South Africa Travel Article
I have wanted to visit South Africa for some years as I am passionate about wildlife, wine and horticulture so it was an obvious choice. Most travellers I spoke to, like myself, had booked their flight separate to accommodation allowing more freedom. Many internet travel providers will allow you to tailor a flight and a few nights accommodation to get you started off, I would of course advise pre-arranging a hire car for the whole trip.
The flight to Cape Town is a manageable 11 hours to start such a trek. The city itself is ultra modern, stylish, buzzing and affluent with a marina surrounded by lively boardwalks. The botanical gardens are full with species of flowers and birds that you would only expect in a children’s fairytale. The whole city is backed by the geological miracle that is Table Mountain which can be travelled by cable car to breath in the view of the city and vicious Atlantic waves. Starting in the west is a good ice breaker as it feels quite European with plentiful Dutch influence in a much warmer atmosphere.
The Dutch wine-lands of Stellenbosch are within striking distance of the city feeling like a clean university town with great elegance. Each vineyard has something special to offer and you will be impressed by 5 star meals served in courtyards accompanying afternoons of wine tasting. The Cape of Good Hope nature reserve is also a wonderful day trip while residing in the City. Sugar birds, sun birds and swee wax bills are all species that Bill Oddie advises to look out for… I wasn’t disappointed. You can also fill hours pottering around beautiful white sandy coves finishing your day visiting the bizarre African Jackass Penguins at Boulder.
Moving further East along the traditional ‘Garden Route’ with scenic views of the Drakensburg Mountains created a carefree environment, I felt like a back packer. Making use of a number of local guest houses all found in my ‘Portfolio Guide’ book I was touched by the hospitality and warmth that I received. Travelling at the busiest time of year I found no difficulty in finding a luxurious haven booking late on each afternoon. I stayed in a number of wonderful annexes with their own swimming pool for £30 to £40 a night. Welcomed into the heart of the family every cooked breakfast was a work of art, all this for B&B prices makes it hard to leave this amazing trail. In September and early October you are able to see frolicking Whales all along the coast from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth that will take your breath away.
If you are privileged enough to extend your stay for more than two weeks you will have an opportunity to see a bit more ‘real Africa’. I worked my way in this relaxing manor all the way around the Eastern Cape to Durban. There was never any shortage of breathtaking scenery or fantastic guest houses and every town had a different charm. Port St Johns and Port Shepstone seemed like much poorer townships with bizarre mixtures of Dutch, African and 1950’s architecture; I’m told this is much more like the majority of the country. Durban itself is much more of an industrial city so passing along the coastal road to Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve is your best bet. It is an enormous national park that takes all day to drive around it with an abundance of Hippopotamus, zebra and giraffe to name but a few.
To get the cheapest flights you usually have to fly home from where you started so if you get this far arrange to drop off the hire car at Durban airport and arrange a cheap internal flight back to Cape Town. You won’t want to leave, just another day in those vineyards….
The opinions expressed are those of the author only. The material is for general information only and does not constitute legal, financial or other form of advice. You should not rely on this information to make (or refrain from making) any decisions. Always obtain independent, professional advice for your own particular situation by an FSA authorised company where the market is FSA regulated.