We started our trip in Cape Town, arriving to hot, dry weather and blazing sunshine. Our first stop, after taking a slightly dubious walking route towards the port, was the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. To be honest, why this is repeatedly named as one of the must see spots in the city is beyond me. It is a lovely area, but it is basically a large shopping mall with some good seaside restaurants, similar to what you might find at the Inner Harbour in Baltimore. A great place to have if you live there, but I didn't fly 12 hours to the Southern Hemisphere to see Baltimore. That being said, we had an excellent sushi lunch there overlooking the boats in the harbour before heading back into the heart of the city.
Cape Town's central district, the City Bowl, encompasses about 6 square blocks and is very easily walk-able. The entire city was much smaller than I imagined and we felt very safe walking around. We took a walk along St. George's Mall, a cobbled pedestrianized street filled with vendors, checked out Greenmarket Square and the Groote Kerk church, the oldest in South Africa. We ventured a little outside the main town area to see the beautiful city hall building next to the Grand Parade, the city's former parade grounds, and then made our way up to the Company's Garden. The gardens were set up in 1652 to provide ships rounding the Cape of Good Hope with supplies and today is a beautifully maintained city park. We stopped for a drink at a cute cafe where we watched a group of tourists teach some local kids how to play chess on a life sized board.
Long Street:
St. George's Mall:
City Hall:
Grand Parade:
Groote Kerk church:
Houses of Parliament:
The Company's Garden:
view from our room at the Hilton:
Dan and I were surprised to find the Houses of Parliament located in a beautiful building within the gardens, seeing as Cape Town is not the capital of South Africa. We later looked it up and found out that when the Union was set up there was a disagreement between the four provinces as to where the seat of government would be located and as a compromise, Cape Town was named the legislative capital, while Pretoria is the administrative capital.
After a refreshing dip in the hotel pool, we headed out to find a restaurant recommended in my guide book that looked like it wasn't too far from the hotel. Well, after walking for about 10 minutes through a not very populous area as it started to get dark, Dan and I began to feel as if maybe this hadn't been such a great idea. As we took a turn down a back alley, a "safety officer" called out to us, "hey white people, where you going?" I tried to explain where we were headed and he walked us in that direction until we were back on a more populated street. Still unable to find what we were looking for, we stopped in a tapas style restaurant called Chalk & Cork, which ended up being fantastic. We debated taking a taxi home but quickly realised we had simply walked the wrong direction on the way over and that there was a very safe route back to our hotel through the city center. That first evening was the only time we felt unsafe in Cape Town and we were happy to be helped out by a friendly officer (even if he did hound us for a tip.)
The next morning we took a drive out to the wine country, about an hour outside of Cape Town. Our first stop was the quaint town of Stellenbosch. Located in the heart of the winelands, Stellenbosch is an excellent representation of the Cape Dutch civilization. A short walk through the town took us about an hour.
weird antique shop where we bought some cookies so we would have change for the parking guy:
slave houses:
St. Mary's Anglican Church:
From there we made our way to our first vineyard, Kanonkop, recommended to us by Maggie and Rich. We had a really informative tasting where we tried 6 of their wines and had all kinds of questions answered about their estate and South African Wine. Their pinotage was excellent, as was their Rose, and we bought several bottles to bring home.
We then headed a little further north, to the Paarl area, and visited an estate called Diemers Fontein in Wellington (also recommended by Maggie.) We had a delicious lunch on the patio at their restaurant, followed by a slightly more rushed wine tasting. It was excellent wine though and we left there with several more bottles, including a really interesting "coffee pinotage." After our tasting, we had scheduled a horseback ride around the vineyards so we headed for the stables. Following some confusion as to whether we were in the right place due to dubious signage and the fact that the guide arrived late, we set off on a 1 hour ride around the estate. The views of the surrounding countryside and vineyards were stunning.
Agapanthus, or African Lily: the flower of South Africa (they were everywhere):
That evening we drove back to Cape Town and had dinner at Quay Four, a restaurant on the V&A waterfront with great seafood and live music.
The following morning we were up early to tackle Table Mountain. We had initially thought we would hike up and down but after some further research into the length and strenuousness, we decided to take the cable car up and then hike down. The views from the summit were fantastic; from the back side you could see down the Cape Riviera towards the Cape of Good Hope and in front you could see the whole city and out to Robben Island. We took the Platteklip Gorge trail down and as we descended the very steep and very long route, I was increasingly happy with our decision not to hike up. We passed many miserable hikers who looked like they probably weren't going to make it. And although we had incredibly sore legs for the next 4 days, the views from the gorge were not to be missed and made us feel a little less lazy for abandoning our uphill hike.
