Visiting South Africa has completely changed my perspective on Africa. It also showed me that I want to see other countries in Africa as well. Overall, it is my top place that I have ever visited. The conversion rate when going to South Africa helps out a lot when purchasing goods/services. When I was there, one US Dollar equated approximately 15 South African Rand. The conversion rate should work out even better for the Euro. The main reason we went to South Africa was for the Safari’s. The majority of the time we actually stayed right on one! Nothing will compare to waking up to Zerbra’s right outside your room in the morning. We’ve already decided that we will be heading back to South Africa in the Spring of 2021.
Now before you exit the post, Ronnies Sex Shop is not what it seems. Nothing about the place is 18+. Ronnies Sex Shop is known worldwide, and It’s basically just this little dive bar in the middle of nowhere. If you happen to be traveling through the garden route, plan on stopping by. Even if it’s just to get a little knickknack, and to say you’ve been. My dad’s name just so happens to be Ron, so of course I had to get him a shirt.
Western Cape Game is probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. The owner Danie Van Jaarsveld’s place in Swartberg is nestled right beside the Black Mountain. You could just sit around and take in the views and wildlife at this all-inclusive experience. I’ve never felt so comfortable away from home while traveling. Prior to the trip, I was curious about what the African food was going to be like. Especially since we were going to be spending 3 weeks in South Africa. The food was AMAZING! Literally some of the best food I’ve ever had. Western Cape Game, made sure you were never hungry. Dinner every evening started with a prayer, and every night we ate as a family. That in itself is something that you rarely see anymore. In the morning we woke up to animals right outside our bedroom doors and the wonderful smell of breakfast being cooked. When we came back from our Safari’s and daily activities, the rooms would be done up including any dirty laundry we had.
Prince Albert is a quiet city known for being an area where a lot of people retire. It’s an extremely cute town, on the Eastern side of the Swartberg Pass. The area has a lot of really cute shops and art by local artists. We made the mistake of seeing the town on a Sunday. Literally the entire town felt like a ghost town! The majority of shops and places were closed. And most people appeared to be relaxing at home for the day, because we barely saw any people! It was interesting to see that they still had their old water way system in place. Before “running water”, they had passage ways coming down from the mountain. Each home was able to control when they needed water, by opening and closing flaps.
Oudtshoorn is growing and becoming one of the biggest tourist areas in South Africa. The town is located just outside of Swartberg mountains, in the Klein Karoo. There is a lot to do, and not once did I feel unsafe. They have a lot of really cute shops to stop and check out. Oudtshoorn is the global hotspot for the Ostrich industry. one point this area was one of the wealthiest areas in the world due the booming ostrich industry. There is many different places around town where you can have the opportunity to experience Ostrich’s in one way or the other. There appears to be farms all over the area, which was a sight in itself. Where I’m from farms are something where it would be common to see cows, chickens, and pigs. So seeing Ostrich running around, was really fun. There is a few different “touristy” ostrich farms. Here they will bring you up and close with the ostriches as well as explain their unique history. The place we went to, had a restaurant and shop attached. Prior to getting our tour, we had lunch. There was many different local dishes, including ostrich for a very reasonable price. Inside the shop was a lot of local things available to purchase. Just expect to pay tourist prices. You may have guessed it, but they also sold everything ostrich. From feathers, eggs, purses, you name it. We were told not to spend our money on this kind of stuff here, because we were going to cheaper place later in the trip. So I just ended up buying a piece of jewelry instead.
While this is NOT going to be for the majority of people, hunting was something that I experienced on our trip. I honestly completely understand a lot of people’s view point on hunting, especially big game. I am a firm believer in conservation hunting, and the MANY benefits that can come from it. I’m also huge into wanting to experience anything and everything. So naturally I did not want to pass up on the chance to experience something new, especially something that I may not ever get to do again. I’ll have a more in depth post un this specific hunting trip, if it is something that interests you!
