South Africa is a country famed for its endless horizons and spectacular natural beauty. The country’s charismatic Big Five animals and breathtaking landscapes are huge draw cards for international tourists, not to mention a source of pride for locals too. Most of these landscapes and animals reside within areas known as game reserves or national…
There are thousands of incredible hiking trails in South Africa. It truly is one of the best places in the world to explore on foot. From empty beaches to mountain trails and forest meanders, there is quite literally something for everyone. So, with all these amazing options on offer, we decided to put together a…
If there’s one thing that attracts visitors to South Africa it’s our national parks. And it’s not very hard to see why. The phenomenal network of protected areas is a fantastic way for visitors to get up close to the country’s rich natural heritage. But one thing most people don’t realise is just how many parks we’ve…
South Africa’s Wild Coast is one of those few remaining places where it’s possible to truly escape. The rhythm of life here is metered by the tide, or the crunch of a cow’s hooves over beach sand or grassy slopes. Visitors to this stretch of coastline find a simple way of life set in the unparalleled natural…
A little while ago, Jill and I were fortunate enough to do the 5-day iMfolozi Wilderness Trail with the Wilderness Leadership School. Now, while there is so much about that trip that is worth mentioning, one thing that really stuck out to us was the food. We ate like absolute kings! So we went over to…
One of the best parts about travelling around SA was all the fascinating people we met along the way, whose knowledge, enthusiasm and passion for South Africa’s wild areas was infectious! We decided to start a series where we introduce some of these amazing people and get them to share some of their stories. First up is…
Cape Point Nature Reserve on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa’s most south-western tip, is a region famed for its rugged beauty. It is also romantically, although mistakenly, thought of as the meeting point between the cold Atlantic and warm Indian Oceans that wash South Africa’s coastlines. Regardless, it has plenty in the way of scenic…
Visiting Cape Town and planning on heading up Table Mountain? The Cableway is great, but the best way to experience the incredible views over the Mother City and to really get to know this iconic mountain is by tackling a Table Mountain hike! There are a number of routes up the mountain, but without a…
Try to picture a Wild Coast hike and you’ll inevitably conjure up images of half-trodden cattle trails that meander through rural landscapes, precipitous coastlines and undulating hills. These are the scenes that have become synonymous with this incredible region, and they are what hundreds of adventures-seekers from around the world come to find year in…
The Mzinyathi Falls is an attraction that not too many people know about, yet it’s a very short distance out of Durban, making it another reason why we love this subtropical beach city! There is so much to do in and around the greater eThekwini area if you make the effort, and plenty of incredible…
The Entumeni Nature Reserve is a quiet patch of indigenous forest just outside the small town of Eshowe in KwaZulu-Natal. The altitude of the reserve puts it further into the mist belt than other forests in the region like the Dlinza Forest and Ongoye Forest Reserve. Hikers and visitors are treated to a truly unique setting…
In a region known for its beautiful hiking trails, the Madonna and Child Falls hike in Hogsback is one of the best! Madonna and Child Falls hike highlights Hogsback: Eden of the Eastern Cape Hogsback is an enchanted little village situated in the Amatola Mountain range of the Eastern Cape. It’s a strange, quirky little…
Is cultural immersion important to you when you travel? With tales of a python god and crocodile-infested waters that are safe to swim in, Venda’s Lake Fundudzi is a fascinating place to visit and a prime example of South Africa’s cultural wealth and beauty, and just one of the gems we discovered on our Ultimate South…
Superman, who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Grant Christie, a mild-mannered explorer from Dullstroom, recently completed an epic hiking trail called “The Coast of South Africa.” An outline of the route can be found on any map of South Africa. Simply find the…
The Drakensberg is famous for its incredible hiking trails, and one hike that definitely deserves a mention is the Wodehouse Peak hiking trail in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. Hiking the Wodehouse Peak trail The Golden Gate Highlands National Park is definitely one of the most beautiful national parks in South Africa. That puts…