Cape Riviera:
Robben Island:
After our hike, we set off for the Cape Riviera, the long stretch of coastline south of Cape Town, named as such because of the beautiful beaches and stunning homes. We stopped in an adorable town called Llandudno and spent a few hours lounging on the beach there.
After soaking up lots of sun, we made a quick drive through Hout Bay, which for some reason warranted an entire page in my guide book, but from what we could see from the car was a total dump. Moving on, we took the scenic drive along Chapman's Peak, and made our way out to the Monkey Valley Resort in Noordhoek. Monkey Valley was recommended to us by our friend Brian, who had stumbled upon it on his travels in South Africa. It is a great spot perched on a cliff above a huge, deserted beach. After a lovely stroll on the beach and some time watching the insane surfers braving not only the freezing cold Atlantic Ocean but also the huge boulders lining the shores, we went up to the resort for a sunset dinner on their patio. The food was excellent and we were lucky to get our meals just before the electricity went out, turning our meal unintentionally into a romantic candlelit dinner;) We later learned that this was one of many power cuts the country had been experiencing for weeks. We fumbled our way back to the car and drove back to Cape Town where fortunately, there was electricity.
Chapman's Peak:
Noordhoek (Monkey Valley Resort in foreground):
Noordhoek beach:
Monkey Valley:
our first view of lights after driving through complete darkness out of Noordhoek:
The next morning we began our drive west along South Africa's Garden Route. Technically, the scenic part of the drive does not begin until Mossel Bay, about 4 hours east of Cape Town. So, we did a straight drive to Mossel Bay with just one quick stop in Swellendam along the way to stretch our legs and have some soda floats.
apparently, in South Africa, cream soda is bright green:
When we arrived in Mossel Bay, we visited the Bartholomeu Dias Museum Complex, more out of desire to get out of the car for a little while than actual interest in the founder of Mossel Bay. There was a full sized replica of the ship Dias sailed over from Portugal in the museum, which was pretty neat.
After grabbing some snacks for the car, we set off again for our destination for the next two nights, the seaside town of Wilderness. We checked in at the most adorable B&B, Moontide Guest Lodge, where we had a treetop room with a big porch overlooking the lagoon and an outdoor shower. Just after rounding the bend at Mossel Bay and as we drove into Wilderness, the weather changed dramatically. The climate went from hot and dry, to very muggy and cloudy, much more of a tropical, seaside feel. In fact, the clouds were hovered so low over the mountains behind Wilderness that we were practically in them, which created a very misty, murky feel to the area. Once we settled in our room, we took one of the hotel's canoes out for a ride on the Touws river, which runs from the lakes in the area out to the sea. Because the clouds had cooled the air down, the warm water of the river was actually steaming up, adding to the already misty feel and beautiful scenery.
the climb up to our room (somewhat tricky for a couple people with very sore legs):
After coming in from the canoe ride, we relaxed on our patio with some wine and snacks before heading off to dinner at a seaside restaurant, Salina's, recommended by our hosts. We sat out on the patio overlooking the beach. When we sat down, you could not even see the beach because the fog was so thick, but by the end of our meal it had started to clear.
The next morning we awoke to sunny skies and much better views of the hills across the river. We had breakfast on the hotel's patio before heading for the town of George and our 9:00am tee time at George Golf Club. Estimating, incorrectly, that it was only 5 minutes away and not leaving enough time to get there, Dan got caught by a speeding camera, but we're hoping it never catches up to us;) Once we arrived, we were one of only a few groups out on the course, which was beautiful and very well maintained. We only played 9 holes but it was an interesting, lovely course.
Following golf, we drove along the coast to the town of Knysna. Knysna lagoon is a picturesque setting protected from the sea by two sandstone cliffs known as the Knysna Heads. Knysna is known historically because of a prominent landowner named George Rex, who claimed to be the son of King George III with his first wife Hannah Lightfoot, who the crown did not recognize because she was a Quaker. (!!) We drove up to the top of the Eastern Head for some great views of the lagoon before making our way back down to a cafe right on the water for some outstanding pizza.
