Travel like a local through South Africa: Local Cuisine, Hikes and Big 5

Cape Town is one of my favorite cities in the world. Often referred to as the "Mother City", Cape Town is a melting pot of African and European cultures, a mixture of tradition and modern, surrounded with beautiful nature. Breathtaking beaches, mountains with diverse hiking opportunities and wonderful scenery, unique culture, amazing local food, and so many activities including: - Watching the sunset from the top of Signal Hill. - Driving the Cape Peninsular (Cape of Good Hope) - The main stops are Muizenberg, Kalk Bay, Boulders Beach (to see the penguins), Cape Point, Cape of Good Hope, and the Chapman’s Peak Drive. Continue with Seals Colony in Hout Bay and finish with a nice cool drink in Camp’s Bay overlooking the ocean. - Browsing at the V&A Waterfront. - Going for Wine Tasting in Stellenbosch or Franshoek. - Surfing at Muizenberg Beach. - Hiking to the top of Table Mountain and Lion’s Head. - Visiting the Neighbourgoods Market: the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock turns into the Neighbourgoods Market where you’ll find food, drinks, and lots of other lovely things. - Art Experience – from a street art tour to visiting Zeitz Galery or Norval Foundation. - Browsing the streets at colorful Bo Kaap area. - Salsa class at Mojo Food Market in Sea Point. - Stand up Paddling on waterfront canals. - Paragliding, Skydiving, Sandboarding. - Boat trip to Robben Island. - Exploring different places on Garden Route. - Two Oceans Aquarium in V&A Waterfront. - Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden – the tree canopy walkway. - Picic on the beach.

The iconic South African Garden Route reaches from the Western Cape to Eastern Cape, along one of the world's most breath-taking coastlines. The official Garden Route starts in Mossel Bay in the west and ends at Storms River in the east. On our way to Wilderness, we will stop in Oudtshoorn, known for its ostrich farm and Cango Caves. Then we will continue to Wilderness, beautiful part of the Garden Route, lying in the foothills of the Outeniqua Mountains. It’s a lovely place to spend a day or two, immersed in natural beauty. Many of the activities centre on the Tow River and the surrounding area, including: - Hiking in Wilderness National Park. - Canoeing or Kloofing on the Touw River. - Paragliding. - Hiking to the Dolphin Point Lookout. - Chilling on the beach. - Surfing: Like many of the other places along the coast, Wilderness is a great place to surf. - Visiting Timberlake Village: Timberlake Village is a beautiful place with independent shops and restaurants.

Our next stop on our Garden Route itinerary is Knysna, a pretty small town, set around a beautiful lagoon. There are lots of things to do in Knysna, including: - Go for a paddle boarding around the Thesen Island canals. - Visit the East Head Viewpoint, where you will get fantastic views over the lagoon. - Eat Oysters: Knysna is famous for its oysters. They even hold a festival in June every year. - Visit the Featherbed Nature Reserve: Take the ferry over to do some hiking. - Take a Cruise on the Lagoon Cruise. - Surf in Buffalo Bay. - Go Whale Watching on an Ocean Safari: Whale season usually runs from June to November. - Cycle Around the Lagoon.

Plettenberg Bay is another awesome place to spend a day or two on the Garden Route itinerary, with a beautiful beach, great hotels and restaurants and lots of local attractions and activities. Things to do: - Hike around the Robberg Nature Reserve on the Robberg Peninsula, one of South Africa’s best hiking destinations. - Visit the Harkerville Market, which is just outside of town. This is a lovely farmers market, with food and craft stalls. = Swim With Seals. - Learn to Surf. - Skydiving - Visit the Birds of Eden Freeflight Sanctuary.

Tsitsikamma National Park is another beautiful place on the Garden Route with many activities to do. There are three main places to stay in the area – Storms River, Nature’s Valley & The Crags. I particularly love Storms River, where you can find Bloukran’s Bridge, the world’s highest bridge bungee jump. The Crags and Nature’s Valley are also nearby and great to visit. Nature’s Valley has a gorgeous beach you should definitely go and see. Things to do: - Blackwater Tubing. - Horse Riding. - Abseiling and canyoning through a beautiful forest. - Wine Tasting. - Zipling through Tsitsikamma forest. - Hiking the Trails Around the Storm’s River Mouth. - Bunge Jump Off Bloukran’s Bridge. - Go on a Kayak. - Hike to Salt River Mouth Hike.

One of the most interesting things about Addo is that it isn’t just home to the BIG 5, Addo is home to the BIG 7. So as well as lions, elephants, cape buffalo, black rhinos and leopards, they also have southern right whales and great white sharks which live in the marine section of the park, which lies off the coast of Port Elizabeth. Things to do: - Safari in Addo Elephant National Park: - Horse Riding in the Park. - Ocean Safari. - Big 7 Safari. - Alexandria Hiking Trail.