7 reasons to visit South Africa in 2026
Discover pangolins, ziplines and designer hotels at the bottom of Africa.
From the northern wildlife parks to the Cape’s mountain passes, Nelson Mandela’s Rainbow Nation is one of the world’s most remarkably diverse countries. With numerous new openings to explore, as well as several anniversaries from its turbulent history, South Africa should surely top your wish list for 2026.
1. To enjoy a designer stay in Cape Town
Not content with having a seafront promenade to rival Venice Beach, Cape Town’s chichi suburb of Sea Point is looking to Miami’s South Beach with art deco flair. Leading the designer pack is chic new boutique hotel The Cole, its wavy facade climbing to a rooftop pool and Mediterranean restaurant. Inside, the mid-century lines stretch from the sea-facing rooms to the storytelling-themed lobby cocktail bar.
Tourism continues to thrive in travel media darling Cape Town, with new hotel openings from brands including EDITION, which is developing its first African property at the V&A Waterfront. On local hipsters’ beloved Bree Street, the new Mama Shelter Residences is another African first and the city’s first bona fide lifestyle hotel. Keith Haring does Africa in the zingy designs throughout the 17th-floor bar-restaurant and pool, the coworking space and the terraces overlooking Table Mountain.
2. To lock eyes with a lion in Kruger National Park
This year marks a century since Kruger National Park was created by the merger of two reserves – if an excuse is needed to visit this predator-prowled wilderness bordering Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The conservation juggernaut is a safari pinup for good reason, pitting the Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and Cape buffalo) against hapless antelopes and attracting self-drive tourists to its tarred roads. Whether you stay at a bush camp or an all-inclusive luxury lodge, we recommend joining a guided drive or walk, as the rangers are full of spoor-following bush lore.
3. To take your family to a ‘coffee rave’
No longer the province of khaki-clad safari survivalists straight out of Deon Meyer novels, the Western Cape continues broadening its travel appeal. Kids have long enjoyed spots such as Cape Town’s Two Oceans Aquarium, Clay Café and The Bike Park at Constantia Uitsig, but the reopened Spier Hotel makes the Stellenbosch wine estate a family destination for everything from Segway tours and gourmet picnics to craft shopping and spa treatments. Babylonstoren, forerunner of the UK’s The Newt in Somerset hotel, offers a similarly multifaceted family experience in the vineyards near bougie Franschhoek. Its Soetmelksvlei, an immersive working farm museum, recreates 19th-century life at the Cape through ox wagon rides, milling demonstrations and more.
Back in the present day, Cape Town’s wellness scene has exploded; cold plunges, ShuShu saunas, matcha lattes, beach yoga and sunrise hikes are all the rage. Start your day with a beatific smile at the ‘coffee raves’ offered by spots such as Sea Point’s Scandi-inspired Sauna Haüs. Also at the vanguard of this movement are yoga and wellness spaces Light House Holistic and One Flow; download the MOVA app for easy access to gyms and spaces across town.
4. To road trip through vast landscapes
Cape Town and Kruger National Park are deservedly popular destinations, but it’s worth travelling further afield to appreciate the Rainbow Nation’s stunning diversity. In the Wild Coast area, gorgeous GweGwe Beach Lodge at Mkambati Nature Reserve attracted plaudits last year, adding to the vast Eastern Cape province’s wild appeal.
Across the provincial border in KwaZulu-Natal, Shaka Zulu was expanding his fearsome empire 200 years ago, defeating Sikhunyani’s Ndwandwe forces in 1826. Take a guided tour of the Anglo-Zulu War battlefields, hike beneath the Drakensberg’s otherworldly peaks in Royal Natal National Park and hit the promenade in vibey Durban. Testament to the balmy Indian Ocean coastline’s surf culture, Club Med South Africa Beach & Safari resort is opening on KZN’s northern Dolphin Coast in July. Or treat yourself to a stay in the iconic Oyster Box Hotel or gorgeous Sala Beach House.
Read more: 6 of the best places to stay in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal
5. To zipline through the Cape mountains
Given all the sunshine and rugged landscapes, South Africans love adrenaline-pumping adventures. The 3.2km-long K3 zipline is currently the world’s longest, and joins the recommended Cape Canopy Tour in the Overberg area east of Cape Town. Trail running and gravel biking events are also springing up, including the new Gravel Burn, a seven-day, 800km stage race across the devilishly hot Great Karoo semi-desert. Or tackle a 521km loop of the Karoo on the Tankwa Crossing, an extreme trail run in the same inhospitable area as the AfrikaBurn art festival.
6. To learn about pangolin conservation
South African documentary director Pippa Ehrlich’s Oscar-winning My Octopus Teacher put Cape Town’s kelp forest on the international map, and her Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey looks set to do the same for armoured anteaters. You can learn about the protection of these incredible ground-dwelling creatures that charmed conservationist Gareth Thomas in the Netflix hit at Lapalala Wilderness Reserve in South Africa’s northern Waterberg range, which featured in the documentary. While immersing yourself in the bushveld at the not-for-profit Lepogo Lodges’ luxury Noka Camp, you’ll witness the conservation work funded by your stay in a clifftop Villa Suite. Projects rehabilitate the pangolins, the world’s most trafficked mammal; monitor predators, endangered rhinos and ungulates; and preserve African wild dogs, rare antelope species, leopards and the prized cheetahs (lepogo in the local Sotho language).
Wildlife drives and conservation experiences are part of a long list of activities in the reserve – also including guided bush walks, river safaris, visiting a San rock art site, yoga and stargazing. The magnificent 480 sqkm reserve also became South Africa’s first International Dark Sky Park in 2025.
7. To experience Cape Town’s dynamic food scene
Returning to South Africa’s historical Mother City, local and international chefs are revelling in the winegrowing region’s fertile Mediterranean climate. As part of the InterContinental Table Bay hotel’s refurbishment, renowned South African chef Jan Hendrink Van Der Westhuizen has opened Le Bistrot de JAN, showcasing the French cuisine with Cape influences that attracted a Michelin star to Restaurant JAN in Nice.
Offering sweeping views of Camps Bay from a reimagined 18th-century guardhouse, Salsify at The Roundhouse debuted in 88th place on the somewhat misnamed World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list. Chefs Ryan Cole and Nina du Toit’s 10-course tasting menus, characterised by local ingredients and unexpected flavour combinations, join gourmet La Colombe in winemaking Constantia and chef Peter Tempelhoff’s Afro-Japanese FYN on the list. New foodie favourites also include Greek-inspired Cafe Sofi restaurant and Sea Point’s Italian trattoria Arlecchino. On the slow food front, the V&A Waterfront’s Oranjezicht City Farm Market has moved across the road to a new site, giving another reason to join this weekend and Wednesday evening organic graze, while Hout Bay’s agroecological Meuse Farm now offers rustic harvest feasts.
