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…)
The Strandveld Holiday— exploring the southernmost Shores of Africa October 17, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Africa, Hotels, Memorial, Museum, Tickets , 2commentsLying at the southernmost tip of Africa, the Strandveld is an isolated land of sun- bleached sand dunes and beautiful bays. Popular holiday resorts now dot a coastline feared by generations of sailors and littered by countless shipwrecks. About two-thirds of this route is on tar and the remainder is on good gravel.
The western end of Hermanus, turn inland from Main Road into Rotary Way, and follow this scenic mountain drive for some 3,7km to the point where it forks. Park near the benches on the right, from where there is a fine view over the town and the full sweep of the Walker Bay coastline. (more…)
Amazing South Africa Safari, following the Orange River to the ‘Place of Great Noise’ continue… October 3, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Africa, Map, Rail Pass, Restaurant, South Africa, Tickets, Tour, Trails, Trip , 3commentsAugrabies Falls National Park
Close to the entrance there is an information centre where you can obtain a free booklet on the park. There is also a shop that sells a few tinned goods, firewood, refreshments, wine and beer — and petrol can be obtained.
There is a restaurant next to the shop, and picnic places nearby — set among trees along one of the river’s channels. There are braai sites here, with water and toilets. (No drinking water is available elsewhere in the park.) There are also two swimming pools here, and a play pool for younger children. (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).
A Thundering Waterfall in a dry, Desert Landscape continue… September 30, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Africa, Cape Town, South Africa, Tour, Trails, Travel Insurance, Trip, Victoria Falls, Zambia , 2commentsWalks and drives
From here there are a number of walks and drives that you can take to outlying viewpoints. One of the most popular walks is along the 2,5 km path leading to the Arrow Head viewsite. From here you can look out over the rapids that career along the bottom of the gorge far below. For the more energetic there is the Klipspringer Hiking Trail which runs for 26km along the southern bank of the river. This is a three-day hike and walkers stay overnight in huts along the route. The trail passes Ararat, a granite rock that offers a magnificent view along the gorge, and also Moon Rock, which provides panoramic views over the whole park. (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…)
A Wealth of Wildlife in a world with little Water September 30, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Africa, Botswana, Map, Rail Pass, Tickets, Tour, Trails, Travel Gear , 2commentsThe traveler is greeted by an extraordinarily stark, sunburned landscape. The climate ranges from dry to very dry, and periods of extreme drought can be measured by the carcasses in the dry river beds. Yet there is abundant life in the harsh environment of the Kalahari — a primeval vitality that comes as a surprise amidst the seemingly inhospitable surroundings. For those who wish to see and feel an unspoilt Africa, this is perhaps the most rewarding place to visit. Here it is stillpossible to experience the wild excitement of a lion-kill, or to witness the lightning dash of a hunting cheetah — exactly as if mankind had never appeared on the scene. (more…)
Ambitious attempt: CASERTA continue… June 15, 2008
Posted by dodo in : Air Tickets, Aquarium, Art Gallery, Coliseum, Destination, Dolphinarium, Flight Schedule, France, Gymnasium, Hotels, Italy, Library, Museum, Oceanarium, Planetarium, Restaurant, Round The World, USA , add a commentImmediately opposite the Great Staircase to the west stands the chapel, which, at the king’s request, repeats the scheme of its counterpart at Versailles. Although Caserta evokes Versailles in concept and ambition, this is the only part of the palace that directly imitates its French predecessor. As at Versailles, the main theme is stated on the gallery level, where coupled Corinthian columns march in stately procession towards the apse. But despite this common feature, the characteristically French ambulatory has been omitted and the proportions of the whole have been to some extent lowered.
The central peristyle also leads to the royal apartments that occupy the south front and the short wing leading to it. (more…)
Hampton Court: A fine combination of the Tudor and English baroque styles continue… May 26, 2008
Posted by dodo in : England , add a commentIf the unspoiled Tudor character of much of Hampton Court is one of its greatest gifts to us, we owe it to the decision of William III to halt the rebuilding of the palace after the death of his Queen, Mary II, in 1694. In celebration of the Glorious Revolution which had brought them to the throne, William and Mary had been rebuilding rapidly since 1689 from the plans of their Surveyor of Works, Sir Christopher Wren, and these plans extended to a reconstruction of the entire palace, preserving only the Great Hall. Sir Christopher would have given us a palace with two great courts on two different axis, at right angles to each other ; and the architecture of that palace would have been varied and delightful, with a domed silhouette and many subtle recollections of Mansart and Le Van. The designs, in Wren’s own hand, exist and one wonders why they were not carried out. A possible answer is that they did not quite sufficiently resemble Versailles. (more…)
