All, Wildlife
The Addo Elephant Park is one of the most popular attractions in South Africa and home to the Big 5.
The Addo Elephant National Park was established in 1931 and is located in the Eastern Cape province, about 70 kilometers north east of Port Elizabeth. With its 1640 km² it is the biggest park in the area. This national park is home to many herds of elephants, along with many other species such as buffalo, rhino, lion, leopard, different antelope and many, many more.
A visit to the Addo Elephant National Park provides a great chance to see the big 5 in their natural environment. In addition you can combine it with a safari in one of the other nearby private game reserves or a holiday along the Garden Route. For example you can start your Garden Route Tour in either Port Elizabeth or in Cape Town, or possibly this park is visited on one of our South African Multi Day Tours.
Addo is malaria free and does not require a booking for a day visit, unless the visitor wants to partake in optional activities. There is fuel available in the park.
What else you should bring:
- binoculars
- bring a camera for the best quality photos of the park
Opening hours and rates:
- the main entrance is open all year round from 7 am to 7 pm
- the opening hours for the game area are shorter and vary dependent on the season
- the entrance fee is R130 for adults and R65 for children(subject to change)
All, Good to know
Nelson Mandela is my hero and I love, respect and admire him dearly! As South Africans, we ALL owe our freedom to his compassion, vision and sense of humanity.
Mr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela worked tirelessly for a free and democratic society. He possessed that “Madiba Magic” and even in his recent passing at the age of 95, he once again united a nation in their mass outpouring grief and personal reflection on an extraordinary life lived by the greatest South African, possibly greatest Humanitarian the world has known.
Today, Cape Town is a culturally diverse city in which anyone can go anywhere. Complete your visit to the Mother City with an educational tour of the monuments, statues, landmarks and museums that celebrate his legacy.
Did you know?
This great man was actually born Rolihlahla Mandela and only given the name Nelson in primary school by his teacher Miss Mdingane, in accordance with the custom to give all school children “Christian” names.
He is fondly referred to as “Tata” & “Madiba”, as he is the father of a democratic South Africa and “Madiba” being his clan name.
Nelson Mandela Legacy Exhibition at the Civic Centre
At the Mandela Legacy Exhibition at the Cape Town Civic Centre you learn more about the life of Madiba. From his childhood through to his elderly years. It’s a tribute to the former freedom fighter, to inspire people all over the world.
Runs daily from 10 am to 6pm, until July 2014, free entrance.
Robben Island
From the 17th to the 20th centuries, Robben Island served as a place of banishment, isolation and imprisonment. Today it is a World Heritage Site and museum, a poignant reminder to the newly democratic South Africa of the price paid for freedom. We offer a full day Township & Robben Island tour which will give you a greater understanding of what South Africa has been through in recent years.
Mandela House Museum (Groot Drakenstein correctional facility, Victor Verster Prison)
This where Mandela spent his final months of imprisonment. A bronze statue of Mandela shows him with a raised fist – a well recognised gesture of defiance. If you book a Private Cape Winelands tour, we can combine a tour of the prison with your wine tastings and a gourmet lunch in Franschoek, known as South Africa’s food & wine capital.
Cape Town City Hall
On February 11 1990, only hours after his release from prison, Nelson Mandela made his first public speech from the balcony of the Cape Town City Hall. Built in 1905, the large Edwardian building is located on the Grand Parade, with fixtures and fittings imported from Europe. You will pass this famous landmark on a City tour.
Nobel Square
Standing in the form of a crescent are four sculptures of the Nobel Peace prize laureates, Albert Lithuli, Desmond Tutu, FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela. Each individual’s preferred quotations are engraved, in their chosen languages, in front of the sculptures. The Peace and Democracy sculpture, also found on the Nobel Square, is a narrative work which acknowledges the contribution of women and children to the attainment of peace in South Africa. The square is located on the south side of the Victoria & Alfred hotel in the V&A Waterfront.
Mandela Rhodes Place
The Mandela Rhodes Place Hotel & Spa offers visitors a timeline, which chronicles the life of Mandela in 14 distinct sections. The basement theatre supper club, the Rainbow Room, features a documentary of his life, while the Atrium boasts a wire art statue of Nelson Mandela, entitled “First Step to Freedom”. There is an innovative mosaic made from Rubrik’s Cubes which form an abstract portrait of Nelson Mandela. Built by Jan Du Plessis, the artwork was completed for the third annual Ubuntu Festival in 2011.
Parliament
As South African leader between 1994 and 1999, Nelson Mandela spent many years presiding over Parliament. During his term, members of the chambers hammered out the 1996 constitution, the representation of women increased dramatically and laws that serve as the framework of this country’s democracy were passed. Today, the public is welcome to come inside and observe the floor where Mandela made historic speeches, like the 100 Day speech.
Tours can be arranged into the government building from Monday to Friday between 9am and 12pm. Booking ahead is essential; the tours are free of charge.
