South Africa – Amazing wildlife, vibrant cities and world-class wines

Noreen Lane 04 September 2014
It could be said that South Africa is fast becoming the adventure capital of the world as there is so much to see and do in this beautiful country that you would need several visits to scratch the surface. I recently had the pleasure of visiting South Africa where I spent a week experiencing its beauty, culture, wildlife and its friendly people.

On our first night we arrived in Johannesburg and stayed at the City Lodge Hotel at the airport. The next day we were transferred to Pretoria which is popularly known as Jacaranda due to the Jacaranda trees planted in its streets, parks and gardens. While in Pretoria we stopped off at Rovos Rail Station for a site inspection of their luxury trains and for some lunch. Travelling by train through South Africa is a great way to gain access to other parts of South Africa that you otherwise would not be able to via car or public transport as the scenery is just amazing.

After departing Pretoria we took a five hour drive to Madikwe Private Game Reserve in the North West Province where we stayed at the Thakadu River Camp. My stay there was an amazing experience as I got to see the “Big Five” which include the Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Elephant and Rhinoceros. We were very fortunate as it is known that people who have stayed for days at a game reserve may not get the opportunity to see all five, however as we had an excellent game reserve driver called Tshulu who was fantastic at finding them or some may say it may have been the luck of the Irish!

After staying a few nights at the game reserve we flew from Johannesburg to Cape Town and stayed at the Adderly Hotel in the centre of the city. Cape Town is one of those amazing cities where you find yourself saying “I would love to live here” with its beautiful backdrop against Table Mountain, lush greenery, sandy beaches, markets, boutiques, Robbin Island which is a mere 45 minutes ferry away and the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront which has its fabulous restaurants, shops and social areas. There is so much to do in and near Cape Town.

While in Cape Town we visited Robbin Island, this is where Nelson Mandela was a prisoner for 17 years. I found this to be a very emotional part of my trip as we were given a tour of the prison by a former prisoner where we got a good insight to life as a prisoner there and also got a tour of Robbin Island itself.

On our arrival back to Cape Town from Robbin Island we took a bicycle tour of the city. This allowed us to visit Cape Town City Hall where on February 11, 1990, only hours after his release from prison, Nelson Mandela made his first public speech from the balcony of Cape Town City Hall.

Before we departed we took a cable car trip to the top of Table Mountain which overlooks Cape Town and the views from there are just spectacular.

An hour’s journey from Cape Town took us to the wine district, while there we stayed at the Kleine Zalze which has its own winery and golf course which is set among the valleys in Stellenbosch.

During our visit to the wine district we visited wineries in Stellenbosch, Babylyonstern and Franschoek where we did some wine tasting at Waterford Wine Estate and Rickety Bridge Winery. The scenery in these areas is breath-taking and is a must visit for all wine enthusiasts.

I was pleasantly surprised by South Africa’s excellent infrastructure, good air links, quality of accommodation, its beautiful countryside, excellent food and its very friendly, good natured and helpful people and how safe I felt while visiting there.

So if you are thinking of visiting South Africa, don’t hesitate as you will be delighted that you did. I for one cannot wait to return again really soon. If you have any questions with regards to my trip or would like to plan a trip to South Africa please do not hesitate to give me a call and I’d be delighted to help you.