YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE {{item.title}}

Cape Town - 18 July is Mandela Day and we thought to honour the birthday of the late Nelson Mandela, our first democratically elected president, we'd take a look at 67 of the greatest things South Africa has going for it.

Take a look - and we know there is so much more to this beautiful country of ours. We'd love to hear from you. So why not post a comment below, email us at info@traveller24.com or come join us on Facebook, Twitter or tag us on Instagram.

1. In the spirit of Mandela Day, it goes without say that Madiba is at the top of this list. His legacy of forgiveness and reconciliation are legendary as is his Madiba jive. May you forever live in our hearts Tata!

2. Our constitution - the very point of what Madiba and so many other struggle heroes sacrificed their lives for.

3. At this point we have to mention Robben Island - a must-do for any definitive, historical SA buck-list

4. As is the Madiba Heritage Route being put in place to honour him.

5. South Africa is home to these fine museums too.

#ApartheidMuseum #Jozi #SouthAfrica #History #ShotLeft weekend things... A photo posted by Miss Voodoobelle (@kondimncube) on Mar 31, 2015 at 11:58pm PDT

6. We’re a sporting nation - and proud of it!

READ: 6 Must-experience sports interests in South Africa

7. Add to that, things like our Shosholoza song and the uniquely South African Vuvuzela.

8. But as a people we're also a compassionate nation and able to see the silver lining in sometimes very dark situations. We hope you feel better soon Arch!

READ: Tutu in good spirits

(Desmond Tutu Facebook Page)

9. Yes, for some of us there is always a way out of a bad situation - like this incredibly determined traffic light teacher. We really do need more of this!

10. Besides the fact that South Africa really is the only place in the world where you shop at the robot. Be it for a newspaper, cellphone charger, sunglasses, beaded art work, toys or even a copy of the Big Issue.

11. Can we all just take a moment to appreciate the beauty that is our multi-coloured South African flag. LOVE IT!

(Shutterstock)

12. And on a similar note, but entirely different, we’re home to no less than 82 record blue flag sites.

13. The NSRI - because they do things like this and this.

14. Not forgetting our dedicated firefighting heroes. The best.



15. Despite what many might say, we really have some incredible airports – in fact one was just voted the best in the world for 2015.

16. And we have 3 capital cities no less – Pretoria, Cape Town and Bloemfontein.

17. We also just love the Madiba bridge and the fantastic regeneration of areas previously seen as unsafe.

18. We’ve also made great progress with the Gautrain, MyCitibus and ReaVaya.

19. High-five to the residents of Maboneng!

20. And that you can engage in cool city walks, with our cities making a splash across instagram, simply because of these initiatives to take back our streets.

21. These Joburg City Walk tours are a must.

22. And who can forget this Madiba blanket that set a new world record at the union buildings in Pretoria. Proud beyond.

#67Blankets #UnionBuilding #SouthAfrica A photo posted by philsteyn (@philsteyn) on Apr 21, 2015 at 5:21am PDT

23. Yes, we’re also looking at you Woodstock Exchange and The Fringe District.

24. Then there is this Cape Town’s big 7 urban experience - which includes the V&A Waterfront.

25. Hey! Joburg is one of the most visited cities in the world.

READ: SA city among TripAdvisor's top destinations for 2015

26. And that Durban is one of the new7Wonder Cities of the world. So cool.

Took a brisk stroll along Umhlanga promenade this morning before heading to #Indaba2015 #VSCOcam A photo posted by Traveller24_SA (@traveller24_sa) on May 10, 2015 at 1:55am PDT

27. It’s also home to the innovative Moses Mabhida stadium.

28. Our amazing road trip routes, such as the Panarama route, Route 62 and the Midlands meander.



READ: 13 Great spots to show the kids

29. As well as these 8 rather unusual routes to check out across South Africa.

30. We’ve got some rather unusual food to offer too - start with this amazing 21 eats worth travelling SA for.

31. But you really haven't tasted all of South Africa until you've tasted these 10 ultimate SA foodie bucket list items, including West Coast crayfish, venison, Karoo lamb and ostrich.

32. We’re the home of Rooibos tea people, used in any number of unique South African products currently being exported across the world.

33. We’re pretty creative in our use of languages, come on 11 official languages. Check out this local is lekker Afrikaans infographic to get you started.

34. We also get to say things like Viva, Amandla, hosh, zef, aweh and is ja!



35. What about the toyi-toyi – the trademark African dance in both good or bad times

#toyitoyi A photo posted by Masentle Monaheng (@macenhle) on Jul 18, 2014 at 1:29pm PDT

36. But most of all our beautiful national anthem – Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika. Yes, bless Africa and all its people.

