Cape Town

Victoria & Albert Waterfront and the Table Mountain

The Mother City is particularly known for its historical position in the development of modern South-Africa. The immense Table Mountain, the summit constantly covered with cascading clouds, overshadows the city. Vineyards cover the flanks of Cape Town, which are especially known for their distinctive and exclusive wines. Moreover, the Victoria & Albert Waterfront dominates the coastline, contributing to the modern, innovative and progressive public image the capital of South-Africa wishes to uphold.

Feeding the children should
not be forgotten :)

South-Africa is a state of contrasts. One is capable of exploring traditional and ‘black’ territories however, the western region of South-Africa is inhabited by ‘white people’ and one is able to enter Europe. Despite the fact that segregation has long been abolished, the scares of the apartheid will always endure, generation after generation. As already mentioned, the country is still divided into two separate regions. Black and white, rich and poor, traditional and progressive. Moreover, the jobs which require handiwork are always occupied by the black people, something which is considered to be normal.

Additionally, the western parts of the country are frequently visited by tourists which is remarkable considering the fact that the culture and society in the western regions are very much like many European countries. The eastern regions, where one is still able to explore traditional Africa, are often forgotten by many tourists.

Robben Island &
Cape of Good Hope

We spent six days in Cape Town, in order to fully enjoy the city and its wide variety of activities. Our apartment was situated just outside Cape Town, in the small village of Simon’s Town. Because we decided to spent six days in the Cape, we did not only visit the capital but we also explored its surroundings. From the peaks of Table Mountain, to the most southern point of the African continent, to the remote prison on Robben Island and the hyper modern V&A Waterfront. Six days just weren’t enough to experience it all. As one is able to notice, the activities mentioned above do all not relate to the city itself, which is inhabited by a majority of black people. The small white elite inhabit the outskirts of the city and live in large villa’s and secured neighbourhoods. The city itself does not have much to offer, apart from a few historic artefacts. It are the surroundings which attract the traveller.

Simon's Town

Table Mountain *note: I was not actually standing on the edge of the mountain ;)

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Coffee Bay

Up and down the hill, a continuous rollercoaster. The top of the hills offered a beautiful vantage point from which one was able to overlook the vast Indian ocean which reaches till the shores of Australia. If we looked closely, we were able to spot dolphins, emerging from the crashing waves. The valleys however, offered a great variety of florae, including Aloe Vera which the local’s use in herbal medicine.

This remote village situated on the Wild Coast, gives its visitors the chance to explore traditional South-Africa. The Xhosa people inhabit the southeast coast of South-Africa and they have been living in this area of the country long before the arrival of the Europeans, who first colonised in and around Cape Town and later expanded their territory, claiming Xhosa land.

During the 19^th century and apartheid, Xhosa communities were deliberately neglected and there was a serious lack of social services. This is the reason, why today many Xhosa people still live in poverty and do not have access to electricity or running water.

However, the cultural customs and traditions still play a major role in Xhosa communities, which allows travellers to discover traditional Africa. The thatched-roof huts, which are often painted into a bright colour, creating a gorgeous scenery.

Traditional thatched-roof huts; some painted in bright colours

A gorgeous view

We spent two nights in Coffee Bay in the Ocean View Hotel. One of the few hotels available in the area. Coffee Bay is an isolated village with gorgeous sea cliffs and magnificent nature. Hole in the wall is a detached cliff that has an opening in its centre created by the crashing waves. It is a popular destination for guided hikes and it is a three hour walk from Coffee Bay. Our hotel manager arranged us a local guide who would walk us to the Hole in the Wall. During the hike we passed a few small settlements, climbed hundreds of hills which offered beautiful views and we caught a glimpse of five dolphins emerging from the ocean 300 metres beneath our feet. After three hours, we arrived at the Hole in the Wall and I must admit that the hike was far more impressive than our destination, considering the fact that one is able to visit thousands of Hole’s in the Walls in southern Europe. However, the walk was absolutely beautiful and it gave us the opportunity to explore the traditional African culture as our guide enlightened us.

Hole in the Wall

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St. Lucia

During a boat tour

I looked to my right and was overwhelmed by the immense surface of the colossal mammal emerging from the salty Indian ocean water. Never in my life, have I been so close to one of the biggest species on earth. It lingered in the air for about three seconds and then dove back into the water leaving a gigantic wave, causing our boat to wobble.

The city of St. Lucia is situated in South Africa’s first world heritage site also known as the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. The Park covers 220 kilometres, from the Mozambique border to Maphelane. A city situated at the southern end of Lake St. Lucia. The village does therefore not only provides living area for 500 residents, but also for approximately 800 hippo’s and 1200 Nile crocodiles. Because St. Lucia is surrounded by the sea, it offers a great sighting of Humpback Whales as they migrate past the shores in June, one their way to Madagascar.

Before the Whale-Watching Safari on the boat

We decided to stay in St. Lucia for five days in order to fully enjoy the activities the village had to offer. Such as whale watching, boat tours and turtle watching. We stayed at a lovely Bed & Breakfast situated on the outskirts of the village. Our host, John, arranged a Whale-Watching Safari for us which was guided by Johan, his friend and a local fisherman. Johan told us that only “ the black people are allowed to take tourists on Whale-Watching Safari’s”. He was only allowed to take us fishing, so we could only spot whales during fishing hours. This was of course fine with us as we had never caught a fish before in our life’s and we were excited to catch a 40 pounds yellow finned tuna, which we as a matter of fact managed to do! But our main objective during the safari was of course to spot Humpback whales.

