5 Unknown Wonders Of South Africa, According To Jeremy Loops

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South African born Jeremy Hewitt is a man of many hats. He’s an environmental activist who recently started his own organisation called Greenpop which works to plant trees in unused urban areas and in schools. You may also know of his stunningly beautiful Instagram account, which documents his many travels and the people he meets along the way.

But most of all, you probably know him by a more famous moniker: Jeremy Loops, the singer-songwriter all-genre-encompassing wonder kid whose latest album Trading Change has garnered much applause from the music scene abroad.

Because Jeremy’s such a nature lover (and because we can’t stop listening to his new single ‘Down South’), we thought we’d get him to dish the dirt on his favourite undiscovered gems from his native South Africa – and boy are they pretty.

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Slangkop Lighthouse

It’s the main lighthouse in Kommetjie, the small coastal town I grew up in on the outskirts of Cape Town. It’s iconic and evokes all my favourite memories of surfing, skating, and getting up to all sorts of trouble growing up.

Photo: Jeremy Hewitt

The Transkei

The rolling hills and bold green open fields of the Transkei are a marvel. It’s crazy to see that much natural land untainted by human development. There are some killer surf spots in the Transkei too, with Mdumbi Point being my absolute favourite.

Photo: Steve McNicholas

Livingstone

This is a cheat because Livingstone is in Zambia, not South Africa, but I’ve spent so much time out there, planting trees and connecting with the locals, it’s genuinely one of my favourite places in the world. It helps that Victoria Falls is walking distance from the city centre too.

Photo: Jeremy Hewitt

Hogsback

This little town in the Eastern Cape is comprised of a collection of beautiful forests and natural wonders. Legend has it that Mirkwood in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings was inspired by The Amatola Forest in Hogback. If you’re a Lord of the Rings fanatic like I am, then that should make you more than just a little giddy!

Photo: Jeremy Hewitt

Duiwenhoks River in Vermaaklikheid

This is super niche: there’s this riverside getaway in Vermaaklikheid that has these idyllic, partially rundown houses that have been left unattended to for so long that plants have begun to engulf the entire dwelling. It’s beautiful seeing how nature finds ways to replicate itself and to consume manmade things. The River itself is incredibly secluded and on many nights there are no people around. It’s hard to find that kind of silence anywhere.