Franschhoek Valley for a Cape Winelands Tour
The beautiful Franschhoek valley in the heart of the Cape Winelands has some breath-taking scenery. Franschhoek is rich in great history dating back to the 1687. It is located a mere forty-five minute drive out from central Cape Town. The area is renowned for the award-winning wines and best known as the culinary capital of South Africa. There is a number of great restaurants that caters for both fine dining as well as family restaurants. Many of these restaurants are award winning and widely acclaimed both local and international. Winelands Day Tour Franschhoek offers an endless number of excursions such as wine tasting, wine and food pairing, chocolate and wine pairing, hiking, visiting museums etc. This could be part of a classic winelands day tour from Cape Town to explore the Cape Winelands. You may also choose to spend a few days staying in one of the beautiful boutique hotels, lodges etc. While exploring the Franschhoek Valley and then on to the rest of the Cape Winelands. Culinary and Wine Experiences The historical town of Franschhoek has gained a reputation for its award winning wines. A wine tasting experience in Franschhoek is a very popular excursion. You may choose to go wine wine tasting to any one of the oldest wine farms for a unique wine tasting and pairing experiences. Accommodation in Franschhoek It is also the most idyllic area to spend a few days enjoying the beautiful scenery and amazing wine and foodie experiences. There is a wide variety of accommodation options to choose from. If luxury is what excites you there are several beautiful villas and lodges that will spoil you in the most amazing manner. These include the beautiful Mont Rochelle Estate owned by none other than Sir Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Brand. Local Hospitality However, the Franschhoek valley is also known for its hospitable, friendly inhabitants. There are numerous support structures in place that support the people of “The Valley”. I was amazed at the number of initiatives that have been launched to negate some of the huge impact the Coronavirus is having on all the people involved in Agriculture, Viniculture and Tourism as well as all the associated industries. Take a look at Franschhoek: A Valley Of Generosity. It warms my heart and makes me proud to be an African.
Botswana Lifts Ban on Elephant Hunting
What Does this mean? After a five-year suspension of Elephant hunting by former president Ian Khama in 2014, the government of Botswana has lifted the ban on Elephant hunting. This statement was issued on May 22 by the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resource Conservation and Tourism. Botswana has an elephant population which according to sources numbers around 160,000. Apparently, this lifting of the ban on elephant hunting is based on this figure which raises a few serious questions. It is common knowledge that these herds of elephants move freely from Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, through Chobe National Park in Botswana into what was known as the Caprivi strip in Namibia. So this decision could quite possibly be motivated by greed and the lure of huge income for the country (or individuals) from the International professional hunting fraternity. We sincerely hope to be proved wrong about the horrible greed. It will impact on sustainable tour operators like Africa Explore Safaris and our safaris. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
The best South African Safari
The best South African Safari Experience with Africa Explore Safaris on a Safari from Cape Town. Coming from the highly populated Singapore, this bespoke safari to South Africa was a dream come true for these four guests. The full itinerary built the excitement for Elrin, Ethan, Kenneth and Suan. Now experience their excitement as they start to explore the beauty of Cape Town. The Cape Peninsula Tour Day 1: Cape Town and touring to the Cape of Good Hope We commence our day from The Radisson Blu Hotel in Cape Town for the full day Cape Point Tour around the Cape Peninsula to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope. The first stop is at Cape Point and take the Funicular ride to the Old Lighthouse located high on the cliffs to enjoy the spectacular view. Our next stop is at the Cape of Good Hope. From here we continue on to Boulders Beach located on the Falsebay coastline to visit the Boulders Beach Penguin Colony. From here, we continue on through the village of Noordhoek and over the spectacular Chapmans Peak Drive to Hout Bay. We then follow the Atlantic Coast through Camps Bay and Clifton back to the Radisson Blu Hotel. Hermanus Whale Viewing Day 2: Tour Cape Town to Hermanus on the Whale Coast We travel from Cape Town over the beautiful Helderberg Mountains. Then pass through the premier apple and pear production area of Elgin Valley to the coastal town of Hermanus. At Hermanus, we board the Whale Boat at Southern Right Charters for a two to three hour excursion looking for Southern Right Whales and other aquatic species in Walker Bay. Following this, we have time to explore the seaside town of Hermanus and grab a light lunch in one of the many fine restaurants. After lunch, we return to Cape Town via the scenic route of Clarence Drive following the False Bay Coastline to Gordons Bay. A morning Whale Viewing excursion is included aboard the Southern Right Charters whale boat for the Hermanus Whale Tour. The Hermanus Whale season commences during the winter season from July through to October each year. After the excitement of the Hermanus Whale Tour, we visit the beautiful Harold Porter Botanical Gardens. This is where we enjoy the great variety of plant species in the beautiful Cape Floral Kingdom. If your taste is more inclined to great wines, we can change the itinerary to include a wine tasting in the Hemel & Aarde Valley