If you look closely, you are able to
see a whale emerging from the
water in the far distance

At first we were not entirely sure whether we would be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one or two whales. As the time passed, me and my dad both got sick as we were not accustomed to high speed boats. But after about an hour the whales started to emerge from the water. The Humpback whale swims close to the water’s surface and therefore jerk upwards at full speed as they perform a breach.

I assumed that the whales would stay at a considerable distance but this was definitely not the case and the whales would appear just 30 metres from our boat, which worried me a little.

Despite the fact, that I was feeling sick during the Whale-Watching Safari, I sincerely enjoyed this experience and it was amazing to see how these massive bodies leap out of the water, enjoying the crisp fresh air.

I was feeling a bit sick :)

After the Whale-Watching, our host [from the Bed & Breakfast]
prepared the yellow finned tuna, which we caught during the day, for us

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About me

Hi! My name is Tess and welcome on my travel blog about South-Africa. Last summer I visited South-Africa together with my parents and older sister. It was a magnificent, inspring and extraordinary journey and experience. That's  why I decided to start a blog to share my experiences and stories with others. 

I love playing the piano, listening to music and to travel of course. During the course of my life, I have visited the USA, Indonesia and last year South-Africa. These voyages have all been wonderful and very diverse. From jungles, to the caldera crater of Yellowstone, to vast landscapes and wildlife. I have seen so much and I hope there is more to come. Enjoy!

*note: all pictures are self-taken :)

Me and my mom in Hermanus- South-Africa

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Kruger National Park

As we were enjoying the sunset, which made the sky turn amber, two giraffes emerged from the woods and made to the river to gulp down water. 500 metres to the right, two hippo’s were lying on the riverbank enjoying the last beams of sunlight in Kruger National Park.

Kruger National Park is one of South-Africa’s biggest game reserves and covers about 19,485 km2. It is situated in north-eastern South-Africa and is home to about 147 species. The park offers a wide variety of activities and even accommodation for the night. There are about ten main camps which give tourists the opportunity to enjoy the park to its fullest and to participate in activities, like morning drives, evening drives, river and morning walks. There is also the possibility to drive round the park with your own car. However, there is a curfew. At six thirty the darkness begins to fall and one should be back at the main camp by then. Furthermore, one is not allowed to leave the car at any circumstances due to the fact that wild animals are roaming around freely.

Single-roomed bungalows with thatched roof

We decided to spent six days and five nights in the Kruger Park. We spent our five nights at the Olifants Rest Camp which provided a perfect vantage point from which to spot wildlife. The camp is situated on top of a hill and towers several hundred metres over a huge riverbank which allow visitors to spot wildlife, such as elephants, hippo’s and crocodiles. We slept in a single-roomed bungalow with a thatched roof and the basic facilities one needs when ‘surviving in the wild’. During the day we joined some of the guided game walks which allowed us to learn more about the wildlife and bush from up close. During the guided walk we usually came across hippo’s and crocodiles who were relaxing on the riverbank at the other side of the river. Sometimes we found footprints from various animals and the guide would explain how he was able to determine to which animal they belonged.

Lookout platforms from which one is able to spot wildlife

In addition to the guided game walks we also joined two morning drives. These drives leave at five in the morning and return to the main camp at eight. When you leave the main camp it is pitch-dark and ice-cold but after perhaps an hour one is able to witness a beautiful sunrise and the temperature starts to rise.

Hippo's lying on the riverbank [view from the lookout platform]

A guided riverwalk

During our stay in Kruger National Park we have seen a tremendous amount of different animals and wildlife. Including leopards, cheetahs, lions, hippo’s, elephants, crocodiles, impalas and even some rhinos. Yet, poaching is a big problem in Kruger National Park. In the recent years, 631 rhinos have been killed by poachers and a shocking amount of 408 were killed in Kruger National Park. The Park is therefore considering a translocation of rhinos to safe havens to save the rhino from extinction. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to spot some black rhino’s but the question is whether we will still be so lucky in two years. 

The black-rhino

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Swaziland

Big things come in small packages like the intriguing kingdom of Swaziland. It offers great and rewarding wildlife watching, adrenaline-boosting activities such as rafting and mountain-biking, a colourful culture with celebrations and ceremonies still practised today and beautiful vast landscapes and stunning mountains. The crossing of the border from South-Africa into Swaziland alone, is forth the visit.

As we drove from Graskop [city situated northwest from Swaziland] to the border of Swaziland, a five-hour long drive, we began to realize that the passing of the border alone would keep us busy for another two hours. We had to pass three gates before leaving South-African grounds and entering a nobody's land. Before we could enter Swaziland we needed to hand over our passport to the authorities of Swaziland who would examine them in a truck together with 500 other passport which were handed over at the same time. Luckily, we did get hold of our own passports which were provided with a new stamp and we could finally cross the border.

Crossing the border to Swaziland

On our way to Mbabane, Swaziland’s capital and second-largest city, we saw loads of women and children walking along the side of the road. Some were wearing colourful garments but the majority of the people was wearing shabby clothing and worn-down shoes. Most Swazi people live in traditional homesteads which are small bungalows with a thatched roof. The traditional Swazi culture still plays an important role in the society of Swaziland, however the tourist sector has adapted to western society. Due to the fact that the traditional culture still has a major role in society, Swaziland still struggles with problems considering poverty. 89% of the inhabitants of Swaziland live under the poverty line and it is a country with a developing economy.

Traditional homesteads

The Swazi population does not only face poverty issues but also problems considering health. HIV/AIDS is the main challenge and the life expectancy in Swaziland is 50 years. This is not old when you compare it to the 86 years of an average Dutch person. Nevertheless, the Swazi people keep on smiling. I have probably seen more smiling people walking along the side of that road than I have ever seen in my entire life.

People walking along the side of the road

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