The number of Indian tourists to South Africa is expected to reach pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year, according to an official from South African Tourism.

“Between January and December 2025, around 70,000 Indian tourists visited South Africa. The annual number of Indian visitors before Covid pandemic used to be around 1,00,000. We hope to reach there by the end of this year,” Mitalee Karmarkar, marketing and communications manager for India, Southeast Asia and West Asia, said on Wednesday.

While Mumbai and Delhi remain the biggest source markets, Calcutta currently lags in sending tourists to the Rainbow Nation, she said.

Tourism is a key pillar of South Africa’s economy, and the country is actively promoting new destinations to attract more Indian travellers.

On Wednesday, South African Tourism hosted a roadshow in Calcutta that saw participation from over 200 travel operators.

Kruger National Park, the country’s premier game reserve, is arguably the top attraction in South Africa.

The Limpopo province, which makes up almost 55% of the park, is one such destination that is relatively uncharted for Indians, said officials of the tourism department.

“Most Indians usually associate Kruger with the Mpumalanga province. They do not go to the Limpopo province, which has the same facilities and is less crowded. It has both premium private resorts and more affordable government lodges,” said an official.

Known for its incredible wildlife, Limpopo is home to the African Big Five — lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and African buffalo.

Not just found in the Kruger Park, South Africa’s amazing animals are showcased in several smaller and sometimes private game parks dotted around the province.

The Unesco World Heritage Site of Mapungubwe is tucked into the far north-west corner of the province, next to the Limpopo river that borders Botswana and Zimbabwe.

The Drakensberg, South Africa’s highest mountain range in the KwaZulu-Natal province, is also being aggressively pushed by the department.

Rising to more than 11,400 feet in spots, the Drakensberg erupts out of the border region between South Africa and Lesotho like a spine of basalt ridges and sandstone valleys, stretching for more than 1 000km from north-east to south-west across the
landscape.

In Zulu, the range is known as uKhahlamba, meaning “barrier of spears”, which does justice to its dramatic basalt buttresses.

Early settlers called it the Drakensberg, because they believed it resembled a dragon’s back. The Drakensberg range offers panoramic views from its higher reaches, attracting hikers, mountaineers, parasailers and skiers.

Most Indians prefer visiting South Africa between April and June when the weather is much cooler there, said Karmarkar.

The flights are mostly from Mumbai and Delhi to Johannesburg or Cape Town, with transits in Dubai, Doha or Addis Ababa, she said.

“South Africa is a popular destination. It has an exotic appeal. We also have honeymooners interested in South Africa. There is a robust demand for the summer bookings,” said Anil Punjabi, chairman of the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), eastern region.