Explore South Africa: a Country Steeped in Scenic Beauty, Incredible Wildlife, Amazing Vineyards and a Vibrant Diverse Culture

If you are looking for new adventures and a diverse travel destination, South Africa has so much to offer both the discerning traveler as well as the more adventurous explorer. A country of juxtapositions, steeped in beauty, with the most scenic beaches, amazing wines and vineyards, diverse local culture and not least, a great place to explore safaris.

Rugged scenery south of Cape Town

I first explored South Africa’s rich culture when I designed a Freedom College for the ANC in Tanzania between 1981 and 1983 for South Africans, who had fled from the anti-apartheid regime, mostly after the Soweto uprisings. Living with the young South Africans I became deeply moved by their stories, struggles, songs and dances. It was high time for me to to explore the real new South Africa by my own eyes.

Waking up: view over Cape Town and Table Mountain from Cape Town hollow Boutique Hotel

I will share our 8 day itinerary: everybody told me, first visit Cape Town with its majestic scenic beauty, anchored by Table Mountain visible from everywhere and framed by strings of scenic and stunning beaches, some calm, others quite rugged.

Day 1: Cape Town

Visiting Green Street Market with its vibrant market stalls of African art and accessories is a great way to start an immersion into the vibrant, diverse culture, especially after a long international flight. The sound of drums and songs performed by Zulu or Xhosa children in their colorful outfits and striking face paintings gets under your skin instantaneously, and you know you have reached a place so full of soul and history, that you cannot resist walking with a different rhythm. Take a break at one of the cafes along the square to inhale the ambiance and do shop for gifts or accessories here.

The street leading into Green Street Market features a small antique market and some interesting African fashion and artifact stores, mostly featuring work by local nearby tribal women.

Xhosa beauties at Green Market

Walk a few streets north to explore the colorful former Malay Quarter Bo-Kaap: a former township located on the slopes of Signal Hill, with houses painted in camera begging, extremely vibrant colors; an exuberant expression of joy and juxtaposition of colors. It dates back to the 1760’s when numerous houses were built and leased to slaves, known as Cape Malays. Originally all the houses had to all be white, but when this rule was lifted, all the houses were painted bright colors by their owners as an expression of their freedom. The houses are repainted each year. Explore the shrines, mosques, food and crafts markets. A perfect setting for selfies against brightly painted walls. My only regret is that the area is smaller than I thought.

Colorful Bo-Kaap: a visual delight located below Signal Hill

Next a 20 minute walk (or what seemed like an equally long taxi ride) to the V&A Waterfront (Victoria & Albert Docks) where old warehouses, rustic cranes and Dutch Colonial customs buildings have been rejuvenated to feature an array of restaurants along the harbor front, some with a DJ on the boardwalk adding an extra contemporary African vibe. We enjoyed the Alba Lounge & Restaurant so much that we came back twice to savor the dock-side dining under the resident DJ’s entertainment. The salad bar and lamb chops are mouth-watering accompanied by a delicious red wine.

V&A Victoria & Albert Harborfront view of old rustic cranes and warehouses

Located at the V&A, the newly opened Zeitz MOCAA, Contemporary African Art museum is a brilliant adaptive reuse located in an old granary silo complex. This is a breathtaking experience where artistic laser cut interventions reveal the interconnected concrete silos in the most breathtaking, almost cathedral-like execution. We were captivated for hours, mostly by the exposed and dissected architectural volumes. The majority of the art museum collections are located in boxy neutral rooms stacked behind the silos, making it a more serene undisturbed art experience. Take time to explore the intriguing exhibitions and art installations.

An old granary silo complex: an intriguing adaptive re-use as MOCAA, a contemporary art museum at V&A Harborfront

Architectural section showing the laser-cut grain inspired sections through the old silo complex

Intriguing art installations at MOCAA

A seemingly intimidating spiral staircase inside one of the silos connect all 10 floors while revealing different strategically cut view ports into the main sculptural volume. 2 elevators are located in each their own silo. Jochen Zeitz, a German business man, provided his collection of Contemporary African art and partly finances the running of the museum.  Open from 10AM to 6PM, closed on Tuesdays.

Spiralling stair inside a silo

Above the silos is the new ultra exclusive boutique hotel, appropriately named Silo Hotel. The reception adjacent to the museum entrance, featuring old granary equipment. You can access the restaurant and bar above the museum, featuring spectacular views above the V&A, but make reservations. The guestrooms feature extruding multifaceted double height window walls, reminiscent of close-up of bulging insect eyes. The pool is glass sided on the roof top. Email: reservations@trp.travel.

The new exquisite luxury Silo Hotel hovers above the old granary silo complex

Spectacular city view from the Silo Restaurant

Day 2: Cape Town

 A great way to explore Cape Town is through their hop-on, hop-off CitySightseeing busses. A number of different routes connect different parts of the city to beaches, winelands and to TableTop Mountain.

