South Africa with Africa Safari Co Staff Educational Report Simone Eastwell South African Wonders Educational 16 July 2005-26 July 2005 16 July was the day it began. My trip of a lifetime!!! Malaysian Airlines flew us out of Sydney via Kuala Lumpur to Johannesburg. I was soon to discover that traveling via Malaysia was a very long way of getting to South Africa. The airline itself is good-Movies on demand, good food and good service for a mid range airline. Our ground operator Springbok Atlas (Africa Safari Co) met us at the airport and transferred us to the Sandton Sun and Towers and Hotel. With a very grand foyer, this property is a really lovely hotel well located in the heart of Johannesburg. My first impressions of Johannesburg was not much, although it was early in the morning and the street sweepers were trying to clean the city before the day began. We did not stay around, we headed on a 3 hour drive North-West to the very famous Sun City. As we approached, we had a very sneak peak of a game reserve (Pilanesberg National Park). The was just a taste of what was to come!! Sun city itself is made up of 4 hotels. Our accommodation was the very grand Palace Hotel. This place has true WOW factor!! It is so awesome and everywhere you look reminds you that you are truely in AFRICA. The rooms are superbly furnished. The grounds are fantastic-WOW!! The other hotels range in standard and Sun City really does cater for every market (Couples and family’s alike). There is a movie theatre, Golf course, Wave pool, Beach, Bowling alley and all serviced by wonderful African hospitality and atmosphere. Back to the airport, and out come the safari suites as we head to Kruger National Park. The next 3 nights we were spoilt at various luxurious Game Lodges in Kruger. Sabi Sabi, Imbali Safari Lodge (including Hamiltons and Hoyo Hoyo) and Ngala Game Lodge. All have individual huts set in their natural surrounds, overlooking water holes, spas on decks-this is 5 star Africa!!! We were greeted by the spine tingling sounds of native African staff singing and dancing on our arrival. Rangers would walk us back to our huts at night as wildlife run freely. It is not unusual to see elephants and other wildlife roaming the grounds. During our stay at these lodges we did 8 game drives seeking the big 5 for which Africa is so famous. Up at 5 am for sunrise, we are greeted by our open air vehicles complete with blanket and hot water bottle. We would game drive for a few hours before a sumptuous breakfast, relax and enjoy the day and then back out again on sunset for more wildlife spotting. ‘Sundowners’ is the affectionate term for ‘happy hour’ in middle of the bush as our 4WD vehicles convert into a bar. Gin and Tonics all around as we nibble on snacks and watch the spectacular African Sunsets and as the roar of lions echo’s in the distance. Wow!! Not a bad way to fill a day!! Elephants, lions, buffalo, zebra, giraffe, warthog, hippo’s, rhino, cheetah’s and a huge array of bird life to mention just a few of the highlights!! It was sad to say goodbye to our safari adventures, but little did we know how beautiful the coast would prove to be!! We flew to George and transferred to our next stop, Protea Hotel Knysna Quays located right on the waterfront. It such a pretty little place with quaint shops. Our accommodation was a good standard in an excellent location. We visited the Featherbed Nature Reserve by ferry. A lovely spot with great views of the rugged coastline. Our next night stop was Protea Hotel Riempie Estate. A cosy country style hotel with individual thatched stable like accommodation, this property is a good 3.5 star standard with a nice tranquil setting (outskirts of Oudtshoorn). The Ostrich farms are the main attraction in Oudtshoorn. We visited the Safari Ostrich Farm and had the unique chance of riding an ostrich. Not sure that they are meant for human Cargo, but a good laugh all the same. I had heard a lot about our next stop-the beautiful city of Capetown. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Waterfront. A lovely very well located hotel which I would definitely recommend to any traveler. Some must do’s in Capetown: Shopping at the Waterfront, Table Mountain Cable Car, coastal drive (Cape Peninsula and Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve-such a gorgeous rugged coastline). Another must is the Village at Spier (near Stellenbosch). It offers food, wine, music, art, cheetah park and golf amongst other things. It has fantastic atmosphere with great traditional food and entertainment (approx. 2 hours out of Capetown). Capetown certainly still has a huge class structure. We passed shanty towns driving from the airport and then saw mansions scattered along the coastline. Hopefully time will continue to heal the struggles of its past. South Africa has so much to offer, from its game reserves to its beautiful coastline. I feel so fortunate to have participated in this trip. It truly was a dream come true. |
