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ABOUT SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa, the country of contrasts. It is our second time visiting the continent of Africa, and it has blown us away with its mxagnificence, again. This country has a lot to offer in terms of experiences.
Normally, we create our own trips. This time, we booked the trip via Beyond Borders. They offered a trip which would take us on different highlights of South-Africa, focusing on connecting with the local people. This made us decide to try it like this for a change, and it hasn’t disappointed to say the least.
TRAVELING THROUGH SOUTH AFRICA
Our route through South Africa
It doesn’t really matter if you start in Cape Town or Johannesburg. It is just that we liked to end at the coast instead of inland. Depending on your preference, both routes are exactly the same, just the other way around.
Accommodations
All the accommodations we had were inclusive in the trip we booked. We will describe all the accommodations we’ve been down below. South Africa does have hostels and Airbnb’s, however it is not considered a ‘backpacking’ country yet such as Sri Lanka or Indonesia. The route we’ve done provides plenty (cheap and nice) options to sleep though.
Transport
It is not so easy to move around in South Africa. The only option to see the country as a whole is to rent a car. The price for a car rental starts around 25 dollars a day.
This is about the same price as you should budget for foods and drinks in and around the hotspots. In between these places, food and drinks will generally be cheaper.
Johannesburg, or Jo’burg as the locals call it, is also called the city of gold. This is because a large amount of gold was discovered in this area back in the 19th century. A lot of people, desperate to find some gold, settled here. Now Johannesburg is one of the biggest cities in the world.
Where to spend the night: El RidgeSoweto
To be honest, we haven’t even been in Johannesburg itself. We went to a place which is much more interesting: Soweto. Soweto is a township on the South West of Johannesburg, hence the name SoWeTo. This township formed when Johannesburg formed during the discovery of gold. It was a place where all the mineworkers slept. Over time, they weren’t allowed into the city and had to carry special registrations when they were on work duty. This was all because of Apartheid.
Nowadays, you can still see the remainings of Apartheid since the townships are inhabited by mostly black people. Most of the people struggle financially, with running water and electricity being a big problem. This is hard to see. If you like to donate gifts to the people we recommend bringing clothes, games and so on. This is a big deal for the people over there, and they will be very happy to receive it.
We visited the Nelson Mandela house here and were told the story of a young black student which was shot during an Apartheid riot. All these stories are very difficult to hear, nevertheless it is the history of this country and needs to be heard in our opinion.
Finally, we encountered a group of Zulu dancers on the streets which performed a traditional dance for us. Fun fact: The white paint on their faces resembles that they are men. To become a man, they are sent into the wild with nothing but a patch around their waist. They have to survive here for a given period. When they do, they return as man and receive white paint on their face. This is a symbol of their manhood.
The Panorama route is a famous route in South Africa with plenty of beautiful stops. Although we haven’t stopped at all of these places, the stops we did make were absolutely breath taking.
Where to spend the night: A Forever ResortBlyde River Canyon
Our first stop was Blyde River Canyon. You can choose to hike here, or just make a stop at a panoramic viewpoint. The locals used to gather here on Sunday to swim in the river and have fun together, hence the name Blyde (=blij, Dutch for happy). There are multiple stops around this canyon where you can enjoy an amazing view like the one above.
Bourke's Luck Potholes
Next we stopped at Bourke’s Luck Potholes. These are potholes formed by the water that has carved them out for thousands of years resulting in uniquely shaped figures where you can wander around and enjoy the views of. A great little stop for just an hour or so.
Bourke’s Luck Potholes
Lisbon Falls
Our third stop was at Lisbon Falls. These are two beautiful waterfalls right next to each other. You’ll arrive at the top of the falls. Pack your swimming shorts, because if you hike down (+/- 15 min), you’ll be able to swim under the waterfall. This is something that a lot of people don’t know, here you’ve heard it first ;)
Lisbon Falls
A 5:00 AM rise is something we are normally not big fans of. Except for something really cool. The Kruger park is such an exception. Kruger park is as big as Belgium and boasts an exceptional diversity of game. It is home to more different species of wildlife than any other natural sanctuary in Africa. The chances of spotting the big 5 are pretty high here, if that’s what you’re after.
Where to spend the night: Tatenda GuesthouseThe reward of an early rise
Our aim was to spot as many different predators as possible. We got spoiled almost right away. Bekifi, our guide, spotted a leopard chilling in a tree. He had just killed an impala and was resting after the hunt. We came pretty close with the car and Bren managed to capture one of his favorite shots ever.
Our guide told us he lived next to the park, and has witnessed a predator escape when he was a kid. The lion ate some cattle and even some people and had to be put down. Nowadays the villagers use fire to withdraw escaped animals.
We drove about 200km that day, and spotted some amazing animals such as lions (decide for yourself, better than the leopard picture?), zebra’s, giraffe’s, elephants, hyena’s and more. The one we missed was the cheetah, which are very rare. There are about 120 cheetah’s. For comparison, there are 13.750 elephants in Kruger (!) What a day.
