South Africa
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Pack your bag for endless adventures studying abroad in South Africa! Imagine swimming with penguins at Boulders Beach, learning about the country’s history at the Robben Island Museum, or hiking Table Mountain. When you study abroad, South Africa becomes the adventure-filled location of your dreams.
Whether you choose to study in South Africa for a semester, summer, or full-year, IES Abroad and partner university courses, field trips, and course related excursions will guide and enhance your academic and personal pursuits.
Get ready to experience a country with beautiful, diverse terrain and a dynamic cultural identity through one of our South Africa study abroad or internship programs and apply now!
One of the most beautiful cities on earth, Cape Town is a dynamic and multi-faceted city where you can explore a complex society and enjoy crystal blue waters, breathtaking mountains, and everything in between.
Table Mountain
Table Mountain is an iconic part of Cape Town. Many visitors hike or take a trip in the aerial cableway to the top of the mountain to see breathtaking views of Robben Island, Cape Town, Table Bay, Devil's Peak, and more.
Robben Island
Located just a few miles off the coast of Cape Town, Robben Island is the former prison camp of many South African democratic supporters. These supporters were against apartheid and fought to combat racial discrimination.
Victoria & Alfred Waterfront
Named after the British Queen Victoria and Prince Alfred, the Waterfront has something for everyone. With hundreds of shops, restaurants, cafes, the Two Oceans Aquarium, and more, you will surely find something to enjoy. The Nelson Mandela Gateway carries visitors to Robben Island.
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15 Study Abroad Instagram Photos from Summer 2019
These Instagram photos will make you want to study abroad next summer!
3 Peak Challenge
Do you ever have the urge to suddenly hike Cape Town's biggest mountains all in one day? No? Well for some reason the Three Peak challenge called our names, and we were determined to crush it. Nothing like an asthmatic and two amateur hikers taking on what native South Africans don't even like to do for fun. I don't think anyone considered this to be a "fun" experience. It was more of a cross it off the bucket list, prove to everyone that you did it, do it for the title kind of experience.
Peninsula Tour
Cape Town has a number of outdoor activities that one could consider 'dangerous' but a boat to Seal Island is definitely not one of them. Or so I thought. I can tell you that I was not really looking to pull a Titanic moment when the Captain said that the waves were quite rough but we were going to continue on anyway. There was a slight moment when I realized that this was the actual ocean we were going into, not little old Lake Michigan with its dinky little waves.
29 Things To Do On A 3-Hour Bus Ride
Remember when you were a kid stuck in the car without a phone on a family road trip? Driving on the Garden Route is kind of the same thing. It was long, flat, and we were driving on the wrong side of the road. There was a moment where we all realized that tuning into our phones and listening to music really wasn’t as fun as one might think. Tuning out the world while exploring it was not really the way to go.
Hiking Lion's Head Mountain
One of the first things we did as a group on our free day out was head over to Lion's Head Mountain to go hiking. Despite the fact that everyone said this was the easiest mountain to climb, our understanding of the word "easy" soon changed. Our group of mostly out-of-shape Americans got passed by literally every child, dog, and elderly person in Cape Town before we reached the top. I'm a fairly active person but this hike changed my idea of a "casual" weekend hike.
