Top Takeaways (Twenty) - South Africa

We know that we have barely scratched the surface of Africa by only visiting South Africa but we look forward to future trips to Kenya, Egypt and Tanzania, just to name a few. Here are some of our top takeaways from our time in South Africa.

With our friend Dana at the top of Lion's Head, looking down on Cape Town.

1. Game is ubiquitous – both on the various animal reserves and in the local restaurants! In addition to the amazing time we had on our safari tours, we also tried biltong (similar to beef jerky) and loved ostrich!

2. The scenery is stunning. Beaches, mountains, cliffs and panoramic views are abundant; driving through the country was definitely a highlight for us. The coastline was very similar to parts of California and Australia.

3. South Africa has something for everyone! Cape Town is a modern city with great restaurants and shopping but is also surrounded by beautiful mountains, perfect for hiking or walking. The world-renowned vineyards of Stellenbosch and Franschoek are within a 45-minute drive from the city, plus golf courses and game reserves are easily reachable by car. It’s really hard to go wrong here and we feel confident in recommending South Africa to just about any type of traveler.

4. Apartheid was uncomfortably recent and its impact can still be felt throughout the country. Understanding what happened only 40 years ago left us feeling bewildered and extremely aware that tragedies like this can happen – and are still happening in other countries – while the rest of the world keeps spinning.

5. The racial and socioeconomic disparity in South Africa is sadly very black and white. Between every beautiful town and city were impoverished townships – overcrowded slums – where local residents tried to hitch a ride from passing highway traffic. Beyond just seeing the vastly different living conditions, Alex and I detected what we could only describe as very clear, direct racism during some of the conversations we had with locals.

6. (Local) wine is very cheap. Actually, everything was much cheaper than we expected! For some reason I expected New York City prices but we found restaurants, hotels and shops to be very reasonable. The ZAR / USD exchange rate was also pretty favorable – yet another reason to visit!

7. Every South African is an amateur weatherman. Anytime we spoke to a hotel staff member or waiter about our upcoming plans, we received an opinion on the current wind conditions or cloud cover. Apparently the weather patterns are highly variable so we appreciated the extra concern!

8. Hiking trail maps do not provide consistent difficulty scales. Our hike to the top of Table Mountain was described as “moderate,” and was one of the most difficult we have ever done! On the other hand, our hike in Betty’s Bay was estimated to take anywhere from four to eight hours and we were done in less than two. Lesson learned: take hiking guides with a grain of salt!

9. Cape Town’s close proximity to beautiful beaches reminded us a little of New York City and the Hamptons, although South African beach towns are a lot less crowded!

10. The city of Cape Town is very diverse and modern so it was sometimes easy to forget we were actually in Africa. That feeling ensures that Alex and I will want to return to other parts of the continent when we can.

Peak: Hike up Table Mountain - the views were stunning and the sense of accomplishment we both felt after finishing such a challenging hike was a natural high unto itself!

Pit: An unnecessarily hostile B&B host along the Garden Route...

Next Stop: Istanbul, Turkey

Garden Route

We spent the last week driving the Garden Route, one of South Africa's most famous drives along the coast (it's not really a specific route, but rather a collection of nice beach towns). We broke the drive up into five stops, then retraced our route back to Cape Town yesterday.

Day 1: Gordon's Bay & Betty's Bay

Alex and I started the day with maybe the best breakfast we’ve had in South Africa: a home-cooked meal prepared at our somewhat quirky accommodation, The Chocolate House. After taking a quick Uber to the rental car office we were appalled that Dollar Thrifty managed to mess up our reservation yet again, despite multiple email confirmations and Alex’s in-person confirmation last week. We had to wait three hours for the city location to fetch a car from the airport location but we decided to pass the time wandering around the craft market at the V&A Waterfront - it was a beautiful morning and I even found a nice blouse...so the delay wasn't a total bust! (Plus they gave us a really nice car again - an Infinity Q50 - so we can't complain!)

The drive to Gordon's Bay only took 45 minutes from downtown Cape Town but the timing was perfect for lunch by the water. We dined on fresh fish, walked along the beach for a bit, then continued on to Betty's Bay, about an hour further along the coast.

The beach at Gordon's Bay.

