Things to Do in South Africa

South Africa is the most straightforward introduction to the continent and one of the most rewarding: a world-class city under a flat-topped mountain, a coastline of penguins and whales, vineyards an hour inland, and Big Five game reserves.

Our placements are based in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, which sit at either end of the Garden Route — the classic South African road trip.

The best things to do in South Africa

1. Table Mountain and Cape Town

Take the rotating cable car or walk up Platteklip Gorge for the view over the city, the bay and the peninsula. Below it, the V&A Waterfront, Bo-Kaap’s painted houses, Kirstenbosch botanical gardens on the mountain’s eastern slope, and Lion’s Head at sunset for the best short hike in the city.

2. The Cape Peninsula

A full day’s loop: Chapman’s Peak Drive along the cliffs, the African penguin colony at Boulders Beach, and Cape Point where the peninsula ends in cliffs and shipwreck history. Add Muizenberg’s beach huts and beginner surf on the way back.

3. Robben Island and District Six

The essential historical counterweight. Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years, is reached by ferry from the Waterfront with former political prisoners as guides. The District Six Museum tells the story of the forced removals that emptied a whole neighbourhood.

4. The Cape Winelands

Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl are under an hour from Cape Town — Cape Dutch architecture, oak-lined streets and some of the best-value wine tasting in the world. The Franschhoek wine tram is the easy, no-driving way to do it.

5. The Garden Route

The coastal road east from Cape Town towards Port Elizabeth, where our other placements are: Hermanus for land-based whale watching (roughly June to November), Knysna’s lagoon, Tsitsikamma’s forest and suspension bridge, and Plettenberg Bay’s beaches. We run a three-day Garden Route and safari tour.

6. Big Five safari

The Eastern Cape reserves near Port Elizabeth — Addo Elephant National Park among them — are malaria-free and reachable as a weekend, which is why so many volunteers do their safari there rather than flying to Kruger.

When to visit South Africa

Cape Town’s summer (November to March) is warm, dry and busy, with long evenings. Winter (June to August) is cooler and wetter in the Cape but the best season for whale watching at Hermanus and for game viewing in the drier reserves. The Garden Route is mild year-round; spring wildflowers appear from August.

Getting around

Hiring a car is the standard way to see the Cape and the Garden Route, and driving is on the left with good roads. In Cape Town, ride-hailing apps are cheap and widely used — the general advice is to avoid walking alone after dark and to use them instead. Long-distance buses and domestic flights connect the major cities.

Seeing South Africa as a volunteer

Cape Town and Port Elizabeth placements sit at opposite ends of the Garden Route, so weekends cover a lot of it. Our South Africa placements are based in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, include accommodation, meals, airport pickup and 24/7 in-country support, and leave evenings and weekends free — which is exactly when most of this list gets ticked off. See volunteer programs in South Africa for live prices and dates, or read our complete guide to volunteering in South Africa for costs, visas and safety.

South Africa travel FAQs

Photo: Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)