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Discovering the real story of the country
History and heritage routes
Face-to-face with our living heritage
© Chris Marais
Once you realise there's more to South Africa than beach, beer and bush, the fun really starts.
Pick up some background, read up on some of the country's culture, take to the road on one of our historical and heritage routes and South Africa will really start coming to life for you.
Along the way, you will find out about the trance dance of the San shaman, the snake dance of the Venda maidens, exactly why a hot air balloon would have changed the course of the Isandlwana battle between the British and the Zulu, the story of the 3 000 shipwrecks along our coastline, how men died in the Richtersveld while diamonds lay underfoot – and why there's a giant snake at the base of the roaring Augrabies Falls in the Kalahari.
There are many expert guides in all the provinces who will give you the inside story of South Africa and its history, going back to the dawn of time. Each tribe has its own legends, each region its heroes and heroines, each generation its champions.
On historical tours you walk in the footsteps of Ghandi, Mandela and the Permian Age pre-dinosaurs who lived here more than 250-million years ago. Heritage tours will teach you about ancient cultures and the major players of the anti-Apartheid struggle.
The many museums of South Africa support our historical and heritage routes, as well as living society tours that take you deep into the heart of this country's culture. Writers, warriors, business moguls, colonialists, freedom fighters, inventors and musicians - they and others all played their part in weaving the heritage tapestry of South Africa.