“Bom dia! Welcome to Inhaca,” says the waiter with a broad smile as he strolls over to my table on the lawns at Pestana Inhaca Lodge. The glasses on his tray are chilled, frosting over the logo of Mozambique’s famous ‘dosh-em’ lager. Yes, an icy MacMahon seems like the perfect way to start off a steamy Inhaca afternoon.
It’s only been a few hours since I slammed the security gate in Cape Town and jetted off to Maputo. From there, it’s a fifteen-minute flight across Maputo Bay to an island getaway that’s a world away from city streets and email inboxes. Separated from the capital by forty kilometres of ocean, the skyscrapers of Maputo are just barely visible in the hazy distance as the waiter returns with menus.
I order a lunch of grilled calamari – the fishing boats bobbing out in the bay bring in a fresh catch each day – and sink back into my chair. An ‘80s soundtrack burbles softly across the lawns, while a family enjoys a game of Bingo in the corner. In more ways than one, flying into Inhaca is a welcome time warp.
While there are a number of guest lodges and self-catering camps on offer, Pestana Inhaca Lodge is the ‘grand old dame’ of the island, a homely matron offering old-school hospitality. A place where waiters wear colourful ‘Hawaii five-oh shirts’ as they deliver colourful cocktails to Gauteng families clustered around the enormous outdoor pool.
Rooms are dotted in the lush tropical gardens (watch out for falling coconuts!), a games room keeps boisterous kids happy and seating for dinner is done according to your room number each evening. And this old-school charm is precisely the draw card of the lodge. Unlike the larger Mauritian resorts that trade on their bells and whistles, here it’s about an old-school mix of sun, sea and sand.
While many families happily spend their days lazing at the pool, more active souls will find plenty to entertain them across the island. Lying off the tip of the Machangulo Peninsula, Inhaca is a microcosm of Mozambique offering everything from mangrove flats and wide-open beaches to pristine coral reefs.
Life on the island largely revolves around the sea, and the protected reefs just south of the resort are one of the best places to enjoy the underwater world. And with the hot humid weather I needed little invitation to take a dip.
Complimentary snorkel trips to the aptly named ‘Coral Gardens’ offer a happy hour or so of blowing bubbles across the reef. Broad sweeps of table coral, spiky antlers of stag horn and mysterious blue brain coral provide the perfect environment for myriad marine life. Large areas of the coast have been designated as marine reserves for over 30 years, so it’s no surprise that the coral is in such good condition.
Later that afternoon I ride the bumpy road to the small Museo de Biología Marina, the centre of marine research on the island. Scientists have been conserving and recording marine life here since the 1950s, and even the decades of civil war didn’t put much of a damper on looking after the island’s pristine coastline.
Apart from the spectacular coral Inhaca is also home to a number of turtle nesting sites, and from November to March tourists flock to the island to see the Loggerhead, Hawksbill and Leatherback hatchlings return to the sea.
The Museo itself is a quirky little spot on its own though; a musty collection of sea life forever swimming nowhere slowly in a claustrophobic sea of formaldehyde. In an adjoining room, the snakes of the island glare out at you from jars of their own, alongside offbeat displays of the creatures great and small that met their end on the island.
With its mix of coral reefs, mangrove forests and dune vegetation, Inhaca is also home to over 300 bird species, so twitchers will be happy. White-chinned petrels skim across the seas while mangrove kingfishers and crab plovers hunt on the mudflats. Across the channel to the south of the island, the peninsula of Cabo Santa Maria – officially on the mainland – is easily reached by boat and is often home to pelicans and flamingos, and offers great snorkelling.
It’s been a busy afternoon, and by the time I finally sink back into a lounger at the hotel the humidity is taking its toll. Happily the temperature eases come sunset, when the resort and island takes on a different face.
The lights of Maputo twinkle in the distance and about all you can hear is the water slapping against the hulls of fishing boats anchored on the sand. Kids play with their nets on the saffron-tinged jetty, hoping to snag an unwary Kingfish, while grey herons flap back to their roosts in the dense dune forests. Fishing nets are hauled ashore and buckets of the day’s catch are carted off to kitchens across the island.
The Lodge offers a set menu each evening, but for a little colour many guests wander off to the neighbouring village just beyond the gate. It’s here that you’ll find the laid-back Restaurant Lucas; an Inhaca institution that’s low on frills, but big on charm.
The simple menu is filled with fresh seafood, from more delicious squid to fresh crab and some of the best prawns I tasted in Mozambique. With sand underfoot and a rustic thatched roof overhead, all that’s missing is a sea view, but the local colour of the village gearing up for a Friday night’s revelry adds all the entertainment you need. I decide to skip the local dancehall though, as I have an early morning and a date with an island.
Saturday morning and the beachfront is abuzz. The ferry from Maputo – a slower, but more affordable way to reach Inhaca – is anchored in the deeper water, and smaller boats are ferrying passengers and goods ashore. Maputo residents escaping the city for the weekend, and backpackers saving a few meticals, jostle for space with bags of rice and spare car tyres. Almost everything on the island arrives by boat, and half the village turns out to meet goods and guests fresh from the city.
My boat is heading somewhere a little quieter though. The long, shallow beaches on the west coast of Inhaca aren’t ideal for swimming – the best option is about two kilometres south of the jetty – so the hotel provides a free shuttle boat over to Portuguese Island, three kilometres offshore.
Here, with perhaps just a few local fishermen for company, you can live out your Robinson Crusoe fantasies. Entirely uninhabited, the long white sands and crystal clear waters make this an ideal spot to spend the day swimming and sunbathing. Just keep an eye on the horizon for a cruise ship – Portuguese Island is a popular stop for summer cruises, when the island can get a little over-run.
