Jessica Splain's the World

Jessica Splain's the WorldJessica Splain's the WorldJessica Splain's the World

Jessica Splain's the World

Jessica Splain's the WorldJessica Splain's the WorldJessica Splain's the World
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South Africa

Photos

South Africa

Our Takeaway

I had an urge to go to Cape Town, and that's how this trip began. Even with all of the research I did, I still wasn't completely sure what to expect. It seemed that everyone we talked to had a "story" about South Africa...and, well, the country does have its issues with crime. All that said, we LOVED every minute of our trip! Yes, there is poverty, and we did see it--but never once did I feel unsafe. Now that I got that out of the way, let me gush about how much I liked it.
 

South Africa is quite possibly the most beautiful country in the world that I have seen. The food is great, the people were friendly, and the pace of life is something we really enjoyed. I saw the most beautiful thing I've ever seen (Cape of Good Hope), we had more adventure than ever before (Shamwari), and we met interesting people. It's a romantic place, and this vacation has taken the very prestigious #1 spot in my heart (previously held by our trip to Cradle Mountain, Tasmania in 2007). Would we go back? Absolutely! I miss it terribly already. 

Getting There

There's no good way to get to South Africa from Chicago. We chose to fly from Chicago to London on United Airlines--we won't make that mistake again. United is fine for domestic flights, but it has the worst long-haul Economy Class we've seen yet. After staying a night in London, we flew on British Airways direct to Cape Town. That flight was a pleasure...for an 11-hour flight, anyway. We arranged our airport transportation directly with our hotel (Queen Victoria), which I highly recommend.
 

Getting from Cape Town to the Shamwari Game Reserve required a quick flight for us to Port Elizabeth. We flew on South African Airways, and although the flight was only a little over an hour, we were still given a meal. From there, it was an hour and twenty minutes to the lodge, and thankfully, we had arranged transportation with Shamwari.

Date Visited

  • June 2012 - Cape Town, Franschhoek, and Shamwari Game Reserve

Recommendations

Hotels

Restaurants

Restaurants

  • Queen Victoria Hotel - Cape Town - This hotel was perfect for us. It's close to the Waterfront (a three minute walk), but far enough away that you don't get the noise. The rooms were luxurious--nice spacious bathrooms, a chandelier over the bed, and a wrap-around balcony with views of Table Mountain. There is a nice lounge area with a fireplace that we enjoyed at the end of the evening, and there's a complimentary made-to-order breakfast in the morning.
  • Bayethe Lodge - Shamwari Game Reserve - What can I say? Time of my life? Best place ever? I think that would be understating it. Let me start with the "rooms". There are 12 luxury tents that are permanent with thatched roofs. Each one is isolated enough that you don't see the others when you're on your deck. The tents are immaculately decorated. There is a wood-burning fireplace, a large tub with nice bath amenities, double sinks, and an outdoor shower. Yes, we were both skeptical at first, but it was quite an experience! The meals were also incredible. They serve breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. The best meal I had the entire vacation was here at dinner (Blesbok in a red wine sauce). Every other night, there is a group barbecue (or braai, as they call it). You eat with your ranger and safari group (you are with the same people, typically, for each game drive). If you know me at all, you are realizing how apprehensive I would be. Shockingly, this was the most fun we had at any meal! I liked the people in our group--we had a lot in common with them and were able to have great conversations. The six of us pretty much "closed down the lodge" that night. Okay, that's enough for now. I'll tell more stories about Shamwari through the photos.
  • Akademie Street Boutique Hotel & Guest House - Franschhoek - We usually shy away from guest houses and B&Bs, because we like our privacy--but we adored this place! The owners are incredibly friendly and helpful, and they made us feel welcome without the awkwardness of a B&B. All of the rooms are different, and we stayed in the one with the conservatory attached to it (Twyfeling B).

Restaurants

Restaurants

Restaurants

  1. Belthazar - Cape Town - If you don't get the game kabob, you're missing out.
  2. La Petite Ferme - Franschhoek - The Springbok Bobotie appetizer was the single best bite of food we had on the trip. If you can get a table with a view, you're in for a treat.
  3. Den Anker - Cape Town - When we arrived, it was already dark, so we missed out on our view of Table Mountain. Either way, this place is great. It's right on the water, the interior is cozy, and they have good food.
  4. Quay Four - Cape Town - We had lunch on the upper deck here overlooking the V&A Waterfront, with the sun beating down on us. It was great--I took my coat off and went sleeveless for a while. Not bad for the middle of winter. The food was fantastic, and our server was quite a character (everything was "brill"...short for "brilliant").
  5. Reuben's - Franschhoek - They gave us a prime table right by the large fireplace. Great food, great dessert, spotty service.

Attractions

Restaurants

Attractions

  1. Shamwari Game Reserve - If you want the chance to see the "Big Five" (lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, rhinoceros) without the vector-borne diseases present in the northern game reserves, this is the place for you!
  2. Cape of Good Hope
  3. Table Mountain Cableway
  4. Boulders Beach Penguin Colony
  5. V&A Waterfront
  6. Red City Sightseeing Tour Bus - A little explanation here...this is the first time we've done one of these city tour buses. We usually mock them as an artificial way to see any city. In the case of Cape Town, though, it's a relaxing way to see a lot of the city and get around within the City Centre without the hassle of taxis. The Red Bus goes to Table Mountain and does a beautiful drive along the Atlantic Seaboard before heading back to the V&A Waterfront. It's convenient transportation, and an activity in itself.
  7. District Six Museum

Videos

Siyabuya Marimba Band

My only regret from our trip to South Africa is not buying this guy's CD. He was so fantastic! But it was our last day, and I had already bought so many things. I was trying to exhibit self control. But now I wish I had his CD. That could be a reason to go back to Cape Town. :)

Giraffes Walking

I took this on our afternoon safari on our first day at Shamwari. Giraffes became my favorite animal on this trip--I mean, just see how graceful they are! And I love Ben's narration in this. He was the best ranger we could have imagined! (There were eventually six in our group, but on the first day, there were only four of us. It was a very personalized safari.)

Elephants on PArade

On one of our afternoon drives, we were hoping to find some elephants, and not just one or two like we had previously encountered. Oh did we find elephants. We were driving down this path, and in the distance, we saw about five of them. We pulled over as much as we could, turned off the vehicle, and watched them go by. But it wasn't just the five. More kept rounding the bend and coming our way. There must have been between forty to fifty elephants in the end...from babies to the massive and quite intimidating male bull elephant. Their eyes were very emotive. The young ones seemed to like us, and almost posed for our pictures. The older ones gave us looks as if to say, "Get over yourselves," and moved on. They were close enough to touch, but of course no one in our group would have done something that foolish. Once the parade was over, the sun was starting to set. We made our way to a lookout point where we had our evening drink while watching the sunset, and then made our way back to the lodge.

Lions' Lunch

Here we have teenage lions devouring a warthog, while the adult male lion sits to the left. Although they were not full grown, the sounds these lion cubs made were terrifying. The clicking sound you might hear is the noise of a fellow group member's camera. I feel like there had to be a silent mode, and he just wasn't using it. 

Rhino with Giraffes

You're watching this giraffe, and then the rhinoceros appears. It was pretty cool. 

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