South Africa Travel Guide 2017 1 From the Editor... After a few failed attempts at collecting travel information about South Africa, I decided it would be a great idea to publish my own South Africa Travel Guide. It has taken me about 3 years to assemble this valuable publication (in between extra hours in the CLO Office and publishing JJ’s and Classifieds, and more Classi- fieds, and more JJ’s). Realistically, I thought I would lose my mind if I heard, “I will send over travel brochures ‘just now’” one more time... It has been a lot of work, but being in the CLO Office is the reason that I started this venture in the first place. My favorite part of working in the CLO Office is helping people who are searching for travel information. There is no greater reward as the Editor of the Jacaranda Journal, than to hear that one of my readers has booked a vacation or some sort of adventure because of a travel story or advice from our office. Travelling means taking a break from everyday routines and just enjoying life. I personally believe that there is so much benefit to travel, which is why I am hoping this Guide entices you to travel more. Travel gives us better perspective, it makes us more adaptable and adventurous, and it just makes people happy. We are in a unique position, living life in the Foreign Service, and one of the greatest benefits is seeing the world. We get the opportunity to see places we would never have dreamed of and even better, we get to share them sometimes with friends and family. Thank you to everyone who has recommended great places to travel, and thank you to everyone who will write me new recommendations in the future to add to this Travel Guide. This is an ongoing project and hopefully, one that will continue long after I’m gone. South Africa is an incredible country, and we are lucky to be here. I hope that you find this South Africa Travel Guide useful and valuable for you and your family and friends. If you have feedback or recommendations, do not hesitate to write me at [email protected]. And most importantly, travel. Travel as much as you can while you’re here, and tell me about it. Tell me everything. Enjoy! Nikki Benson Website: www.kwathlano.co.za Travel Companies Email: [email protected] If you don’t feel like driving yourself, here are a few travel companies YCT TOURS AND SHUTTLES recommended by the community! If you’re not sure what you would Telephone: (012) 343-2052 like to do, just email any of these agencies, and they will have great Website: www.yct.co.za options and recommendations! Email: [email protected] GREEN RHINO TRAVEL Telephone: (27) (013) 75-119-52 CARLSON WAGONLIT TRAVEL AGENCY Website: www.greenrhino.co.za Gate 3, Building 8 Email: [email protected] Meiring Naude Street, Brummeria Pretoria. Contact person: Janet From Lynnwood Road, turn left at the Lynnwood City Lodge into Meiring Naude street, turn right into gate 3– opposite the Sasol Petrol Station. Pass through rd THE SAFARI GUYS security, turn left, 3 building on the right is 08– CWT. http://www.the-safari-guys.com/ 012 342 0923 Travel Consultants: [email protected] ANTS TOURS AND TRAVELS Telephone: (27) (012) Website: www.antsevents.com ULYSSES TOURS & SAFARIS Email: [email protected] http://www.ulysses.co.za/ Loma, Dave or Lydia MOYOS AIRPORT CONNECTION MACFARLANE EXECUTIVE TRAVEL AND TOURS Moyos Airport Connection for any of your transfer or tour needs. Moyos Airport Telephone: (27) (012) 667-2668 Connection can be reached by phone: 072-108-5869/ 079-272-3475 Website: www.macfarlane.za.com or [email protected]. Email: [email protected] Biggest Leaf Travel (Pilanesberg Deals) Quina Hoffmann KWATHLANO TOURS AND SAFARIS Travel Consultant Telephone: (086) 428-8364 T: +27 (0)87 943 2658 2 Day-Trip Activities There is so much to do and see around Pretoria. Here are some great options when friends and family are in town and you’re looking for small day-trips! Here is a list of the cities and the fun activities to do there! Hartbeespoort (about 30-45 minutes from Pretoria) Most Popular Activities: Bush Babies Monkey Sanctuary (This place is a must when you have family in town. They will not be disap- pointed.) The capuchins, lemurs, squirrel monkeys, spider monkeys and bushbabies at the sanctuary were all either pets or bred for the pet trade, or came from zoos. Here they can shake off their former lives in confined spaces and leap from tree to tree, socialize with their own kind (and breed) and learn how to be true monkeys again. Their home is a 7ha sanctuary with gorges, waterfalls and natural streams – a perfect place for primates Harties Cableway The Aerial Cableway Hartbeespoort offers visitors panoramic views of the beautiful Magaliesberg, Hartbeespoort Dam and sur- rounding areas, as well as excellent