Tour through South Africa

Katrin, a colleague of Angie is a very lucky girl, as she just returned from on a very special vacation. For three weeks, Katrin went to Africa – to be precise: she joined and Overlandtrucktour with Nomad Tours from Cape Town to Windhoek. And afterwards, did her own roadmovie around Cape Town. This is her guestpost for Reisefreunde:



(FOR THE GERMAN VERSION CLICK HERE!)

About the tour itself:

This was already my second tour with this operator, who is specialized in trips through Africa. And it was great. The tour took twelve days during which the most interesting places in the region. You are on the road with a group and travel with an overlandtruck that means these vehicles can cruise even rougher slopes. At our tour, you head to guesthouses or B&B in the evening but the operator also offer trip where you go camping in the night. Just take a look at Nomad Tour’s site to check out which tour suites you most. Together with a translator, also a driver/tour guide and a chef is on board the truck. Our chef was a genius and had the gift to prepare culinary delights even on the smallest parking lot with the most simply ingredients – that was nearly witchcraft! My group was a nice mixture, the age group between 20 and 70 and a crowd form all over the world (Spain, Australia, USA, Belgium and of course Germany). I had so much fun, saw many beautiful places, met great people and can really recommend the operator. It is the right choice for anyone who likes an organized tour without the normal full package stuff. This is still adventure! You can directly book the trips on the homepage of the operator or through the site of Moja Travel like I already did a couple of times. These guys are organizing many tours – you can even book flights, extra hotels and transfers with them

Now my highlights:
Sleeps:
There is a wide range of guesthouses and B&B to choose from. My recommendation is the Mandalay Bay Guest houses in Plettenberg bay. The family-run guesthouse only has four rooms, all of them with ensuite bathroom and a spectacular view from the balcony to Tsitsikama Mountains. They also have a little poll in the garden. The rooms are nicely decorated and furnished and in the morning, the hosts serve a yummy breakfast which leaves nothing to be desired. All this comes at very reasonable price.


Eats:

My tip: the Beluga Restaurant in Cape Town is a long-established Restaurant directly behind the Victoria Junction-Hotel. Having 160 seats, it can accommodate even larger groups. It also hosts a Cocktail Bar, a lounge and a café in the patio. The menu offers Meat dishes and seafood, too. There is also a “walk-in” wine cellar - with highly recommended South-African wines. All in all it is a very stylish atmosphere -so no wonder that the in-crowd meets here.


Tips for the surrounding:
Must See:
The long, golden beaches at the Indian Ocean, the breathtaking Lagoons, the mild climate, the mountained Pensinsula and the high looming forests of Plettenberg bay make this place unique and outstanding. This is the jewel of the garden route: the people are very hospitable and cordial, the nature is stunning beautiful, diversified and always fascinating. You can even watch whales directly form the beach without booking a tour. In the mild winter everyone who is looking for adventure will find lost of activities: from different Animal Sanctuaries to the highest Bungee Jump place in the world – it’s all here....


After that we moved on to the Cape Wineland north of Cape Town. The region counts 6000 winegrower and 70 wine yards. Some of them also offer accommodation. At many wine yards, you can even sample the wine; in others you can also enjoy tasty meals. The Cape Wineland is really scenic as the wine yards are nestled between rough mountains and lost of green. I liked Franschhoek best, a small unhasty. The name means French Corner, which describes the location at the Eastside of Drakenstein valley a little. The region was formally called "Oliphants Hoek" because Elefants were straying here. Other lovely places we saw were Paar5l and Stellenbosch – both with many wine yards and worth a visit…


Many thanks to Katrin for her great Guestpost and the wonderful pictures. We are enthused and absolutely jealous! :-)

Posted in: Africa,English Version,South Africa