Addo Elephant National Park

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Stephanie’s Insider Guide to Cape Town

Meet our insider from Cape Town, Stephanie Marthinus-Hans, who is a local South African travel and lifestyle blogger from Cape Town passionate about showcasing small towns, accommodations, local eateries and wineries in the Western Cape and surrounding Provinces. Her blog, Stephanie Marthinus Blog, showcases small towns, accommodations, local activities and travel tips.

5 things I love most about Cape Town

The four seasons in one weather
How passionate people are on the daily
Our unique local products
The many scenic road trip routes
Our world class wineries

A few quirky/cool/fun things only locals know about Cape Town

Cool runnings; the tobogganing track in Bellville is such a cool activity for both the family and couples to enjoy. It’s different, fun and definitely an adrenaline rush.

Best place here to enjoy the…

The water – Kleinmond Beach or Struisbaai

The mountains/countryside – Stanford

The outdoors – Chapmans Peak Drive or a trip along Route 62

The food – There is so many to choose from but the Lourensford market in Paarl has such a wide variety on cuisines, you can’t go wrong.

The general vibe or nightlife – The vibe is surely in Bird and Victoria Streets in Stellenbosch.

Good coffee/tea/wine – Knead bakery and Truth knows how to make a great cup of coffee. When it comes to wines, there’s an array to pick from. I recommend Simonsig in Stellenbosch for their Kaapse Vonkel Rosé as well as Val du Charron in Wellington.

Meet locals – Festivals, food markets and park runs.

What makes a city/town special for you?

The willingness to also support one another’s causes or projects and our constant love to share knowledge and information without a fuss.

What is your favorite small town in South Africa and why?

Seeing that small towns is what I live for, I have many on my list. One in particular is Porterville. It’s relatively unknown and many people I spoke with had no idea where it was or even know what to do there. It’s such an underrated town with plenty of family and couple activities like the Porterville Farm Market, visiting the Mosaic House and taking an interest in the many creative artists that reside there.

If you could do a 10 day road trip through south africa, which stops would you make?

That’s a tricky question because there’s many trips on my list. I’d start off in the Great Karoo of Graaff-Reinet and Nieu-Bethesda, drive through Queenstown and into East London to make a trip in Coffee Bay. I would love to explore Morgans Bay and Port Alfred because the Sunshine coast is just impeccable.

What is the ultimate bush experience anyone can have in SA?

South Africa is blessed with many exquisite game farms but start off with checking out South African National Parks for various accommodation options. I highly recommend exploring Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape. There’s an unlimited amount of activities such as a self-drive, game drives, horse riding, hiking trails and even picnic sites for the whole family to enjoy.

Your best beach/island experience in Southern Africa

I would love to visit Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. It’s honestly blessed with picturesque beaches and anyone who is a beach lover will enjoy the beach experience.

The most magical place in South Africa and why

Prince Albert takes my breath away every time I visit the small, arid town. It’s in the middle of dry barrens yet runs like a big city with vineyards, olive farms and mountain views for days.

The best places to visit in South Africa for…

Solo travellers: Definitely the CBD where there’s tons of fun-filled activities to do and cool places to visit.
Couples: Depending what type of couple you are, stay at Ke Nako Lodges in Wilderness; tacked away on the mountain slopes or De Wilge in Nuy Valley.
Families: Mossel Bay as many activities to keep the family entertained with charming beaches, quirky restaurants and putt-putt. Montagu is also another place to visit with Saturday markets, bike trails and river cruises.
Luxury travellers: Stellenbosch and Paarl come to mind with luxurious accommodations nestled among the vineyards.
Those seeking off-the-grid spots: Die Hel in the Swartberg Nature Reserve and Pampoenfein Farm in Cederberg is spots to truly be off-the-grid

You can find more of Stephanie’s musings about small towns at Stephanie Marthinus Blog. You will always find her with a strong cup of coffee in hand whilst she tackles her full-time job in the Marketing and Communications industry along with her part-time employment at a bespoke textile store. Aside from her blog get more insider tips on small towns in the Western Cape and beyond on Facebook.

March 4, 2020/by Gugulethu Ntombela

XO Africa

Top 5 Game Reserves to Visit in Summer

Come summer in South Africa between December and March, Addo Elephant National Park, Gondwana Game Reserve, Hluhluwe Game Reserve, Pongola Game Reserve and Shamwari Private Game Reserve are the best reserves to visit. Whether you are planning on going on safari for the first time or you’re a returning game reserve visitor, we know that these game reserves are not to be missed. See the Big 5, learn about their various conservation programmes, view wildlife while lounging on a boat, go bird watching and much more while visiting these reserves. Here’s our list of best game reserves to see in the summer…

1. Addo Elephant National Park

Situated on the Garden Route, 72km (one hour’s drive) away from Port Elizabeth and malaria-free, Addo is a good option for families. Here you can see the famous Addo elephants as well as mile after mile of verdant citrus trees, bearing fruit all winter and scenting the air with their blossoms in springtime. Established in 1931 to save 11 Elephants on the brink of extinction, Addo is now home to one of the most dense African elephant populations and currently has about 550 elephants.