Avoid the ships though and you’ll probably have the place much to yourself. Just remember to take food, water and sunscreen with you, as you’re on your own until the boat comes back to fetch you. And even when there are other day-trippers on the island, it’s not hard to find peace and quiet with just the rumble of waves on sand for company.
With the cooling sea breezes ruffling my shirt, the humidity is all but gone. The skyline of Maputo – my next destination – lies off in the haze to my right; while to the east I see the approaching prow of my ride back to Ilha de Inhaca. Before I hit the heady city streets, for one more night it’s the rustling of palm that will lull me to sleep on this laid-back island in the steam.
Need to know
Where to stay: The Pestana Inhaca Lodge is a four-star resort a few steps from the jetty, and a short drive from the airport. Visit www.pestana.com or call +258 21 305 000 for reservations.
Getting there: The Lodge can arrange for the short flight from Maputo, otherwise there are two ferry options from Maputo. The Vodacom ferry runs Thursdays to Sundays, and takes around two hours, while faster private boats are also available for charter in Maputo. Hotels in Maputo will be able to assist.
Visas: South African passport holders do not require a visa to visit Mozambique, but your passport must be valid for six months after your date of return.
First published in Indwe magazine; September 2010 |
There’s something about graveyards. Something I find strangely alluring. Perhaps it’s the quiet that descends the moment you push through that squeaky metal gate, or the brief green respite that a bench under a tree always offers.
But mainly, I think, it seems there are few better ways to quickly get under the skin of a place than to wander through its graveyard. Who lived here? Who died? When? How? Are there rich tombs adorned with angels, or simple headstones all covered in moss and under siege by unkempt grass?
The Old Town graveyard on St. Mary’s – the busiest island in the Isles of Scilly – is no different. Former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson is buried here, and so too Augustus Smith, but more on him later. Both enjoy an eternal view to the white sands of Porthcressa Beach.
The lapping waters are calm today but, like all islands, the graveyard here is filled with souls claimed by the ocean. Derek Banfield; ‘Loved the sea, Lost at sea,’ reads one tombstone. Nearby, an imposing memorial remembers the wreck of the SS Schiller that foundered offshore after an Atlantic crossing. Only 100 bodies were ever recovered and buried in this mass grave, although 335 souls perished one foggy May morning in 1875.
On the Isles of Scilly, life has always revolved around the ocean, bringing both death and fortune. Catching a steamer to New York in the early 1900s? The lighthouse on Bishop Rock would have kept the keel clear of the Isles’ jagged rocks. In the days of Empire the oarsmen of Scilly were some of the strongest, racing out to sea in their wooden gigs to pilot merchant ships through the treacherous tidal races around the islands. The Boatshed on the St. Mary’s beachfront stores the 32-foot rowing gigs that are still raced in the bay on summer evenings. And is there anything in the tales that islanders would tie lights around cow’s necks and let them wander the shoreline, to confuse passing ships and then reap the rewards of wrecks? The truth is likely lost at sea.
Cast away off the coast of Cornwall, this rugged chain of islands is just barely part of England; a mile or two further from Britain than France is from Dover. There are 56 good-sized islands in the Isles, although only six are inhabited and most of the locals live here on St. Mary’s. From the quayside, the local Boatmen’s Association runs daily services to the various ‘off-islands’, along with sightseeing tours to uninhabited rocks further afield. Fares are only a few pounds per trip, so island hopping is a pleasant way to pass your days in Scillies.
After the capital St. Mary’s, St. Agnes and St. Martin’s are popular for their deserted beaches, wild flowers and chocolate-box scenery, while the more rugged Bryher Island is largely deserted, offering miles of rambling tracks and a dramatic shoreline pounded by the Atlantic rollers.
Why spend a holiday in smoggy overcrowded London, I wonder to myself, when you can discover these empty Isles’ mild weather and white-quartz beaches? Rolling heather-covered hills that could be Scotland, except that the sun is shining. It’s an escape that’s low on bells and short on whistles, but big on the great outdoors.
So I leave the graveyard behind and meander down to Porthcressa Beach to meet Will Flagstaff. Surrounded by an eager group of twitchers festooned with spotting scopes and bird books, he’s easy to find.
Will leads birding safaris across the globe, including South Africa, but he calls the Isles of Scilly home, offering half-day nature walks across St. Mary’s which – at £6 per person – are ridiculously good value.
“From America, these islands are the first landfall for over 3000 miles,” Will tells me as we wander along the pebbled shoreline. “We get some good old gales blowing through here… and with the wind, we get migratory birds blown off course.”
Will’s nature walks are aimed squarely at twitchers, who visit for a chance at spotting birds rarely seen on the British mainland, but throughout the walk Will rambles on knowledgeably about all facets of the islands’ intricate ecology.
And there’s certainly no shortage of subject matter on what have been nicknamed ‘the fortunate islands’. In 1976 the Isles were declared an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’; the smallest of the 35 declared Areas in England. The uninhabited ‘Off-Islands’ are an important haven for bird colonies, while the warm clear waters harbour seals, dolphins and myriad sea life. In the hills of St. Mary’s archaeologists have unearthed Stone Age burial mounds, and the narrow lanes skirt forests of pristine woodland.
With impossibly quaint lanes and hardly any cars, it’s an island made for walking and cycling. Hedgerows are filled with berries and blooms, and dedicated ‘right of way’ paths lead our small group between woodland thickets and fields of flowers.