Take the CitySightseeing Blue Line double decker bus from the heart of the city along a stunning long drive. Jump off at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens to explore the amazing wonders of the abundant Southern nature.

Next stop is a change point at Constantia Nek Winestop. Take the wine route bus first to the beautiful wine estate of Groot Constantia which is the oldest wine estate in South Africa and a provincial heritage site. Visit the Cape-Dutch Colonial estate building (a museum) and take the wine tour through the process of wine making. Then reward yourself with samples of superb wines. The Museum is particularly focused on rural slavery and the life of slaves during the early Cape Colonial period, but also features period estate furniture. Old wine estate buildings feature ornamental architectural pediments and gables, and the old stable building houses a restaurant.

The earliest wine estate in South Africa: Groot Constantia is an excellent example of Cape-Dutch Colonial Architecture

Next stop: Eagles Nest Wine Farm, more tasting and finally Beau Constantia Wine Estate. Enjoy sampling of excellent flavorful wines in a very contemporary renovated stable building. I highly recommend having lunch at the cozy thatched roof restaurant at the Constantia Nek wine bus stop. The interiors exude ambiance and you deserve a great meal after the excellent wine tastings.

Change bus back to the Blue line driving through some of the wealthiest and lushest areas of the outskirts of Cape Town.

Visit Imizamo Yethu for a sobering guided Township Walking Tour experience. The CitySightSeeing bus company has partnered up with the township which provides a resident guide to take you through the Township’s rustic alley ways flanked by corrugated tin houses. Almost all houses have no running water, no toilets and no air conditioners inside the sweltering hot tin houses. You will visit a couple of local residents to see how amazingly well they cope with living under primitive circumstances, as well as visit the public water well (which is rather shocking), a church and a local grocery store. The narrow streets and alleys are very uneven, but clean, and the women were well dressed in their best colorful church attires, while some men were drinking in the few shady spots or gathering at the local community center.

Imizamo Yethu Township

My husband was at first not quite comfortable, but when visiting South Africa it is in my opinion important to visit townships as segregation is still alive, at least financially. Most of the women are maids for the surrounding wealthy homes. In spite of the extreme poverty the township felt safe and friendly and the people we met were very friendly. The walking tour fee supports the village.

Continue the bus ride along rugged and beautiful beaches at Camps Bay, Clifton, Sea Point and Three Anchor Bay. I wish I had time to jump off the bus to explore the extraordinary rugged beaches, but the bus line only runs till around sunset.

The rugged coast line south of Cape Town

Stop at Victoria & Alfred Waterfront for a well-deserved dinner and relaxing evening.

Day 3, 4 & 5: Safari

A 3 ½ hour flight to Krueger National Park and a ½ hour drive brought us to the friendly and quaint Senalala Luxury Safari Camp, to visit the African bushveld in Greater Krueger National Park. A dry riverbed separates the camp from the waterhole, which allowed us to view an array of animals from the social seating deck area or our room when relaxing. All-inclusive, the rates include twice-daily game drives, walking safaris, all meals and a great selection of South African wines and beverages. 8 thatched villas accommodate max. 16 visitors, making it a more private and social experience, especially having dinner with the game guides, sharing stories after a full day of adventure.

A night time visitor at Senalala Luxury Safari Camp

The game drivers are excellent and have an amazing ability to “read” signs in nature which tell which animals are nearby and how long ago they passed. A very educational experience. They will do everything it takes to make sure you get to see all the Big-Five. One night, when we were gathered for dinner at the outdoor dining table after a day where most animals seemed to hibernate in the heat of the South African summer, one of the guides suddenly spotted a leopard at the waterhole across from the camp. Immediately all guests were ushered into the jeeps and we managed to spot the leopard close-up. Another night the guides were told that a group of lions had gathered along a dry riverbed. Again, they managed to drive us through the dense darkness of the bush, aided by only stars and flashlights, to get us as close as safety allowed to view a couple of mature lions with their young pups, after first passing a herd of elephants with their flapping ears and trumpeting trunks guiding their babies while crossing the dirt road in front of our jeeps. 

The ultimate high point was taking a walking safari with AJ. His innate knowledge of nature and ability to read the smallest signs brought us so close to 2 large rhinos that we could hear them breathe. Needless to say, we were as quiet as possible, as just breaking a twig could send the rhinos chasing after us.

Walking safari: rhino close-up encounter

AJ guarded us with his gun, just in case the situation turned dangerous, as a last resort. At the dry riverbed we got close to an elephant digging for water with his trunk to take a well-deserved beverage and shower plus learning to study traces, dung and a number of the smaller insects and animals which you cannot explore from a jeep. Thankfully we did not encounter any snakes.

Walking safari with AJ

In 3 days, we were delighted to see all Big-Fives and so much more.

