Africa November/December 2016

Andy Gilhooly on 27 December 2016
The first part of this amazing journey was from Edinburgh to Doha with Qatar Airways. We had a long stopover in Doha but they had a great (and free!) city tour, which included a 3-hour transit visa. We went on the tour and returned to the airport for our flight to Johannesburg.

After arriving in Johannesburg, we had a look around the city and ended up in Nelson Mandela Square. It’s next to Sandton City so there are lots of shops, restaurants and bars to wander around.

The next day, we took the Gautrain to Pretoria. We visited the United Buildings and also the law courts where Nelson Mandela and Oscar Prestorius were sentenced. It was then back to Nelson Mandela Square for more food and drink, which is amazing value.

We then flew from Johannesburg to Kasane in Botswana with Airlink, who provided a great service. We were met by our transfer company, Wild Horizon, who escorted us through the border and into Zimbabwe. We paid $55 for the visa and then went off to Victoria Falls and the Rainbow Hotel.

After getting up early for breakfast, we were then met again by Wild Horizon who took us on a tour of Victoria Falls. Although not in its true glory it was still an amazing site to see and we enjoyed a great tour around this wonder of the world. It was then back to the hotel for a short period before our Wild Horizon sunset cruise down the Zambezi river. Whilst at the hotel, I checked out an opportunity to do the Devil’s Pool and luckily enough a space had become available on the early slot. The sunset cruise was great value as it included alcoholic drinks and snacks. We saw lots of hippos and elephants, and superb scenery. Overall, it was a great cruise with great company.

We were picked up at the hotel and taken to the Zimbabwe border to complete our exit from the country (the transit visa was $50) We were then taken the short drive to the Royal Livingston Hotel for our briefing and the start of the journey to the Devil’s Pool.

We took a speed boat over to Livingston Island and had a walk through the island with some amazing photo opportunities. We then stripped off and swam the 50 metres across the Zambesi to the entry point of Devil’s Pool. It was 0730hrs and the sun was up. I was first in and what an amazing experience - you literally hang over the edge of the pool with the water crashing down the Falls at the side of you. (The guides take lots of photos with your cameras so you have a record of this incredible experience) Sadly, my 5 minutes were up and out I came to allow the next person in. As a group, we then did the swim back to the island where we were met with towels. After a short walk to the camp on the island, we had a superb fresh breakfast. It was a great end to the most amazing experience.

We then transferred to Livingstone airport and our flight to Nelspruit Airport in South Africa. After arriving in South Africa, we took a 2-hour transfer to Tangala Safari Camp in Thornybush Game Reserve.

The Tangala Safari Camp is a lovely camp with a watering hole right in front of the swimming pool and where you eat. We had a great time at Tangala – we saw the big 5 and had an amazing experience with the leopards, their cubs and their dinner. It was really quite incredible. The staff were lovely, the food was superb and the chalet was delightful.

It was then down to Cape Town. Our transfer driver Joe was waiting for us and we decided to book him again for the full fourth day of our trip.

The next day, we went on the Open Top Bus Tour and tried to do Table Mountain but it was closed because of the wind. We then completed the bus tour and ended up at the V&A Waterfront and tried to get over to Robben Island. This is a busy attraction and we only managed to get booked for the Sunday, our last full day, so it was just as well we went! The V&A Waterfront is sensational, with lots of hotels, bars, restaurants, and shops.

The following day, we hopped back on the Open Top Bus tour. The 2-day pass is great value and includes a Harbour Tour and other extras. This time we were lucky and managed to get up Table Mountain. It costs around 280 Rand for the return trip but the views are stunning. You could easily spend most of the day on the summit as the park area is huge.

After Table Mountain, we were off to the 12 Apostles Hotel for lunch; this is a stunning hotel just outside of Camps Bay. We then headed over to Houts Bay and their famous night market. It is an amazing place full of craft stalls, food outlets, and bars. It’s really cheap and has a great atmosphere, with a live band. We then went back into Cape Town and headed for the roof top bar at Grand Daddy Hotel on Long Street. All in all, a superb day!

The next day was again an early start with another lovely breakfast. We were met by Joe our driver who we had for the full day. Joe took us on a great drive down to Cape Point, stopping at lots of lovely towns on the way including Simons Town, Fish Hoek, Boulders Bay (where we saw the penguins at Boulders Beach) and then into the National Park and Cape Point and The Cape of Good Hope. We then drove to Franschhoek for their Magic of Bubbles Festival. What a festival, the champagne was flowing!

We were then up early for breakfast and our trip to Robben Island. It’s certainly advisable to get your trip here booked either before you arrive or on your first day. On arrival, we boarded buses and had a tour of the island before ending up at the prison. Inmates from the jail are now the guides and it was a great experience. We saw Nelson Mandela’s cell and living area and heard some great tales from the past. The whole trip lasted about 4 hours and was great value.

After Robben Island, we took another look around the superb V&A Waterfront area and then went to meet some friends at Stellenberg Wine Estate for Dinner, a very affordable 30-minute journey by taxi.

And then it was time to head home. We flew via Doha with Qatar Airways; the flights were superb, the service was great and Doha is a nice modern airport. It can be expensive so I’d advise that you buy lounge passes if you have a lengthy connection.