The view of Rooi-Els as we drove along the beautiful coast.

We saw a shark-spotting station just off the road. Apparently the black flag means low risk, but poor visibility...so be careful!

The views of the ocean were stunning - Alex had to make sure to keep his eyes on the road! - and we stopped several times to snap some pictures. It reminds us so much of California and Australia!

When we arrived at our B&B in Betty's Bay, our host explained that not much was open (because it was Sunday) so rather than getting greasy fish & chips from the one restaurant that was open, we decided to head to a grocery store to pick up some meats and cheeses. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing at the B&B, catching up on some blog posts and enjoying the beautiful views of the ocean.

Day 2: Hermanus

As the smell of sizzling bacon called to us from our bed, Alex and I woke around 8am for breakfast at our B&B. Knowing the nearby botanical gardens had a handful of hiking trails, we ate a hearty breakfast, packed up and headed out for the day.

I had researched the hike we wanted to do – the Zig Zag Trail – but was nervous as the description noted it could take anywhere from 4 – 8 hours roundtrip. However, after our grueling hike up Table Mountain we figured we could handle it!

We were relieved that the hike was not as strenuous as advertised. We made it up high enough for these views after only 15 minutes!

A little further up we traded places and I took a few pictures of Alex.

The waterfall at the end of the hike. We rested here for half an hour before retracing our steps down the mountain.

Great views as we hiked down the trail.

There were tons of lizards around but this one let us get the closest without running away.

We were back in our rental car two hours after we started the hike. I think there should be some uniformity to the hiking-difficulty-scale - we finished the Table Mountain hike in almost exactly the time the park suggested we allow; we finished this one in half of the shortest recommended time!

The drive from Betty’s Bay to Hermanus was only 45 minutes, so I decided to test my left-side-of-the-road navigation skills and help out with some of the driving! We checked in at our next B&B and asked our host for a recommendation for the rest of the afternoon. She suggested we check out Creation Wines for their wine tasting, which is paired with food. I'd actually heard about this before but once our host confirmed it, we headed straight over to Creation.

We tasted ten (!) different wines – small pours I swear - accompanied by small “bites” and enjoyed a delicious meal as well as a great lesson in wine pairing. South Africa has one of the highest concentrations of wineries in the world and we have definitely been able to sample some of the most delicious wines and see some of the most beautiful vineyards during our time here.

Adequate view from our table at Creation Wines.

Full from our 3-hour wine pairing, we grabbed a few snacks – and the bottles we purchased – and headed to our guesthouse to watch the sun set over Hermanus. Reminded of Montauk, we settled in to enjoy another beautiful evening in South Africa.

The tide was out at sunset, exposing these rocks and allowing us to walk out to get a good view.

Waves breaking on the rocks.

High surf at sunset.

Day 3: Knysna

Our gracious host in Hermanus drew out a map for us before we left on Tuesday morning so we wouldn't get lost on the drive to Knysna. We mispronounced it the first time we told her that's where we were heading next (you drop the "K," FYI) so I think she thought we were totally clueless. Fortunately the drive couldn't have been much easier - there aren't many roads around these parts!

One last view of the B&B before we took off - I could get used to waking up to this!

Our first stop for the day was Cape Agulhas, the southern most point on the continent. Many tourists mischaracterize the Cape of Good Hope as the southernmost point of Africa, but it falls about 300km short of Cape Agulhas. We parked the car at the famous lighthouse then walked the last kilometer to the tip to take some pictures.

We saw a fisherman among the rocks on our walk to the tip.

Obligatory shot.

From here we spent most of the rest of the day driving. We stopped in Mossel Bay for lunch, then I took over the driving for the rest of the journey to Knysna. When we arrived we checked in with our B&B and watched the sunset from our balcony - a great way to end the day!

The view from our balcony - hello Knysna!

Another beautiful sunset along the Garden Route.

We headed to town for a late, but delicious, dinner then headed back to get some sleep. We both underestimated the amount of driving today...but by getting most of it out of the way today, we only have a half an hour drive tomorrow!

