The Kliptown open air museum is where delegates to a people's parliament met in 1955 to adopt the Freedom Charter, now the cornerstone of the Bill of Rights and the South African Constitution. This historical museum in Soweto is dedicated to Walter Sisulu, a stalwart of the Freedom Struggle. more

If you like tales of naval battles and heroism on the high seas, rooting around all manner of naval memorabilia, and are curious about what the inside of a submarine looks like, then visit the South African Naval Museum in Simon’s Town and be amazed. more

Less than a year before the arrival of the 1820 Settlers from Britain, the frontier settlement of Grahamstown was attacked by a great Xhosa army – and if it had not been for superior British firepower and last-minute interventions by a squad of buffalo hunters, the Xhosa might well have won the day. more

Nelson Mandela rappresenta un eroe dei nostri tempi, per il Sudafrica e per il resto del mondo egli rappresenta i valori di libertà e giustizia – avendo dedicato la maggior parte della sua vita lottando per l’uguaglianza di tutti i sudafricani. Messaggero di speranza durante forse il periodo più nero della storia di questo straordinario paese - gli anni difficili dell’Apartheid – e tuttora simbolo di giustizia. more

The rippled landscape at Goudkoppie Heritage Hill is evidence of an enormous meteorite that hit the Earth around 200-million years ago. Consequences of this significant event included exposure of gold-bearing reefs that continue to form part of South Africa's vast mineral wealth. more

The Maritime Museum in Mossel Bay is packed with maps, displays and dioramas depicting the age of sail and exploration along the Western Cape coastline. The centrepiece of the museum is the Bartolomeu Dias, a life-size replica of 1 of the feisty caravels used by the Portuguese discoverers of old. more

The various guest farms all over the Karoo are an exciting new form of country tourism – and their little museums are insights into the history and culture of those who lived on the land in the past. Some artefacts even go back more than 200-million years, when the Karoo was a different world. more

From huge whale skeletons that float in the air, an eccentric pipe collection, all manner of snakes and a cannon recovered from a famous shipwreck to an exciting outdoor dinosaur display where the exhibits ‘come alive’, the Port Elizabeth Museum at Bayworld caters for a whole family’s tastes and preferences. more

Built on the site where Portuguese explorers first met the indigenous Khoi, the Dias Museum complex in Mossel Bay includes the Maritime Museum, which celebrates the early days of discovery. Star of the show here is a life-size replica of Bartolomeu Dias’ caravel, the ship he arrived in back in 1488. more

The Kimberley Africana Library houses one of the finest collections of Africana in South Africa. It specialises in the history of the diamond fields from the early 1870s, the history of Kimberley and the Northern Cape and the South African War, also known as the Anglo-Boer War. more

The Kimberley Club was the social diamond in the rough setting of a dusty, chaotic mining town in the Northern Cape. It still welcomes visitors who want to indulge in the atmosphere of the frontier days of the Diamond City, when characters like Cecil John Rhodes ruled the roost. more

From its mountain setting, horse meadows and streams to its cottages, atmospheric old pub and friendly hotel staff, the Eight Bells Mountain Inn between Oudtshoorn and Mossel Bay is 1 of South Africa’s landmark family establishments. Make sure you sample its regular – and legendary – afternoon tea-and-cake sessions. more

Back in the days of fully manned lighthouses, 1 of the sweetest postings you could have in South Africa was to be assigned the duty of the Cape St Blaize light-keeper – because is stands right next to the bustling seaside town of Mossel Bay, between the Garden Route and the southern Cape. more

What began as a summons to appear in court on assault and other charges led to an early 19th Century rebellion that played a role in the massive Afrikaner Great Trek of the 1830s. The Slagtersnek Monument outside Cookhouse in the Eastern Cape is a reminder of the uprising. more