With more sunshine than anywhere else in the UK – another good reason for visiting – flower-growing used to be the mainstay of the island’s economy, and if you were buying daffodils in London in the ‘60s chances are they would have been grown in these fields. With competition from abroad the industry has largely wilted, but “bulbs from Scilly” are still a popular souvenir for trippers.
Those blooms come in handy for paying the rent too.
“Almost all of Scilly belongs to Prince Charles, as part of the Duchy of Cornwall,” explains Will, “but the uninhabited areas are controlled and managed by the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust.”
And the rent? The heir to the throne charges one daffodil per year.
At the lunch stop I leave the twitchers behind and wander through the lanes over to Hugh Town, the hub of island life on St. Mary’s.
It’s a quaint cobbled seaside village, much as you’d find anywhere on the coast of Cornwall, and most roads lead towards the harbour. Quaint pubs overlook the waterfront, and offer the local ‘Ales of Scilly’ brews on tap. Gift shops and tour operators tout for tourist business, but it still has the feel of a living, breathing community.
I pick up a Cornish pasty at the bakery in Garrison Lane and wander up Garrison Hill for a look at the view. The road leads up past Tregarthen’s Hotel, one of the oldest on St. Mary’s with fantastic views over the island. In 1860, poet laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote part of his epic poem ‘Enoch Arden’ in the garden here, no doubt inspired by the view over the rooftops of the town below.
It’s a steep road that leads up through Garrison Gate, part of the old town’s fortifications. Through the gate, the historic Star Castle was built in 1593 to protect the islands from the Spanish Armada, but has since the ‘30s been used for more hospitable purposes as one of St. Mary’s finest hotels. The excellent self-guided walk around the hill leads me past Civil War bunkers and World War II arsenals before delivering me back to the quayside.
I’ve had enough history; it’s time for some horticulture.
While the Isles of Scilly draws birders, beachgoers and ramblers each summer, it’s also become a prime destination for garden-lovers. And that’s all thanks to old Augustus Smith, buried in the Old Town graveyard.
Smith was from an old-money family who’d built their fortune in London banking, and settled on the ‘Off-Island’ of Tresco. Around his house, in the ruins of the 12th century Abbey, he began planting a garden with exotic species he’d cajole off passing merchant ships. Monterey pines from California kept out the howling Atlantic winds, and the long days of sunshine nurtured everything from tropical palms to South African aloes.
Today, the Tresco Abbey Gardens are perhaps the highlight of a visit to the Isles of Scilly. Billed as ‘Kew with the roof off,’ they are as impressive as Cape Town’s Kirstenbosch Gardens, not least for the geometric designs and playful sculptures you’ll discover as you explore. In and among the 4000 species from across the globe, bronze children frolic in the shallows, Neptune guards his stone staircase and the ruins of the original Abbey still frame a quiet corner of the garden. Figureheads from ships wrecked around Scilly are restored and revered in the Gardens’ Valhalla Museum; a subtle nod to the Viking raiders that once sailed these waters.
And I think Odin would be pleased. Perhaps like his mythical Valhalla, the Isles of Scilly are also a refuge for those who’ve fallen in battle; the battle against Blackberries, deadlines, to-do lists and underground delays. Seafarers have long washed up on these shores except here in the Scillies it’s Neptune, in his Abbey Garden, who keeps a watchful eye over these ‘fortunate islands’.
TRAVEL NOTES
WHEN TO GO The weather on Scilly is generally milder and sunnier than mainland England, and frost is rare. Summer (May to August) is best if you’re keen to spend time out on the water or walking in the hills, while Autumn (September/October) is ideal for birdwatchers looking to spot migratory birds.
EAT HERE Lunch at Juliet's Garden Restaurant (www.julietsgardenrestaurant.co.uk) is a must, with great views over the bay and imaginative menus of fresh local produce. Get there early and ask if they have fresh crab. In the evenings, The Galley (01720 422602) is your best bet for local seafood. This unassuming family-run eatery only has half-a-dozen tables and is always busy; so make sure you call ahead. On St. Mary’s and the larger Off-Islands, keep an eye out for farm stalls selling fresh strawberries, jams and home-bakes.
SLEEP HERE For an upmarket taste of life on the islands, the isolated Hell Bay Hotel on Bryher Island (www.hellbay.co.uk) is ideal. Clapboard buildings a stone’s throw from the pounding surf offer comfortable rooms, most with great sea views. Rates start at R1500 per person, dinner-bed-and-breakfast. You’ll pay similar rates at the homely Star Castle Hotel on St. Mary’s (www.star-castle.co.uk), where you’ll also find more affordable B&Bs. The tourism board website (www.simplyscilly.co.uk) has a good listing of what’s on offer.
DON’T MISS A wander through Tresco Abbey Gardens, easily accessible as a day-trip from St. Mary’s. Visit www.tresco.co.uk. Nature walks with Will Wagstaff take place on St. Mary’s and the Off-Islands, and are an affordable way to discover the history and wildlife of the Isles. www.islandwildlifetours.co.uk.
READ THIS ‘The Fortunate Islands’ by RL Bowley is an engaging look at the history, legends and lore of the Isles. A good read for the flight over. Also visit the Isles of Scilly tourism board website before you go (www.simplyscilly.co.uk).
GET THERE British Airways flies daily from South Africa to London. Plane, helicopter and ferry services connect from Cornwall to St. Mary’s.