If you wish to donate to a great charity, visit the Nelson Mandela Foundation website here.
All, Hotspots, Wildlife
Covering over 3,6 million hectares of land in both South Africa and Botswana, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park’s red dunes, scrub and camel thorn trees creates a stark, dramatic and beautiful landscape in which meerkat, gemsbok, eland, springbok, blue wildebeest, black-mane lion and leopard roam free.
Soaring above this picture perfect landscape are raptors, hungry for one of the many birds that exist here. The park has three different camps; one of these being Nossob Rest Camp.
Lion spotted just outside Nossob camp
Nossob camp is located within the dry riverbed of the Nossob, surrounded by tree savannah. As guests enter the gate from the south, they will pass a small tree that has become a favourite day home for White-Faced Scops-Owls. Since the animals of the park tend to concentrate at dry riverbeds, the camp is known for its fantastic predator sightings and bird watching opportunities, made better because of the park’s sparse vegetation. Also famous at this camp are the incredible scenes of the seasonal movement of large herbivores.
Nossob cottagesThe camp offers two-person, three-person and four-person chalets, all with a pergola, braai and bathroom with shower as well as a six-person chalet with added lounge and bath.
There are guest houses accommodating groups of four and a family cottage for six. Accommodation is available only on a self-catering basis, but there are communal cooking facilities and a shop with tins and frozen meats and occasional fresh vegetables.
Lions gather in front of the hideDuring a stay at the camp, guests can go on night drives, day walks or the Nossob 4×4 Eco Trail. To enjoy the camp without venturing too far, they can visit the predator information centre, sit at the hide and view game as they gather around a waterhole or cool off in the camp’s small swimming pool.
The best time to visit this arid region is usually between January and April. In summer, day temperatures can exceed 40°C and winter days are sunny with night temperatures often below zero.
Nossob Camp is a simple camp, which allows visitors to enjoy nature at its wildest and most peaceful. Getting back to the basics in this tranquil, magnificent part of the world allows one to get in touch with nature just as it is – wild, untouched and awe-inspiring.
All, Hotspots, Wildlife
South Africa’s southern cape is known to offer fantastic whale-watching opportunities. What makes whale-watching in this region such an exciting activity is the fact that, by simply standing at the shore, you can participate!
South Africa’s shores are home to all nine of the great whale species, but it is the Southern Right Whale that is most commonly seen. These whales visit our shores between May and December.
Whale-watching in Hermanus
Hermanus, along the beautiful shores of Walker Bay, is the official whale-watching capital of the world. A popular holiday destination, Hermanus has spectacular scenery. Surrounded by majestic mountains and indigenous fynbos, it is the heart of the whale coast, offering the best land-based whale-watching in the world.
Between New Harbour and Grotto Beach, the best whale-watching points can be found along concrete cliff paths that line the coast. Here, spectators can be treated to phenomenal, up-close views of these whales that come from the Antarctica to calf. Sightings can occur within 10 metres of the coast!
So synonymous with whale-watching is Hermanus, that a festival is held in honour of this activity. The annual Whale Festival, held usually in September, is highly popular and attracts over 100, 000 visitors. Created to raise awareness and to help protect marine life, the Hermanus Whale Festival is the only enviro-arts festival in South Africa. Although the festival draws top South African musicians, crafters and sports celebrities, the whales are always the star attractions of the event and cause thousands of visitors to return to Hermanus year after year.
Other activities in Hermanus
If you’re drawn to Hermanus for its whale sightings, there are plenty of reasons for you to stay and explore this quaint, pretty town. Activities include horse riding, paragliding, kayaking, shark cage diving, fishing, hiking, plane trips, swimming and sunbathing. There are many opportunities for retail therapy with a great selection of galleries, fashion boutiques and jewellery shops. There are many markets, such as the Fernkloof Farmers’ Market, Hermanuspietersfontein Boeremark and Lemm’s Corner Craft Market which are held every Saturday and the Onrus Market held once a month.
Southern Right Whales
Southern Right Whales are black with pale, brownish callosities. They are stately creatures that are extremely intelligent, graceful, gentle and majestic. They live for between 90 and 100 years. The whales migrate south from the sub-Antarctic water during the summer, in search of more food, and north during winter and spring to mate, calve and rear their young. Female whales calve nurse their young for up to three months in sheltered bays. They can be seen interacting in these sheltered bays and coves close inshore and near river mouths.
The art of whale watching
When looking to sight a whale, look for the blow or sprout – a tall, smoky plume lasting a few seconds. This is the whale breathing out before it surfaces. If you see a whale thrust high out of the water and fall back with a great splash, you were lucky enough to see a whale breaching.
