instagram:

Spotlight: South Africa

Since launching, we’ve seen Instagram spread from our headquarters in the Bay Area to every corner of the globe. In this series, Spotlight, we’ll highlight top users from countries and cities with thriving Instagram communities.

South Africa, the African continent’s southernmost country, boasts 11 official languages, three capital cities and some of the most photogenic landscapes in the world. Instagrammers both homegrown and from abroad have given outsiders a glimpse into this vast and diverse country, from the Namib desert in the northwest to the subtropical forests in the east to the coastline that stretches over 1700 miles (2700km).

Want an insider’s view of South Africa? Follow these locals to see the country through their lens.

• Ofentse Mwase, a cinematographer snapping photos from Johannesburg and its outskirts — @unclescrooch
• Alessio La Ruffa, taking beautiful photos in and around Pretoria — @alessiolr
• Ross Pickford, a software developer sharing photos from Cape Town — @roscoedude
• Gareth Pon, a filmmaker photographing Johannesburg’s cityscapes — @garethpon

To explore the country in depth, you can also browse the location pages for some of South Africa’s most popular destinations:

• Orlando Towers, art and base jumping at defunct nuclear cooling towers
• Lion’s Head summit, with a spectacular view of Table Mountain
• Cango Caves, beneath the Swartberg range near the town of Oudtshoorn
• Knysna Elephant Park, up close and personal with beautiful pachyderms