CNN Honours Freedom Day with 23 Beautiful Reasons to Visit South Africa

To commemorate the 23rd anniversary of Freedom Day (27 April) in South Africa, CNN put together a fabulous spread of 23 Beautiful Reasons to Visit South Africa.

The writers said that despite the country’s “checkered” history, its “natural wonders have never been less than glorious”… “blessed with treasures” from surf-ravaged beaches to big game safari parks; as well as man-made attractions from vineyards in the Western Cape to “buzzing Joburg” in Gauteng.

Here’s a selection of photos – from SAPeople contributors – of just some of those 23 beautiful reasons to visit South Africa:

De Hoop Nature Reserve, Overberg

Jacaranda Season… in Joburg and Pretoria

Chapman’s Peak Drive, Western Cape – 9km with 114 bends between Hout Bay and Noordhoek

Silvermine Nature Reserve, Cape Town

Amphitheatre, Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal

Bourke’s Luck Potholes, part of Blyde River Canyon nature reserve, Mpumulanga

Namaqualand, Northern Cape

Valley of Desolation, Graaff-Reinet

Kruger National Park, Limpopo,

Umhlanga Rocks (with its iconic lighthouse), KwaZulu-Natal

Stellenbosch

Johannesburg during sunsets

Hermanus, Western Cape – with Southern Right Whales between July and November

Bo-Kaap… previously the Malay Quarter

Other places on the CNN list included Table Mountain, Tugela River, Robben Island, Augrabies Falls, Mandela Capture site, Kalk Bay and Cango Caves. View their full list here.