First published in Horizons magazine, September 2010 |
While some people huddle by the fire in their woollen slippers come wintertime, few travellers realise that this is the perfect time to experience a South African safari. In the reserves of the Western and Eastern Cape the hills are lush after the first rains, with smiling antelope out grazing on the abundance and spring flowers beginning to poke their heads through the grass.
Up north, in the bushveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, the thinning foliage makes spotting game easier, while the dry rivers force hunter and hunted out to the waterholes. And KZN? Well, KwaZulu-Natal never gets cold, but the clear days and quiet roads are just further proof that winter is South Africa’s secret season for safari escapes.
So you’re convinced? Excellent. But now you encounter your first problem… where, oh where, to go! Decisions, decisions. Well, I’ve spent more than my fair share of time on the back of a Land Rover, careering through the bushveld, and I reckon you simply can’t go wrong with these great lodges…
Western Cape: Sanbona Wildlife Reserve
Where is it? A three-hour drive from Cape Town, off the famous Route 62 wine route.
Why go here? This is your best option in the Cape for an authentic Big Five experience, and the landscapes are as much of an attraction as the game.
And the lodge? You’ve got three options. Dwyka Tented Lodge offers secluded under-canvas luxury ideal for romantic escapes, Gondwana Lodge is family-friendly and offers the ‘Kids on Safari’ programme, while Tilney Manor offers a tranquil escape with an on-site spa for stressed out travellers.
Good for game? The reserve stretches across 54 000ha of Klein Karoo veld, and all the game are free roaming. It’s a self-sustaining eco-system, but the large distances can mean long drives to see the Big Five.
Pick this… if you’d also like to discover the spectacular San rock art on the reserve.
Find out more: www.sanbona.com or call +27 (0)41 407 1000
Western Cape: Bushmanskloof Wilderness Reserve & Retreat
Where is it? 270km north of Cape Town, in the majestic Cederberg Mountains.
Why go here? It’s one of the Cape’s best wilderness retreats; a Relais & Chateaux getaway that combines game, gourmet and outstanding accommodation.
And the lodge? Unforgettable. Cosy fireplaces, outstanding food, and an exciting wine-list make this a good one for rainy winter weekends. The self-contained Koro Lodge is ideal for families.
Good for game? Fair. There are antelope on the reserve, and wild leopards, but the attraction here is equally the spectacular scenery and luxury accommodation. There’s good birding on offer though, as well as rock art walks and fishing.
Pick this… for a gourmet wilderness getaway. Look out for their great-value winter specials.
Find out more: www.bushmanskloof.co.za or call +27 (0) 21 481 1860
Eastern Cape: Samara Private Game Reserve
Where is it? The Plains of Camdeboo, 2½ hours from Port Elizabeth.
Why go here? To get up close to the agile cheetah. Samara is home to a successful breeding program to help save this endangered cat.
And the lodge? Karoo Lodge offers homely hospitality in an old farmstead, The Manor is great for small groups and the Mountain Retreat is the perfect place for peace and quiet. Décor is discreet and thoughtful, rather than OTT luxury.
Good for game? Excellent cheetah and antelope sightings. Specialist safaris help you find the elusive Aardvark and endangered Cape Mountain Zebra. There are also fun safari options for kids.
Pick this… if you’ve seen the Big Five and want something different. Stalking cheetah on foot is a thrill you won’t quickly forget!
Find out more: www.samara.co.za or call +27(0)49 891 0558
Eastern Cape: Amakhala Game Reserve
Where is it? 63kms from Port Elizabeth
Why go here? A great mix of beach and bush, just 40 minutes from Port Elizabeth.
And the lodge? Six lodges scattered across the reserve, offering everything from restored farmhouses for families and groups, to romantic tents for honeymooners. Four- and five-star options available to suit every budget.
Good for game? At 7000 hectares it’s one of the largest private reserves in the Eastern Cape. Four of the Big Five are regularly sighted (little chance of spotting leopard), with unusual options like boat-safaris on offer too.
Pick this… for a clear conscience. Amakhala Game Reserve is Fair Trade in Tourism certified.
Find out more: www.amakhala.co.za or call +27 (0)46 636 2750
KwaZulu-Natal: Phinda Private Game Reserve
Where is it? 3 hours’ drive from Durban, in Zululand
Why go here? It’s one of SA’s finest private reserves. 23 000 hectares have been restored and restocked in a groundbreaking community partnership.
And the lodge? Four gorgeous options: Mountain Lodge (25 suites with wraparound views), Rock Lodge (six intimate stone and adobe suites), Forest Lodge (16 suites set deep in the rare Sand Forest) and Vlei Lodge (six elegant thatched suites with private plunge pools).
Good for game? Outstanding. Some of the best safari guides in the business ensure you have a wildlife experience bar none. Apart from copious Big Five and other game, there’s also excellent birding (415 species) on offer.
Pick this… if you’ve never been on safari before. It’ll have you hooked forever. Look out for the good value ‘bushbreaks’ in winter.
Find out more: www.andbeyond.com or call 011 809 4300.
KwaZulu-Natal: Karkloof Lodge & Spa
Where is it? 24km from Pietermaritzburg
Why go here? An addictive blend of safari and spa. The award-winning wellness facility is one of the best in Africa.
And the lodge? Sixteen elegantly decorated villas with magnificent valley views are situated in a fenced-off section of the reserve, so walking and cycling is safe. Outstanding cuisine paired with an impressive wine cellar.
Good for game? A relaxed game experience. No Big Five but expect black and white rhino, giraffe, zebra and antelope. Karkloof is home to a buffalo-breeding project, so plenty of grumpy Cape buffalo to be seen! Good birding too.