Contact: senalalacamp@gmail.com.

Day 6: Pringle Bay

Our day started by getting up before 5 am for a final safari drive, a delightful lunch and then a short drive before our flight back to Cape Town, where we rented a car to drive down south of Cape Town to sleepy Pringle Bay. The nature is rugged and the coastal drive is gorgeous. We rented the cozy, charming and eclectic Fynbos House, which is located on a hilly site with a fabulous view. The town only has a couple of restaurants, making it advisable to make a reservation in advance.

Serenity and beauty in nature at Pringle Bay

The charming Fynbos House gives you an authentic South African casual authentic experience

Day 7: After a morning exploring Pringle Bay’s rocky beaches with stunning photo opportunities (and unusual large seashells), we walked through the sand dunes to the long crescent shaped pure white sandy beach, before the rain started pouring down. A welcoming event as Cape Town was experiencing a severe drought during our visit in February 2018, which could have shut off all water supplies to Cape town by mid-April. Both locals and tourists were engaging in water conservation efforts, which was very educational, especially  when visiting from Los Angeles, a semi-arid city.

Penguin Reserve at Boulder Beach near the southern tip of South Africa, home to thousands of African penguins

Driving south we visited the Penguin Reserve at Boulders Beach near Simon’s Town, in a natural seaside environment with thousands of African penguins. In spite of challenging weather conditions due to the windy rain it was amazing to observe so many adorable penguins frolicking on the rocks and waddling into the ocean.  

The weather finally cleared and we started the 1 ½ hour drive along the winding scenic ocean road leading inland to Stellenbosch’s winelands. We stayed at Spier Hotel and Vineyard, which is housed at a beautiful old Cape-Dutch architectural winery estate founded in 1692, where artistic endeavors, delightfully crafted food and wine mingle. Spier Hotel is housed in new spacious 2-story villas on the vineyard estate, offering luxurious and very comfortable accommodations with cozy fireplaces.

Spacious and super comfortable guestrooms at Spier Wine Estate

Spier houses one of the largest collections of contemporary art in the country and is supporting South Africa’s arts community through artisan studios with working artisans and an outdoor arts market.

Spier Wine Estate at Stellenbosch

You will find 3 restaurants on the grounds - Eight Restaurant, the Hotel Restaurant and Vadas Smokehouse serve fresh farm-to-table food; the wines are earthy and delightfully bold. Reservations are required at Eight and Vadas. The large lawn is a favorite picnic ground for nearby Cape Town families. Enjoy a hamper from the Spier Farm Kitchen packed with delicious seasonal favorites under the shady large old oaks, while kids can roam on the large lawn. The wine tasting room is exquisite and offers great social gathering tables for larger groups.  www.spier.co.za

Day 8: Exploring Stellenbosch before heading back to Cape Town Airport

First a morning stroll through the beautiful Spier Winery complex, visiting the Art Studio, Art & Crafts Market and the Wine Cellar, followed by a scenic drive to Jordan Winery, where we enjoyed a wine safari/tasting before a farm-to-table lunch at the terrace.

Jordan Winery offers wine safaris with wine tasting in the vineyard

Stellenbosch is both poetic and scenic, with its rolling hills and vineyards dotting the landscape, flanked by hilly ridges. Franschoek is one of the oldest towns along the wine route , adjacent to many vineyards, quaint and loaded with charm. Small shuttle buses take visitors to different routes of nearby vineyards.

Delaire Graff Winery features a bespoke art collection and stunning sunset viewing

Our last stop was a guided art tour at the Delaire Graff Estate, nestled between majestic mountains and overlooking the vineyards of Stellenbosch. The estate is relatively new, but offers the ultimate in hospitality as a bespoke luxury destination resort for art, wine, spa and hospitality. The art collection is exquisite and the art tour guide brings you through the estate. Besides the art collection, the highlight was watching the spectacular sunset from the outdoor terrace, while delighting in wine tasting and delicious bites. The 2 excellent restaurants require reservations, but we had to head back to the airport for a long flight back to the US.

Delaire Graff: art in the wine tasting bar

I had previously met Mariette Du Toit-Humbold, Chief Destineer at Destinate Travel and Style, who was a featured fellow speaker about Tourism destinations in South Africa, at a Hotel of the Future conference in Mauritius and sought her out to schedule our 8 days in South Africa. I highly recommend her immense insight and knowledge facilitating such a rich and memorable exploration in her beautiful motherland South Africa. I could not have packed so many different facets into my all too short stay without her help! In eight days, you can only explore the tip of the iceberg. There are so many other authentic experiences to explore and savor, meaning I will have to come back for more, soon.

Visit the website @www.destinate.co.za

“If you are looking for new adventures and a diverse travel destination, South Africa has so much to offer both the discerning traveler as well as the more adventurous explorer”