All, Hotspots
As a new Capetonian and former East Londoner (that little dorp on the Eastern Cape coast near the newly famed Port Elizabeth), you can imagine how much fun I’m having in theMother City. The number of beautiful places to visit and exciting things to do is never-ending and assures Cape Town residents that they need not ever step out of their own city. However, as an aspiring world traveller, I decided that a day trip to Cape Agulhas, the Southernmost tip of Africa, had to be done. So, together with two friends, we organised a rough plan of action, got in a car, and off we went early one morning.
Our first port of call was Hermanus, South Africa’s whale watching centre. Tea in hand, we settled down on one of the many sea-facing benches and waited. This didn’t last very long. My sidekicks soon decided that ten minutes in the wind with no sight of back-flipping whales was enough for them and they returned to the confines of the warm car. Disappointed by a lack of whale watching camaraderie but eager to continue our adventure, we drove on.
The sights seen during the drive soon cheered me up. Even with some clouds and a chilly wind, the scenery was unbelievable. At one point I thought my sunglasses must be more powerful than I thought and were perhaps coated with some sort of laser dye because the colours were so bright. Then I reminded myself that I had bought them for R20 from the side of the street, took them off, and realised that the grass really was that green and the flowers that yellow. Our chauffeur (i.e. friend delegated to drive) mentioned that he felt like we were in Scotland. I murmured in agreement even though neither of us have ever been to Scotland. I guess that was the best comparison we could come up with to describe how beautiful our surroundings were.
After about three hours from our departure, which included the many times I asked that we stop in order to take advantage some of the amazing photographic opportunities (our chauffeur soon learnt that a raised hand meant “stop, I must play photographer”), we arrived at our destination.
Driving along Cape Agulhas’s curving coastal road, the attention-grabbing red and white striped lighthouse was in our sights. After parking the car underneath the towering lighthouse, we stepped inside, paid a small fee with a woman whom my friend began to refer to as the “friendly lady” and cautiously climbed our way up. There, we realised that this lighthouse enjoyed a fantastic view. The Indian and Atlantic Oceans stretched out before us, sending white waves crashing against the rocky beach. Spotting our ultimate destination (the southernmost point of Africa), we made our descent and browsed around the little museum, trying to ignore the mouth-watering aroma of home-cooked meals being prepared in the cafe next door. After deciding that we could tick off “learn about the history of lighthouses” on our non-existent travel check list, we followed the dirt road closer to the sea. A few minutes later, we arrived at the monument that pointed to the Indian Ocean in one direction and the Atlantic Ocean in the other.
At this point, I imagined looking at a map of Africa filled with little black dots representing all of its inhabitants. Feeling rather special about my location, I indulged my inner child by climbing in rocks and exploring transparent rock pools. Our grumbling tummies had soon had enough, however, and we made our way back towards civilisation, the smell of fish and chips leading us by our noses.
Following the advice of the “friendly lady”, we chose a casual seafood restaurant and satisfied our stomachs with fresh fish and calamari. Spotting a quaint thatch-roofed house directly opposite advertising “wine tasting”, we decided this was a sign and participated in some Cape Agulhas wine tasting.
Shortly after, it was time to head back so we sadly said goodbye to this quaint little seaside village but were excited for what the drive home had in store for us.
About half an hour after passing Hermanus, we reached Kleinmond. We stopped near this little town at some impressive rock faces. Whipping out our gear, we began a short hike towards these intimidating rock masses and geared up for attack. Scaling that natural wall, the sound of smooth-running engines propelling cars along the highway below, the powerful yet calm sea taking over the scenery on one side and quiet streams meandering through magnificent mountains on the other, has got to be one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. Although I could have gladly stayed in that exact spot for hours (on the mountain, not against the rock face – that could have resulted in a fair amount of pain the next day), it was getting late and we had to drag ourselves away from this spectacular position and move on.
Continuing on the R44 past Betty’s Bay, we enjoyed another breathtaking drive, this time along the coast. Although hand was inching to raise itself many a time, I resisted the amateur photographer inside me, and the chauffeur finally stopped the car at a fantastic viewpoint near Gordon’s Bay. We watched in awe as the sun began lowering towards the expanse of sparkling blue water. Needing to get home before dark, we had to pull ourselves away from this gorgeous view and set our sights on the city ahead of us. Fortunately, no matter where you are when the sun sets in Cape Town, you’re going to be treated to a beautiful spectacle. For us, we got to see yellows, oranges and pinks streak the sky as the sun, now a round orange ball, sunk in a gap between Lion’s Head and Table Mountain.
Silence filled the car as we neared home. Sitting back in the seat and enjoying the last glimmer of light, I could only smile.
So this is why I moved to the Western Cape.
Attractions in Cape Agulhas
- Cape Agulhas wine route
- Agulhas National Park
- Red Corridor Art Gallery
- Cape Agulhas lighthouse (second oldest lighthouse in South Africa)
- Other popular destinations around Cape Agulhas include Bredasdorp, Napier and Arniston
