Tourist Attractions & Monuments South Africa

Founded in 1825, this museum is the oldest in sub-Saharan Africa. Young and old alike will be seduced by the large marine mammals section, whose main attraction is a 20 m long blue whale skeleton, or the large dinosaur skeletons and the only stuffed quagga in the world. This species of Karoo zebra disappeared to general indifference in 1883, after the death of its last representative in an Amsterdam zoo.

The most exciting section of the exhibition is dedicated to the Bushmen. Taking note of the reservations expressed by the museum's current scientific team, you can admire the astonishing casts made in 1911. They look like living beings! That's the problem, because these casts were made by the museum's taxidermists on living individuals, supposedly representing "perfect savages".

Southern Africa is the richest region in the world in terms of rock paintings. Thousands of sites are listed, most of them inaccessible to the uninformed public. Fortunately, the authorities are gradually becoming aware of the importance of presenting and protecting this fabulous heritage. Imagine that the oldest paintings, discovered on rocks in the Apollo 11 cave in Namibia, are the work of artists who lived 27,000 years before our era, a hundred centuries before the painters of Lascaux! Constellation lovers, head to the Planetarium.

Occupying over 55 hectares, this zoo has 600 mammals, 1 500 birds and many reptiles. If you don't stand up for pets, go down. We will advise this visit to families, those who want to observe more closely the Bush animals (zebras, lions, gazelles), and those who would like to see polar bears, red pandas, the Siberian tiger and the golden tamarind lion disappearing.

Built in 1871 at the corner of Burg Street and Long Street, this church was decorated in a Gothic Revival style that looks like it came out of Gotham City, you know, the dark city in Batman. It really contrasts with the rest of Green Market Square, white, colorful and cheerful! At the beginning of the 19th century, when Methodism came to South Africa, a movement that originated from Protestantism, the church was used as a school and then as a base for activists opposed to apartheid.

Its construction began in 1904, but was delayed by the Anglo-Boer War. The chapel was only started in 1908 and the transept was completed in 1936. The cathedral is not of great architectural interest, but note as you enter that Christ is black! Its historical interest: the first black Anglican Archbishop was ordained there in 1986, Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize 1984, President of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 1996. It was from there again that he organized a mass demonstration of civil disobedience by 30,000 people on Grand Parade in 1989.

Schreuderhuis is one of the oldest housing estates in the country, the restored houses cover the period from 1709 to 1929. The tour is interesting and well designed. It starts with the most rustic house, the one of the first settlers, and continues with more and more bourgeois and richly decorated houses. You have to cross the street to see house number 3. It is a fun tour because this neighborhood is like an open-air museum that tells the story of the history and art of living over the years and the different classes of people.

If we are interested in history where we set our steps, then we will have to discover this museum. The Huguenots make all the history of the town of Franschhoek, since their arrival in the 17th century. In the Huguenot museum, you will see the Bible that Pierre Joubert would have brought out of France in a loaf of bread. He himself left La Motte-d'Aigues in Vaucluse at the age of 24. Then he arrived in South Africa after a detour through Geneva and Rotterdam. In 1700, he owned 16,000 vines and 300 sheep. The historical panels were donated by the management of the Archives de France.

A copy of the Edict of Nantes and a complete list of the Huguenots of South Africa, with their French region of origin, can be found. During Jacques Chirac's visit to South Africa, a plaque was placed to mark the 400th anniversary of the Edict of Nantes, "symbol of tolerance and freedom".

If by chance you have the soul of a researcher, you can even submit your genealogical questions to the museum's management, who will do research. The main building was constructed in 1967 according to the plans of "Saasveld", the mansion built in Cape Town in 1791 by the French architect Louis-Michel Thibault.

At the rear of the building is the headquarters of the learned society The Huguenot Society, which anyone can join in order to receive the annual historical bulletin. In September 2002, the museum hosted a day-long event for distinguished members of the International Huguenot Conference.

A wide strip of fine white sand and turquoise blue water. Closely watched by a team of spotters from the top of Boyes Drive. If sharks are landed, the alarm is sounded and a black flag with a shark on it is hoisted. We then have to get out of the water quickly. A red flag means that the sharks were here less than two hours ago or that the water is too murky to see very far. This is the beach for beginners and families, ideal for lessons. And let's not forget the brightly colored huts that make up the charm of the beach.

The must: Seal Island. 16 km from the coast, in the middle of the bay, the island is populated by thousands of birds and 75,000 playful seals. Sensitive souls should refrain, but in the morning, when squads of white sharks take a trip, we see these predators jumping to catch seals in flight. From March to November whales are also present. They improvise choreographies, spins and sometimes spectacular jumps. Then the dolphins love to follow the boats.

In the town of Franschoek, a monument in memory of the Huguenots, Protestants of French origin who immigrated to South Africa in the 17th century, was inaugurated in 1948. The work of sculptor Coert Steynberg depicts a female figure, carrying the Bible in her right hand and a broken chain in her left hand, which then represents freedom. A boat sails towards the tip of Africa and we see, gathered around the Book, the wheel of industry, the lyre of the arts, the grain and grapes of agriculture. As for the three arches, they symbolize the Trinity.

These dolomitiques caves of the Molapong valley were occupied in the middle of the stone age (51 000 to 10 000 BC). The entrance to the Cannibal Cave, closed to the public, houses a colonie colony. An adjacent Museum of Man has an interest in paleontology.

A wonderful, miraculous source tells some that produces 20 million litres of water per day (8 h -20 h). A chance for this dry region. Restaurant on site.

Specialising in the lion, 25 km northwest of Sandton, this park proposes you to approach the Fauves at an unusual distance. The visit begins with the enclos of the babies where it is possible to penetrate. The children and the larger ones will be happy to caresser the live toys under the watchful eye of a guard. Guaranteed collector photo! See also cheetahs and wild dogs. Then, take his vehicle for a cross-section of the antelopes before entering the lions'paddock. They are dozens to surround your car.