South Africa
Author: Claire Robbins
A total of 120 travel agents were taken to South Africa as part of South African Airways’ 75th anniversary celebrations as well as the 10th Anniversary of the abolition of Apartheid. I was lucky enough to be part of that group.
Upon arrival, we were separated into smaller parties, and each group was to see a different part of the country. At the end of our week all the groups met up for a huge celebration in Sun City.
Our small group flew into Cape Town on a wet and windy morning. Our minibus collected us and we headed to the wine lands area of Stellenbosch and stayed in a very pleasant family hotel for our first night. En route we had a wine tasting session, so needles to say we all slept well that evening. The following morning we left early to see some of the South African countryside and we visited some hotels on the way to our destination for the second night at Bushman’s Kloof. The hotel was stunning and situated in the middle of nowhere. We arrived late in the afternoon and were taken directly out on a game drive. Along the way we were shown some fascinating rock art by the San, the original inhabitants of that area hundreds of years ago. Unfortunately on that particular day we were unable to spot any game in the area, but were lucky to see some antelope. We stopped for a sundowner and watched as the stars came out, much clearer than in England with next to no light pollution. The food was very good and the staff very attentive. The entire group would have really liked to have stayed much longer but, before we knew it, we were heading back towards Cape Town. We arrived mid afternoon in our lovely room at The Radisson Hotel which is situated directly on the waters edge. That evening we went on a tour of Cape Town, Camps Bays and then we headed for Table Mountain. The cable car had just opened as the cloud cover cleared and we made it to the top of the Mountain, the highlight of the trip for me.
Afternoon tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel, another famous landmark in Cape Town and dinner at The Cape Grace Hotel.
The next morning we flew from Cape Town to Johannesburg and travelled by coach to Sun City, a fantasy in the African bush. There are three hotels, a large water park and a casino where our gala dinner was held together with a workshop. We also found time to visit a sanctuary where lions are bred to be released into national parks and the wild.
Our final morning and a very early start for a game drive to try and see the big five. We saw an elephant, a giraffe and a troupe of baboons.
For me this was a trip of a lifetime, and would thoroughly recommend South Africa to anyone with a sense of adventure.
Please contact Claire for information on South African holidays.
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