South Africa is so overflowing with scenic drives and stunning road trips that you could easily spend a year zig-zagging around the country and still leave beautiful places unexplored. Given that we don't have a year, though, mum and I drove the famous Garden Route from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town l[...]
Going on safari has always been a huge bucket list item of mine, but, after some truly indescribable experiences on a South African safari a few weeks ago, I don't think I even want to completely tick it off the list— I want to come back and do it all over some day. However amazing this experienc[...]
For many people, an African safari is the ultimate bucketlist trip, one they spend years fantasising about (and saving for) and therefore one that requires an extensive amount of planning to perfectly execute. After experiencing a South African safari in a number of different ways, including with a[...]
Driving or flying into Cape Town for the first time, it's impossible to miss the enormous (and inarguably table-like) mountain that dominates the skyline of this beautiful coastal city. Table Mountain is more than just a good photo backdrop, though; it's also the perfect vantage point from which to[...]
Inarguably South Africa's best known multi-day road trip and a solid contender for one of the world's most scenic drives, the Garden Route lives up to all of the hype and even exceeds expectations in terms of beautiful coastal views and cosy little seaside towns. This 300km route officially stretch[...]
Perhaps without the same prestige of Bordeaux, Napa Valley, or Tuscany, South Africa's Cape Winelands are often overlooked, even by serious wine snobs (which I can state quite confidently as fact since my own mother, a self-proclaimed wine snob, didn't even realise SA was a major wine producer unti[...]
Christmas is finally here (!!) and there seems no better way to wrap up what has already been a spectacular festive season in South Africa than by hiking Lion's Head and taking in views of Cape Town from above. After meeting up with my friend Aimee, who is also travelling around southern Africa at[...]
After a delightful breakfast at our sweet little B&B in Hermanus this morning, we hustle out the door to enjoy more of the incredible Fernkloof Nature Reserve and its impressive beachside Cliff Path. After our walk along the trail last night, we were absolutely convinced that we needed to spend[...]
Rolling out of Oudtshoorn around mid-morning, we are back on the highway and headed towards Mossel Bay as the cloud cover gives way to sun, promising another day of fantastic summer weather. By the time we reach the seaside about an hour later, we are delighted to be getting out of the car to enjoy[...]
Rolling out of our lodge in George around mid-morning, it's just a short 45 minute drive to Oudtshoorn (pronounced something like oats-warren) today, our next destination along the Garden Route. Despite the reasonable proximity, however, Oudtshoorn may as well be hours away— the landscape changes[...]
Today's adventure takes us just 10 minutes from last night's accommodation in Plettenberg Bay to Robberg Nature Reserve, a beautiful set of beaches and trails set right on the Indian Ocean. The weather is in sharp contrast to yesterday's (where I managed to sear the straps of my tank top right into[...]
After a 20 minute drive from our guesthouse in Plettenberg Bay, we arrive at Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation and Awareness Centre just before 730am this morning, exploding with excitement, ready to see some big kitties on our full day "Crazee Cat" tour. From its humble beginnings as just a shed beh[...]
After a few days of non-stop curry and downtown craziness, we return our rental car and say goodbye to Durban, hopping on an early flight to Port Elizabeth this morning to begin our road trip along the Eastern/Western Cape's famous Garden Route. Although there is a pretty major hiccup when we arriv[...]
Without the allure of Cape Town or the proximity to game parks of Johannesburg, Durban is so often overlooked on trips through South Africa. If not for a National Geographic article from several years ago, I would have entirely missed it myself— thankfully, I obsessed over that article, dog-earin[...]
Several years ago, I read an article about Durban in a National Geographic Traveller magazine and became somewhat obsessed with visiting this South African city on the Indian Ocean, due in large part to the fact that it's home to the largest population of Indians outside of India. After my time wor[...]
Our 5 unbelievable days on safari in Kruger National Park & Sabi Sands Private Reserve have left me with a lifetime of amazing animal memories (and several thousand photos that took a ridiculous amount of time to sort through). Maybe we got extremely lucky to see as much as we did or maybe safa[...]
I must admit, I'm a bit heartbroken that the final day of our safari has arrived so quickly. I had no idea what to expect before we arrived in Kruger and then again in Sabi Sands, but both places have truly blown my mind in every way, so it's with a slightly heavy heart that I get up for my last 5a[...]
The phone in our chalet rings at 5am this morning, but this is still sleeping in compared to the 330am alarms in Kruger the last few days, so I'm feeling surprisingly springy. Not to mention that on our first game drive in Sabi Sands last night, we managed to see a leopard twice and about a dozen l[...]
Aiming for another early departure from our rondavel in Satara Rest Camp, we set the alarm for 330am and finish our packing in preparation for the move this afternoon to Arathusa Safari Lodge in the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve. Before we leave Kruger this morning, though, we still have about 6[...]
Our first full day of safari begins dark and early this morning as we wake up in our cute little thatched rondavel at Satara Rest Camp to a positively ungodly 4am alarm. I rush to get my camera bag and half a dozen water bottles ready, and then we hop into the car with our private guide Mary-Anne f[...]