South African Travel Pass all way Guide: Through a giant’s garden of dense forests and precipitous gorges November 1, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Map, Rail Pass, Tickets, Tour, Trails , 2commentsEast of Plettenberg Bay the Tsitsikamma (sparkling water) Mountains crowd in towards the sea, ensuring a rich rainfall throughout the year. Our route leads along the coastal plateau at the foot of the mountains, through a quiet world of high, primeval forest, and deep gorges rushing clear mountain streams to the sea.
Leave PlettenBberg bay by driving past the beach and across the Piesang River, then turn right into Piesang Valley Road. Turn left after 200m into Robberg Drive — noting your kms. After 3,4 km turn left and follow this side-road to the parking area at the beginning of the Robberg peninsula. (more…)
Four Passes that link together the pastoral patchwork of the Boland October 17, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Africa, Cape Town, Memorial, Museum, Rail Pass, Restaurant, South Africa, Tickets, Tour , 2commentsThe Boland mountains, long an obstruction to the pioneers, are crossed today by several easy, scenic passes. The passes overlook fertile valleys blanketed with vineyards, fields and orchards, where gracious homesteads nestle beneath craggy peaks. Our route through this region is on good tarred roads, and passes a number of attractive picnic sites.
Begin this drive at Rhodes Memorial. From here you have a view across the Cape Flats towards the distant mountains through which our route meanders. (more…)
Amazing South Africa Safari, following the Orange River to the ‘Place of Great Noise’ October 3, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Africa, Botswana, Cape Town, Museum, Tour, Trails , comments closedAugrabies is a place of striking contrast. In a land of little rain the surging waters of the Orange River create a ribbon of life, then thunder over one of the world’s mightiest waterfalls. This drive leads from Upington to the Augrabies Falls National Park, passing through Keimoes and Kakamas. All but a few kilometres of the route is tarred.
Our first stop of the day is Upington’s famous avenue of palms at the Eiland (island) holiday resort. To get there,
Drive south-west along Schröder Street, passing on your left the old mission complex that now houses the town’s museum. Turn left at the stop sign, noting your kms. After some 200 m you pass on your left an irrigation canal and a bakkiespomp (bucket pump).
Passing on Victoria Water Falls, Shooting the Zambezi, Escape into Africa July 10, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Botswana, Hotels, Lodges, Passport, South Africa, Tour, USA, United Kingdom, Victoria Falls, Zambia , 4commentsA white line still bisected the bridge, but its meaning had gone and the menace with it. Now the only sentry was a baboon sitting on a fence barking at a warthog on the other side of the road.
Early morning, sun up but cool, just two of us on the bridge at Victoria Falls, between Zimbabwe and Zambia. We looked down at the pale green Zambesi 300 feet below. Cecil Rhodes had wanted the bridge built close enough to the Falls to catch the spray. Usually it does. However, this was September and the “Falls” in front of us were just a curtain of rock. The rains had been good; not good enough, though, to make up for years of drought.
Only on the Zimbabwean side did the river reach over and plunge in. Its noise was like distant motorway traffic.
We were about to go down the river on a rubber raft. We were to start at the bottom of the Falls and travel six miles down the Zambesi through zigzagging gorges . . . and over nine rapids. Why on earth had we agreed to it? Sarah didn’t even like putting her head under water in the bath. As for me, the wake of a passing launch under a scull on the Thames was the nearest I’d ever got to white water. (more…)
