South Africa Travel Guide: Unspoilt forests and wild beaches surround the ‘friendly city’ November 6, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Africa, Europe, Museum, Oceanarium, Rail Pass, Tickets, Tour, Trails , 2commentsThere are many places within easy reach of Port Elizabeth that offer fine walks and hikes through unspoilt natural surroundings. Even within the boundaries of the city, walkers who take to the Guinea Fowl Trail through Settlers Park Nature Reserve will be surprised by the wildness of the area.
Settlers Park contains some 160 different trees and shrubs, and is noted for its richly varied birdlife — which includes the Knysna loerie, giant kingfisher, fork-tailed drongo, gymnogene, herons, Guinea fowl and Egyptian geese. Also common are dassies (Hyrax), tortoises and leguans. The Guinea Fowl Trail takes two to three hours to walk, but is relatively easy. Many shorter walks through the park are also possible, and the park has several entry points, making it easily accessible from almost any part of the city. (more…)
South African Travel Guide: ‘Gem of the Karoo’ in a spacious mountain setting November 6, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Accommodation, Cape Town, Europe, Hostels, Hotels, India, London, Memorial, Museum, Rail Pass, South Africa, Tickets, Tour , 3comments
Ying in a loop of the Sundays River, beneath the distinctive dome of Spandau Kop, the old town of Graaff-Reinet is progressively being restored to the glory that earned it the title ‘Gem of the Karoo’. Another title, conferred by a Cape Town newspaper last century, was ‘Athens of the Eastern Cape‘ — a reflection of the town’s reputation as a cultural centre.
The citizens of Graaff-Reinet took some time to attain this status — the town was first no more than a straggling lane of mud huts. These nevertheless constituted one of the capital cities of the world when Graaff-Reinet declared itself an independent ‘republic’ only 10 years after being established. (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…)
The ‘Land van Waveren’ and the wild beauty of Bain’s Kloof part 2 October 12, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Accommodation, Beach Resorts, Cape Town, Europe, Hotels, Rail Pass, South Africa, Tickets, Tour, Wellington , 3commentsBain’s Kloof to Cape Town
From the viewsite the road winds down the pass to Wellington. Turn right at the T-junction into Main Street. After 1,5 km turn left at the four- way stop street, and right at the T-junction onto the R44, noting your kms.
Continue straight at the intersection with the Paarl-Malmesbury road. After 12,3 km turn right for Dubanville (R312), and roughly 22 km later turn left at the T-junction.
The road enters Durbanville 5 km after this. Turn left into Main Road, and follow the signs onto the N1 for Cape Town. (more…)
A Sunburned Haven for Sea Birds and Hardy Fishermen part 2 October 10, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Africa, Air Tickets, Cape Town, Greenland, Hotels, Sightseeing, South Africa, Tour, Trails, Trip , 2commentsDwarskersbos to Cape Columbine
Return to Laaiplek, turning left out of Jameson Street into Voortrekker Street, then turn right in Velddrif to cross the Berg River bridge. 1,5 km later, turn right onto the R399 towards Vredenburg and Saldanha. After 10 km on the R399 turn right towards St Helena Bay.
The road passes close to the sea at St Helena Bay, with views of fishermen’s cottages, the harbour, and the first of a succession of fish- processing factories. A sign indicates the way to the Da Gama Monument, a few hundred metres to the right of the road. Immediately after the monument turn left onto a gravel road towards Vredenburg and Paternoster. (more…)
A Thundering Waterfall in a dry, Desert Landscape September 30, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Africa, Air Tickets, Cape Town, Europe, Geographic, Round The World, Tour, Trails, Travellers Cheque, Zambia , 3commentsKnown to the wandering Khoikhoi as Aukoerebis (place of great noise), the Augrabies Falls thunder over a great granite slash in the barren bushveld of the northern Cape. Here the tumbling waters of the Orange River go mad in a series of deep ravines and dangerous, dizzying cliffs.
The first white man to see the falls was a Swedish-born soldier named Hendrik Wikar. Wikar deserted his post at the Cape in 1775 to escape an accumulation of gambling debts, and for four years he wandered through the uncharted country now known as the northern Cape describing in a journal, (more…)