recreational and educational facilities. The Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre (This place can be pricey, but they often have Groupons for tickets.) Formally known as the De Wildt Cheetah Centre, it is a breeding sanctuary for cheetahs and other endangered animals. It was founded in 1971 by conservationist Ann van Dyk and is situated in the foothills of the Magaliesberg, about an hour outside Johannesburg. A day trip to the center is well worth the drive if you’re interested in getting to know more about this important cause. The Elephant Sanctuary (This place is a little pricey and there are only a few elephants. It also costs extra to ride them, and it is not a safari.) Guests are guided on foot through The Elephant Sanctuary. Guides will provide in-depth information and insight into African ele- phants. You will be introduced to our elephants in the forest area, and here you will be able to touch and interact with the ele- phants. You will see the special relationship that the elephant handlers share with their elephants and become a part of it. Walk trunk-in-hand with the elephants. See the stables where the elephants sleep at night. Guests learn about elephant anatomy and are able to feed them. On some hot or rainy days you may see the elephants swimming. Enjoy a drink on the deck overlooking the elephant boma, and visit our curio shop. Remember to wear flat walking shoes, sun hats and bring your camera. The 08h00 Ele- phant Experience includes brushing the elephants down. Elephant Back Riding is a optional activity, offered additionally to the Brushdown experience. We offer various tours depending on the duration and intensity of experience you desire. There is much more to do in Hartbeespoort. Here is a link to more activities and reviews. http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Africa/South_Africa/Hartbeespoort-2223246/Things_To_Do-Hartbeespoort-TG-C-1.html Bela Bela (about 45-60 minutes from Pretoria) Most Popular Activities: Adventures with Elephants (This is an experience of a lifetime!) Offering way more than the usual 'Touch and Feed' elephant experience; Adventures With Elephants provide unique hands- on Elephant Interactions, Elephant-back Rides, Swims on the Elephants, as well as Tailor-made Activi- ties such as weddings, teambuilding, corporate functions and filming. Located on a beautiful wildlife reserve situated just an hour’s drive north from Pretoria, adjacent to Zebula Country Club, Adventures With Elephants is managed by the Hensman family who have been extremely privileged to live and work with elephant since 1988. They offer you the thrill of hands-on interactions with these magnificent pachyderms and invite you into the elephant’s world where you can learn more about elephant in this unique manner whilst witnessing the elephant’s intelligence, compassionate nature and sheer delight in interacting with their human companions. Their friendly, experienced and qualified elephant handlers will share their in-depth knowledge and passion for their charges with you our guest, in this unrivalled and extraordinary experience. 3 Day-Trip Activities Bambelela Wildlife Care The Wild Life center is a sanctuary for orphaned and abused animals, and they have opened their doors to the public, offering two and a half hour tours of their hand-raised animals and primates. These animals are rehabilitated and placed back in the wild, and Bambelela is currently working towards being recognized as a Vervet Monkey Sanctuary. But before they are ready to return back to the wild, Bambelela has given us the gift of experiencing these beautiful animals, within the safety of the sanctuary. Some of the animals can even be touched and interacted with, perfect for those photographs of your holiday. Pretoria & Johannesburg The Apartheid Museum The museum illustrates the rise and fall of South Africa’s era of segregation and oppression, and is an absolute must-see. It uses film, text, audio and live accounts to provide a chilling insight into the architecture and implementation of the apartheid system, as well as inspiring stories of the struggle towards democracy. It’s invaluable in understanding the inequalities and tensions that still exist today. Located 8km south of the city center, just off the M1 freeway. The Cradle of Humankind The site comprises a strip of a dozen dolomitic limestone caves containing the fossilised remains of ancient forms of animals, plants and most importantly, hominids. The dolomite in which the caves formed, started out as coral reefs growing in a worm shallow sea about 2.3 billion years ago. The Cradle lies mainly in the Gauteng province with a small extension into the neighbor- ing North West Province, and covers 47,000 hectares of land mostly privately owned.