CAPE TOWN

Our first stop in South Africa was Cape Town. We had 3 days to explore the main tourist sites... but to our disappointment Table Mountain decided to crown herself in cloud for the whole time. 😢 We did manage to visit The Cape of Good Hope, Simons Town, Chapman's Peak, Boulders Beach.

We hope you enjoy the photos and videos. 😊 

Then on to Port Elizabeth and Schotia Game Reserve.  Schotia is the oldest private game reserve in the Eastern Cape of  South Africa,. It is owned, managed and run 'hands on' by the Bean family, who are now in their sixth generation and have owned the original farm, Orlando, since the early 1800's. 

Schotia was the first reserve in the Cape Province to have free roaming lions and we were lucky to see them up VERY close, along with multiple other free-roaming species.

For the "real" African experience, we decided to stay in the tented camp rather than a chalet. Two separate tents in a bush enclosure with separate shower, bathroom and toilet. It was so peaceful and really felt like we were" out in the wild"!

We hope you enjoy the photos and videos. 😊  

Our final 2 nights we spent in a lovely AirBnB just outside Port Elizabeth. A bit of "down time" after our exciting days.  We sat on our terrace and soaked in the view and sound of waves crashing... and the occasional dolphins and whales.

Next stop.... Johannesburg.

Johannesburg is the most populous city in South Africa with nearly 5 million people, and is classified as a megacity. It is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. 

We stayed in a cute hotel just next door to Nelson Mandela Square, an upmarket area full of designer shops and great restaurants.  Streets of tall trees and beautiful houses, all surrounded by tall fences topped with electric wires, to protect their wealth. Such a contrast to the poverty of other areas of the city / country. 😢

We used the "Hop-On-Off" bus for the day to give us an overview of the various parts of the city, and also to visit Constitution Hill and The Apartheid Museum.

Constitution Hill is a national heritage site situated in the Johannesburg CBD and is home to the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the highest court in the country on constitutional matters. It was once a brutal prison where South Africa's leading political activists, including Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, were detained. It is now a museum dedicated to reminding us of the brutality of the apartheid times and give hope for a peaceful future.

The Apartheid Museum is a one-of-its-kind exhibition hall that educates visitors on the story of apartheid in South Africa. Dramatic photographs, videos, press clips, personal artefacts and moving anecdotes vividly illustrate what life was like for hundreds of thousands of South Africans who suffered under the brutal apartheid system and the journey the country took to its liberation.