A Magnificent Loop in the Southern Rainbow Nation (page 9 of 14)

Welcome Jérémy to this travel journal! 😊 In a month, you’ll really be able to make the most of it. If your profile’s up to date, you’re currently on a round-the-world trip 😄 That’s really awesome! I bet it must be an amazing experience. It’s great to be young 😊

Great photos, especially that nighttime encounter.

Longtime lurker here, but a new "participant." I love your travel journal style.

Looking forward to continuing the conversation. Best regards, Jean-Marie

Thanks Jean Marie for your kind words and welcome for a little stretch of the journey with us in South Africa 🙂.

another quirk— one grazes on the ground while the other prefers leaves on the shrubs, hence the difference in mouth shape!!!!

great photos

Isabelle,

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing—a month is pretty good! 🙂 The profile is up to date; we’ve been traveling for 16 months now. If you want to follow us, "like" the *Décollages Horaires* page on Facebook 😉

There’s no age limit for traveling—we’ve met families with kids, elderly people...🙂

Wednesday, January 2nd: Oudtshoorn - Swellendam

This morning, it's gray and raining a little—the landscape looks quite different, we were lucky yesterday. We pack up our tent and hit the road again. It’s not even 9 AM when we take the R62 toward Calitzdorp, about 60 km away.

An hour later, we turn off for RedStone Hill to see the arch. The hike takes one to two hours round trip. We still see some beautiful rocks, even if the sun isn’t lighting them up :(.







From a distance, we spot a small arch.



Then, the main one—it really doesn’t look that far. It could make for a nice hike, but the sky is gray and rain is threatening, so we decide not to go :(.





Oh! What’s this little tortoise doing on the road? :o We move her to the side before she ends up under a car’s wheels :crazy:.





We continue our journey toward Swellendam.

Around noon, we make a quick stop in Ladysmith to try the scones—a local specialty, apparently.



When we get back on the road, the sky has cleared a little, but it doesn’t last.







Between Barrydale and Swellendam, a light drizzle keeps us company. Too bad—the Tradouw Pass must be pretty in the sun ;).

It's only 2 PM when we arrive in Swellendam, so we decide to head straight to Bontebox NP, which is open until 7 PM. The park is tiny but great for a walk. The weather is really gray here too, and the temperature has dropped significantly—only 18 degrees 😕.



The roads are muddy, and the landscapes are pretty gloomy 🙁.



It’s a real letdown—we weren’t expecting to see loads of animals, but there was literally nothing. We crisscrossed the park just to get these halfway decent photos 😕.









We don’t linger any longer and quickly forget about the park as we head to our room at Aan De Oever. This guesthouse is absolutely stunning.

Too bad the weather’s so bad—there’s a lovely garden with a pool. The room is really spacious and tastefully decorated. Along with the Sea Star Lodge in De Kelders, this is our second favorite spot of the trip 🙂.





We take advantage of this late afternoon to unpack our suitcases—it’s a bit of a mess—and head out to dinner at Powell House. We booked ahead because tonight, there’s no way we’re eating outside, so showing up last-minute wasn’t an option.

Great restaurant! We had our last ostrich bobotie and malva pudding—our favorite meal! Yum!







Just an observation: Next to us, there’s a Black man seated, while the waiter is a white man in his sixties. During these two weeks, we didn’t feel any "remnants" of apartheid, but tonight’s situation at the restaurant gives us hope and shows how mentalities are evolving 🙂. Of course, it’ll still take time before the differences between Black and white people are completely erased.

To be continued here

I’m discovering your travel journal. It’s a pleasure to read and to "revisit the area" with you. We did more or less the same itinerary in November and loved this trip.

Ahhh maps.me ... this app is great but it sure plays some funny tricks sometimes :)

How lucky you were in Addo! When we were there, we saw a small group of elephants (and had a hard time finding them), 2 lionesses from very far away, a buffalo, warthogs, and a few zebras. Not a single animal at the watering holes. Our neighbors at the hotel had been there the day before us and they only saw 2 elephants all day! 😕

I’m discovering your travel journal. It’s a pleasure to read and to "revisit the area" with you. We did more or less the same itinerary in November and loved the trip.

Welcome, Laura 😉. In November, you must’ve seen whales! 😎

How lucky you were at Addo! When we were there, we saw a small group of elephants (and had a hard time finding them), 2 lionesses from very far away, a buffalo, warthogs, and a few zebras. Not a single animal at the watering holes. Our neighbors at the hotel had been there the day before us and only saw 2 elephants all day! 😕

But where were they hiding? Because we saw them absolutely everywhere in the park 😎. At Hapoor waterhole, you’ve got to go there by late morning, and then it’s a constant parade of elephant families coming to drink. It’s amazing how many there were 😛. Early morning and late afternoon, there’s practically none left.

We didn’t even catch a glimpse of lions—not even a tiny bit of a mane 🙁.

Hi there

Absolutely, there are so many whales! The little boat tour in Knysna was fabulous— three times we saw a mother and her calf, and the weather was gorgeous. I only travel in November (&/or March); it’s often a great time between the tropics, not too crowded and prices are much lower.

Thanks for sharing the rest of your trip!

I only travel in November (&/or March) it’s often a great time in the tropics, not too crowded and prices are much lower

Yeah, but unfortunately we don’t have a choice for our vacation dates 🙁. We’ll take advantage of it when we retire… just a few more years to wait 😕.

Thanks for the rest of your trip.

The rest will be short since it’ll be the last day of our stay in South Africa 🙁.

Thursday, January 3: Wine Route

Ah! Great! The weather is beautiful this morning—we’re in for a lovely day. The garden looks so pretty in the sun 😎.