Drakensbergen is named after the form of the mountain range. It just looks like a dragon’s tail according to the locals. We’ve stayed here for two days. The first day we visited the locals in Bonjaneni, the second day we did a hike in the mountains.
Where to spend the night: Amphitheater BackpackersThe local tour
This tour was something that will be imprinted in our minds forever. First we were received by a local who showed us around the village. He told us all of our donations were used to structure the village more and more. They have build a school, environmentally friendly toilet and more from donations of people like us. You can also donate stuff like clothing, coloring books etc, so we recommend bringing stuff that you don’t use anymore.
During this tour, kids were curiously staring at us and gathering more and more. When the tour ended, about 30 kids were watching us. Bren asked them for a picture which they happily accepted.
After the tour we received a dance from the local women of the town and after this we danced together in a big circle, celebrating life.
The hike
The second day, we did a hike in the Royal Natal National Park. If you are planning on doing so, make sure to wear something to protect yourself from the sun. You’ll be constantly exposed to it and there will be few spots that have shade.
The hike itself was beautiful. It is about 2,5 hours until you reach a viewing point. From there on, you can see the villages in the valley. Bring lunch, so you can have some during a break, as we did on the viewpoint. After lunch we went down to the mouth of the river that flows through this National Park, to end up at a spot where there were 100’s of kids playing in the water. It was very nice to have a refreshing dive after such a hot day. Yes, more local pictures incoming. We can’t ever get enough.
Our next stop was a short one. We stayed with some farmers who taught us their way of life. Very different from what we’re used to do, yet very interesting.
Where to stay: Denmark Farm stayAfter a very long drive we arrived at Denmark Farm stay. Dries lives here with his wife, 3 children, dogs, cats, cows, sheep, goats and occasionally snakes. As soon as we parked the car and were welcomed, Dries immediately wanted to show his self made cannon. What a bang. We also shot with a sniper (no live targets) and ate a fresh springbok that evening caught by Dries, accompanied by a warming campfire and funny life stories. Next destination: Addo Elephant Park.
This park is an optional self drive park (just as Kruger is, in case you didn’t know) which resulted in a game between the three rental cars where we part of, trying to find as much different animals as possible. Game on.
Where to stay: Happy Jackal It didn’t take long for the first animal to be spotted. Tropical bird here, Kudu there. However, it took a while for the elephants to pop up. Suddenly, a large number of them showed up near a water pool. About 100 of them. Really amazing to see them in such large number, like watching a nature documentary. Drinking water, playing and cuddling they were just minding their own business. A sight to behold.
After the park we grabbed a souvenir and prepared for another drive tomorrow, finally arriving at the coast.
Sharks, seals, crocodiles, strange rock formations and jungles. It is all happening along the coast.
Where to stay: T'Niqua Stable Inn Sharks!
These days were filled with a variety of activities. First stop is Jeffrey’s bay. Here, a strange rock formation is formed by Mother Nature, where you can walk through to end up in the ocean. After this stop we drove on and stopped at Robberg Peninsula, where you can spot dolphins in the waves. Here we did a hike around the peninsula and spotted a lot of seals. We decided to walk around the whole peninsula which was pretty tough, so make sure to pack a lunch and lots of water.
The hike ended on the beach where you can take a dip in shark invested water (no kidding). The water was so inviting that we took the risk. What’s life without a little risk ;)
Robberg Peninsula
The next day we went to the Kajak Eden Adventures. You are paired up in teams of two and will be given a kajak to paddle upstream. At first this will seem a bit dull, but eventually the tour gets more and more spectacular. You’ll paddle for about an hour and have to option to stop there, where a 15 min walk will end up at a waterfall to cool off. If you’re lucky and the wind hasn’t changed, you will be paddling back in no time. A fun activity along the Garden Route, on our way to the final destination: Cape Town!
Kajak Eden Adventures
Our final destination but definitely not the least. Cape Town feels different. Why? It’s like an European city on the inside, with miles of townships on the outside. The ultimate contrast. Heartbreaking to see, good to experience. A chance to do good one last time.
Where to stay: Urban Oasis hotel
Food & drinks tip: Gold restaurant for food, Roast coffee bar for drinks Helicopter Tour
We started Cape Town with something very unique. A helicopter flight! How’s that for a welcome in this buzzling city! The flight gives an unique view from above, which a drone cannot match. The tour takes about 15 minutes and will cost you 130 USD. It is expensive, but in our opinion worth it.
Cape Town from above
Lion’s Head
Most people think Table mountain is the mountain to climb when in Cape Town. We disagree. It is Lion’s head you should climb. Why? Because Lion’s head will give you a much better view of the city and Table mountain. Lion’s head is a pretty steep hike, especially the last part. The view will not be disappointing though. If you decide to go we recommend going just before sunset. This way you’ll experience the sunset when you arrive at the top. This sunshine was majestic, a perfect ending.
Lion’s head provides the best sunsets
Hi, we are Bren and Tess! We travel to the most beautiful places in the world, and with our video's, we hope you feel inspired to do the same.