Days 4 & 5: Plettenberg Bay

Before heading to Plettenberg Bay on Wednesday morning, we explored Knysna for a couple hours. The town surrounds a lagoon, which creates some of the interesting topography we had a view of last night. There's also a beach not far from town, but technically that's a separate village called Brenton On Sea (fitting name...).

The beach at Brenton On Sea.

The weather started to clear up as we drove to Plettenberg Bay so we decided to change at our guest house and do one more hike before the clouds rolled back in. Our hosts, and my research on TripAdvisor, suggested that Robberg Nature Reserve would offer the best views in the area. We definitely agree! The hiking wasn't strenuous at all (compared to what we've done recently at least!) and the views were amazing - a must-do if you're in Plettenberg Bay.

"The Island" at Robberg.

The tide was out which created these cool looking pools by the rocks.

The high wind caution sign was 100% necessary - we had to concentrate to keep our balance on the rocks because the gusts were so forceful!

One more beautiful view from the end of our hike.

Hot, sweaty and wind-blown we returned to our guest house to shower before dinner. Our hosts inundated us with recommendations when we arrived and we had bookings at two seafood restaurants in only a few minutes. For dinner tonight we ate at Seafood at The Plettenberg, one of the nicest hotels in town. The views of the bay were great and the food was amazing - it was a bit of a "splurge" by South African standards, but definitely worth it!

Seafood platter for two? Yes, please!

The great weather we've had on our trip down the Garden Route had to come to an end, eventually. We woke up Thursday to a gloomy, overcast day with some drizzle here and there. We took the opportunity to catch up on some blog posts and run some errands (Alex even got a haircut!). We ate lunch at Bramon Wines, which had great food (especially the bread) but only average wine. Oh well - still a great way to pass the time on a rainy afternoon. Dinner tonight was at The Fat Fish. This restaurant had a decidedly more casual feel than SeaFood, but our meal was still fantastic.

Plettenberg Bay was our last stop on the Garden Route, and (basically) the last place on our South African itinerary. We drove back to Cape Town on Friday, which took almost the whole day, then packed up this morning to go to the airport. We had an excellent time here and would highly recommend a visit to all of our friends - it's a loooong flight from New York, but definitely worth it!

Table Mountain

We woke up on Saturday, said our goodbyes to Dana, then set out on an epic hike up Table Mountain. We had read that the Platteklip Trail, also known as the “highway” up Table Mountain, would be more challenging than our hike up Lion’s Head but we had a perfect, clear day and were feeling ambitious. Not wanting to hike on an empty stomach, we went back to Liquorice & Lime for lunch then began the long walk up.

We managed to get ourselves off the path at one point, though this detour only cost us 20 minutes or so. Other than that, it was smooth sailing to the top. And by smooth sailing I mean one of the hardest hikes we’ve ever done. I don’t know how we were able to do it in only two hours, but once we got to the top we were both exhausted. Fortunately the views were stunning and there was a great café with lots of water (and maybe a beer) for us to rehydrate!

Our reward for the long hike up Table Mountain.

We got another hiker to take our photo at the top – I think he was happy to find another couple that had struggled through the hike since most of the people at the top had just taken the gondola up (weaklings!).

Sunset from Table Mountain.

Looking down the peninsula toward the Cape of Good Hope.

Cape Town at dusk.

Like everyone else on the mountain after dark, we waited in line patiently for the gondola down to the road the ride only took about a minute vs. our two hour hike up! We found a Greek restaurant on the way home and had a hearty dinner before we passed out at our hotel. The hike was super challenging but we both felt a huge sense of accomplishment after we’d finished – definitely a must-do when visiting Cape Town!

Cape of Good Hope

Our wine tour guide, Elle, warned us that the drive to Cape Point and back can take “over seven hours” to complete. We didn’t believe her entirely, but we still decided to get a relatively early start to the day so we wouldn’t feel rushed. We were happy to hit the road early Friday morning though because we had a perfect day for the picturesque drive (though it would probably still be pretty amazing if the weather didn’t cooperate). Our first stop was Muizenberg to marvel at the scenery and the famous colorful beach houses (we all thought they were more like beach huts than beach houses, but they were still beautiful!).

Great view of the Cape of Good Hope from Muizenberg!

Muizenberg’s famous beach houses.

