes all meals, a local guide speaking English or French, and pickup from your hotel. You can add African beer tasting at checkout.Is it for me?Move through Yeoville or Maboneng sampling multiple African cuisines while your guide navigates the neighborhoods and handles introductions—you just eat and explore.
Pilanesberg Safari Tour: Open Jeep Big Five WildlifeA full-day guided safari tour of Pilanesberg National Park in an open-air vehicle with a live English-speaking guide, lunch, water and hotel pickup included. You travel the park's game reserve spotting lions, elephants, white and black rhinos, leopards, buffaloes, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras and hippos in their natural habitat, then settle afterward with South African wine and local food. The tour runs 11 to 12 hours.Is it for me?An open-air vehicle puts you at eye level with the landscape and the animals, which is what separates this from a closed safari van — the guide reads the terrain and you photograph without glass between you and the moment.
Hillbrow walking tour Johannesburg: Ponte Tower and Berea streetsThis is a 3-hour guided walking tour of Hillbrow and Berea in Johannesburg, led by a live English-speaking guide through one of the city's most misunderstood districts. You walk roughly 2km past Ponte Tower, hijacked buildings, Alec Gorschel Park, Telkom Tower and the Summit Club along Pretoria Street, then sit down to pap and chicken with a drink. The tour moves at a steady pace and suits anyone with basic fitness; the guide handles the navigation and the history.Is it for me?Choose this if you want a guide to lead you through Hillbrow and Berea's streets and history; book a self-guided option if you prefer to explore independently.
Cape Town: Shark Cage Diving & Scuba at Seal IslandYou’ll feel your pulse racing as you slip into the shark cage near Cape Town’s Seal Island with an experienced local guide. Watch Bronze Whaler sharks glide by just inches away while scuba diving or snorkeling in small groups. Warm drinks and snacks help you shake off the chill afterwards — it’s an experience that lingers long after you’re back on shore.