37. Our incredible mountains – with Table mountain being just one of them – these 9 others really rock too.

38. Also, we have three of the coolest cable cars in the world.

39. And this cheeky Lion’s Heads

Why can't every beach look like this? ???? Looking at you, #Galveston. #CapeTown #CampsBay #LionsHead #tbt A photo posted by Michael Huang (@myckyhuang) on Jul 16, 2015 at 8:18am PDT

40. And the adrenalin-infused mountain passes such as the Sani pass, which takes you to the highest bar in Africa.

41. Don’t get us started on our adventure and adrenalin experiences – check out this selection of SA's most adrenalin-filled adventures.

42. Can you say Bbbuuunggeeee! Bloukrans is the highest commercial bungee jumping bridge in the world.

43. Extreme should be in our middle name - READ: The Extreme SA Adventurer's Top 10 bucket list to see why.

44. Yes, SA is a beautiful country filled with many unique aspects, including our Cape Floral Heritage Kingdom which has just been extended by UNESCO.

45. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens being the epi-centre that just keeps making us proud with all the awards it wins - and of course its Boomslang Walkway – recently voted the most beautiful object in SA.



46. Grootbos Private Nature Reserve being another such place to stop and smell the fynbos.

47. What about Isimangaliso Wetlands in KwaZulu-Natal, just spectacular.

#visitkwazulunatal #isimangalisowetlandpark #gottaluvkzn #sunset #stluciasouthafrica A photo posted by St Lucia Tours Charters & Saf (@st_lucia_tours) on Jun 9, 2015 at 9:46am PDT

48. We’re also blessed with so much sunshine and great weather for most of the year - especially when you consider what the folks over in the UK call a heat wave.

49. But if you want a bit of snow-filled fun in the colder months, SA is so diverse it offers this too.



50. We’re big 5 country. Our bushveld makes us extremely happy and proud to be South African – where incredible sightings such as this takes place - Epic wildlife action... only found in SA!

51. Our National parks make up a big part of why a safari experience is so special here in SA, especially Kruger.

52. And signs like this just make sense...

(boatdesign.net)

53. We’re also home to some of the world’s most incredible bush lodges, such as Sabi Sabi's Earth Lodge and Tswalu Kalahari.

54. Bringing us to our oceans! Yes, we’re totally bragging. In South Africa you can chose between the Cape’s West Coast, the stunning Garden Route and the Wild Coast to mention just a few. And of course JBay, the real surfer’s paradise.

READ: 8 Things to love about the Explorer's Garden Route

(Dawn Jorgensen)

55. The vastness of the Karoo. Enough said. Sutherland too, home to the Southern Africa's largest telescope.

READ: The magic of the Northern Cape Karoo

56. Did we mention we're also a nation of campers. yes indeed!

READ: Top SA camping spots, according to you

57. We’re home to one of the best coffee shops in the WORLD!

58. Energy is a problem and while we may have nuclear power stations we don’t have a nuclear weapons since it was voluntarily dismantled. Hat tip right there.

59. We have the longest wine route in the world! Groot Constantia, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek, Worcester, Elgin and the Overberg region too - just to mention a few of the +17 wine routes in the world … Awesome!

Babylonstoren recently launched a really interesting cellar tour where you get to learn all about the farm's history & wine production. How beautiful is this cellar? #babylonstoren A photo posted by Traveller24_SA (@traveller24_sa) on Mar 27, 2015 at 1:15am PDT

60. We’ve also got some of the coolest dorpies around - Elgin, Montague, Ashton, Hogsback, Baviaanskloof - the list goes on.

61. The Drakensberg is just incredible in its own right.

READ: Wild Drakensberg: Giant's Castle

62. We're home to the Cradle of humankind's Maropeng and the Sterkfontein Caves.

63. Then there is the Orange River, Breede River as well as these 25 amazing yet lesser-known rivers.

64. Our money – while its value isn’t the best on the global stage, we love that Madiba’s face is on it and that it is so bright and beautiful.

#madibamoney #madibashirt #ilovesouthafrica #madiba #origami A photo posted by Rob Jennings (@robjen91) on May 21, 2015 at 2:38am PDT

65. We have some spectacular events that take place annually, come and experience Cape Town Jazz Festival, Rocking the Daisies, Splashy Fen, Grahamstown Arts Festival and Afrika Burn.

66. And what is SA without a good old Braai – because in South Africa we’ll use any excuse to stand around a fire and enjoy each other’s company.

67. South Africa really is a special place with beauty all around... you just need to see it, and keep believing it exists, even when you can’t.