After stretching our legs and checking out the views, we drove a little further down the road to Boulders Beach. This area is known for its penguins – it’s a protected breeding ground for the endangered African Penguin and we were able to walk up very close to the little guys in their natural habitat. The welcome sign describes the area accurately: “The easiest place in the world to make the acquaintance of an African Penguin.”

The penguins picked a breeding ground with a great view!

This picture doesn’t do it justice, but they look so awkward when "walking" on land. The penguin in the middle waddled from the dunes to the water like a toddler just taking his first steps…but then began swimming like a champ once he hit the ocean.

From here is was only a short drive to the entrance to Cape Point National Park, but we decided to stop for a quick bite to eat before continuing south. Unfortunately there weren’t many options around – we’d gotten to a pretty remote part of the peninsula! – so we ate ostrich at Cape Point Ostrich Farm located across the street from the park entrance. It was a bit strange to eat an ostrich burger while starting at pair of them just outside the window…but at least it was tasty!

It didn’t take long to get to the trailheads in the park after lunch. We decided on an hour and a half long hike to see the Cape of Good Hope. The trail was very well maintained (most of it was a boardwalk, actually) and the views were stunning – no wonder so many visitors to Cape Town make the trek down here!

Sarah taking in the views.

Cape Point.

We got another tourist to take a picture of the three of us. Can you tell how windy it was?!?

The ladies at Cape Point.

After a couple hours of taking pictures and trying to make sure we didn’t lose our sunglasses in the wind, we got back in the car and continued the drive around the peninsula. The final stop on our roadtrip was Chapman’s Peak, a great spot to overlook Hout Bay below. We stopped to take in the view then got back in the car to finish the drive.

Hout Bay from Chapman’s Peak.

Chapman’s Peak or Big Sur? We thought the views were very similar!

We still had a little time before needing to return the rental car so we stopped at The Bungalow for a drink and to watch the sun begin to set. We didn’t have a very comfortable seat though, so we moved on quickly. I dropped the ladies at The Blackheath Lodge (highly recommend this awesome spot) to settle in, then returned the car and walked back. We met up with a friend-of-a-friend for dinner before calling it a night – it was a great day, but a tiring one. We say goodbye to Dana tomorrow…can’t believe her time here has gone so quickly!

From Rhinos to Winos

After spending two days marveling at the incredible animals and scenery on the Inverdoorn Reserve, our traveling trio headed to South African wine country. We started in Franschhoek, a charming little town with a cute main strip of restaurants and shops, then headed right to the vineyards after grabbing a quick lunch.

Winery #1: Haute Cabrière. Wines purchased? None. Unfortunately this vineyard had much better views than wines! Known for its Pierre Jourdan Cap Classique, this winery boasts panoramic views and a (supposedly) top-notch restaurant. We went for the wine tasting but didn't care for a single one; we left without buying a bottle. Can't beat the scenery though!

View of Franschhoek from Haute Cabrière.

Alex and I kept thinking about all the missed opportunities for wedding venues!

Winery #2: Mont Rochelle. Wines purchased? None. Alex - who graciously offered to serve as Designated Driver for the ladies - drove us to this vineyard, which was recently acquired by "Sir" Richard Branson. Expecting great things given his success in various other pursuits, we were a little let down by the quality of the wines. However, tasting trays cost about $3 and the views were again amazing so we had nothing to complain about!

Standing on the opposite side of Franschhoek at Richard Branson's vineyard, Mont Rochelle.

Apparently horseback guided vineyard tours are offered but we decided to pass...

Winery #3: Grande Provence. Wines purchased? Three bottles. This was our final stop for the day and we definitely saved the best for last. While the views weren’t quite as spectacular as the previous two vineyards, the wine was the star attraction here. We ended up buying multiple bottles and really enjoyed spending an hour in the beautiful courtyard.

Entrance to Grande Provence.

Oops, we forgot our chopper!

What a beautiful vineyard!

Our courtyard setup.

Since it was already getting late – by small-town standards, anyway - we relaxed a little at our guest house with a bottle of wine from Grande Provence before walking to Dutch East for an amazing steak dinner in town.

