South Africa – A land of contrasts: Culture, Wildlife and much more

South Africa has always been one of our favourite long-haul destinations, and our 2 week trip this February did not disappoint. We’d been before and had high hopes of another great visit to the Rainbow Nation If you haven’t been before, one advantage of South Africa, despite being over 11 hours away, is that you are pretty much on the same time-zone as the UK. So, if you can catch a bit of shut eye on the flight, you arrive in Cape Town feeling ready to go, and not mentally trying to adjust your body clock To refresh my knowledge of the country, for our trip we decided to head for Cape Town first, visit the nearby Western Cape Winelands, then head over the mountains for a 5* safari and finish off with a couple of relaxing days on the coast at Wilderness Arriving at Cape Town Airport mid-morning on a beautifully warm summer’s day, when you’ve left the UK shivering in February, was such an uplifting experience. The airport is modern, clean and easy to navigate, and just a 30-minute transfer to the city. Previously we had stayed in the seaside suburb of Camps Bay, which is very upmarket now, but this time opted for a lovely guest house in the City Bowl Dealing with the “elephant in the room” first – if you’ll pardon the safari pun – is South Africa a safe place to visit? Everyone believes South Africa can be a dangerous place to visit, it’s not safe to be out and about and, of course, to an extent this is true. However, if you avoid wandering the city streets late at night, do not show off your jewellery and expensive designer watch, and generally use common sense, it is no more dangerous than visiting most cities in Europe. In four visits I have never felt any danger or insecurity. To move around, you can just take a cheap, safe Uber to anywhere in the area. You can cross the city for about £5 The South African people are so open and friendly as well. Another myth dispelled. We hired a car from Cape Town until we flew home, and experienced no hassles or problems, and it was a great way to get around the country – though the roads and their potholes are a challenge in some places. Whilst in Cape Town we visited the tourist honeypot of the V&A Waterfront, where you can enjoy some amazing gastronomic experiences, and had an amazing meal watching the sun go down in Camps Bay. Another recommendation would be to buy a round-city hop-on/hop-off bus ticket. It’s a great way to view the city and has lots of interesting stops including the Table Mountain cable car, and the wineries of Constantia. A real eye opener for us was a tour to Robben Island, the infamous prison used during the terrible Apartheid years, and where Nelson Mandela spent most of his incarceration. A 30-minute ferry ride from the V&A, it was truly amazing to hear an ex-inmate guide us around the prison, telling his harrowing story, and so thought-provoking. You must go! Following our 4 nights in Cape Town, and a quick visit to the penguin sanctuary on Boulders Beach, we headed to the spectacular Western Cape winelands, and the lovely town of Stellenbosch. It’s well worth a few days here to soak up the atmosphere of this buzzy upmarket university town, and the wonderful wineries in the surrounding areas. Leave the car at the hotel and book on to one of the many wine tours available. Nothing better than sipping a cool glass of Sauvignon Blanc, eating some delicious food, surrounded by the vineyards. In the evening, the town comes alive with vibrant restaurants, chic wine bars and, if you are into your sports, some great pubs. We followed our stay in Stellenbosch with a night in the quaint town of Montagu, then headed for the 5* private game reserve at Gondwana. The accommodation and service here was fantastic, and worth the couple of nights we spent here. Of course, the highlight of this stay was to be the safaris. As with most game lodges, you have an early morning game drive, a break for a rest and lunch, and then a late afternoon drive. To be honest, whilst the care taken, conservation principles in place, and our Ranger were excellent, this particular game reserve was more about quality animal sightings rather than quantity. We did see 4 of the big 5, lions, elephants, rhinos and more, but, as usual, no leopards. They are always hard to spot (sorry). The game reserve operates a strict policy of only allowing two safari vehicles at a time near any of the animals, which is to be applauded. My feeling, however, is that this would be a great safari option for a first-time safari experience, but better viewing can be had in the Eastern Cape or Kruger for the more experienced safari officianado. We ended our trip in the little town of Wilderness, perched on the rugged, and stunning Indian Ocean coastline, right on the famous Garden Route. The sea and white-sandy beaches here are truly spectacular. Take the car along the coast to the towns of Knysna and Plettenberg Bay and you won’t be disappointed. We didn’t do this on this trip, but there are loads of adventure and exciting activities available, from zip-wiring, cycling and white-water rafting. And the dining options are fabulous, with great restaurants, wineries and micro-breweries. Overall, with so much variety and different experiences, this was one of our most memorable holidays, and I would love to send everyone there as I believe South Africa offers something for everyone. With lots of flight options, both direct and indirect, and the value for money helped by the strength of the Pound against the Rand, now is a great time to go yourself