After ten years in Cape Town, the city hasn’t even started to bore me. But when my family announced they’d visit me for the fifth time it got me thinking though: what to show these regular visitors? What is there to do for my sister’s daughter Iris (just a few months short of 2 years old)? They like to see something new everyday they are here and I wanted to give them just that.
Looking back at their 3 week “summer holiday in spring” the concerns proved to be unnecessary. Cape Town has so much on offer, for everyone – from young first time visitors like Iris to frequent flying family members and even residents!
Iris felt beach sand under her tiny feet for the first time at the aptly named beach resort of Strand (which means ‘beach’ in Afrikaans and Dutch).
While we stood in awe of breaching whales, she looked up at the clear blue sky in amazement “Look. Moon! Moon!” Iris reminded us of the simple beauty of seeing both the moon and the sun on a clear sunny day. While we enjoyed the panoramic views over Table Mountain, Iris went on her knees to pick some of the brightly coloured Cape spring flowers.
Despite having been there numerous times I am glad we decided to drive to Cape Point another time. Not only did it grant us the opportunity to take a nice family photo, we witnessed a sizable zebra family crossing the road. A first for me at Cape Point.
The Cape spring flowers were nothing short of amazing this year. We decided to ‘skip’ Kirstenbosch and visit two of my favourite places in the Western Cape: the Karoo National Botanical Garden in Worcester and Harold Porter in Betty’s Bay. Both were equally impressive and offered a rich diversity. Iris enjoyed watching the penguins at Stoney Point while at Boulder’s Beach we all were too distracted by a group of breaching whales to pay attention to the feathered main attraction. Cape nature never ceases to amaze or impress, often when you least expect it…
My South African wife was most impressed with the sighting of a large group of common dolphins playing in the sunset near Simon’s Town. Can one really get enough of these experiences?
We didn’t take the cable car up Table Mountain but instead viewed it from Blouberg Beach and the Tygerberg Nature reserve, which in my humble opinion offers the most stunning views of the iconic mountain. Best of all, the park hasn’t been spoiled by mass tourism. As a matter of fact, we were practically the only visitors on a sun-soaked weekend day in the school holidays! The panoramic view encompasses Cape Town stadium, the V&A Waterfront, Robben Island and of course the iconic Table Mountain. You can clearly see the planes approaching and landing at Cape Town International airport.
I am convinced Cape Town and surrounds has something for everyone throughout the year but after a disappointing experience at a Big 5 park which I shall not name here, I have always thought the one thing missing is a proper game viewing experience. After a visit to Buffelsfontein along the West Coast I had to correct this point of view somewhat. During the ride in an open off-road vehicle we saw countless zebras, a huge herd of eland antelope, prancing springboks and most amazingly a group of gemsbok (oryx) on the run. Unlike previously mentioned game park, everything seemed much less ‘scripted’. Entering a cage full of hungry cheetahs flanked by guides carrying raw chicken cadavers was of course a little scripted but nonetheless an experience I will not likely forget soon.
I go back to work reassured that I live in possibly the most beautiful and naturally diverse city in the world! Even though I live here, I cannot think of a nicer place to spend my holidays than Cape Town.
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Cape Town never gets old
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
The Zebra and I
After spending 5 months interning at ZippingZebra’s Hout Bay office, I felt more than ready to hit the road and see more of the African continent. I didn’t travel from my home country Germany to only sit in an office after all – albeit a very pleasant office with nice colleagues. So you can imagine my joy when I heard I was chosen to accompany Zippy on our own Cape to Vic Falls tour! It turned out to be an experience of a lifetime! I got to experience many of the highlights South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe have to offer. I came back with memory cards full of photos and many new Facebook friends from around the globe.
Our first stop was in the scenic Cederberg. Zippy has gotten quite accustomed to life in the wild but for me using the bush toilet and setting up a tent in the dark formed new but fun challenges.
I could write a book about the experiences we had in 21 days but Zippy advised me to keep it short. I was quite impressed with the included activities but also enjoyed the fact there were so many optional extras. Wouldn’t have wanted to miss quad biking through the Namibian desert dunes but Zippy wouldn’t want to be seen anywhere near those bikes and spent some time at our accommodation.Sleeping on a mountain near Spitzkoppe under the starry sky was definitely another great experience on tour. Tugged in our warm sleeping bags we exchanged our campfire stories – some embarrassing, others funny but all of them very entertaining.
As the trip went on we gathered more experiences and plenty of stories to tell on future trips. White water rafting down the rapids of the Zambezi and an elephant back safari made it an adventure of a lifetime!
I have particularly fond memories of the two day excursion through the Okavango Delta. We used a mokoro (wooden canoe) to get to our camping spot in the bush, far away from any signs of civilization. With no cell phone reception and without the convenience of a supermarket but who cares… This is the Africa I came to see when I traveled to the other side of the globe! The international group sang around the campfire, we did bush hikes, a sunset hippo cruise and spotted an amazing variety of wildlife. We also get to meet a kaleidoscope of cultures, from the San to the Himba.
Zippy enjoyed this interaction a lot although he almost stayed behind in a Himba village after the local children discovered Zippy makes a very nice toy.
The tour offered me an adventure of a lifetime and countless photos. I will even miss the bush toilets.
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Also want to experience Afrika like Christina did? Take our Cape to Vic Falls tour! (There is an accommodated option for people afraid of bush toilets).
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
No Spring Chicken Tours
We have people of all ages and backgrounds working at the office. Ages range from early 20 to not so early 60. But our more senior colleagues are by no means fossils or office dinosaurs who spend their days off looking out of a window. Just the other day a female consultant well in her 60s told us about the highlight of her Garden Route holiday: slinging from tree top to tree top in a canopy tour! Others like to go hiking, surfing and diving in weekends. Our active senior colleagues, and the (grand)parents of our younger ones, prove the only thing that is ancient about today’s senior citizens, is the stereotypes surrounding them. Or as one of our more mature colleagues exclaimed happily the other day: “Life STARTS at 60!”
This inspired us to create some organised bus tours for people over 50 who are still young at heart. The name came to us at one of our vivid lunch break conversations: “No Spring Chicken Tours!”
So are you one of those people who thinks retirement is not the end but rather a new beginning? Do you know people who have matured in age but not in spirit? Then these tours are for you!
We have a great 7 day Kruger Park and Panorama Route Tour departing and ending in Johannesburg and another 9 day tour ex Cape Town that takes you to the Garden Route and the Karoo. The tours are by luxury, air-conditioned coach and are designed so you don’t have to spend long periods in the bus and there are no strenuous activities. This makes them very suitable to those who don’t go hiking or diving every weekend!
Affordable rates from ZAR 4950 per person sharing. Or ZAR 5800 for single travelers. Includes comfortable accommodation, entrance fees and many activities including a game drive.
