South Africa

Still relatively new to tourism, South Africa is as diverse in its cultures and wildlife as it is in its landscape and politics. I embarked on a 3 centre trip over 10 days to Johannesburg, Kruger National Park and Cape Town.

Flying with the national carrier South African Airways it was a painless 10hr flight (if there is such a thing) to Johannesburg, where we were met at the airport and whisked away to Constitution Hill, which is the redeveloped site of the notorious old Fort prison complex that housed Mandela and Gandhi amongst other activists as recently as 1994. This is a very sobering relic of SA’s very recent past and a much heeded lesson for the future. I stayed in the recommended area of Sandton in the Protea Hotel Balalaika, which is 15 mins outside the centre. Most hotels have closed in the CBD now and very few options remain and Johannesburg is very much used as a one night stopover destination.

To get to Kruger you can either drive (approx 5hrs), or take a 50 min flight to Mpumalanga airport. The only airport I have ever been to that has a thatched roof....maybe an idea for Heathrow T6?? A one hour transfer and we arrived at Lion Sands Private Game Reserve.

This family owned reserve is simply more than I could ever imagine. The standard of accommodation, food, the passionate people/owners and the wild and rugged ambience of the African bush just simply blew me away. This was one of the most exhilarating 3 days of my life and worth every penny for a once in a lifetime experience.

We travelled in a 4x4 open safari jeep which enabled us to go off-road and it wasn’t long before our ‘tracker’ who was sitting on the front of the vehicle had spotted some tracks and we were off on the trail of the ‘Big 5.’ The endearing term used to describe the 5 most dangerous animals to hunt on foot. The question is can you name the 5?? (*Answers below)

The food we were treated to ranged from Guinea Fowl stew to Kudu Sausages, Fish, steaks, and about every vegetable variation you could imagine and was never a disappointment in terms of taste, quality and importantly for me quantity. As well as a huge South African wine cellar you could be easily mistaken that this was in fact a culinary tour rather than a wildlife one.

With my sojourn with nature at an end it was time to head back to the ‘big smoke’ in the form of a flight from Kruger to Cape Town (approx 2.5hrs). What I will say is this if you go to Cape Town in the winter, bring a coat. It’s freezing cold, very windy and it rains. Alot! And with one of the major attractions of Cape Town being its setting......wonderful beaches, Table Mountain, the Cape of Good Hope etc seeing these in good weather is definitly recommended. That said Cape Town still has a lot to offer through a dynamic mix of European sophistication and African heartbeat. The shopping is great, restaurants in abundance and it is very close to Hermanus (whale watching) and the wine region Stellenbosch.

I found South Africa a truly magical destination that offers such a diverse range of activities that would appeal to most people. Please contact me for information on Lion Sands, or on how best to incorporate SA in your round the world itinerary.

More information about South Africa Travel

*The Big 5 are the elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard.