South Africa
The flight was 12 hours overnight. We arrived at 11am the next morning. There is only a two hour difference in time so there is no jet lag.
We were transferred to our first hotel a few miles east of Cape Town in an area known as the Winelands with rolling hills of vineyards and quaint towns. We first drove through the town of Stellenbosch which looked really pretty. The houses and shops lining the streets all have very attractive verandas. It is a university town so quite busy but it seems to be popular with visitors. A few days here would certainly add another dimension to an itinerary.
Our overnight stay was in Franschhoek which is a smaller town near Stellenbosch. Our hotel for one night was a beautiful small boutique hotel called La Residence. We stayed in the villas which have their own small pools and gardens. The scenery was delightful and so quiet and relaxing. We were shown the rest of the hotel prior to our hosted diner with the management that evening.
Our next day started with a beautiful breakfast and then we headed to Babylonstoren. This is a Cape Dutch farm with vineyards and orchards surrounded by the dramatic mountains of the Drakenstein Valley. It has an exceptionally well–preserved werf dating from 1690. A fruit and vegetable garden of botanical diversity supplies a remarkable restaurant. Guests staying at an exclusive farm hotel enjoy access to the entire farm, plus facilities like a spa and gym. We toured the gardens with the very passionate lady gardener and then had a wonderful lunch using some of the garden’s produce.
That afternoon we had wine tasting at Steenberg Vineyards after visiting the small and unique hotel part of the property.
We then checked into The Queen Victoria Hotel in Cape Town, our hotel for two nights. This is a lovely modern hotel on the waterfront. The rooms were very large and the food in the restaurant was excellent. We also visited the Cape Grace Hotel and V&A Waterfront.
Whilst in Cape Town we visited a community based project organised by a non-profit making organisation called Uthando. We first visited a veterinary centre, then a garden designed and managed by local youths and finally a dance school. This organisation has made such a difference to the lives of local young people.
We also made time to meet up with a South African based Travel Counsellor Gail, who kindly took four of us on a whirlwind tour of the coastline and a visit to the Boulders Penguin Colony which was fascinating.
On Sunday morning we flew to Mpumalanga International Airport to reach our next destination in the Kruger National Park. We stayed two nights at Mala Mala private game reserve. There are three camps here; Mala Mala Main Camp, Sable Camp and Rattrays. Our first night was at Sable. These rooms overlook the Sand River. In drier periods, you can see many different species of animals from your balcony!
Our second night was at Rattrays which has eight khayas, again overlooking the river. They each have luxurious decor, heated plunge pools and his and her beautiful bathrooms.
Our last night was a complete contrast and a surprise! We drove to the southern part of the Kruger and stayed on a campsite. It was a bit of a comedown from the previous five nights in 5* hotels but it was a lot of fun and a good way to end such a wonderful trip. We did a further two game drives but unlike the private reserves, the vehicles are large lorry type vehicles where leaning out and open roofs are forbidden. The rangers are forced to stay on the track so viewing the animals was more difficult but the scenery is stunning.
We returned to the UK tired but very happy to have spent such a wonderful week in such a varied and interesting country with people I would like to stay friends with for the rest of my life. In preparation for my trip, I decided to take Malaria tablets. I was advised to purchase them in Asda as this would be cheaper. I had no side effects whatsoever.