South Africa Travel Blog

I make it back to Africa. Cape Town. I arrive in the afternoon, and figure out a taxi to my hotel. No problem, an easy event. 250Rand. My hotel is high up the slopes of Table Mountain, in Higgovale. And its a marvelous B&B – Rose Dene. I immediately feel at home.

Walking to my dinners, and exploring Cape Town was an absolute blast. I felt at ease and welcomed. Down a hundred city streets. Visiting their 1600’s Dutch Star Castle/Fort. Enjoying its history and museums, its art. Finding the National Art museum. Having expresso on the streets. Cape Town is somewhere I could live! I don’t feel the pressure of racial tension that dominates world news of South Africa. Cape Town is a modern, prosperous city. Full of first class restaurants, a beautiful wharf and tons of tourist activities.

Straight away I book a hike up the iconic Table Mountain. A 3+ hour hike to the Summit… worth every second. My guide teaches me of the plants and history here. Of the KhoiKhoi that inhabited the Cape when the Portuguese first visited. Of current events. We speak of the world, of the fast changing South Africa. Apartheid impact still being absorbed. It’s a day I’ll remember. One of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. At the Summit we take the Cable Car back to the bottom. Views of the 12 Apostles, Lion Head, Camps Bay, the entire city-scape of Cape Town. I have been fortunate, perfect visibility and a perfect day for hiking.

I continue my exploration of the region by taking a tour bus to Cape Point. We stop a Boulders to enjoy the playful African Penguins – no one can resist them!! Adorable. Then onto the Cape Point national park. A staggering 1000+ species of plants live here. A true crossroads of Biology. I also find Ostridge, Antelope, Seals, Baboon and more. What a place. Hiking the dramatic coastline to Cape of Good Hope, up to the Cape Point Lighthouse was a push.. The winds at least 30 knots. I could just imagine sailing around the Horn of Africa in the 1800’s, - Crazy adventure, where can I sign up?

Pushing on for more of South Africa, I’m back at the airport. The start of my planned Safari in thru 4 Southern African countries. I’ll start with Kruger in South Africa, and fly to Hoedspruit, an airport near this famous wildlife park.

For my stay here at Kruger, I choose a private concession, a game park that is attached to the ‘official’ Kruger Reserve. No fences separate the many private reserves, and the animals wander freely. My camp, Simbavati is in the private concession Timbavati. Time to learn a little Zulu 😊 , and Shona, and Ndebele. – ahhh!! Impossible for me.

This Kruger luxury Safari camp feeds me like a king, and takes me on two game drives each day. 3 days of Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Zebras, Rhinos and all the other well known African animals. I take 1000 photos. Safari’s are magical. Each unique. The landscape here is mostly flat, short trees, with river cuts criss crossing the entire reserve. We drive the bumpy dirt roads, tracking the animals. Unlike the other Safari’s I’ve been on, the animals are almost like pets… Very accustomed to the jeeps. We get up close to many of them for fantastic pictures. The camp staff treat us to a Tribal dance on evening – I love their energy and culture. So unique and different than mine.. that’s what I crave while traveling. Unique, different, memorable. I find it here in Kruger.

I add a few extra days near the nearby Drakensberg mountains and stay at a hotel… unfortunately, I’m the only guest, and the restaurant is closed, making for a troublesome effort to find food.. not the adventure I needed after a Safari.. and the Internet is worse then at the Safari camp… oh well, TIA..… But, here, I see more swimming Elephants at an Elephant Sanctuary – cool. My reason for adding the Mountain visit, is to drive the thru the mountains. Waterfalls and Panoramic views of South Africa. Its pristine, colorful, powerful. I’m on an another adventure. Lisbon Falls, Berlin Falls, The Three Rondaweis, Gods Window, Blyde Canyon. All grand views of mountains over the South African lowlands. Another lesson on South Africa.

But ohh. Bad news has arrived. Chaos again!!!!. My onward travel plan to Botswana has been canceled. I don’t have a Rona Booster in the last 6 months,, and they deny my entry. PIA !!! So I need to adjust for a longer stay in Zimbabwe. Be flexible I remind myself. Relax. TIA.

So I adjust the travel plan, and jump onto another airplane for Livingston, Zambia and another Safari.. I’ll blog about that separately… in my Zambia/Zimbabwe Travelogue.

After my Zam/Ziim visit, I head back to Cape Town for another visit, and to retrieve my dive gear.

More flights, Immigration clearance, PCR tests. I return to my same wonderful B&B in Cape Town. Time to rest and catch my breath. Safari’s are exciting, but definitely tire you. Here back in South Africa I’ll just enjoy the comfort of this city. Getting a Hair cut (always an adventure around the planet), having expresso’s, meeting new friends.

I'll always include a stop in Cape Town while in this part of Africa. Its fits me like a glove!