Pick this… for a rejuvenating weekend. The ‘raw food’ menu will have you as good as new!
Find out more: www.karkloofspa.com or call +27 (0)33 569 1321
Mpumalanga: Tanda Tula
Where is it? 40kms from Hoedspruit, which has daily flights from Johannesburg.
Why go here? It’s a wonderfully low-key lodge offering all the comforts of a five-star bush getaway, but without the airs and graces.
And the lodge? 12 elegantly furnished safari tents spread out along the banks of the Nlharalumi River that are luxurious without being pretentious. The bush breakfasts are delicious, and there’s little that can beat a braai under the stars in a dry riverbed.
Good for game? Situated in the legendary Timbavati, the game viewing is exceptional. Twice-daily drives will keep you entertained and enthralled. Be sure to ask for a tour of the on-site elephant research project.
Pick this… for the best game-viewing Kruger has to offer (the fences are dropped), but without the crowds.
Find out more: www.tandatula.co.za or call +27 (0)15 793 3191
Mpumalanga: Singita Castleton
Where is it? In the heart of the famous Sabi Sand Reserve, bordering the Kruger National Park. Direct flights available from Johannesburg.
Why go here? It’s the ‘secret’ in the acclaimed Singita collection, and a stay at Castleton Camp is like owning your own slice of Africa. This exclusive-use lodge hosts only 12 guests at a time, so it’s just you and your 11 favourite people!
And the lodge? The historic stone farmhouse is where you’ll enjoy the signature Singita cuisine, with the six charming rooms scattered throughout the gardens. Rates are all inclusive so you can kick back and relax.
Good for game? There’s game-viewing right on your doorstep, but twice-daily drives and guided bush walks ensure you won’t go home without seeing the best of the Sabi Sand. The reserve is especially famous for its big cat sightings.
Pick this… for your bucket list. It’s pricey, but then it’s only money, right?
Find out more: www.singita.com or call +27 (0)21 683 3424
Mpumalanga: Ngala Tented Camp
Where is it? In its own private reserve bordering the Kruger National Park, 30 minutes’ drive from Hoedspruit.
Why go here? Ngala has the best safari tents outside the Okavango. It’s a laid-back camp that never fails to deliver on everything from great food to homely hospitality. It also ticks all the eco-tourism boxes, working with local communities through &Beyond’s Africa Foundation.
And the lodge? Delightful, and brimming with old world charm and a style that's missing from so many other safari-spots. No zebra skin couches here, just chic retro chairs and rough stone walls in place of tacky prints of Africa’s Big Five.
Good for game? ‘Ngala’ means ‘lion’ in Shangaan, so big cat sightings are almost guaranteed. Fences have been dropped with the Timbavati to the West and Kruger to the East, so it’s as good as being in the Park itself. Excellent guides are certain to find you creatures great and small.
Pick this… to discover what all safari tents should be like.
Find out more: www.andbeyond.com or call 011 809 4300.
North-West Province: Madikwe Collection
Where is it? Four hours’ drive from Gauteng, on the border with Botswana. Direct flights available from Johannesburg.
Why go here? A good option if you’ve done Kruger backwards and want a different safari experience. The reserve also has wonderful community projects to discover and support.
And the lodge? Six options spread across the Reserve, from the expansive views of Buffalo Ridge to the tented intimacy of Thakadu River Camp. The low-key Bush House is a more relaxed camp that’s great for families.
Good for game? The 75 000 hectare reserve is home to a vast array of animals, with the land all restored from cattle farms to open wilderness. Excellent game-viewings guaranteed.
Pick this… if you want to see African Wild Dog. The park is famous for its packs.
Find out more: www.madikwecollection.com or call +27 (0)11 805 9995
First published in Explore South Africa magazine, Winter 2010 |
“Flowers to the left of me, whales to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with you…”
Spring does strange things to people, and more so when you’re sitting on the rocks at Plankiesbaai with a rehashed version of Stealers Wheel’s 1972 classic rolling through your head. Blue sky overhead, the wild Atlantic on one side and the flower-filled fields of the West Coast National Park on the other; welcome to spring in the Western Cape.
But don’t be surprised if you’ve never heard of Plankiesbaai. It’s one of the Western Cape’s best-kept secrets; a quiet corner of a quiet park.
For the rest of the year the West Coast National Park doesn’t attract too much attention, but when the spring flowers begin to show their cheery faces the gates of the northern Posberg section are thrown open (August and September only) to day-trippers and tourists in the know. Just 90 minutes from Cape Town, it’s an impossibly pretty corner of the Cape where zebra, bontebok and eland graze contentedly among the flowers while cattle egrets hunt scorpions on the stony koppies.
Iridescent vygies, elegant luibos and gangly bobbejaankool line the road to the coast, where Southern Right whales loll about on their annual visit to mate and calve. Pack your picnic out on the rocks, or head for the quaint lagoon-side restaurant at Geelbek for a taste of traditional Cape Cooking.
Further north, the Cape Columbine Nature Reserve also offers fields of flowers and breaching whales, with the added attraction of Paternoster’s cosy guesthouses and top-notch restaurants. In season, you can even spot whales from the patio of Gaaitjie; legendary local foodie Suzi Holtzhausen’s new beachfront eatery.
But this is the last I’ll see of the sea on my spring road-trip; it’s flowers, not flukes I’m after. A short trip down the R27 and a left onto the R315 towards Darling brings me to my next brief stop; the Tienie Versfeld Wildflower Reserve.
