Our South African Adventure (Part 1)
With the fabulous exchange rate of euro versus rand, it really offers value for money rarely seen in these times. Have you ever wondered what it feels to be like a millionaire? Well here you can experience it. Everywhere you go you don’t have to look at the prices, you know you can afford them…. it’s that reasonable.
I travelled for a 3-week adventure from mid-June to early July with my husband and two daughters 15 & 17 Years old. This was the trip of a lifetime I had promised myself we would all take when the girls were old enough and 2024 seemed like the right time.
We travelled with KLM from Dublin to Amsterdam and onto Cape Town. The beauty of South Africa is that the time difference is only 2 hours as you are travelling South. So that means there is no jetlag!
Cape Town airport is a quick 35-minute commute into the city. After a nap we got up and did a half day Cape Point Tour, a must do tour while in Cape Town. The tour takes you on the Chapmans Peak Drive which offers a spectacular scenery, right down to Cape Point and onwards to Boulders Beach where you can visit the colony of African Penguins.
Following a 2-night stay in Cape Town we flew 1 hour and 20 minutes to Port Elizabeth, the beach town located in the eastern Cape. Port Elizabeth itself hasn’t a lot going on, however it gave us 2 nights to enjoy lots of down time, to simply just breath and relax… and maybe indulge in a little bit of shopping. We enjoyed every moment of our stay here.
From Port Elizabeth our big adventure truly began, we picked up our hired car and off we went to Pumba game reserve in the Eastern Cape about 2 hours away. I am writing a separate blog on our game experience as it deserves it!
Following our 3 nights in Pumba we travelled about 4 hours to the seaside town of Plettenburg Bay. It’s a lovely small town with lots of lovely restaurants and cafes, a beautiful long sandy beach and an area with lots of attractions to see, from Knysna, a beautiful town on the lagoon with a vibrant waterfront area, to the Storms River Area, a place known for its adventure sports.
We stayed 3 nights in this area and it was very nice. Then we hit the road again and we drove to a game reserve called Botlierskop. Here we had lunch and following a site inspection we immediately drove up through the mountains to the farming area of the Little Karoo, which is famous for its Ostriches.
We stayed 3 nights in this area, and we had some unexpected, amazing experiences. We stayed in a reserve called Buffelsdrift Game Lodge on the outskirts of town. I was blown away by the beautiful surrounding. The most fabulous, tented lodges with their clawfoot bath, an open-air shower, or an open sided tent overlooking the lake and right outside your tent whilst sitting on your deck, you can watch the yellow weaver birds make their nests. Here you can enjoy the spa, take part in some activities like viewing the Elephants, or take a drive out to see the Meercats. Buffelsdrift was the surprise on this trip that kept on giving. We also visited Highgate Ostrich farm and the world famous Cango Caves. I couldn't recommend Buffelsdrift more!
