Thrilling South Africa
We flew into Cape Town on a beautiful morning as Table Mountain stood in all its Glory. I drove just under thousand miles in the week, but wow was it worth it, and sat nav is a must.
On day one we headed straight out of Cape Town to Hermanus, which is clearly one of the best places in the world in September for whale watching. You could do from your room in your hotel or take the breathtaking walk along the cliff path, where we sat and watched mothers with their calves playing in the shallows!
The following morning we embarked on an early morning trip to Gaans Bay to do Great White Shark Diving. It was the most amazing experience, to be so close to these class A predators, and it comes highly recommended.
We then took a trip down to the most Southern tip of South Africa 'Cape Agulhas', where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. It is very beautiful, but very much sleepy hollow, not a place to stay for those wanting a little more life of an evening.
On day three we made our way to The Garden Route Game Lodge and spent 2 days with morning and evening game drives. Again if you want a taste of Africa this really is a must - no its not Kruger but it certainly gave me a feel for Safari, which is now another one to add to the ‘to do’ list!
The scenery again was beautiful and the wildlife thrilling to watch in their own natural environment. Accommodation was superb in wooden huts overlooking a watering hole with viewing decks.
The next day we made our way back across to the Winelands of the Eastern Cape and stayed with friends in Wellington, where they run a guest house, which is predominantly the best type of accommodation to stay in while in these areas as they are more like boutique hotels. There is an abundance of wine tasting estates which is a must even if you are a wine lover. South Africa does produce some truly delicious red and white wines, not to mention the cheese tasting too!
Wellington is right in the heart of the Winelands and is only a 40 minute drive from Cape Town, if you prefer to stay in the beauty of this region very lush and green, rather than the hussle and bussle of the city.
On day six we made a trip to Simons Town - Boulders Beach to see the African Penguin in its own natural environment. There were hundreds on the beautiful white sands and they are very funny to watch. We then made our way to Stellenbosch, another famous wine area again still only 40 minutes from Cape Town. We stayed in The Spier Hotel which has its own wine estate, and houses a Cheetah Outreach where we had a personnel encounter with 4 month old cubs (adorable). It is also home to the most fantastic traditional African themed restaurant called Moyo, where there is live African entertainment and tribal face painting along with an amazing buffet. A Great Experience. The Wine tasting too was very good.
The following day we made our way back to Cape Town for our last night and stayed in the very Luxurious Cape Grace, one of the best 5* hotels in Cape Town, and it certainly lived up to its name. Our room had stunning views over the famous Waterfront and Table Mountain. The Waterfront is the place to be seen whilst in Cape Town, offering an abundance of shops and restaurants and many other good 5* Hotels, with great night life too.
On our last morning we were hoping to Abseil Table Mountain, but unfortunately the winds were too strong, which Cape Town is well known for, but we did mange to take a trip on the Cable Car to the top of the Mountain to view the spectacular views over the city.
Then sadly it was time to leave this amazing place with many great memories, but I have to say we did make the most of the time we had. I would recommend for anyone wanting to do it to spend at least 2 weeks exploring this fantastic destination!