Experience South Africa - A Travel Diary

South African tourism has surged since Apartheid ended and the countries first democratic elections were held in 1994. It is now one of the world's fastest growing leisure and business travel destinations. The country offers stunning outdoors, a sunny climate, cultural diversity, great value for money and a very good infrastructure which make it a natural choice for incentives and meetings.  

At the end of March, Kristin Menke set off for a week of open-minded explorations to understand what South Africa has to offer beyond Cape Town and the traditional safaris. 

Johannesburg
Johannesburg is home to two Nobel Peace Prize winners, Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The city is extremely rich in history and is a popular destination for meetings and conferences. Upon arrival after an overnight flight from London, we checked into the Radisson Blue Sandton. Sandton is the most important business/financial centre in South Africa. It is called “Africa’s richest square mile”.  

After a short break at the hotel, we went to explore Soweto and some of South Africa’s most important museums. Passing by several townships, the first stop was the Mandela House where Mandela’s family lived from 1946 into the 1990’s. Mandela donated his house to the Soweto Heritage Trust and it is used to inform visitors about Mandela’s story.   

A typical African lunch, consisting of meaty stews and vegetables, was served in a small local Soweto restaurant with entertainment provided. Further on, we visited the Hector Piederson Museum. Here the displays told the history of student unrests after the introduction of Afrikaans in all universities in 1976. Finally, our last cultural stop was the Apartheid Museum, set up in 2001, illustrating the 20th century history of South Africa. 

Pilanesberg National Park
About three hours travel North-West by bus we stopped for one night in the Ivory Tree Lodge of the malaria-free Pilanesberg Game Reserve. After high tea and a short introduction by our ranger, we climbed into our Jeep for the evening game drive. We spotted elephants, giraffes, rhinos, wildebeests and antelopes – except for missing the evasive big cats we got very spoiled. Having only seen the South African fauna at the zoo before, I must admit to a few heart-racing moments when elephants were leisurely strolling past our Jeep!   

Cape Town and Cape Peninsula
After a two hour flight from Jo’burg to Cape Town, we had lunch on a private terrace on Table Mountain. The ride to the top by cable car takes less than 10 minutes but is quite steep. If you suffer vertigo, try to overcome this as you will be rewarded with stunning views over Cape Town and the peninsula. 

Family-style dinner was taken in Moyo, a group-friendly restaurant serving typical African cuisine. Plenty of entertainment was provided as well. The interior is unique, modern and the food is very tasty. It is quite a treat to go to a restaurant that has such a new and refreshing concept! And then, a comfortable bed by the popular V&A Waterfront awaited for us at the Radisson Blu Waterfront for a well deserved night sleep. 

Our full day excursion took us to explore the Cape Peninsula. We visited Cape Point National Park and went up to the Cape Point Lighthouse from where we enjoyed amazing views. A horde of baboons blocked the street on our way out which was rather amusing. Lunch was served in a seafood restaurant by the water from where we went on to see the penguins at Boulders Beach. After that we made our way to Constantia, one of several wine regions in the Western Cape. On the way back we swapped the bus for vintage cars which was a very special surprise.

Blue Train from Cape Town to Pretoria
The 28 hour train journey was dreaded by some of us as it seemed like a long time. It turned out to be an enjoyable experience thanks to plenty of delicious food, impeccable service, comfortable beds and great company. We’ve certainly perfected the art of conversation and allowed the gentle landscape to entertain us further. Half an hour after our arrival to Pretoria, we were checking in at the Johannesburg International Airport.

Returning home
Needless to say, we had an amazing week experiencing the people, culture and landscape of South Africa. The range of activities is unlimited and there is something for everybody – you will only wish you had more time to do it all! As a final confession, ‘coming home’ was definitely not my favourite bit!