Let’s face it, South Africa is a popular holiday destination – even British royalty loves the country. It is a world in one country, with beaches, deserts, lush landscapes, sprawling game reserves, modern and historic cities and more. However, South Africa also has a unique side, with some truly fascinating locations to explore.
1. Sunland Baobab, Limpopo
Most people visit the beautiful Limpopo Province to gaze at the African wildlife. However, it turns out there is a unique place here to enjoy a cooling drink. This 6,000-year-old Baobab tree has been hollowed out and is now home to a unique bar.
Photo: South African Tourism/Flickr
The Sunland Baobab is one of the largest of its kind in South Africa and stands 72 feet high, with a diameter of 155 feet – which makes it the widest on the entire continent of Africa. However, it is also one of the oldest trees in the world. While there is some controversy over its age, carbon dating places the tree easily past the millennium mark, placing the Sunland Baobab is the same ranks as California’s famous sequoias.
Photo: South African Tourism/Flickr
Baobabs naturally hollow out after their first 1,000 years and due to this, the van Heerden family, who own the land it stands on, decided to make the tree into a rustic bar. The interior has 13-foot ceilings and is large enough to comfortably accommodate 15 people. According to Mrs van Heerden, they once had 40 full-size adults in the bar for a party, but that must have gotten a little tight. The property also features safari accommodation on the property, so visitors can spend the night after an evening of heavy drinking.
2. Adam's Calendar, Blue Swallow Reserve, Ehlanzeni
Hidden in the hills of South Africa lies a mysterious stone structure. Dubbed Adam’s Calendar, it was discovered by a South African pilot, Johan Heine, in 2003. He discovered three monolithic, five-ton dolomite stones standing out of the ground with a giant stone circle lying behind them.
The megalithic stone calendar is accessible only by rough dirt roads and is in the shape of a circle, with a diameter of 100 feet. The site has been nicknamed the “Birthplace of the Sun,” or “Africa’s Stonehenge.” BR
As with similar stone monuments, Adam’s Calendar loosely aligns with the celestial world. The site first created interest when writer Michael Tellinger claimed it is the oldest manmade structure in the world. He believes it is the work of a vanished civilization. However, the true age and origin of the site still remains a mystery. Learn more about Adam's Calendar in the video included here..
3. Tswaing Crater, near Pretoria
The Tswaing Crater is an ancient impact crater located outside the city of Pretoria in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. The name “Tswaing” means “Place of Salt” in the local Setswana language. It is thought that the crate was formed some 220,000 years ago, after a giant meteorite struck the Earth. The crater measures half a mile in width.
Nowadays, the site if a blind salt lake, surrounded by dense forestry. While the Tswaing Crater is little known, there is evidence that early humans knew of the site. Archaeologists have discovered pottery and artefacts at the crater’s rim, where early inhabitants had collected salt deposits from the lake.
Early in the 20th century, salt and soda ash were mined commercially from the crater and mining continued until the 1950s. These days, the Tswaing Crater lies within a protected reserve, with a number of hiking trails leading up to the crater rim and down to the lake.
Uncover the unique side of South Africa on your next vacation, exploring these and many other fascinating sites.
