Road trip South Africa
September 2022 marks the 10-year anniversary for us. It has been a wonderful decade since we have met each other in my hometown Suzhou. As it was a special millstone in our lives, so we decided to go back to the country we adore, South Africa. This was the 4th time for both of us to visit this amazing country, yet there is still a lot new to discover.
Our first stop was our beloved national park, the Kgalagadi transfrontier park. This is defiantly a well-kept secret within all the South Africa NPs. We hope it never gets crowded as Kruger. The location is isolated, it took us two days to reach it from Johannesburg. We didn’t take the tar road to the park, instead we chose a more isolated gravel road, close to Botswana. And we got a nice surprise on the way, we saw this beautifull white rhino family. Their noses were untouched, a pleasure to see in these times.
I recommend booking the campsite in advance, in any case like us without booking, we had to ask cancelations from others at the reception desk everyday. Travel tip: Kgalagadi lifestyle lodge located 1 kilometer away from the main gate, it is a very nice alternative choice for commendation.
The Kgalagadi transfrontier park itself, is very famous for big cats by the locals, and we did see a leopard on our first day. Still we didn’t see to much animals like last time, because of a recent big fire in the park. Making that a lot of animals went to the Botswana side to escape it.
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And every trip we meet some nice locals. Also on this one, after we left the key in the car and it locked itself. All our camping stuff was still inside, so there was no other option then to break the side window and call the insurance company to fix it. We got help with this issue from a nice family that was in the park to spot birds. They showed there stories about it and from that moment we also try to spot these animals.
So we spotted a lot of lions, leopard, cheetah, black-backed jackal, africa wild cat, blue wildebeest, gemsbok, springbok, red hartebeast. But also smaller animals like squirrels, meerkats, lizards and birds.
We continued our trip towards the coast. Namaqualand has been on my list for really a long time, since I was doing my Erasmus back in 2011. This time no luck, again. Early September should be good time to see wild flowers there, but you never know if it had enough rain. We didn’t see any flowers in Namaqualand NP, but we got some tips from a couple in Kamieskroon, they own a very cute café named Kuiervreugde. Based on their information, we visited Leliefontain, we had a gimps how it looks like in Namaqualand. Travel tip: don’t go there without a 4×4 when it is bad weather conditions.
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We made few more stops before we reached Cape Town. In 2013 we visited west-coast NP, lambert’s bay bird island. This time we took a rest in Paternoster, a charming little village, and not to forget we had an amazing lunch at ‘the strandloper’ restaurant. A 10 course menu with traditional way of cooking, the live music, flying sea birds, the sound of Atlantic waves, the giant rocks, plus super friendly service, it was truly a unforgettable meal. Travel tip: reservation is required, and stay hungry before you go, the portion is really big.
How to leave South Africa without visiting Cape Town, our third time here and it always feels great to come back. We love this city, so vibrant, so lively and so colorful. Our 5 day stay went well, we revisited a lot of places, cape point, chapman’s drive……
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….there are so many reasons why we fall in love with Cape Town, but the most important one for us is the wild life of the city himself. We visited Boulders Beach, near Simon’s Town, to see African penguins. It hasn’t changed much even after 10 years. Travel tip: go to the beach near the parking lot, maybe a surprise! Keep your distance from penguins, let the wild stay wild.
To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we treated ourselves to the “Buitenverwachting” wine farm, located in the heart of the historic Constantia Valley. The “Beyond” restaurant is the cherry on the cake, I highly recommend it.
Hermanus is our biggest highlight, it has a glorious coastline and stunning scenery. But the most exciting thing is whale watching. September is the season, how could anyone miss it! We spent 3 days at Hermanus Backbackers, it’s a budget hotel, awesome location and great owner. We had sunny but very windy weather, so the whales did not come near the shore. However, since it is the right season, you can easily spot the southern right whale just by walking along the coast. Travel tip: Be patient.
We were rewarded with excellent views seeing many adult whales and calves, also including breaching, tail fluking and blowing! Awesome stuff!
Our original plan was to end the trip somewhere along the famous garden route, which I have never completed yet, even after my 4 visits. However, Gunther dislikes many things that I love, the beach, cocktails and sunbathing. So I agreed to end our trip at Pilanesberg NP, which is also our best-kept secret. On the long way, drive, from Hermanus to Johannesburg we made a stop at Kimberly, a good diamond spot. This place doesn’t have much to offer in my opinion, but the story of Big Hole shows the greatest gluttony in human beings.
After two days of driving, we finally reached Pilanesburg NP, a nature reserve near Johannesburg. The size is much smaller than Kruger, but the beauty and excitement are absolutely no less. We stayed at Manyane Resort, it had everything we needed, close to the gate, a good restaurant and a swimming pool for hot middays.
Pilanesburg State Park Travel Tip:
1. Late in the afternoon before closing, on the main road, there is a good chance of seeing lions.
2. Spend time at “Kijk point”, especially Makorwane Hide
3. 4x4s are highly recommended after the rainy season, road conditions are not very good during our last visit
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South Africa has this magical power to make us come back, and each time we fall in love with this country again. Breathtaking nature, exciting safaris, delicious food, excellent wine… so much to offer, and we are always welcomed by warm and friendly South Africans. I always look forward to seeing South Africa again!