South Africa part 4

What to do in South Africa

Since the seasons are converted towards the northern part of the world, our summer there is their winter and other way around. As a European citizen, I thought that all that coast line would be like Greece or Italy: Full of fancy beaches where to chill out. The truth is a bit different. Water is cold, specially in the side of Atlantic Ocean and all I could see in the water were surfers or kite surfers. 

Often enough there is also a lot of wind and the waves are huge and dangerous; the circulating wave can truly keep you under water, in case you succeed to enter in that cold water. At this point I have to exclude Scandinavians, Russians and Canadians  that are used to pretty hard climate, including swimming in an icy water. 

So to speak, chilling in the beach is out of the question, unless your destination is somewhere at the Indian Ocean. And you might get in touch with wild life such as white shark and stingrays. 

In our short visit at Fish Hoek, we saw a sign that mentioned shark visiting that particular beach just few days earlier. 

Some beaches offer rock pools, where water isn't that deep and is safe to the children. Like this one at St. James 

In case sun bathing and sunburn is your ideal of vacation, then you might like to book a hotel with a swimming pool. Use high protection all day long. I wouldn't like to spoil my vacation by sitting on ER due to the sun burn. That sun out there is by the way so strong that it reflects throughout the car windows. Yes. I got a red shoulder. 

What we did, besides having a marvellous culinary trip was to enjoy what the South African Nature has to offer. And it is a lot. Imagine that you have 1 million of square meters to admire. 

First thing what I noticed were all those mountains. A lots of them and they are huge and beautiful. In many places there are walking paths to follow or marked routes. South Africa is a mixture of European culture in southern part of Africa. So it is really safe to take these paths. 

I also noticed that after the dark, and that is during their summer months, sun sets at 8 pm and people aren't that keen to walk. That is due to the wild animals. Although the last lion in the area of Cape Town was shot dead in 1840, the woods offer other wild animals. Such as venomous snakes, mountain leopards, and baboons that can be pretty invasive or aggressive when food is in question. 

two baboons

For one reason or another one, we visited the local private hospital and I noticed a sign that warned about touching wild animals, because there is danger of getting infection of rabies. 

Hospital we visited was extremely well organised, clean and they served our poor little sick man in no time, taking all necessary examinations to cut out any infections. But do not follow our foot path. 

Don't get ill. 

At Cape Town we took one of this hop-on-hop-off-busses, walked around, visited museums, walked in public gardens, chilled at V. A.  Waterfront, ate well, had cocktails, coffee, extra breakfast here and there in those mornings when it was hard to wake up to enjoy it at our hotel. Table Mountain is certainly one of the most exciting place to visit,due to it's magnificent view and using their offers like sun set tour, you may save up to 50% from the fee. Also Botanical Garden is valid for visiting. The Aquarium at the waterfront may invite the smaller visitors as much as those that are keen to see exotic species  Towers, museums and much more. We spent 8 night at Cape Town using some days visiting areas near by with rented car. 

our tour leader points out something interesting at the top of the Table Mountain

At the V. A.  Waterfront you may also wanna have a ride with the Cape Wheel, or take a boat trip to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was kept for 20 years. For more adventurous visitor; take a catamarane, swim with sharks or fly 20 min helicopter above the city. 

To visit some wineries, a car hire is inevitable, unless you just want to visit one and only with organised tours. And with organised tours you may want to go to see seals at Hout Bay

Departing early in the morning you might be able to see all fisherman getting back from the sea and purchase your fish directly from the boat. 

A bit further is Cape of Good Hope. On our way we met Penguins, and Baboons 

Cape of Good Hope is a national park with an entrance fee. About Cape of Good Hope: It was once believed to be the dividing point between Atlantic and Indian Ocean.  That point is actually more to the East and it is called L'Agulhas. 

But we pretend as if it was the dividing point. Climbing up to the light house wind blew hard and it almost took us with it. But it was worth for it due to the stunning view. At this point you might find yourself exactly between New York and Wellington. 

Alex taking a selfie

To visit even larger settlement of Penguins, Betty's Bay offers that to it's visitors. Betty's Bay is a small village with a huge dune hill, kids like to glide down with snow board alike items. There might live only perhaps few hundred inhabitants, offering only couple of local restaurants, but it is extremely popular for holiday rentals. The wind blows like it was a hurricane day in day out, that keeps skies clear to admire stars at night. Not outside though. There is very vivic wild life including mountain leopard and black mamba. Not to mention Baboons that might disturb star watching. 

The most popular route to take is the Garden Route. It starts from Cape Town with the highway nr 2 and passes by places like Strand, Somerset West, Zwellendam,  Mosselbaai, George and Knysna where we ended our tour. But if you feel like, drive further and visit Port Elizabeth  or East London, or even up to Durban that distance from Cape Town 1700 km.  

At Mosselbaai we had some lunch and visited the hill towards light house and a museum. Trees are huge in South Africa.

The area of Oudtshoor, north from Mosselbaai, offers parks such as ostrich farm, wild life range, caves, game lodge with wild animals, mountain pass and other again. 

Just remember to come back early so that restaurants are open. 

In one of these parks I got to pet a baby cheetah. I wasn't allowed to play with Limas, due to my runny noise. Limas seem to have similar immune system as us humans. All these parks offered expert tour guides that prize the public awareness about wild animals. 

While staying at Knysna we visited some wild life parks: monkey sanctuary, bird park and an elephant sanctuary. In the last one we were allowed to feed and pet elephants. 

Knysna offers more than parks. It is a fantastic place for bird watching due to laguna that surrounds it. 

Our neighbour told us that last year there has been seen a shark, so perhaps going to have a skinny dive ain't that good idea after all. 

We had an amusing event one night. By trying to take a photo of fishes that might eat some bread crumble the iPhone felt in to the Laguna and as stupid ones we all paralysed and didn't pick it up while it was still on. After words one of us jumped in to the water, and thinking of that shark it all turned out really exciting. The phone was no where to be found until the day after and it has been in rise ever since. Lets hope it still works. 

On our way back to the airport, we visited a place called Franschhoek. It is a beautiful place. 

We took the road nr 43 out of the Garden Route and saw this stunning view: 

Franschhoek is well know to wealthy Cape Towner's cottage village. You may guess that seeing cars that circulate in these roads. 

Natasa dreaming 

And at Franschhoek you may wanna participate in one of those wine tram tours. It is not really a tram but a look a like that brings customers to visit several wineries. That will be my next destination at South Africa. For Sure. 

My advice to the travellers: take your swim suit with you, because you will never know wether there is an opprtunity to wear it if no where else, in your hotel's pool. And think about this huge land as an amazing national park. 

(Not a beach to lay down.) 

Wanna join me? 

Two weeks trip in January 2018 including: car hire, flight tickets from most EU cities, hotels, meals and few attractions for a total of € 1.800- €2.000 / pp in a 3* hotel or residence. 

Pocket money for modest travellers: €500.00

Visiting wineries and an optional train trip to Johannesburg with flights back at own cost. 

(read my earlier posts) 

For larger groups reservations via www.kairos-travel.eu