Ever since I swam with sharks in Hawaii, I’ve been chomping at the bit to get in the ocean with Great White Sharks. Our diving trip was set up through White Shark Adventures. While the diving itself was a blast, the experience was nothing like it was in Hawaii. Sadly the company did everything they could to make sure the boat was as packed as possible. Even people that weren’t diving were allowed on. More than once I was pushed out of the way, by some old Italian ladies that had zero sense of boundaries. The company provides you with wet suits and the opportunity to purchase a video after. Again since we went to South Africa in the Winter, the Indian Ocean was a tad colder than normal. With the wetsuits though, the water didn’t bother me at all. I was actually surprised by how warm it was under the wetsuit. Sadly we had to split our group into two, since there was so many people. But on the bright side that meant double to GoPro footage. You feel extremely safe inside the cage. I was never once worried or felt like I was in any danger. I actually got yelled at once for sticking my hand out of the cage to get a better video. Which now that I look back, probably was not the smartest idea. But the other few times I was in the water with sharks, we free dove. So danger never really crossed my mind.
After Johannesburg, Cape Town is one of the biggest cities in South Africa. While I haven’t been to Johannesburg, I haven’t heard too many good things about the area either. From what I have read, Cape Town seemed like a safer area. Sadly we didn’t get too much time in Cape Town, as we tried to spend the majority of time in the bush. Our last few days in South Africa were spent in the Camps Bay area. From what I saw this is definitely one of the nicer areas throughout Cape Town. Other than one time late at night, we never felt uncomfortable or in any type of danger. I can’t really say this about other places in Cape Town. Like I usually do, we stayed at an AirBNB. This place was gorgeous. All the houses in this area, are basically mansions with personal pools and amazing views of the ocean. Seeing the sunset over the ocean, while sitting in your patio chair made the rental all worthwhile. Down along the beach there is many amazing restaurants and shops. Every morning we would walk down, and find some breakfast at a local Cafe.
Make sure when you are exploring Cape Town, to NEVER hail a cab. From everything I’ve read and after speaking to locals, make sure you either call or order an Uber. You never know if the Cab you wave down is even a cabbie, and there is no way to monitor the trip or pricing. The entire time we ordered through Uber and not once did we feel un safe. Plus since the pricing goes through the app, there is no way the can scam you. I was even surprised by how cheap the rides were here. A lot of times the rides ended up being a couple USD dollars, for rides across town. Although we didn’t, I’ve read that a lot of people will have the front desk order rides for them at hotels or restaurants. That way they will order through a legit company. I still suggest using your phone though, since that way the entire ride is tracked.
Another way to get around Cape Town is through their “Hop on hop off” red bus system. While we never did this, a few people in our group took advantage of the system. While overall it is a bit more expensive, everything is kind of taken care of for you. Be prepared to waste a bit of time since the busses go in a giant route across town. The other downside to this is they only hit up the “touristy spots” and you can really deter from their places.
The number one question I got after returning from South Africa was, “Is it safe there?” My answer is, “Yes!” That being said, you need to be COMPLETELY AWARE of your surroundings. Like anywhere in the world, don’t be stupid. Don’t let this factor deter you from going, but at the same time you need to realize that staying safe is important! There is definitely some EXTREMELY low socioeconomic areas, but it’s usually extremely apparent.
Table Mountain National Park is definitely one of the top hikes that I’ve ever been on. While the majority of people are going to head to the top of the mountain via cable car, we opted to hike up the mountain! I’m super glad we made the last minute decision to hike, since it’s probably one of the top three hikes I’ve done. Table Mountain is probably one of the world’s most photographed seven wonders of the world. It seems fair to say that is is one of South Africa’s most iconic images. Getting to the mountain is extremely obtainable, with Cape Town being nestled at it’s base. We Uber’d to the mountain, which we were glad we did. There really isn’t much parking, and the bottom area is kind of a mess with the amount of people that are walking around. Be prepared, your legs will be ON FIRE after this hike.
The Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is definitely a must if you are a fan of agriculture. It is acclaimed to be one of the top botanical gardens in the world. It costs approximately R75 (Approximately $5.00 USD) as an entrance fee. The garden is open from 0800-1900 during the warmer months. We just walked around the 89 acre park by ourselves, but they do offer different tours. On top of walking tours, they offer tours in golf carts. I thought that was really cool because It allowed individuals who have trouble walking see the garden. If you look at pictures, you will see a lot focusing on the treetop canopy walkway. To be honest we were a bit disappointed with the walkway. They boost the walkway, and sadly its very small compared to how it’s perceived.