After lunch, we attempted to drive over to some abandoned castles just east of town but the GPS wanted us to turn down a street that went straight through a shanty town and neither of us felt quite comfortable with that. So we made our way back to Wilderness and took a nice stroll down the beach. According to a hiking guide I had printed out, there was supposed to be a path towards the end of the beach, leading under the highway and up the hills a little, but since we couldn't find it, we just settled for a beach walk.
not what you would expect in the architecture of a beach house:
our treetop suite viewed from the main area of the B&B (with 'smokey' the cat on the porch):
That night we ate at a delicious steak house, another recommendation from the hosts. It was one of those really casual places with their cuts of meat listed on a chalk board and nothing on the menu but steak. All the steaks were served with fries and a fried egg. And I think we paid less than the equivalent of 20 pounds for the entire meal. We love you South Africa.
The next morning we were back on the road, heading east towards our next stop on the garden route, Tsitsikamma National Park. Tsitsikamma extends 42 miles along the coast and is full of hiking trails and lush forests. We parked at Storms River Mouth and took a hike from there across the suspension bridge and up to a great lookout over the ocean.
wild calla lilies:
After our hike, we drove the remainder of the garden route to our stop for that night, Port Elizabeth. As a place to visit, there is not much to see in Port Elizabeth and the rather small beaches are slightly diminished by the nearby industrial port but we took a nice sunset stroll down the beach and had dinner at a cute beach side cafe.
The next morning, after some shopping in town, we drove north to our home for the next three days and by far the most amazing part of our trip, the Amakhala Game Reserve. We checked in at the Inn right off the highway and were picked up by our ranger, Meina, along with a young British couple, Richard & Naomi, and driven out to Bush Lodge. Before we had even arrived at our lodge we passed a herd of zebra, several giraffe, and some monkeys and we knew this was going to be a fun few days. We were shown to our beautiful "tent" which was huge and included a patio with a plunge pool overlooking a watering hole, which upon our arrival was being visited by a giraffe.
checking out the giraffe from our tent:
We had lunch in the lodge before heading out on our first game drive. In terms of the variety of animals we saw, that first drive was probably the best one we went on. We saw tons of giraffe, zebra, lots of different antelope, an elephant, 3 rhino, and a cheetah. Apparently the cheetah are very elusive so we were lucky to see her. We were also lucky to have a great ranger and a fun couple with us and we had a really great time on all our drives.
Red Hartebeest:
This black wildebeest; who we named Kevin, had been standing in this same spot, waiting for a herd of females to wander by and join him, for literally 4 months according to our ranger:
the Amakhala reserve:
our first and only cheetah sighting:
Waterbuck:
White Rhino:
Impala:
Oryx:
Impala:
When we returned from our game drive, we were greeted with hot cocoa, the wood stove in our tent was lit and our bubble bath was filled. After a relaxing soak, we headed over to the main lodge for dinner with Richard and Naomi, as well as 2 other German couples who had been there all week. The food was wonderful and after dinner we all gathered around the outdoor fire pit to check out the stars, more than we had ever seen anywhere except maybe the Sahara desert. One of the staff had a cool star gazing laser pointer and a book on constellations and was helping us try to pick some out.
the main lodge:
The next morning, after a 5:30am wake up call, we were out on our first morning game drive at 6am. It was another great drive; we saw a lone elephant, more rhino, and lots of giraffe and zebra, which we quickly realized were quite prevalent.
Red Hartebeest:
female kudu:
Waterbuck:
Blesbok:
After returning to our lodge, we had a big breakfast and then had the next few hours to lounge around our tent, napping and soaking up the sun by our plunge pool before heading back for lunch, followed by our afternoon game drive.
That afternoon's drive was a little brutal. Just as we started out, a strong, cold wind started to blow and not only were we all freezing, but the wind drove the animals into hiding as well so we didn't see much. We did see the buffalo, one of the "Big 5" animals, which are rhino, elephant, buffalo, lion, and leopard (of which we saw 4 of the 5; we missed the leopard.)
Buffalo:
Eland:
This elephant wouldn't come out from behind the bush but when we first drove by, he was facing right at us, literally inches away:
the lone buffalo; the rest of the herd lives together on the other side of the reserve but this guy likes to hang out alone:
That night we were especially grateful for our fire warmed tent and hot bath:) We had another great dinner and evening; our last with the Germans as they were checking out in the morning.
