Wedding & Honeymoon Attractions
(South Africa Wedding Guide Part 4)

As well as sharing your special day with you, the guests lucky enough to be invited to your South African wedding will be treated to a holiday of a lifetime.

The option to combine your wedding and honeymoon in South Africa is an added bonus and in our opinion, a must! In the final part of our Wedding in South Africa Mini Guide, Event Affairs provide an insiders view on some of the country’s top tourist attractions.

Terrence & Heidi Beach Proposal

In Part 1,  Part 2 and Part 3 we covered the location options,  practicalities and what the wedding industry in South Africa has to offer the destination wedding couple.

The Sites

There is a wonderful array of stunning sites and activities to cater to all tastes and ages, ranging from hiking up the iconic table mountain, relaxing on golden beaches, wine tasting in world famous vineyards, safari in one of the many game parks to diving with sharks! This fabulous country has everything the wedding and honeymoon couple could ask for, and then some. There are so many sites across South Africa that it’s difficult to put all of them in one article, but these are some of our favourites.

Game Reserve wedding photo courtesy of Africa Discovery

Near Johannesburg:

Sun City was the first holiday resort to open in South Africa and remains one of the largest most luxury resorts we have. The Palace Hotel found in the resort is rated as one of the leading hotels in the world and is decorated in a truly ornate African style. You may recognise it from the Adam Sandler movie, Blended. Enjoy the casino, world-class golf course, game drives and of course the Valley of the Waves waterpark. Sun City offers luxury and adventure for all ages.

The Kruger National Park should be at the top of your list when it comes to “must-see” tourist attractions. You cannot make a trip to Africa without experiencing our unique and spectacular wildlife and there is no better place to do so than our country’s largest game reserve. With a little luck, you’ll be able spot our big five- the lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino, but these are just a few of the magnificent animals that roam our savanna. There’s a magic to the African bushveld, something you are sure to experience if you make a stop at The Kruger National Park.

Maropeng is the heritage site for the cradle of mankind and is one of the 8 world heritage sites that can be found in South Africa. The 47 000-hectare complex has revealed many discoveries regarding our ancestors and their way of life. Some of this can be seen in the exhibits which include stone tools, original fossils and engraved rocks dating back 1 million years. It’s certainly an interesting place to visit; to stand in the same place where some of the first humans ever lived.

The Blyde River Canyon is the third largest canyon in the world and certainly one of the most spectacular. Apart from it’s obvious raw beauty the nature reserve offers a range of adventure activities including hiking, cycling, fishing, abseiling and white-water rafting.

Near Durban:

Valley of a Thousand Hills is the rural area just outside the city of Durban. Aptly named after the thousands of hills that tumble down to the mighty Umgeni River this picturesque setting is well worth a look. The Umgeni River’s source in The Drakensberg Mountains is another nature spot in Natal that should form part of your itinerary. It is one of the oldest mountains in the world and comprises of stunning cliffs, waterfalls and forests.

Near Cape Town:

Cape Town’s most famous landmark is undoubtedly Table Mountain, which has been named as one of the seven natural wonders of the world. We are mighty proud of our flat-topped mountain that looms over our gorgeous city. It pretty much looks like a table, hence its name and when the clouds gather over the top, it appears as if a tablecloth has been laid over it. Catch a ride on one of our state of the art cable cars to the top of the mountain and on a perfect clear day you’ll be treated to a 360 degree, birds eye view of the city of Cape Town and the oceans that surround us.

From the top of Table Mountain, you will be able to look out and see the famous Robben Island another “must-see” attraction in Cape Town. Explore the history of South Africa and the Apartheid regime on this prison island that held our former late president Nelson Mandela for 18 of the 27 years he spent behind bars.

Kirstenbosch Gardens is proclaimed as one of the great botanic gardens of the world. Nestled on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, the gardens play host to a wide variety of the unique plant life of the Cape Flora known as Fynbos. Spend a day getting lost in the 36 hectare gardens and all the floral glory it has to offer. It’s the perfect place to enjoy a picnic and laze the day away in the warm African sun.

Boulders Beach can be found in Simonstown and is most famous for its 3000 penguin residents. It is one of the few sites where one is able to view this vulnerable bird at close range. You are sure to be entertained for hours by this colony and their antics.

These attractions are just the tip of the iceberg, there is so much more wonder and beauty that South Africa will beguile you with.

What to Expect when you Arrive

Saftey

You may have heard the odd news story about the crime in South Africa and this may be playing devil’s advocate in your mind as you consider all the positives South Africa has to offer as a destination wedding location. But, as with most things the media reports on, you do need to take it all with a pinch of salt. It would be careless for us to deny the existence of crime in our country, but it certainly is not the horrific war-like state between the criminals and the citizens as the media would have you believe. A certain degree of caution and awareness is necessary and certain areas should be avoided, but for the most part travelling in South Africa is as safe as travelling in any other part of the world.

Getting Around

South Africa has one of the most advanced constitutions in the world so you can expect to find a blend of cultures, races, religions and languages. Even though South Africa has her problems and many people live in poverty, don’t expect to find derelict cities. Our metropoles’ roads and infrastructure mimic that of the developed world and in many ways our buildings and architecture are at the forefront of design. Getting around the country is also easy enough with regular internal flights to the major cities and although less frequent there are a number of flights to our smaller airports. All our national roads are well maintained and there are plenty of car rental companies to choose from.

Money Considerations

Accommodation in all price ranges is also not a problem and your greatest difficulty will be choosing from all the fantastic options. Most accommodation will offer free wifi and connectivity is generally good apart from very remote locations. Getting a local sim card for your phone from one of our network providers is also fairly simple and most have stores in shopping centres around the country. Many shopping centres also have foreign exchange stores for any cash you need to change to Rand. It is however not necessary to walk around with large wads of cash (or advisable) as most our stores, accommodation and restaurants have card machines that accept VISA and Mastercard. It is customary in South Africa to add a 10% gratuity to your restaurant bills and tipping of petrol attendants and car guards is generally expected. Tipping of other service providers is at your discretion.

Find Out More…

To ask a question about have a destination wedding in South Africa, or to find out more about how Event Affairs can tailor make your wedding and honeymoon in South Africa, please use the form below to contact them ad they will be more than happy to help you.