A varied and beautiful country, South Africa has heaps to offer and is a great place to visit.  I went with a friend and we hired a car and drove around which was pretty easy.  That said, we didn’t drive in the big cities such as Johannesburg. I would love to go back and see more.  I didn’t do any wine tasting and as I love South African wines I feel this needs to be rectified!

When: October 2000

Where: Cape Town, Cape Point, Port Elizabeth, the Garden Route along the south coast, Durban, the Drakensberg mountains, The Kruger National Park.

Who: with a friend

How: Flew into Cape Town, out of Johannesberg, also flew between Port Elizabeth and Durban.  We hired a car and drove between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, and drove from Durban, through the Drakensberg, into the Kruger (you can take your own car!) and out to Jo’berg.

Weather: It was spring there, so sunny and sometimes overcast, warm but not hot. Nights were cool.

Food:  Affordable and HUGE portions.  We ate so well, but I don’t think I managed to finish a meal.  I enjoyed eating ostrich for the first time. Lots of meat and potatoes.

Sights & Activities:  Cape Town, especially Table Mountain, going down to Cape Point and thinking “wow if I head south from here I’ll get to Antartica…” Driving along the beautiful garden route, the Drakensberg mountains and a safari in the Kruger Park.

Highlights: I loved the Drakensberg mountains where I got to see some rock paintings and carvings.  Having studied these at university and done my dissertation on African rock art, it was great to see it for real.  Hanging out in Cape Town was fun. The trip in the Kruger was outstanding.  You can driver your own car and stay in designated places within the park.  We saw giraffes and lions walking right next to our car.  We also took a couple of evening safaris (independent drivers must be in the camp/hotel sights before 6.00pm) and on one of these we witnessed a pride of lionesses make a kill.  Really amazing.  Watching them hunt, stalk, attack and kill was something to behold.  The gazelle was bones within minutes!

Tips:  Despite lots of warnings about car-jackings and the dangers of South Africa I never felt particularly unsafe.  That said, you do need to be careful.  Driving at night isn’t ideal.  It’s a good idea to know where you’re going and where you’re going to stay.

If you are in the Kruger, stay in Olifants Rest Camp – gorgeous views of the river!