South Africa
Reasons to go:
1. Kruger National Park
Almost 20,000 square kilometers (bigger than the whole of Eswatini) of unique ecosystems teaming with animals. The best way to explore the park is in your own (rented) car. Driving is allowed only during daylight hours; average speed 25km/h. In my opinion the best time to visit is in November - it’s spring time in South Africa and many animals have babies.
Use this online guide to get a rough idea of which parts you want to see, and use this map to make good accomodation choices. Once you arrive, buy the latest edition of Kruger Park Map & Guide (I hate paper copies of anything, but I did not regret this purchase).
A couple of beautiful drives just outside the park: Panorama route (takes the whole day) and the scenic drive from Malelane Gate of the park to Kruger Mpumalanga Airport along the N4.
2. Garden route - coastal area from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town
Port Elizabeth:
- Best place to stay is around Stanley street. I’ve had great food at Kok (booking required), also nice falafel at Gypsy Shawarmas and Fish, Indian food at Royal Delhi Restaurant. The Kindred Kitchen is good and Muse is still on my to-visit list.
- Go for a walk in Settlers Park Local Authority Nature Reserve, finish with great food at Baobab Wholefood Cafe. And check out the building the cafe is located in.
- SANCCOB Gqeberha - penguin rescue centre where you can learn all about them.
- The Start of Sacramento Trail features beautiful rocks, and Sardinia Bay has sand dunes.
Jeffrey’s Bay:
- Seal point - beach made of sea shells, the first time I’ve seen anything like it. Shark point opposite has beautiful rocks and dunes.
- Gamtoos Mouth Resort - more dunes.
- Tasty Table is a local gem.
Tsitsikamma National Park:
- Loads of hiking trails. The Waterfall trail (3km each way, includes rock hopping) is my favourite hike in the whole of the Garden route; try to spot dassies. The Storms river mouth trail (1km) is a must because a very short walk will reward you with beautiful views of the canyon; look out for dassies under the second suspension bridge.
- Tsitrus Café is a local gem.
- A lunch at Fynboshoek Cheese is still on my to-visit list. Book well in advance. And I’ve heard rumours that cheesecake can be requested for the day you are visiting.
Nature’s Valley:
- The Salt River Hiking Trail is great.
- Nature’s Valley beach is great.
- Natures Way Farm Stall is an absolute must; plan to eat there and buy loads of things to take with you. Also look out for other Farm Stalls along the Garden route.
The Crags:
- Lawnwood Snake Sanctuary - a great place to handle snakes and learn about them.
- Birds of Eden - 220 species of colourful birds in 20,000 square meter covered forest. Bring binoculars and expect to spend a long time here.
- Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation & Awareness Centre - a one hour guided tour will show you most if not all local big cats.
- If you have time left, Monkeyland is a fun place to see monkeys being funny.
Plettenberg Bay:
- Boat tours depart from here to see seals, dolphins (you are more likely to be lucky if you pick a very early boat) and whales (if it is the season). I loved my experience with Ocean Blue Adventures.
- Robberg Nature Reserve - beautiful hiking area and beaches. In December, hike to The Island (the little peninsula) to see babies of sea birds.
Knysna:
- Hiking in the area is definitely better than a boring boat cruise I booked.
- The only thing to do in town is brunch - Il de Pain, East Head Café Knysna, and Salt & Petal are all supposed to be great. If you are passing by, see Knysna Heads from the East Head View Point.
- Driving west, Seven Passes Drive is a good alternative to N2.
Wilderness:
- Rent a canoe to row along the Touw River to the start of the Wilderness Trail Waterfall - canoeing and a hike makes for a great day. There are other hiking and canoeing routes in the area too.
- Wilderness Beach is great.
- Two things are not to be missed in George - Outeniqua Transport Museum (old trains) and Bayleaf Café (an absolute gem, and the sign is not a joke - don’t step on the wild chameleons).
Calitzdorp, Oudtshoorn and Prince Albert:
- Calitzdorp, on the Klein Karoo Wine Route, is the best place in South Africa to sample port-style wines. Boplaas Winery and Distillery was my favourite.
- Five Shy Meerkats offers a unique opportunity to see meerkats waking up, warming their bellies in the sun and heading off for a day of foraging. Don’t be put off by the early meeting time, this experience is totally worth all your efforts.
- Oudtshoorn has several ostrich farms open to visitors. I loved my visit to Safari Ostrich Farm.
- Cango caves are beautiful (booking required).
- Swartberg Pass is one of the most geologically exciting drives in the whole of the Garden route. After the drive you could stay in Prince Albert - a cute little town with several good restaurants.