The idea of heading out on a wilderness trail might seem a little bizarre to some. Who would willingly give up every modern convenience, including the basics of a bathroom, to spend time out in the wild, sleeping on the ground and exposed to the elements? What is more, what could be the point of…
South Africa’s Wild Coast truly is a place to visit if you want to escape it all. In this coastal paradise, golden sunlight kisses grassy green hills, a rough and rugged coastline meets sheltered lagoons and between craggy cliffs, tumbling waterfalls and patches of indigenous forest offer cool and verdant shelter. On the Wild Coast,…
In our experience, KwaZulu-Natal has a few absolute gems – places that very few people know about and even fewer have managed to explore. The Ongoye Forest Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal is an unspoiled patch of rare scarp forest, set on a ridge high above the coastline to the east. It is a rare and diverse habitat…
Mnyameni Falls near Xolobeni on the northern Wild Coast is one of those magical waterfalls that we love. For starters, it is always a treat to explore a new section of our amazing country and in South Africa, that’s not hard to do. Set in the Amadiba section of the Wild Coast, Mnyameni Falls is…
The Eastern Cape coastline is well-known for its Wild Coast; a wild, undeveloped and rugged stretch from just north of East London right up to Port Edward and the border with KwaZulu-Natal. The Wild Coast includes such popular holiday destinations as Coffee Bay and Hole in the Wall, and is the ideal destination if you…
The Eastern Cape’s Sunshine Coast was anything but that when Bevan and I arrived a few days before Easter – just in time for the arrival of a nationwide cold front that left snow on the Drakensberg, and gale force winds and huge swell pounding the coastline. Luckily, this wasn’t our first visit to the…
The Garden Route National Park encompasses an almost continuous stretch of coastal land from Wilderness in the Garden Route’s west to well past Storms River in the east. Bevan and I have previously visited the Knysna Lakes and Diepwalle Forest sections of the park and this time we were in for a treat – exploring Storms River…
Pretty much every place Bevan and I have been priviledged to visit on the Ultimate South African Road Trip has been worthy of more time than we had to explore it. If we had given in at every spot though, we would be looking at a few extra years on the road! We made the exception for Plettenberg…
The South African coastline is incredibly varied and has much to offer. From East London eastwards, and across the mighty Kei River into the Wild Coast, grassy hills and rocky cliffs shelter enclosed sandy bays or give rise to wild, exposed and wave-battered points. Herders’ paths follow the bend of the coastline through grassy slopes,…
The Western Cape’s Garden Route is a 300 km stretch of coastline that begins in Mossel Bay and ends at Storms River near the boundary of the Eastern Cape, and includes popular tourist towns like George and Knysna. As the name implies, the Garden Route is an area recognised for its natural beauty – the…
The Kruger Lowveld region of Mpumalanga must be one of the most scenic areas in South Africa. Now, anyone even slightly familiar with this cover-girl country will realise that that is a bold statement, but after having spent time visiting the area around Sabie and Graskop, it is one that I firmly stand by. This…
The N2 freeway that runs from Cape Town towards the Garden Route must be one of the most frequently traveled tourist routes in South Africa. While the freeway may be the quickest way to get from one destination to the other, Bevan and I are not well-known to choose speed over scenery! We decided to take…
The Northern Cape has always been one of those places that has held a certain romance for me. I love the idea of a wide open land, wild and largely untouched, the horizon blurred by midday summer heat mirages followed by the extreme of negative temperatures during the winter months. This is a land you…
The Namaqua region of the Cape West Coast is home to some spectacular stretches of coastline – calm protected bays with white sand beaches, or rocky wild points. The sea along these stretches is alive with kelp forests that line the shallows, flocks of birds like cormorants and waders, as well as bigger animals like…
If I asked you to imagine the Cape West Coast, it wouldn’t be hard to picture wide sandy bays, whitewashed fishermen’s houses and seafood fresh from the ocean. This region is well-known for its coastline, and with good reason. The Cape West Coast also has some incredible inland farming areas to explore though, and this is…
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