Donated to the National Botanical Institute in 1958, this 20ha piece of hillside has never been ploughed and offers some of the area’s best floral displays in late Spring. You won’t find sprays of daisies and carpets of colour here, but rather the delicate late-flowering bulbs like Nemesia, Moraea and Sparaxis; along with the highly endangered orchid affectionately known as the “Darling Ivory”.
The ground is boggy after good winter rains, so after a stop at Darling Cellars and Cloof Winery – two of the best local estates – I press on towards the home of South Africa’s First Lady.
Except this one isn’t married to JZ. Pieter Dirk Uys, better known as his alter ego Evita Bezuidenhout, is a local celebrity in the Swartland town of Darling, albeit a low-key one. While the Voorkamerfees (3-5 September, www.voorkamerfest-darling.co.za) provides theatrical entertainment in spring, it’s Bezuidenhout’s cabaret in the town’s old railway station that draws visitors year-round.
Shows change throughout the year, with the latest taking a dig at draconian FIFA, and are served as a lunch- and dinner-theatre combining homely Cape cooking with home-grown satire. It’s a wonderful spot to stop for the night.
The next morning, daisies dot the roadside and windmill islands rise high from a sea of green wheat as I press on along the N7 and up over the Piekenierskloof Pass. Down the other side and the dark-green orange groves appear, drawing thirstily from the Olifants River.
“Kom proë,” urges the sign in the fields as I speed along. I hit the brakes and another one won’t take no for an answer. “Yes! Come taste.”
Well, with an invitation like that how can I refuse? Bags of naartjies are piled high outside, pockets of oranges crammed alongside them and bags of fleshy white boerie-patat just begging to be cooked on the coals of a winter braai. I grab some naartjies and a few jars of their tart homemade marmalade and hit the road again.
To my right, the peaks of the Cederberg mountain range scratch the belly of clouds that so often dust these peaks with snow. Otherworldly rock formations and wild valleys draw hikers and climbers here year-round, braving icy winters and searing summers. And through it all, on the Dwarsrivier farm in the valley below, the unassuming David Nieuwoudt quietly goes about producing his award-winning ‘wines with altitude’.
“I want people to drink my wines and think of these mountain ranges, unique and untouched,” says David, whose family have farmed here for generations. Officially the highest vineyards in the Cape, his Shiraz is what generates most of the praise, and the awards, but it’s his perfectly-balanced Bukketraube – perfect with Thai curry – that I fill my boot with each time I visit.
Back on the N7, Clanwilliam has its fair share of restaurants and makes another good lunch or overnight stop. Reinhold’s Restaurant is decidedly old school in both décor and menu, serving up a classic mix of surf ‘n turf, but it’s a local favourite and has a cosy atmosphere on chilly spring evenings. Nancy’s Tea Room on the Main Road is also worth a visit, dishing up Cape Malay cuisine like ‘Leipoldt’s Bobotie’
Doctor, poet and chef; C. Louis Leipoldt is one of the region’s most famous sons and his classic tome ‘Cape Cookery’ has become a staple in many South African kitchens. Leipoldt’s ashes were laid to rest on the scenic Pakhuis Pass on his death in 1947 and it’s certainly a peaceful spot, winding into the foothills of the northern Cederberg and down into the Biedouw Valley.
And here, the flowers really begin; fields, valleys, outcrops, sprays and carpets of them. More flowers than you can shake Elton John at.
Breakfast amongst the blooms
Lying between the Biedouw and Tra-Tra Mountains, this fertile valley is famous for its veld flowers and – because it’s a little off the tourist trail – is less popular than other hotspots, so you can have it all to your bloomin’ self. If you have time, a diversion to the Moravian mission village of Wupperthal is well worth it, and you can always enjoy the tuisgebak at the oh-so-quaint Lekkerbekkie Tearoom.
For something a little more bling, a foodie treat awaits at the Bushmanskloof Wilderness Reserve, which offers five-star flower-viewing in five-star luxury. Nearby Traveller’s Rest is a more affordable option, and is also home to the remarkable Sevilla Trail that explores a number of outstanding San rock art sites.
 And from here it’s all downhill – figuratively, I’m afraid – up the winding Botterkloof Pass to the floral fields of Nieuwoudtville; the self-proclaimed bulb capital of the world where millions of Tritonia, Freesia, Ixia, Babiana, Sparaxis and Dierama burst through the usually arid soil in the warming days of spring. The picturesque town is a riot of colour at this time of year, and is almost as famous for its honey-coloured sandstone buildings as its flowers.
You’ll see blooms literally everywhere you look at the height of spring, but the Matjiesfontein Padstal fourteen kilometres from town is one of the highlights of the area. Dirt roads criss-cross the farm behind the padstal offering spectacular views across fields of flowers… you can even take a picnic table and enjoy breakfast amongst the blooms!
On your way back to Nieuwoudtville, stop for a look at the Oorlogskloof glacial pavement, five kilometres from the village. It’s clearly signposted and just 100 metres from the road you can take a look 300-million years back in time to when glaciers covered much of the area.
Not far off, the Glenlyon Conservation Farm has long been famous for having some of the best flowers in the region, and especially now that it is offically conserved as the Hantam National Botanical Garden. Also don’t miss the Nieuwoudtville wildflower reserve; founded in 1974, the reserve can be explored in under an hour and the 'koppie' in the centre makes a fine place for a picnic lunch.
It’s to be my last lunch for this trip, but I’m not leaving without a quick visit to the Bokkeveld Nature Reserve to see the Doring River tumble 90 metres into a rocky gorge. And a few kilometres further north is South Africa's most southerly colony of Aloe Dichotoma – the mysterious kokerboom, or quiver tree. If you haven’t seen one of these incredible trees before it’s well worth the detour.
