Johannesburg, Panorama Route & Kruger Part 1 of 2

I was recently fortunate enough to win a place on a FAM trip to South Africa with the Tourist Board and the travel trade newspaper TTG. The areas that we would be visiting on the trip were Johannesburg, driving along the Panorama Route and visiting the Kruger Game Reserve. A short flight from Belfast to Heathrow and I was meeting up with the rest of my travelling companions. We were flying to Johannesburg with Virgin Atlantic and they had arranged a tour of the Virgin Clubhouse and an opportunity to see “behind the scenes” of how they handle their VIP and Upper Class travelling clients. The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse is quite amazing with so many facilities on offer to travelling clients, including massage and hairdressers as well as showers and the opportunity to have a meal. The overnight flight to Johannesburg was super with the opportunity to get some sleep or catch a movie before arriving ready for the new day. A big advantage of travelling to South Africa is the lack of jetlag as they are only one hour ahead of the UK.

A short transfer from the airport took us to our home for the next two nights – the African Pride Hotel Melrose Arch. This beautiful hotel is set in the upmarket Melrose Arch area boasts a variety of shopping and eating locations all within a short walk. After a quick freshen up it was off to Braamfontein and the Neighbourgoods Market. This was great fun, a food market where you could pick from a huge variety of stalls and then upstairs there was live music, a busy bar and a wonderful atmosphere. I chose ‘bunny chow’ from a local stall and a beer from a local craft brewery and this cost around £7, highlighting the incredible value for money in South Africa at the moment.

After a short time enjoying the music it at Neighbourgoods we were off to visit SOWETO for a cycle tour around the township. This was a wonderful experience as we were greeted by children everywhere we went, whilst also learning all about the history of this iconic place. Following our tour we also visited a super local restaurant in SOWETO before heading back to our hotel following an action packed first day in Johannesburg.

The following morning we visited Maboneng and visited the Arts on Main which is another great attraction combining food market, arts and crafts as well as galleries and music all in one great location. We then boarded the red hop-on hop-off Citysightseeing bus (familiar in most cities around the world) which took us through the city to the Apartheid Museum. This thought provoking museum tells the whole story of the apartheid system until its successful dismantling and South Africa’s peaceful transition to the wonderful country it is now. Following our visit here we had a picnic in a city park before a walking tour of the Newtown area which is being developed. For dinner this evening we ate at Moyo, opposite our hotel which specialises in African cuisine and where I was able to taste Kudu for the first time.

An early morning transfer took us back to Johannesburg airport to catch our flight to Nelspruit where we collected our hire car and made our way to the lovely forestry town of Sabie in Mpumalanga. This mountainous area is picturesque and wonderful to drive through as there are wonderful well maintained roads throughout. Our first stop in Sabie was to visit the local micro-brewery for a tour and a sample of the local produce. Then we made our way to our accommodation at Misty Mountain Lodge. The Lodge has amazing views (especially seen from its infinity pool) down into the Lowveld. It has also nearly completed a 1.7km toboggan ride which will be the first in Africa and will prove to be a great attraction for the area. The next morning we spent exploring the area around Misty Mountain on foot and using quad bikes before we returned to Sabie for lunch at the wonderful Wild Fig Tree Café. This we followed by a walk through the bush until we discovered a hidden waterfall that we could relax by. Dinner was again at the Misty Mountain Lodge, where our hosts really spoiled us with again wonderful food and hospitality.

The following morning we were going to drive the entire Panorama Route before heading into the Kruger National Park. There is a lot to see on this drive and I would probably advise anyone completing the Panorama route to complete this over a couple of days. On the drive we stopped off and saw the amazing sights of Mac Mac Falls, The Pinnacle, God’s Window, Bourkes Luck Pot Holes and the Three Rondavels. On the way we also managed to stop for lunch at the amazing Potluck Boskombuis Restaurant, which is situated at the side of a lovely river.