Extravagant trip 2017 led us away from Europe down to the bottom of a new continent. South Africa was certainly uncharted territory so we didn’t know what to expect. We decided on this itinerary: Capetown, Cape Point, Kruger National Park and Stellenbosch. (Again, I am not going to take you throw a day by day schedule because ours changed due to weather. Make sure you book activities that can be easily rescheduled.)

Capetown

We flew to Capetown direct from Amsterdam arriving late at night. As most of you know, I love to book on AirBnB when possible and SA seemed to be the perfect location for the majority of our stay. I found this charming one bedroom flat in Greenmarket Square with security system downstairs and a terrace facing out on the square. Every morning, the square filled with tents of vendors selling carved wooden figures, bowls, jewelry and other African treasures. While it was charming to walk through, the early AM wake up call was not.

Two areas we spent the most time were the Waterfront and Bo-Kaap. Bo-Kaap was a very trendy neighborhood with colorful buildings…cool enough for a few pictures but we headed to the Waterfront for lunch. The waterfront had many little shops, a shopping mall with food courts, a ferris wheel and several restaurants. The weather wasn’t all that great but we decided to take an hour boat ride around the pier for 60 rand (that’s 5 bucks, y’all).

Table Mountain

Did you know it is one of the seven natural wonders of the world? And we almost didn’t go up Table Mountain. It was so windy the majority of our stay in Capetown, except for one day. Some tips here:

1. Go early. Everyone has to buy tickets online before you go but it doesn’t give you priority pass to skip ahead. We waited for about 45 minutes before we could go up.
2. Check the website before you go to make sure it is open.
3. If you go at a busy time by car, go ahead and park at the bottom of the mountain and take the free shuttle up. There can be a long queue to the top and you’re only lucky to get a spot closer to the entrance

 

Boulders Beach & Cape Point

Had the weather been perfect and we did everything we originally planned, we would not have had time to visit here…and what a shame it would have been! Seeing these little penguin buddies so close to us on the beach was one of the coolest experiences. The drive from Capetown to Boulders Beach was about 45 minutes and halfway to Cape Point. The beach to Cape Point was another 30 minutes drive with an entry fee of 105R (about 8 bucks) per adult. The walk to the point took us about an hour and a half each way, including photo stops along the way.

Kruger National Park

Going on safari was something both of us wanted to do since we booked the trip–and we went all out. We flew direct to Mpumalanga International Airport for our three day excursion with Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve on the Dulini River Lodge. When booking through the Sabi Sands, you tell them the dates you are traveling and they send details on available lodges; we hit the jackpot!

I am afraid to share too much about this amazing place because I do not want to take away anyone’s first experience. If you are a first time safari goer like we were, then don’t look any further than Sabi Sands. We saw everything: the Big Five, zebras, hippos, giraffes, cheetahs…everything we wanted. The staff were beyond accommodating to ensure we had the best time. I would recommend the following:

• If you are flying to Kruger Park, fly into the Mpumalanga International Airport. They arrange a private car to bring you direct to the lodge, which is about an hour and a bit. The alternative is taking something comparable to an airplane shuttle that brings you within minutes to your lodge. But, you will take-off and land up to three times, depending on where you stay.
• Leave a tip before you go. They leave envelopes behind but not in a well seen location. They strive to offer five star service and exceed every expectation.
• Dress for the weather. It was funny to see some girls wearing shorts in the morning when it was very cold. Oh, and bring a hat.

Stellenbosch (oh, and shark diving…)

What a way to end our trip: drinking wine in this unreal location. My sister booked our final hotel at Majeka House (the picture of me is from our balcony). She chose three wineries and we attacked them like this:

1. Lunch (and wine) at Babylonstoren
2. Wine tasting at Grand Provence Heritage Wine Estate
3. Finale and (wine) dessert at Delaire Graff

Shark Diving

Last, but not least, my sister had the brilliant idea to go cage diving with sharks. We decided to save it for last in case, well, you know…

She booked our excursion through Marine Dynamics. We arrived at 9AM to a little breakfast spread and sizing session (that’s another classic story) before we headed out to our whip for the day. We had about 25 people on our boat and six people could go in the cage at a time. Each group had about 45 minutes in the cage to have ample opportunity to see sharks and other sea life swimming around. The price was 2100R per person (about 175 bucks) and totally worth it. When we got back, we were given a small lunch of soup and bread to warm us right up.