Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Special South African experiences to explore
THESE are experiences you won’t easily find elsewhere. Here are five of South Africa’s best.
360-degree cinema at Kruger National Park
One of Africa’s first commercial 360 cinemas opened in the Kruger National Park at the Kruger Station last year.
The Kruger 360 Cinema is built like a cylinder with a 360° wraparound screen inside that gives guests an immersive viewing experience, no matter which way they are facing.
Viewers sit on chairs that swivel and rotate to give them the full 360 experience. Movies are screened during the operational hours of the Kruger Station and focus on conservation.
It is a special experience for you and the family, a high-tech entertainment experience in a safari location or nature reserve.
The New7Wonders of Nature
Not that you haven’t heard of Table Mountain before, but Table Mountain with its flat top beauty is in the middle of a bustling city, whereas the rest of the New7Wonders all require a bit of a trip to get to. Table Mountain is accessible to almost anyone staying in or visiting Cape Town and can be viewed without much effort.
Getting to the top requires booking for the cable car or hiking up the mountain. Once you get to the top, you get to see spectacular views of the mountain and the city below. You may even see other tourist attractions such as Lion’s Head.
Biggest man-made urban forest in the world
You might be surprised to hear that the biggest man-made forest in the world is in the city of Joburg.
With over 10 million trees dotted around it, the City of Gold looks a lot like a rainforest when viewed from the air. And if viewed in the right season, it’s filled with colour as the jacaranda trees, imported in the 1800s from South America, light the streets with purple.
The Big Seven
The Big Seven is a bit different to the traditional Big five, as the additional two animals – the southern right whale and the great white shark – are best spotted in South Africa.
In fact, in just one trip to and around South Africa, you could tick every Big Seven animal off your list.
Whale watching
There are many places where you can do whale watching around the world, but the best viewing is in South Africa. Many whale pods swim through and past our waters during their mating seasons.
Whale watching is so popular that towns such as Hermanus have dedicated whale festivals to entice visitors to the area and offer whale-watching experiences.