Written by Tessie Kenela

We start our adventure at Kariega Game Reserve, a family owned and operated private game reserve, home to the Big 5 (lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard) where our stay includes full board and game drives twice a day in open safari vehicles.

Kariega’s Main Lodge is cool, the group got to stay in different spacious 2-3 bedroom log chalets with private decks and I stayed in the studio.

We spend the next four days alternating between game drives and being fed delicious meals. Our daily game drives always start early in the morning before breakfast and the second drive begins in the late afternoon so that we can end the drive with a happy hour in the bush. Our rangers bring an array of wine and spirits and snacks.

By the end of our stay, we have seen 4 out of the Big 5 as well as impala, hippo, hyena, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, kudu and some warthogs!We leave the beautiful game reserve and start our journey along the Garden route to Cape town.

A few hours drive and we arrive at Tsitsikamma National Park, an area of the Garden Route  on South Africa’s East coast divided by the Western Tsitsikamma Mountains. The group takes a nice hike up to the Storms River suspension bridge.

The pathway leading to the suspension bridge covers 900 meters of the Tsitsikamma forest. The walk is fairly easy, particularly if covered slowly. With magnificent views along the walk, its a peaceful atmosphere for any soul.

After many photos taken on the bridge, we depart Tsitsikamma as the sun is setting and the skies over the Indian ocean sets with the most beautiful tones of red, orange and pink we have ever witnessed, but that’s just a typical African sunset.

The next day the Garden Route takes us to Oudtshoorn, the ostrich capital of the world! But first we make a pit stop at Plettenberg Bay which sits right at the border of the eastern and western cape. We dip our feet in the lovely Indian Ocean, have some delicious super fresh oysters and do some shopping.

Once we arrive at The Congo Ostrich Farms, the group is given a full and informative tour where we see all aspects of ostrich farming and interact with the ostriches, which by the way, are just as curious about us as we are about them!The group spends the night at near-by Berluda Farmhouse and Cottages. Surrounded by olive and apricot orchards, and set within lush gardens, Berluda Farmhouse offers luxury accommodation with all modern amenities, from luxury suites to family cottages.

We enjoyed a traditional South African dinner of Karoo lamb and ostrich with some tasty red South African wine.

The next morning, we get on our final stretch along the Garden Route stopping at The Cango caves.This one of the finest dripstone caves and one of South Africa’s natural wonders, with an extensive system of tunnels, with the section open to visitors being about 1 kilometer long and takes an hour and a half to tour. It was an impressive site to see!

Continuing the Garden Route, we arrive at our hotel, Winchester Mansions, in Cape town.Situated along the scenic Sea Point Promenade and facing the Atlantic Ocean, with the majestic backdrop of Table Mountain, Winchester Mansions in Cape Town is a 4-star, iconic seafront hotel, that has maintained its original Cape Dutch architecture. After a few cocktails in the hotel’s posh bar, we settle in for the night.

On our 7^th day in South Africa, we enjoy a full day touring Cape town, an area regarded as one of the most beautiful regions in the world. The city is a rare cultural gem, resulting from the amalgamation of Indonesian, French, Dutch, British and German settlers.

The first part of the day is spent hopping around the beautiful coastal areas of Camps Bay, Clifton, Bantry Bay and Hout Bay as we make our way to Cape of Good Hope, a rocky promontory at the southern end of Cape Peninsula. Onto Boulders Beach to see a big colony of “jackass” penguins, given their name due to their distinctive mating call that sounds like a braying donkey and now know as African penguins.

A boardwalk has been built around the dunes so you can get a good close-up look at the entire colony eating, breeding, preening, swimming, and chatting away.

We spend the next day doing a full day winelands tour in Stellenbosch. A mere one hour drive from Cape Town, lie  valleys and mountains which have become synonymous with some of the world’s finest wines. Our first winery is Neethlingshof wine farm. On our way to Neethlingshof, we drive through an avenue of stone pines a kilometer long.

Not only is this tunnel green and amazing but can be seen on the wine labels of bottles. As we approach, a stunning vista unfolds complete with pristine Cape Dutch buildings and rolling green vineyards.The group has a light lunch here and we taste 4 different wines.

The next vineyard is Rickety Bridge Winery, nestled against the slopes of the Franschhoek Mountains overlooking the majestic Wemmershoek Mountain range, the 50-hectare wine estate has 27 hectares of vines, accommodation at Basse Provence Guest House and the Rickety Bridge Manor House, and a beautiful tasting room where guests can sample the superb Rickety Bridge Winery wines.

The last day in South Africa and  beautiful Cape Town. It is a free day to explore.A few of us decide to first stop at bokaap, an area of Capetown with brightly painted houses and quaint cobbled streets.

Part of the Bo Kaap’s charm is the mix of Cape Dutch and Cape Georgian architectural styles which makes for amazing pictures!

Our next stop is Table Mountain, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Whether the mountain is covered in a blanket of clouds or showing off against a cloudless blue sky, Table Mountain is always spectacular and a site that cannot be missed.

The easiest option for getting up the mountain is the cableway. Once you reach the top, you can marvel at the beautiful views of Capetown, the Atlantic Ocean, go for short walks on a few trails they have and/or rappel off the cliff; the option is yours!

We decide to play it safe and just take beautiful pictures as the sun sets on the horizon and our South Africa adventures comes to an end!