The following morning's drive, in my opinion, was the best, as we got to see a 6 day old baby elephant. Our ranger told us as we set out that she was looking for a herd of elephants, 13 of them, who were all together protecting their new calf, who was born the previous weekend. When we found them, we were able to pull up just feet away from them and watch as they ate and interacted, but because they were in some bushes, we still weren't able to see the baby. As we watched, the older male who had been munching away just across the path from the others, made his way back to the pack, passing literally inches behind our jeep. We could have reached out and touched him, which of course we didn't as our ranger instructed us to stay still, don't make noise, and don't take pictures. Just after that, the elephants decided that they wanted to cross the path we were on and head down the hill and because we were blocking their way, started to get a little agitated. They trumpeted and flapped their ears, which was amazing, but we pulled away quickly so as not to get trampled! Once we got to a safe distance we watched as they came out of the bush and down the hill and we were finally able to see the baby, walking directly under the mama. He was so adorable, and much tinier than you'd expect, about the size of a large dog. It was mesmerizing to watch him waddle around and flop his trunk about, unsure yet of how to use it. I could have stayed there watching them all day.
Ostrich:
Vervet Monkey:
Kudu:
this is the male who passed just behind our jeep:
they got into a formation as they marched down the hill:
our first view of the baby; that tiny speck!:
our best warthog picture (they were always scampering away as soon as you got close):
we watched this giraffe try to eat that stick for probably 20 minutes:
Jackal:
a morning coffee stop:
After our morning drive, we had another relaxing day lounging by our plunge pool and taking a little walk around the lodge grounds. Dan had seen the monkeys playing in the trees by the main lodge that morning so we were on a hunt to find them but we were unsuccessful. It was a hot day so they may have been hunkered down somewhere shady. We did get a few great shots of some of the plant life in the area. The name of the reserve, Amakhala, actually means "Land of many aloes" and there are a number of different species of aloe all over the property.
That afternoon, our ranger gave us the option of taking a shorter game drive combined with a cruise on the river that runs through the reserve. We thought this would be a nice change of pace so we took her up on it. We didn't seen a lot of wildlife on the river but we did see some interesting birds, including the 'masked weaver' who create really interesting ball shaped nests.
Water Monitor:
Masked Weaver and his nest:
African Darter:
Weaver nests:
Back on our drive, we spotted a threesome of rhino and then stopped to examine an elephant skull. Our guide explained how most elephants die which is that older elephants, whose last set of teeth have worn down, move down to the marshes to eat the easier to chew vegetation there before even that becomes too hard and they starve to death. We also sampled some leaves from the bushes that the elephants eat which actually taste like apple skin and aren't half bad.
Cape Glossy Starlings, the bright blue bird perched on this rhino, like to hang around the rhinos and eat the bugs that they churn up out of the grass as they eat:
baby ostrich:
elephant skull:
That evening we had a small dinner, just the four of us, as no newcomers had checked in that day. We ate kudu, which was delicious, and enjoyed our last evening by the fire pit. The next morning we went out on our last game drive. After a pretty quiet start without many sightings, our ranger all of the sudden floored the jeep and started racing towards something. She told us she received a call that the lioness was out. We were all thrilled that we might see a lion because we had been told when we arrived that we may not. The lions had just had a cub and set up a den so the rangers were not able to go near the area because the lions were very protective. However, the lioness did leave the den to hunt every few days so we had kept up hope that she might wander out while we were there. As we neared the area, we almost cut off another jeep as we turned a corner, our guide explaining how important it was to be the first to a sighting as no more than two jeeps are allowed near an animal at one time. When we got to the area where she had been seen, before we spotted her, we saw several herds of antelope look in her direction and sprint away. We watched her stalk down the hill and pass just a few hundred feet in front of our jeeps. She was amazing to see and it was so cool to watch how the other animals reacted to her.
Seeing the lion was a great way to end our stay at Amakhala and after our morning drive and some breakfast, we packed up and said goodbye. Before leaving, we were able to check out some of the puff adder snakes they keep, which are highly venomous.
the family meerkat, Google:
We drove back to Port Elizabeth and with a few hours to kill before our evening flight, we took a stroll down the beach and had a long lunch at a beach side cafe. We were sad to leave but it was an amazing holiday and hopefully the first of many trips to Africa.