After a delicious breakfast, we pack up our suitcases, and what a nice surprise—our car is all clean! Given how dirty it was, they must’ve taken pity on us .

For our last day in South Africa, we’re hitting the wine route. No, we’re not drowning our sorrows in drink just because we have to leave! 😛

It’s already 9 a.m. when we hit the South African roads for our final day before our flight tonight. We drive through beautiful mountainous landscapes with the first vineyards coming into view. Everything’s even prettier in the sun! 😉









We head to Worcester to see the Botanical Garden. Yeah, after Kirstenbosch with no flowers, Worcester’s garden is dedicated to Karoo plants. Well, another flop! No luck with botanical gardens… 🙁 We quickly walk the short trail and leave because it’s already getting hot for late morning.









Now it’s time for the wine route—we take the N1 toward Franschhoek. We don’t want to take back roads since we’ve got a flight to catch tonight 😉.







We arrive in Franschhoek before 1 p.m.—it really feels like the south of France, but not just that…











Traffic’s pretty bad, and with so many people in town, we’re not really in the mood to stop.

Hi there, Some guesthouses (like Hadassa in Otjiwarongo, for example) offer this service to all guests, and it’s really a nice surprise—especially at the end of your trip—to return the rental car completely clean. You rarely feel sorry for yourself in these countries! 😏 😉😛

Anne-Marie

It really made my day, especially since the day before, we’d started looking for a place to wash the car... they must’ve heard us 😮 😏 😛

During my trips in these parts, every time I returned the car to Hertz or Avis without washing it at all, and I was never charged extra 😉

A little later, we stop at the Boschendal estate located at the junction to Stellenbosch. Guided tours of the property run from 10 AM to noon, but there are lots of people picnicking under the trees while enjoying a bottle... of wine 😉. It’s really idyllic. We still stay for about an hour.











We continue to Stellenbosch but don’t stop. If we’d known earlier, we might’ve tried the pinotage 😉.



The scenery changes dramatically as we approach the outskirts of Cape Town where the airport is located 😕.



At 4 PM, we’re at the airport and return the car without any issues—we still managed to cover 3,200 km.

Before checking in our luggage, we change clothes, then go through security and immigration—everything goes very quickly. It’s 5:30 PM when we reach the departure gate. We even got to see our plane arrive, which suggests we’ll be taking off late.



Sure enough, we take off at 8:30 PM instead of 8 PM. Oh well, we’re not in that much of a hurry to face the cold 😉.

Friday, January 4: Return

After a short night of just a few hours, we land in Dubai at 7:20 AM. It’s pretty gray down there 😕.





We have a long 7-hour layover in Dubai. When we booked the flight, we thought about exploring the city, but after checking, it seems you need at least eight hours to leave the airport. Still, three-hour excursions are possible—I found them quite expensive, but what really changed my mind was the heat in Dubai. We’re dressed for the chilly weather back in France, so it wasn’t ideal! 🙁

We took advantage of the airport Wi-Fi to catch up on emails and other pending readings, and surprisingly, time passed relatively quickly. At 3 PM, we take off as scheduled—another 7-hour flight before we arrive. Two movies, one meal, and we land in Lyon at 7 PM.

The cold hits us as soon as we step out of the airport. It’s clear that a 30-degree drop from Cape Town doesn’t go unnoticed. Back home, we crank up the heating and get the skis ready for tomorrow. Well, maybe not tomorrow—let’s wait a day, so the day after then! 😎

Summary

It was truly an amazing trip that makes us even more eager to return 😮 😇.

There were a few small flops (Botanic Garden, Bontebok NP), but they’re quickly forgotten with all the other stunning landscapes and visits we enjoyed.

Here’s what we loved and think is worth the detour: - Table Mountain, even if we felt the hike down for days afterward, - The penguins at Boulders Beach, even if we didn’t find the "secret" little beach, - De Hoop, even if we couldn’t walk on the dunes because of the wind, - Addo, even if we didn’t see any lions, - The Little Karoo... well, no "even if" here—nothing to add!

Of course, every place has its little "even if" moments. We’ll be back during whale season, and this time, we’ll spend a night at De Hoop to make the most of the park. And of course, we’ll be back to climb Lion’s Head 😏.

A big thank you to everyone who followed us in South Africa, Thanks for enriching our travel journal with your additional tips, And most of all, thanks for your good vibes that brought some warmth during the winter 😎.

Every time I’ve traveled in these parts, I’ve returned the car to Hertz or Avis without washing it at all, and I’ve never been charged extra 😉

Yeah, of course, it’s not necessary to clean it, but when we returned it clean, we felt less awkward 😉.

Kirstenbosch is definitely the most beautiful spot—a botanical garden with flowers, birds, and even snakes—that you’ll find in Cape Town. I never miss spending a few hours there every time I’m in the area. It’s too bad you were there just before or after the blooming season.

I really enjoyed reading your travel journal—it brought back so many memories.

Thanks! 😎

Well, here you go,

There are still plenty of other spots in South Africa.

Perfect for planning your next trip!

Kirstenbosch is definitely the most beautiful spot—a botanical garden with flowers, birds, and even snakes—that you’ll find in Cape Town. I never miss spending a few hours there every time I’m in the area. It’s tough luck to have visited just before or after the blooming season. I really enjoyed reading your travel journal—it brought back so many memories. Thanks 😎

Hi Anne Marie, You’re right, we really weren’t there at the best time to visit Kirstenbosch Garden 🙁. We’d seen so many gorgeous photos of it that we were pretty disappointed, but oh well… next time 😉. Have a great day