My road home leads me to the brink of the Vanrhyn’s Pass, where I hop out for one last view. Below me the arid Knersvlakte, with its hardy succulents, stretches away to the north, and beyond that Namaqualand, with its famous carpets of daisies around Garies, Kamieskroon and Springbok.
Photos taken and flowers marvelled at, I hop back in the car and slip the ‘Juno’ soundtrack in the CD player.
"If I was a flower growing wild and free,
all I'd want is you to be is my sweet honey-bee."
Barry Louis Polisar keeps me company all the way back to Cape Town.
TRAVEL ADVISORY
- The flowers are most impressive in the heat of the day and will move throughout the day to face the sun, so try and walk or drive with the sun behind you.
- Nieuwoudtville Publicity Association: www.nieuwoudtville.com or call 027 218 1336
- Visit www.sanbi.org for more on the Hantam National Botanical Garden.
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George Mandalios has the eyes of a man who’s spent many years squinting into the sun. Years spent seeing beyond the glare to notice the telltale ruffle of a shoal of snoek shimmering just below the surface. Narrow eyes that sparkle to life when he talks of days out in the deep, and a creased weather-beaten face that lends him a certain Robert de Niro charm.
I shake hands with George on the quayside of the impossibly quaint Kalk Bay Harbour on Cape Town’s False Bay coast. You might have met George; he runs the popular Kalky’s, perhaps the best place for fish-n-tjips in the Mother City.
But today I’m not here for a portion of snoek. I’m here to learn to fish and George – I have it on good authority – is the man to speak to in Cape Town about traditional hand-line fishing. No frills, no fuss. Perhaps no fingertips if you’re not careful.
“We only use the traditional hand-line on my boat; it’s the way fishermen have been catching out of this harbour for many, many years. We have what we call a chuggie boat, a traditional Kalk Bay fishing boat. Monday to Friday the boat goes out with commercial fishermen, so that they can earn a living with the boat. On the weekend, we take out trippers who want to fish.”
A howling southeaster is keeping us, and the rest of the fishing fleet, in harbour this autumn morning, so we grab a coffee at Kalky’s. The wind is singing through the rigging as he tells me in his thick Greek accent – his family moved to South Africa in 1963 –about a typical day on the water.
“We leave very early in the morning, at 4am, and we come back at about two o’clock in the afternoon. Then we take out another trip from two o’clock until ten or eleven at night. That’s only in the summer. In the winter we don’t go out in the afternoon, because we don’t catch.
“Snoek we find here right through the year, but the problem with the snoek is that it can be anywhere. If there’s no snoek at the Point then we go after the bottom fish; Red Roman, White Stumpnose, Kabeljou, Cape Salmon. We either troll with spinners, or use bait for the bottom-fish.
The notion of pulling in a hard-fighting seven-kilo snoek with my keyboard-softened fingers immediately makes me think of shredded digits.
“No, it’s not hard. And your hands are fine… we use finger lappies,” he explains, mimicking wrapping the lengths of cloth around his fingers to protect them from the thick nylon line. “But that’s just for snoek. You have to; else the line will cut you. For bottom fish we don’t worry about it.”
As I eye the heavy spool of line I throw him a sceptical look, wondering how this city softie would manage.
“It’s not dangerous, but you must just listen to what we tell you,” warns George. “Some people try and wrap the line around their hand to pull the fish in, but sometimes with the snoek a seal comes and takes it. Then what’s going to happen to your hand!
Out on the water, George or his regular skipper are always on hand, keeping an eye on the ‘trippers’ and sharing their tricks of the trade.
“It’s not hard to get the hang of it,” says George. “If you listen to what we tell you, you will catch. Besides, it’s a very simple trick. With your fingers on the line, you can feel when the fish takes the bait, but when you feel that bite you must wait a few seconds, and then you pull. Then you’ve got him!”
It’s all about gut feel, and that’s something Anton Potgieter seems to have in abundance. There’s a calm, quiet confidence to the skipper of Big Blue Fishing Charters as we roar across False Bay on his gleaming white 28-foot sport fishing catamaran.
At the other end of the scale from George’s slow, traditional method is this: fibreglass boats, powerful engines, modern reels, an array of other-worldly lures and a R100 000 chart plotter and fish-finder to keep track of what’s going on below.
Nowadays, it’s the ‘proper’ way to go fishing at sea, and is certainly the best option if you want to hunt the large game fish that the Fairest Cape is famous for.
“Different people enjoy different types of fishing,” explains Anton, his polarised fishing glasses cutting the glare off the bay. “Sitting with a rod in hand with bait on the bottom appeals to a lot of people, but trolling with lures behind the boat is really the only way to catch the bigger game fish.”
While Anton and his crew regularly pick up Skipjack, Katonkel and Dorado out in the deep, there’s one fish that they are really after: Yellow-fin Tuna, one of the world's toughest fighting fish.
“We have a tuna season that last about six months of the year and we’re always in touch with what’s happening out in the tuna grounds,” explains Anton. “We cater for everyone from real novices to very experienced fishermen, but we won’t take first-timers, or children, out to the tuna grounds. We’re 25, 30 nautical miles off Cape Point, and it is more serious fishing. We’re dealing with big seas and big fish.”
A day playing Hemingway against the hard-fighting Yellowfin isn’t for everyone, but sport-fishing also offers more accessible options for the uninitiated says Anton.
