Unwrap the magic of small-town South Africa this December
When it comes to holidays, South Africans have nailed the art of the staycation. While governments in some countries such as Greece, Italy and the UK have spent millions persuasing locals to explore their own backyards, in South Africa, we do it naturally, packing our cars, playlists and cooler boxes, and hitting the road every December.
In fact, during last year’s festive season, South Africans are estimated to have spent more than R224bn on local holidays and experiences. Yet, there’s a catch. We love travelling, but we just don’t do staycations justice.
Too often, we head to the same crowded coastal spots and Mpumalanga’s main routes, and we miss out on the rich, authentic experiences tucked away in our smaller towns. This festive season, it’s time to change that and uncover some of the hidden gems that give our country its heartbeat.
South Africa’s small towns are where ubuntu still lives and breathes, where people greet you by name after one day, where local entrepreneurs are proud custodians of their communities, and where the tranquillity is as refreshing as a sea breeze. Crime is low, hospitality is high, and every rand you spend creates a ripple of opportunity through the local economy.
Take Limpopo, for instance. Around Thohoyandou, the lush Thathe Vondo Forest, sacred to the Venda people, offers an escape as breathtaking as any big-name destination. Another place is the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, where towns such as Underberg, Nottingham Road and Bergville nestle beneath the Drakensberg’s peaks.
Some entrepreneurs have built livelihoods on showcasing this kind of small-town charm. In Matatiele, perched at the gateway to Lesotho, Phillip Rawlins has transformed his hometown into a cultural and ecotourism hub, attracting thousands of local and foreign visitors each year. His packed calendar for 2026 shows just how much appetite there is for experiences that feel real and the attractions of the majestic Drakensberg range.
If trends are anything to go by, regional travel over the next few months is set to explode
The eastern Free State boasts towns such as Fouriesburg and Clarens, both picture-perfect with sandstone mountains, art galleries and cafés that invite you to slow down. These are places where time seems to pause just long enough for you to remember what a holiday is supposed to feel like.
Then there’s the Eastern Cape, where investment in the N2 Wild Coast Road project will soon make access easier to Lusikisiki and the majestic Magwa Falls, one of the province’s most underrated natural wonders. A little further along lies Port St Johns, where the Isinuka Mud Caves and sulphur pools, pink-tinted and said by the amaMpondo people to have healing properties, could rival Iceland’s famed thermal spas for authenticity and atmosphere.
Even the Northern Cape, often overlooked on the tourism map, holds treasures that rival the world’s great destinations. In Sutherland, you’ll find the largest single optical telescope in the southern hemisphere. Instead of jostling for a spot on a crowded beach, imagine standing beneath a dome of stars, a holiday gift only the Karoo can offer.
If trends are anything to go by, regional travel over the next few months is set to explode. In Cape Town alone, 10,491 regional passengers arrived in 2024, a 22.5% increase from the previous year, highlighting the growing appetite for local exploration. The cost of living crunch is also nudging many would-be international travellers to explore closer to home.
Yet many small towns still struggle to attract visitors or investment. As Rawlins points out, collaboration between municipalities and the private sector remains the missing link. Well-maintained roads, reliable infrastructure and clean public spaces are essential to unlocking the multiplier effect of tourism that fuels job creation across sectors from agriculture to retail.
The good news is that change is possible when communities and the government work hand in hand. Rawlins’s relationship with the Lesotho authorities is a perfect example. When he asks for a road to be repaired, it gets done because everyone understands the shared value of tourism.
It’s an example South Africa should follow. If your holiday plans for December are not yet set in stone, consider swapping the predictable for the personal and exploring the small towns near you. Every meal at a family-run restaurant, every night in a guesthouse, and every locally crafted souvenir is an investment, creating a stronger, more sustainable tourism economy for South Africa.
This festive season, remember: local is lekker, and small towns pack the biggest surprises.
• Mtwentwe AGA(SA) is MD of Vantage Advisory and host of the SAICABIZ Impact Podcast