wine region. The Cape Winelands Tour Day 3: Wine Tour from Cape Town This morning we travel through the beautiful Cape Winelands and visit the second oldest town in the country, Stellenbosch. We do a short orientation of the historical Stellenbosch and proceed on to Kanonkop Wine Estate. Kanonkop Cellar played a critical role in the development of the Pinotage Wine in South Africa. It is the undisputed home of Pinotage wine which is now produced in several wine regions around the world. From here we proceed to Delaire Graff Wine Estate situated high on the ridge known as Helshoogte high above Stellenbosch. We enjoy a tasting of some of their award-winning wines before moving through to the Delaire Graff Restaurant where you may enjoy your lunch. Delaire Graff is famous for the best culinary experience and its amazing award-winning wines. Enjoying a lunch and wine tasting in this breathtakingly beautiful setting is one of the highlights of this Wine tour from Cape Town. Following lunch, we drive to the Paarl wine region and enjoy a Master Wine & Cheese pairing at Fairview Wine Estate. The Master Wine tasting is a pairing of eight award-winning wines paired with a variety of cheeses and olive oil with ciabatta bread. All the wines, cheeses and olive oil is produced on this wine estate. Day 4: Exploring Cape Town and the V & A Waterfront This is a day at leisure with no planned activities so that you can catch your breath and explore on your own. Your South African Safari Tour Day 5 & Day 6: The best South African Safari Experience at Pondoro Game Lodge It is an early start today to have breakfast. Check out and transfer to the Cape Town International Airport for your scheduled flight to Eastgate Airport at Hoedspruit located near Kruger National Park. You will be met by the staff of Pondoro Game Lodge and transferred to the lodge and check in to your luxury suite. After a short siesta, you will meet for tea & cookies before you depart on the first Safari Game Drive. Meet with your dedicated Ranger and Specialist Shangaan Tracker and depart for the game drive on the Balule Private Game Reserve. The safari game drive returns after sunset for a delicious dinner before retiring to your luxury suite. On Day 6 you will enjoy two Safari Game Drives with your Ranger to find the African Wildlife in their natural habitat. The afternoon Safari Game Drive will again return after sunset. After that, you will be treated to a gorgeous dinner enjoyed under the starry night in the Boma. Leaving your Safari Destination Day 7: Leaving Pondoro to fly to Johannesburg This morning you can enjoy a last exciting Safari Game Drive on the Balule Private Game Reserve. After a short Safari, you return to the lodge for breakfast and checking out at 10h00. Your Ranger will transfer you to Eastgate Airport where you will board your scheduled flight to Johannesburg. You arrive at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg at mid-afternoon. The Mondior Hotel complex is located next to the airport and they run an hourly complimentary shuttle for their guests. You can take the hotel shuttle from the tour coach drop off area which will take you to the hotel. The Mondior Hotel is located a mere five-minute drive from the airport. You have some time to relax after all the excitement of your South African Safari. This evening you may want to
Lion Mauls American Tourist
Lion Mauls American Tourist – Another very sad and avoidable Incident that reflects negatively on safe Tourism in Africa The highly publicized attack- Lion mauls American Tourist – during the past week at the Lion Park near Johannesburg in South Africa again highlights the grave need for Tour and Safari Operators, and Tour Guides to know and understand the behavior patterns of Wild animals before taking clients on Safari and the need to ensure the absolute safety of our clients. I draw your attention to our blog entry dated 19th March 2015 where we discussed a young hyena being in close proximity to our tour group while on Safari at the picnic spot in Kruger National Park. Drawing on many years of experience of taking tour groups into the nature areas, we were able to provide our clients with a very special experience on the day and in total safety. In this instance where the Lion attacked Miss Kathrine Chappell through the open car window at the Lion Park, there had to be numerous signals given by the lion leading up to this incident. It would be totally unnatural behavior for a lion to simply grab at a person sitting INSIDE a vehicle. There must have been something, or some action, from within this vehicle to cause the lion to approach the vehicle and to react in a manner that it did. It is my view that the tour guide and driver of the vehicle would have been given numerous signals by the lions that should have alerted him to the fact that this lion was paying unusual attention to the vehicle. The photograph published following this attack shows the lioness apparently squatting next to the vehicle and peering in at the person sitting inside prior to the actual attack. Had the tour guide been paying full attention to the animal, as he should have been, he would have had sufficient time, in my view, to accelerate away from the lion, and/or to close the window at the same time. Understanding that this particular vehicle is fitted with electrically operated windows AND it is standard procedure to keep the motor running at all times while in close proximity to lions and other big five animals. It is very sad that an incident like this has happened but hopefully this will be a lesson to all tour operators and guides that we ARE the responsible person when we have clients with us and that it is our duty as tourism professionals to equip ourselves with the necessary skills to safeguard our clients. It must be remembered at all times that it is our clients who are on holiday, and not the tour guide!