We woke up early on Wednesday so we could make it to nearby Stellenbosch in time for our full-day private wine tour. Elle, our guide and driver - no driving responsibilities for Alex today! - picked us up promptly at 10am to begin a great day of wine tasting. We made it to five vineyards plus a beautiful lunch spot before parting ways.

Winery #4: Stark-Condé. Wines purchased? None. Our first stop in Stellenbosch was beautiful and we had a very informative host so we really enjoyed our visit. We only tasted a few wines but none really stood out to us...at least the views were great!

Very peaceful setting to enjoy our first wines at 10:30am!

Winery #5: Delaire Graff. Wines purchased? One bottle. This vineyard was the epitome of luxury: the resort included a diamond boutique and clothing shop selling $600 blouses...not to mention every room was beautifully decorated with stunning views. Unfortunately, the wine didn't live up to its surroundings; we only purchased one bottle of chardonnay (but we really enjoyed it!).

One of our favorite views from the day.

Three amigos paused for a photo among the beautiful scenery.

Winery #6: Rustenberg. Wines purchased? Two bottles and 1 full case (to ship home). This was one of the vineyards we liked best - the wines were great, we had the entire area to ourselves and our sommelier was incredibly helpful. Even with shipping charges, it was a steal to send some of the wines home to NY!

The views at Rustenberg weren't as impressive, but the wines were!

Winery #7: Peter Falke. Wines purchased? One bottle. We chose to visit this vineyard based on the delicious Pinot Noir we tried at a restaurant in Cape Town, but, unfortunately, both the wines and the views were disappointing. They no longer carried the vintage we loved so much, shipping costs to the US were astronomical and the scenery just couldn't compete with the other wineries we visited.

Okay, fine, the Peter Falke vineyard was also pretty inviting.

Winery #8: Ernie Els. Wines purchased? Four bottles. By far Dana's favorite vineyard, given the golf connection, this place was definitely beautiful with great wines too. Alex and I didn't appreciate the "Ernie Els angle" (seriously, I didn't know who he was) but we can still appreciate a nice rosé!

Alex, his beard and his ladies!

Exhausted after a long day of drinking, we picked up pizzas from the closest restaurant nearby, Brenaissance – which totally surprised to the upside - and ate dinner in our guest house before sleeping off all the wine we drank!

Thursday was a more low key day of leisurely wine tasting. We slept in, had breakfast and then set off for the few vineyards we hadn't gotten to visit on Wednesday. Alex again graciously agreed to drive Dana and I around for the day so we could enjoy the tastings - I think he is angling for husband of the year!

Unbelievable morning view from our guesthouse in Stellenbosch.

Winery #9: Uva Mira. Bottles purchased? Two bottles. Elle had told us this place was overrated and that the wines weren't that great. She was wrong on both counts. It was here that we decided that Elle - like so many of our tour operators in Asia - must receive kickbacks from certain of the vineyards (and obviously Uva Mira isn't on her list). This ended up being one of our favorite places - the views cannot be beat, the wines were great and we had the entire vineyard to ourselves!

I mean, can you beat this view?

Winery #10: Jordan. Bottles purchased? One bottle (we also realized we weren’t going to be able to fly to Europe with all our wine!). We were able to try eight wines here and also enjoyed a bottle of rosé and an amazing lunch spread. The fancier sit-down restaurant is fully booked months in advance so we “settled” for the smaller bakery next door.

It has become very difficult to think about leaving South African wine country!

The best kind of lunch spread includes rosé and a cheese platter.

Feeling like we definitely had our fill of wine-tasting over the past three days, we headed back to our guest house to relax. We asked our host to take a taxi into town to walk around a bit and were surprised when a tuk-tuk came to pick us up! We were a little disappointed that most of the shops were closed (according to Elle, shop-owners close early to start drinking wine by 5pm!) so we headed to Craft to have a beer tasting (when in Stellenbosch...) before dinner.

We walked to nearby Oppie Dorp for dinner, which ended up being one of my favorite meals in South Africa. The lamb fell off the bone and Alex's ostrich fillet was tender and juicy (who knew?). We also had a great bottle of wine from La Motte, a vineyard we hadn't been able to visit in Franschoek. All around, a perfect end to the day!

Tomorrow we are spending the day driving to the Cape of Good Hope and back to Cape Town for Dana's last night!