For their June 2011 issue, Horizons magazine - the in-flight magazine on BA/Comair - asked five writers to put together a list of their top 10 travel experiences in southern
Africa. I was one of the five...
Kayaking the Quirimbas:
Arabs, Portuguese and local fishermen have plied the waters of northern Mozambique for centuries, and the kayak adventure that sets off from Ibo Island Lodge is my favourite way to explore the Quirimbas Archipelago.Mornings are spent paddling between islands, with afternoons wiled away on lonely beaches or meeting the friendly local fishing families. Or perhaps birding in mangrove forests, followed by a little snorkelling on quiet reefs? Come evening, a bucket shower washes off the salt before a feast of local seafood. Then turn in for canvas ‘glamping’ beneath the boughs of a Star Chestnut Tree. What’s not to love?
www.kayakquirimbas.com
021 702 0285
Pay homage to the Arch:
No, not that sprightly chap in maroon robes. There’s spirituality of a different sort to be found in the Cederberg Wilderness Area: far and away my favourite hump of mountains in South Africa. It takes a sturdy pair of legs and decent kit – temperatures plummet in winter, so don’t go ill-prepared – but the otherworldly rock formations, endemic Cedars and perfect silence of the flat-topped Wolfberg are enough to still the thumping heart of the most stressed-out city slicker. A night spent beneath star-spangled skies and the soaring arch of this iconic rock formation is the best way to realise your true place in the universe: insignificant.
www.capenature.org.za
0861 227 362 8873
Swim the Okavango:
It took me awhile, but I eventually wore down the guides from our safari lodge [which shall remain nameless]. For four days we’d been floating above the crystal-clear waters of the Okavango Delta; above channels carved by wandering hippos and deep eddies where crocs lurk in the shadows. But I wanted to get wet, and a sundowner stop at a clear shallow pool was my chance. I swear I heard something close to permission, and I was in. Swimming. In. The. Okavango. Delta. It’s admittedly a good way to lose a limb, but what’s life without a little danger? And besides, it beats the hell out of a hotel pool.
www.botswanatourism.co.bw
+267 395 3024
Meet a turtle up north:
Turtle-spotting tours abound in northern KZN, but the Loggerheads and giant Leatherbacks that nest on the beaches of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park don’t stick to tour schedules. A sunset walk either side of low tide is the best time for tripping over turtles as they heave themselves up the sands to dig their gourd-shaped nest. Turtles have been nesting here for hundreds of thousands of years, so it’s the easiest way to meet a real-life dinosaur. If you’re lucky enough to find one, just remember to keep your distance so you don’t disturb their nesting.
www.isimangaliso.com
035 590 1633
Lonely dunes in De Hoop:
We all know whales flock to South Africa’s coastline in the springtime. Unfortunately, so do the tourists and in ‘whale season’ you can barely move in Hermanus or De Kelders for all the cetacean-spotters. But not at De Hoop Nature Reserve, an hour-and-a-bit to the east, where the aptly named Koppie Alleen is my favourite spot for some of SA’s best whale-watching all on your lonesome. You’ll need to borrow a few fingers to count all the whales cavorting in the bay, and in just a few hours you’ll have plenty of tales to swop around the braai fire at the wonderfully upgraded Opstal cottages.
www.dehoopcollection.co.za
Relive the battles:
Call us the Rainbow Nation all you like; but South Africa’s history is pockmarked with bloody battles. Anglo-Boer, Anglo Zulu… the list goes on. While most history buffs flock to the killing fields of Isandlwana, my favourite is the forlorn Spioenkop on the Drakensberg side of the N3. The hillside is dotted with graves of the soldiers – Anglo and Boer – that fell here on the morning of 24 January 1900 and Omri Nene, our guide from Three Tree Hill, brings the pointless battle beautifully to life. On this lonely hill, it’s hard not to remember the words of Nobel laureate Albert Schweitzer: “The soldiers’ graves are the greatest preachers of peace.”
www.threetreehill.co.za
036 448 1171
Walk the Otter Trail:
Those who’ve tackled The Otter (its name is always spoken in caps) will nod knowingly when the talk of the trail comes up around the braai. With forty-two kilometres of aching uphill and knee jarring downs, and half a dozen river crossings, it’s a tough old so-and-so of a walk. But all that sweat is not without reward. Like Scott hut and its loo-with-a-view, and Oakhurst hut rattling to the pounding swells; the pods of dolphins in morning light; and cliff top vistas shared by you and just 11 fellow hikers. The Otter is the real Garden Route: rough, raw and breathtaking in more ways than one.
www.sanparks.org
044 302 5600
Sea the Cape:
"The most stately thing, and the fairest Cape we saw in the whole circumference of the world." Sir Francis Drake was right… Cape Point truly is a “most stately” thing, and all the more so when seen from the seas that rush around the southern tip of the Cape Peninsula. Take the fast-boat from quaint Simon’s Town (itself worth a visit) with the affable Dave Hurwitz and you’ll be beneath the towering cliffs in under half-an-hour. There are no tour buses out here, no flag-carrying guides and no marauding baboons. It’s the only way to really experience the fairest Cape.
www.boatcompany.co.za
083 257 7760
Wild horses of the Namib:
Some say the German Schutztruppe left them behind after World War I. Others will swear they came from Baron Hansheinrich von Wolf’s desert stud farm south of Maltahöhe. Yet others will suggest they were shipwrecked near the Orange River and simply wandered north into the desert. Wherever they may have come from, the herds of wild horses that wander out of the Namib dunes to drink thirstily at the Garub waterhole are one of southern Africa’s most humbling animal attractions. It’s an unforgettable piece of Namibian magic on the lonely B4 that runs from Aus to Luderitz.
www.namibiatourism.com.na
011 702 9602
Sunset at Cape Columbine:
Everybody has their favourite sunset spot – Clifton 4th or Camps Bay are the usual culprits. They’re both a little crowded for me, but happily you rarely a jostle for a seat on the granite boulders of Cape Columbine. Hit the R27 north to Paternoster, continue through town to the Cape Columbine Nature Reserve, pitch your tent at Tietiesbaai (no really, that’s what it’s called) and then wander up the hill behind you with your favourite tipple. Settle in below the sweep of Cape Columbine lighthouse, the first to greet ships arriving from Europe, and watch the sun fall into the Atlantic. Just another bloody perfect day in Africa.
www.capewestcoast.org
022 433 8505
Published in Horizons magazine; June 2011
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