South Africa is a beautiful country with vast and differing landscapes. I recently had the opportunity of visiting some of her most memorable hotspots on the Shongololo Express Great Train Adventure. Whether you’re looking to meet people from different cultures, spot foreign animals, or marvel at the earth’s natural beauty, these destinations are worth adding to your travel map for an experience that will be embedded in your memory forever…

1. God’s Window, Mpumalanga

With the Lowveld spread out before you and every shade of green stretching out as far as the eye can see, there’s no doubt why this spot on the Panorama Route is called God’s Window. There are 3 viewing sites, but the top viewpoint offers a series of boulders to sit and admire the view. A boardwalk winds through a rainforest on the way to the top. The beauty and immediate silence encourages you to stop and spend time alone with your thoughts.

2. Bourke’s Luck Potholes, Mpumalanga

After walking along a dusty path and skipping from rock to boulder, Bourke’s Luck Potholes is something quite spectacular. The roaring of the waterfalls is quite deafening and drowns out the noise of the crowds – which is great, because you’ll almost believe you’re on your own. Make sure you do the round trip and stop for photos of the actual potholes formed over years of water erosion. There’s an information desk where you can grab a free Mpumalanga travel guide (act fast, because they only have a few each day) and a small shop where you can get something to drink.

3. The Big Hole, Northern Cape

The Big Hole and Diamond Mining Museum offers a wealth of knowledge on South Africa’s diamond mining past. Take a selfie from the bridge, do an underground mining tour, watch a diamond mining video, and stroll through the Old Town to see it as it was when mining magnates, Barney Barnato and Cecil John Rhodes, called it home.

4. Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga

The Kruger National Park is spread out over nearly 2 million hectares of vast savannah. Home to the Big Five, thousands of plains game, hippo, crocodile, and avid birdlife, Kruger Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. You can game watch in your own car or in an open safari vehicle booked through the reserve. Deciding which option is best for you is based largely on your priorities: an open safari vehicle limits you to going where the guide and the rest of your group wants to go, while a self-drive offers the freedom of exploring at your leisure, but you’ll miss out on the facts an experienced guide can offer.

5. Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal

Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Game Reserve offers a greener, more intimate alternative to Kruger Park and, due to its smaller size of 96 000 hectares, the animals are a lot more concentrated. The reserve is renowned for its white rhino conservation and you’ll have a chance to spot the Big Five, plenty of plains game, and a variety of birdlife. Make sure you stop for bunny chow at the Hilltop Restaurant.

6. Hippo Cruise on the St Lucia estuary, KwaZulu-Natal

A cruise on the St Lucia estuary is a great way to spot loads of hippo and perhaps a crocodile or two sunning themselves on the river edge. The cruises have drinks and snacks on board, and a guide who’ll point out the hippos and show you a giant hippo tooth. The hippos are most active during the morning and late evening, so book early for the 10:00 and 16:00 cruises.

7. Dumazulu Traditional Village, KwaZulu-Natal

If you’re looking for a cultural experience, Dumazulu Traditional Village in Hluhluwe is a great place to taste Zulu beer, watch traditional dancing, and enjoy a guided walk around a living Zulu village. You’ll get to see how the women make their pots and jewellery, and carry water on their heads, and how the men make their shields and spears. For R100, you can get your own consultation with a sangoma (traditional healer). There’s a restaurant and curio shop and you can enjoy a guided tour through a reptile park.

8. Maropeng Visitor Centre, Gauteng

Maropeng isn’t known as the birthplace of mankind for nothing. This World Heritage Site in the Cradle of Humankind means “return to the place of origin” in Setswana, which is obvious when you see the reconstruction of the Mrs Ples skull and other fossils that were found here. A tour of the tumulus includes a boat ride through the 4 elements of water, earth, air, and fire; past icebergs, waterfalls, wind tunnels, and lightening displays; and ends with an illusion walk through a spinning tunnel. The exhibition centre is full of interactive displays and theories about the evolution of humans. A tour through the Sterkfontein Caves reveals some of the oldest evidence of humankind.

9. Soweto, Gauteng

Soweto has so many attractions, you can easily explore for several hours.  The famous Vilakazi Street was once home to two Nobel peace prize winners: former president Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The Hector Pieterson Museum and Memorial Site, while disheartening, is immensely enlightening.  You’ll find yourself spending an emotional few minutes contemplating the courtyard, with each brick bearing the name of someone who died as a result of the Soweto Uprising on 16 June 1976. Don’t forget to grab a great picture of the Soweto skyline with the Orlando Towers in the distance from the memorial site. Stop for lunch at Maponya Mall, an enormous shopping centre known for its life-sized statue of an elephant at its entrance.

Check out the other highlights on the Shongololo Express. What spots would you recommend visiting in South Africa?