Hermanus:
- Cliff Path park is the place to be during whale season.
- My sweetest memories of Hermanus are pastries at The Gallery Café and breakfast at Just Pure.
- Hemel-en-Aarde Wine Valley. As a transport between different wineries, I had good experience with Wine Hoppers.
- West of Hermanus is the Stony Point Penguin Colony, which is a must.
- East of Hermanus is Walker Bay Nature Reserve. Grotto Beach, at one end of the reserve, is great. At the other end of the reserve there are Klipgat Caves, beautiful rocks and hiking along the beach. Cage diving to see sharks up close can be done nearby.
Franschhoek:
- Franschhoek Wine Valley has both wines and scenery. As a transport between different wineries, I had a good experience on the purple/orange route of the Wine Tram. I enjoyed less popular wineries (where less people get off the tram) much more than the famous ones.
- Terbodore Café is perfect for breakfast; and Col’Cacchio is there for you if you are craving high-carb comfort food after the wine tour.
- Uitkyk Trail is a beautiful hike in Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve.
- Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden is still on my to-visit list.
3. Drakensberg
- Sentinel Peak Hike to Tugela Falls (via Chain Ladder Route) is amazing. If you have time, also try hikes starting from Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge.
- Lesotho has a lot of breathtaking views. For example, Sani pass and Mafika Lisiu Pass. Beware, there are no can openers in the country; if you didn’t bring it, you won’t be able to buy one.
- Dragon Rock Reptile and Nature Park - a wonderful place where you can handle snakes.
- Benvie Garden is great.
- In nearby Durban, three things are not to be missed: Durban botanical garden, The Glenwood Bakery and the beach.
4. Cape Town
Cape Town reminded me of Los Angeles.
Best neighbourhood to stay in is Sea Point, near Sunset Beach. There are loads of great food places and a wonderful running route along the ocean.
Hiking:
- Lion’s Head hike - so satisfying I did it twice in the same week.
- Table Mountain hike, from the Platteklip Gorge Starting Point.
- A hike from Sandy Bay Parking area to Sandy Bay nudist beach and to Bos 400 shipwreck (look for “Ou Schip” on Google maps).
- Still on my to-visit list: Cape of the Good Hope national park, Cape Point and Diaz Beach.
Other stuff:
- Boulders Penguin Colony - expensive but worth it.
- Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden - great place to explore fynbos plants.
- Hout Bay Beach, especially at sunset.
- Architecture of Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art (I’ve not been inside) and surrounding buildings, and the whole V & A Waterfront area.
Food and drink:
- Hemelhuijs - my best meal in South Africa. They only do brunch, and they are really good at it.
- Indian food: Curry Club on New Church street, Awara Restaurant and Shamani Indian Cuisine (in Woodstock).
- Ethiopian food: Ethiopian Madam Taitou, owned by a wonderful owner Solomon. He also has a second location - Timbuktu Cafe, which I haven’t visited.
- Art of Duplicity - best cocktails in town, in a Prohibition-Era cocktail club. Booking required. Yes, it’s not on Google maps. Look around Truth Coffee Roasting.
- The Gin Bar - they make great negronis too.
- Good hangout spots are Yours Truly on Kloof Street (drinks and pizza) and The Neighbourgoods Market inside The Old Biscuit Mill (in Woodstock, weekends only).
- In Sea Point my favourites were: Jarryds Espresso Bar + Eatery, Bentleys Bread, Scheckter’s RAW, Vagabond Kitchens and Moro Gelato.
Note: I’ve tried to rent a car in Cape Town twice (more than a month apart and from different companies), both times I paid online but there was no car when I arrived to pick it up. If it’s mission critical, rent from the airport. If not, see if you are more lucky than me.
Notes:
- Load shedding notifier - install this app on your phone to know when to expect electricity blackouts.
- I’ve used both MTN and Vodacom sim cards. MTN seems to have better coverage across the country. Both are hard to top-up; beware of deals that offer you loads of data but that can only be used at night.
- Capitec bank ATMs charge 50 rand per withdrawal.
- Best grocery stores: Woolworth and Checkers. In particular, I ate a lot of macadamia nut butter.
- Even if it is not on the menu, every place has rooibos tea - in case you need a drink free of alcohol, caffeine and sugar. If you do need caffeine, but get a blank stare after ordering a black tea, ask for Five Roses (most popular local brand).
- In Johannesburg the best areas to stay are Parkhurst, Greenside and Parkview. Brenthurst Gardens is still on my to-visit list, booking is required to visit. Johannesburg prides itself for being the largest man-made urban forest in the world. The best time to visit Johannesburg is from late September to mid-November, when Jacaranda trees are flowering.