The Value of Understanding animal behaviour
Understanding Animal Behaviour is key when you are doing a Safari (This is why understanding animal behaviour is important…) We were staying in Skukuza in Kruger National Park and doing game drives towards the south when we stopped to serve our group breakfast at the picnic spot called “Afsaal” which is not fenced off. I was setting up for breakfast next to our tour vehicle when I noticed this juvenile Spotted Hyena lying next to the undergrowth approximately 4 metres from where we were standing. He was very relaxed and quietly watched us place the chairs for our group to sit down. The group returned from visiting the shop and dished up hurriedly and sat down to have their breakfast. When everybody was busy eating, I asked one of the ladies to look over her shoulder, and when she saw the hyena lying 3 metres behind her, she got such a fright that she threw her place of food in the air and bolted for the open door to get in the vehicle. All her friends looked over their shoulders and also started running. It took all my power of persuasion to calm them down and to convince them that they were in no danger at any time. In fact the hyena was probably a lot more frightened than they were.
KAZA Univisa – Zambia and Zimbabwe
International Tourists Travel easy with KAZA Univisa The Kavango Zambezi known as the KAZA Univisa is a Joint travel Visa between Zambia and Zimbabwe. This Visa will be launched on 28 November 2014 to ensure that International tourists visit Victoria falls & Livingstone without any restrictions. This is some truly fantastic news for tourists visiting Victoria Falls and surrounding areas as they will now be able to travel to both countries freely. A single Univisa will be valid for 30 days at a cost of US$ 50. It can also be purchased at all points of entry by Air or by road. This is a pilot project at this point and it is expected that Botswana, Angola and Namibia will join this initiative after the first six months.
BEACH ACTIVITIES WITH MY FAMILY
Conroy Clan does Family Beach Activities! The past weekend of the 25th October, the weather in Cape Town got to higher temperature of 29 degrees Celsius – perfect for family beach activities. My family and I went out to spend the day at Camps Bay beach and walk about and to sip on some cocktails at Madeira Restaurant. The beach wasn’t all that busy which was very unusual, but it’s far much better that way than when it is fully packed. Quinton took our child (Zuri) to the water’s edge to build Sand Castles which was a lot of fun for a 3 year old child. The vibe and the atmosphere in summer is always festive. There is plenty to do in the City and surrounding areas, from adventure activities, leisure activities, visit the Winelands, shopping, sightseeing, attending a Summer Concert at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and many more other things. This is the best time of the year to visit Cape Town as there are much more fun things to do. We ended the day at Ferryman’s Restaurant & Bar where we enjoyed an evening of drinks and some snacks with live music playing in the back ground.
Treetop Canopy Walkway – Kirstenbosch Gardens
Serene Views in South Africa’s Kirstenbosch Gardens The Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden’s walkway was constructed and it stands at 12m high and 130m long. The treetop canopy boardwalk is a tribute to the Gardens 100th birthday. It has been nicknamed the “boomslang” (tree snake) because it’s shaped like a snake’s skeleton, it twists and turns upwards between the gnarled trunks. It was opened to the public in May 2014. The walkway is an opportunity to view the forest, Cape Town and Table Mountain from an unusual and exciting way. Please click on the link to the Cape Town Magazine.com website.
Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve in KwaZulu Natal
Celebrating KwaZulu-Natal’s Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve Taking a time to visit one of the most celebrated Game Parks in South Africa known as Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve is something to experience. The Game Park is situated in the KwaZulu Natal region and it is the oldest Game Parks in Africa. This park is home to all the big five animals. It is know for its variety of Wildlife, bird life and also for its Rhino conservation. See pictures taken during our visit to this park. –Rhino’s after a muddy bath –Buffalo’s in Hluhluwe Game Reserve –Beautiful view of the accommodation in the park –Elephants after a swim in the river -A Male Lion in the Game Park By Africa Explore Safaris[/vc_column_text][vcex_image][/vc_column][/vc_row]
The Mighty Victoria Falls in Zambia & Zimbabwe
Soak up the Mystical Majesty of the Mighty Victoria Falls The amazing Victoria Falls, popularly known as the Mosi-oa-Tunya by the local people is truly a spectacular natural wonder of the World. The Victoria falls is 1 708 metres wide making it the largest curtain of water in the World. It drops between 90m and 107m into the Zambezi Gorge and an average of 550 000 cubic meters of water plummet over the edge every minute. Victoria Falls is spectacular throughout the year but the best time to visit is from February to May after the rainy season with its peak in April. The spray from the falls rises to a height of over 400 metres and is visible from up to 50km away. And the lowest water levels is at the end of the dry season which is October – November. The falls and their surrounding areas have been declared a National Parks and a World heritage site to preserve the area from excessive commercialisation. Please see some of the video clips that we have taken during our tours.— atVictoria Falls, Livingstone, Zambia. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=272842219591524&set=vb.219501408258939&type=2&theater