Other than being a sanctuary for African elephants, the park is also home to 280 Cape Buffalo, some black Rhinos, a range of Antelope species, as well as the rare flightless dung Beetle. The game viewing and outdoor activities, includes horse-back riding, guided walking, hiking and 4×4 trails and a picnic area for day visitors. Recently, the Addo Elephant National Park has expanded to become the only park in the world to lay claim to Africa’s ‘Big 7’, which are the elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, leopard, southern right whale and great white shark. This park is full of life and adventures!

2. Gondwana Game Reserve

Situated on the scenic Garden Route, a four-hour drive from Cape Town International Airport, this 11,000-hectare game reserve offers a luxurious and malaria-free safari destination. Here you can explore and experience the beauty of Western Cape’s unique flora—the fynbos—which is found nowhere else in the world. Indigenous plants such as Proteas, Ericas, and Restios provide year-round enjoyment and colour. Numerous fountains, streams and dams provide spectacular waterholes. The gorgeous deep valleys, ravines, rolling green hills covered in a sea of colourful indigenous flora and the mountains that seem to go on for an eternity will be a feast for your senses, not to mention that it would make an amazing addition to your Instagram account!

The park is actively sustainable and is constantly working to reduce its carbon footprint and conserve wildlife. Gondwana has replaced all of its electric geysers with solar assisted geysers in their staff village that houses 75 people. Additionally, the park supports some of the most critically endangered vegetation types in the world. The reserve bi-annually monitors veld condition to determine the state of the Fynbos.

And if all those perks weren’t enough to win you over, did you know that Gondwana offers a once-in-a-lifetime romantic and tranquil experience? That’s right, the park hosts beautiful African weddings! The game reserve offers two boutique lodge venues that can accommodate 100 people seated or up to 200 in a cocktail-styled setting. They also have outdoor wedding venues. There is something for everyone at Gondwana.

3. Hluhluwe Game Reserve

The Hluhluwe Game Reserve—otherwise known as Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park—is the oldest reserve in Africa. It is 96000 hectares in size and is the only state-run park in KwaZulu-Natal that has the Big 5 and is home to the largest population of White Rhino in the world. The park also has 86 species such as the Nile crocodile, hippo, cheetah, spotted hyena, blue wildebeest, jackal, giraffe, zebra, waterbuck and more. Fun fact: this park used to be the private hunting grounds of King Shaka.

Photo Credit: jumblejet

Activities within the Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park include day drive safaris, night drive safaris (which are only available if you are staying overnight in the park), guided day walking trails and guided overnight walking trails. For the safaris, there are 3 options: 3-hour day safari options, half day safari options and full day safari. The safaris include conservation levies, breakfast on half day safaris and lunch on the full day safaris. During colder months, rustic guided overnight guided walking safaris are run. This is a great opportunity for you to experience the Big 5 on foot.

Photo Credit: jumblejet

4. Pongola Game Reserve

The Pongola Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal is a birding hotspot. It is home to four of the Big 5 and many other plains game species. The Pongola River runs through the centre of the reserve. The reserve offers scenic bushveld, mountains and a lake with a diversity of leisure activities. They have game drives that are done in open vehicles, and there are sightings of White Rhino, Buffalo, Giraffe, Blue Wildebeest, Zebra, Kudu, Nyala, Warthog, Impala and many other species. You can go on a rhino tracking adventure! Feel the excitement of viewing them from a concealed spot in the bush. On their guided walks, you have the opportunity to learn more about conservation, the environment and mother nature.

Photo Credit: Their Gallery

Their boat cruises combine game viewing & bird watching from the tranquillity of the water and last about three hours. The Fish Eagle safari boat is a real treat where you can enjoy a breakfast, lunch or sundowner cruise while viewing the game grazing along the shores of the lake. The 21-metre luxury day cruise boat departs from the Mvubu jetty and can carry up to 50 people in comfort and safety. The Fish Eagle has a sun deck, bar, kitchen, braai and toilet, is ideal for a relaxed trip on the Pongolapoort Dam and is also available for special functions by arrangement.

Photo Credit: Their Gallery

5. Shamwari Private Game Reserve

The Shamwari Private Game Reserve is located on the Garden Route in the Eastern Cape, about an hour’s drive from Port Elizabeth. The reserve is a conservation orientated 5-star safari holiday destination and is malaria-free. It is home to vast herds of wildlife, birdlife and incredible ecological diversity. Five of South Africa’s 7 biomes are found here. The Shamwari Private Game Reserve is an award-winning 25, 000 hectares of protected land and a pioneer in environmental education. On top of all this, the reserve has plenty of activities on offer that you can enjoy.

Photo Credit: Their website.

Ornithologists and bird watching hobbyists alike will be delighted to hear that the reserve has an array of birds, such as Black Shouldered Kites, Secretary birds, African Darters, Malachite Kingfishers, Black Harrier and many more. Their game viewing drives are available for morning and evening trips as this is when the animals are most active. The drives are guided by trained game rangers who’ll take you and your party through the reserve, encountering many animals along the way.

If you’ve got children, they have the opportunity to learn about the importance of nature conservation as well as have buckets of fun in their Kids on Safari programme. While the children are occupied, you can spend some time relaxing at their safari spa, which will leave you feeling revitalised and rejuvenated.