If you are in the Oudtshoorn area, check out Karusa Wines and Craft Brewery. While I am not a big fan of wine, this cute little shop is worth the stop. They have other little goodies as well. I let with a bottle of Gin, wine, honey and Jam. All of which were made locally. We arrived in the off-season, so there wasn’t a whole lot to see. Some of the owners of the winery had their kids running around, which I thought was really cute. As soon as we got there, we all ordered a flight of wine. Since I’m not the biggest wine drinker, I wish I would have just stuck to something extremely sweet. But the flight was a lot of fun to try. Overall it was extremely cheap too. We also got an AMAZING cheese and meat board, that was just filled with goodies. Definitely check out this place, especially if you are in the Oudtshoorn area.
Buffelsdrift Game Lodge is a MUST if you are staying in the Oudtshoorn area. You have the ability to see some of the wildlife that South Africa has to offer, and get pampered at the same time. If we would have found out how cheap the spa was sooner, we probably would have came back a few more times. I believe we got 60 minute massages around $30. I felt like I was stealing, so I made sure that I tip really well. The masseuse probably thought I was crazy. Similar Spa activities were also significantly cheaper than you would see in the US. They have a really nice large deck outside the main lodge. Here you can order food and drinks while watching the hippo’s lounge in the water below. I was told to try and catch them around their feeding time, to really get a good look at them. For the most part we would just see them peak their heads above the water. Since we were staying on an “actual” game farm, the game drives didn’t really appeal to us and actually lacked in comparison. They did have lions though, which was fun to see. We were able to come at feeding time, so we got to see there interactions with each other.
Swartberg Pass is one of the first things we did once we were all settled in. While we were there in the beginning of their winter, It was not as packed as it normally would be. To me the Swartberg Pass reminded me a lot of the Grand Canyon in the United States. The local that we went with, kind of mentioned a similar opinion. She stated that people drove from all over, in order to see Swartberg. Make sure whoever is driving is extremely comfortable, because you are driving around extremely steep cliffs! A lot of the time there is zero barriers either. If possible read up on the history of Swartberg Pass prior to making the trip. The majority of the roads were paved from prisoner work labor. There were a substantial amount of deaths that occurred during the construction as well. After hearing more about the country, it appears as if they used a lot of prisoner labor for the more dangerous construction projects.
Head to Boulders Beach in Simonstown for the famous penguins! Who would of thought there was penguins in South Africa?? Now the penguins in the movie Madagascar make a lot more sense. This was one of my most favorite experiences from the entire trip. These cute little guys made Boulders Beach in Simonstown their home. If you’ve been looking at South Africa on Instagram at all, I’m sure that pictures of the penguins have popped up. I believe there is different tours that will make the trip out to Simonstown as well the the Cape of Good Hope. We had already rented a car, and opted to make the drive out there. We had someone with who had a lot of experience driving on the opposite side of the road (compared to the other Americans with), as well as driving a manual. Once you get near Boulders Beach, you will start seeing really cute penguin crossing signs. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture. Like all the other National Parks, there is an entry fee. It costs us approximately 150 Rand (10 USD) per person around the time we went. Once you get there, the main entrance goes right to a wooden pathway, where you can see the majority of Penguins. There really isn’t any way to get onto the beach right here, and I’m sure the park did this on person. Me being me, I wanted to get closer in order to take a picture with them. As they say, do it for the gram. So we went back towards the entry, and took the path that goes all the way around the beach towards the end. Right at the end, there is a stairwell that goes down towards the beach. Once you get to the bottom, you will see a bunch of big boulders that appear to be blocking the beach. There is a small trail, that goes under some of the boulders. You can continue along the beach, and eventually you will see quite a few penguins hanging out. While you can get extremely close the the birds, please don’t touch them. One, they already appear to be familiar with human interaction. Two, I’ve heard they will bite! As we left, there was some cute little shops that had some penguin related things. They also had some really cool hand made products, that you could tell weren’t the “typical” tourist buys. I ended up buying a little wooden penguin, an old school cape town print, and some jewelry.