So far I've visited Pilanesberg two times and have always stayed a the Black Rhino Private reserve which is on the park's western side. To me it's been super convenient since you both to get to stay at these amazing lodges with a possibility to view wildlife sometime directly from your lodge the morning/evening game... Continue Reading →
Going to Johannesburg and would love to see some wildlife but don't have time to go to Kruger? Black Rhino Private reserve is a great option even if you just have one extra day to spend - although I wouldn't mind spend even three days there at some of the amazing safari lodges they have.... Continue Reading →
Pilanesberg is a perfect destination for 1-3 nights if you want to go on a safari while visiting Johannesburg. It's really easy to reach from Johannesburg and also has no malaria. The drive to Pilanesberg from TAMBO International airport or Johannesburg is roughly 180 km and takes a bit more than 2 hours. When driving... Continue Reading →
As my next safari in Tanzania is approaching I though it would be a good time to summarize the things I think anyone planning a safari in Africa should be aware of. I went on my first safari already in 2000 in Masai Mara & Lake Nakuru in Kenya, and since have visited also Kruger... Continue Reading →
I love South Africa! It is such an amazing country with so much to offer in terms of nature, unique experiences, amazing scenery and tasty food! Kruger is obviously the most famous for its safaris and wildlife, but I also highly recommend renting a car to experience the spectacular Blyde River Canyon while in the... Continue Reading →
Cape Town is one of my favorite places in the world as it offers almost everything you could imagine: great hiking, amazing food, beaches, and naturally the great wines. Definitely a place I keep on returning to year after year. And maybe could even imagine myself living in some day.
If you know of wine, you know of Stellenbosch. It is undoubtable the most famous wine region in South Africa, while also being a charming old university town. Given it is just 45min outside Cape town it makes for a great day trip destination even if you wouldn't be a wine enthusiast.When planning your visit,... Continue Reading →
Whenever Cape Town and wineries are mentioned, the first wine region that pops into everyone's mind is of course Stellenbosch (which unarguable is also worth visiting). However, there is actually also a very high quality, much smaller wine region much nearer to Cape Town: Constantia.During our trip, we only did official wine tasting at Constantia Glen,... Continue Reading →
Cape Town definitely has no lack of stunning beaches! While the beaches on the southern side are often smaller and more picturesque, the northern beaches are longer and perfect for walking.Bloubergstrand is less popular but definitely great for long walks with a view to the Table Mountain on a clear day.Big Bay is maybe the... Continue Reading →
World of Birds -sanctuary for birds, reptiles, monkeys, tortoise and many more is located on the sothern side of the Table Mountain, and it's also one stop for the Cape Town sightseeing bus (kind of a hop-on hop-off bus which is excellent for getting a holistic understanding of the city and learning about its history... Continue Reading →
If I would live in Cape town, this is where I would come for my morning exercise! Climbing the Lion's head takes maybe few hours, depending on how long time you spend on the top admiring the amazing views. Personally I highly recommend reserving plenty of time and possibly even bringing some light lunch with... Continue Reading →
As the mountains are simply beautiful I highly recommend admiring them by hiking. Our hike up to the mountain was via Constantia Nek Trail. The trail starts near the Harbour House restaurant in the Constantia Nek traffic circle and offers two options for going up: the relatively steep trail itself which mainly consists of climbing up... Continue Reading →
During our time in Cape Town we also enjoyed visits to some of the beautiful white sandy beaches south of Cape Town.In general all the beaches on the western coast have very cold water (12-18C depending on the beach) and the eastern side beaches in the large Kalk Bay have warmer waters (well above 20C).The closest... Continue Reading →
When staying in Cape town it's a must to rent a car to get around and explore.One of the most exciting trips around Cape Town is the drive to the Cape of Good Hope, the most south western point of Africa (and once thought to be the most southern point).Our drive started past Chapman's peak... Continue Reading →
I've been to Cape town numerous times and always try booking places on new areas. Typically I stay on the northern side of the town, but on my most recent trip as we were travelling in a bigger group n we booked a 4 bedroom house via airbnb. Based on photos, we were already really... Continue Reading →
Our last day was spent driving back to the Johannesburg airport to catch our flight.This time, we chose the shortest and fastest route via Lyndenburg lasting approx 5h15min.
After a full day in Kruger we wanted to relax a bit and chose to do 2 shorter game drives at our "home" reserve of Grietjie (only accessible for people living at the private reserve, like typically the case). The morning game drive was at 6-9am, and the evening one at 4-7pm, and they both started right from our... Continue Reading →
On the first day at the lodge we woke up early to leave for our first safari at 6am. The Safari was organized by our Lodge, but you can also find other alternative Safari companies online. The prices typically are around 1300-2000RMB/person, depending of course on the size of your group.Our safari started with a 2h drive... Continue Reading →
Just few minutes after passing the gates for Grietjie while still on the way for our lodge, we had our first encounter with the African wildlife as a huge herd of Elephants passed the dirt road, some of them in front and some behind our car. Luckily we had not yet heard that some of them were in... Continue Reading →
Our 6h journey from Johannesburg airport towards Kruger and our lodge started by 2 hours of driving through the vast plains along highways N4 and N12, along which we also took a short pit stop at Milly's. The scenery then changed to more hilly and green - simply amazing. Also the road became smaller (yet fairly... Continue Reading →
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