“An in-shore trip is ideal for first-timers, perhaps a day or half-day in and around Cape Point. There’s wonderful scenery and a good variety of fishing; a bit of trolling, a bit of reef fishing. If there’s squid around we’ll go for them. In-season we’ll do a bit of crayfishing. We see dolphins on the odd occasion, and whales in season. No two days at sea are ever the same.”
While I, and perhaps you, only haul that dusty rod out of the shed to occupy a few sunset hours on holiday, the likes of George and Anton are living out that Hemingway fantasy every day of the year. Well, weather permitting, of course. But whether you’re a life-long fisher or just a traveller looking for adventure, the clear blue waters of the Fairest Cape are waiting.
Hand-line fishing on Star Life
George Mandalios
084 583 1778
Eight-hour excursion, R250pp
Big Blue Fishing Charters
Anton/Ros Potgieter
www.bigbluefishingcharters.com
021 786 5667
Boat charters from R3900
First published in AA Traveller magazine, Winter 2010
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December 2nd, 1967. Late afternoon.
For many, it was just another hot and windy day in Cape Town’s early summer. But for the family of Denise Darvall and Louis Washkansky it was to be both a tragic and momentous few hours.
As an ambulance crew wheeled the attractive young Denise into the trauma ward of Groote Schuur hospital – the 25-year-old and her mother knocked over and fatally injured by a drunk driver – little did the world know that human medicine was about to be changed forever.
Not long before Darvall’s untimely death, a talented young surgeon – one Dr Christiaan Neethling Barnard – had declared to the head of surgery that his team was ready to perform a human heart transplant. All they needed was a suitable patient and matching donor. A sickly Louis Washkansky was about to be given a new lease on life, and a place in the history books.
“This is not a museum, this is a heritage site. This is where it all happened,” says Hennie Joubert, the founder of the Heart of Cape Town Museum, as we wander through the pillared entrance of what was once Groote Schuur’s trauma department.
One of Cape Town’s most remarkable small museums, the Heart of Cape Town traces the events leading up to, and the fall-out from, the first human heart transplant that was performed within these walls.
Despite several attempts, in 1967 no surgeon had yet performed a successful human heart transplant. As Barnard would later write in his autobiography ‘One Life’: “We (cardiac surgeons) were all just standing shivering around the pool, waiting to see who would dare to jump in first. I did.”
The story of his ‘jump’ is expertly told in this wonderful museum that traces the research and rivalry involved in performing the world’s first human heart transplant.
Importantly, an entire room of the museum is given over to remembering Denise Darvall. Her bedroom is faithfully recreated and sketches from her diary adorn the walls, while family photos remind us of the loved ones she left behind and a romance novel lies half-opened on the bed; waiting for its owner to return.
But perhaps what is most striking are the courageous words of her father. Just hours after losing his wife and daughter, and being asked for permission to give Denise’s heart to Washkansky, said: “If there is no hope for my daughter then you must try to save the life of this man.”
And the museum accurately retraces the efforts that began months, years, before Washkansky was wheeled into operating theatre 2A.
The Museum also looks at the controversial issue of whether Barnard received too much credit for the operation, leaving other doctors and clinicians in his shadow.
Marius Barnard, Chris’ brother, is importantly given overdue credit as the surgeon who removed the healthy heart from Denise, handing it to his brother to make history in an adjoining theatre. Hamilton Naki, famous for his rise from hospital gardener to surgeon, also receives his due as an integral part of the team that perfected transplant techniques in the animal laboratory, which has also been carefully recreated.
But of course, the focus of the Museum is Dr Chris Barnard, whose turbulent and dramatic life is explored in an engrossing 26-minute documentary. Married three times, father to six children, trained in the USA and South Africa, author of 30 books, pioneering surgeon… it’s impossible to ignore the charisma and driving ambition of the man who changed the face of medicine.
And the highlight of the museum is, of course, operating theatres 2A and 2B where all the drama took place in the early hours of 3 December 1967. Nurses who were there on the night have helped to ensure the theatres are as accurate as possible; down to the original theatre lights in the ceiling, swab rags, scales to calculate the blood Washkansky had lost and the actual heart-lung machine that kept the man alive while he had no heart in his chest.
The clock on the wall stands at 5.58am; the exact moment that Denise Darvall’s heart began beating in the chest of Louis Washkansky. And if you turn away from the operating table in theatre 2B you’ll see what is easily the most poignant exhibit in the entire museum.
In a glass case are two glass cubes filled with formalin. On the left; Washkansky’s diseased heart that had failed him. On the right, the heart of Denise Darvall that gave Louis Washkansky another 18 days on earth, and turned Chris Barnard into a household name.
And the fame that followed is equally well documented here. Dozens of letters from presidents and fellow surgeons are laid out on display, along with those from horrified members of the public who labelled him “the butcher of Groote Schuur”.
Whether Barnard was a “butcher” or brilliant physician is in the eye of the beholder, but what is indisputable is that he changed the face of modern medicine, achieving what was once thought impossible. This poignant, meticulous museum brings the cold, hard medicine to life and celebrates the tragic and triumphant figures involved.
And in the room where Washkansky recovered from his operation, the original prognosis for the recipient of the word’s first heart transplant is sure to catch your eye: “No operation will help. Let nature take its course.”
Nobody knew then how wrong that diagnosis would be.
The Heart of Cape Town Museum
Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town
Open daily. Tours at 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm.
www.heartofcapetown.co.za, 021 404 1967
R100/adult. Under-10s free. Special rates for school groups.
First published in the Blue Train magazine, August 2010
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Or just a sign of commercialism heading south? Refuse to shop at Melissa's nowadays: overpriced and average
