Feature

All of these experiences can be managed as day trips from the host cities, so you can make your non-match days as thrilling as the big games...

Go wine-tasting in style

Where from: Cape Town.

There are plenty of quirky attractions within the Cape Winelands. You can learn how to make barrels at the Van Ryn brandy distillery, spot goats in a Rapunzel-like tower at the Fairview Estate and stroke a cheetah at the Spier winery.

But you can also bring a gimmick of your own, and travel around in a vintage motorbike sidecar. Cape Sidecar Adventures will happily provide bike, sidecar and (sober) driver as you clank from tasting to tasting.

Find out where we came from

Where from: Johannesburg

The Cradle of Mankind, to the north-east of Johannesburg, is regarded as one of the most fruitful hunting grounds on earth by archaeologists. Bones of human ancestors thought to be 200,000 years old have been found in the Sterkfontein Caves, while nearby Maropeng is a high tech journey through human evolution.

The building looks like a Hobbit hole, but inside there's everything from boat rides to button-pressing games that explain characteristics – such as speech and standing upright – that make us unique. It’s tremendous fun.

Hang out with the WAGs

Where from: Rustenberg.

The England team is basing itself in Rustenberg for the World Cup, and their wives and girlfriends are likely to hang out in nearby Sun City.

This ridiculous, lavish resort was originally built as a rich white man’s gambling den, but has morphed over the years into a family-friendly entertainment and activities complex.

The main draw is the Valley of the Waves, a sprawling outdoor water park, but crocodile feeding, a cultural village and game drives are amongst the many other options available on site.

Go wild in the Kruger

Where from: Nelspruit.

South Africa’s biggest and best known National Park offers just about every safari experience you can possibly wish for. Day-long game drives, romantic breaks, luxury lodges and multi-day adventures are all available – and the Kruger is teeming with wildlife.

The southern sector near Nelspruit tends to have the highest concentrations of wildlife and best spotting potential.

Tackle the Sani Pass

Where from: Durban.

It’s a long day trip, but absolutely worth it. The Sani Pass connects South Africa and Lesotho, climbing almost 1,000m in the 8km stretch between the border posts.

It’s a bumpy, uncomfortable road which should only be tackled in a 4WD vehicle - or preferably on a tour with the likes of Major Adventures. But the Sani Pass is one of the greatest drives in the world.

Towering escarpments, wild baboons and terrifying corners are all part of the package. And once you get to the top, it becomes a bleak steppe-like scene best admired with a beer at Africa’s highest pub.

Cycle down Table Mountain

Where from: Cape Town.

It's possible to explore Cape Town’s looming icon by bus tour, cable car or walking trail, but the more adventurous should get on their mountain bikes.

Be warned: it is a brutal descent at times. Uphill stretches can be into fierce winds, while the bumpy gravel tracks can leave you hanging on to your bike for dear life.

The experienced mountain bikers from Downhill Adventures will nurse you through the hairiest stretches, and once you break through the forest to the suburban roads at the bottom, you’ll almost certainly be hit by a tremendous sense of achievement.

Learn to surf

Where from? Port Elizabeth.

The coast along South Africa’s Eastern Cape is renowned as the best in the country for surfing, and Jeffrey’s Bay is the spot that all the professionals drool over.

Around 75km to the east of Port Elizabeth, Jeffrey’s Bay has a laid-back surfer vibe, particularly between June and September when the waves are biggest and most consistent.

Bumbling novices can attempt to ape Kelly Slater and co as well – the Wavecrest Surf School offers both two hour lessons and seven day surf packages.

Ride an elephant

Where from: Rustenberg.

Game drives are ten a penny in South Africa, but seeing impalas, zebras and giraffes from atop an elephant is an altogether different experience. It’s possible to hitch a ride on the lumbering beasts in the Letsatsing Game Park, and you get to feed them afterwards.

There’s a mix of wonder and fear as your trusty steed takes a detour to uproot a tree or stare out a white rhino, but the ahhh factor is reserved for little Tidimalo. The impossibly cute baby elephant will follow his mummy around wherever she goes.

Bookings are made through Sun City, which is next to the Game Park.

Check out the world’s biggest hole

Where from? Bloemfontein.

177km to the northwest of Bloemfontein, Kimberly is South Africa’s diamond mining capital. It has a rough and ready reputation, but is packed with history.

And in a country full of natural wonders, it makes a nice change to see a thoroughly man-made one. The Big Hole has been dug out by miners over the years, and is now a whopping 800m deep. It has been turned into a top grade tourist attraction, with underground tours, grizzly history of mining exhibits and the chance to gape 800m down from a suspended platform.

Track down white rhinos

Where from? Durban – but expect a long day.

The Hluhluwe-Imfolozi National Park is renowned for its efforts to conserve the white rhino, but it’s one of the best places in South Africa for spotting other members of the Big Five too.

Expect to find bolshy adolescent bull elephants blocking roads, lions hanging out by waterfalls, buffalos breaking from a saunter to a charge and imperious giraffes marching through herds of zebras.

The scenery is awesome too – the bush-covered landscape can be surveyed from the top of numerous hills.

Disclosure/ booking details

David was a guest of Viator, which offers online booking for most of these experiences amongst its South Africa tour range.

For more information on South Africa, please visit our destination guide

Also Check out these features:

Cape Town: The Alternative Side of South Africa's Jewel

Johannesburg: South Africa's Heart of Gold

On the vtravelled blog: If you're visiting South Africa soon and you're looking to stay somewhere really unique, head over to our blog where we've reviewed the Amakhosi Safari Lodge and Isandlwana Lodge, both in Kwazulu Natal.

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About the writer:

Since winning the Guardian Student Travel Writer of the Year award in 2001, David has been published in newspapers and magazines across the world, including the Sunday Times, Sydney Morning Herald and the Boston Globe.