An animal safari, a wine tour, amazing food and gorgeous scenery – Jenna, Dallas, Felicity, Gwen & Steve explore the Western Cape!
Western cape, South Africa
Activities
Gondwana Game Reserve
Gondwana Game Reserve was FANTASTIC! We stayed two nights, which was perfect. We went on 4 game drives while we were there, and it was truly top-tier. We saw lions, elephants, hippos, giraffes, zebras, antelope, rhinos, buffalo – basically everything! The drivers were so nice and each time we took either a coffee/wine break while we watched the animals. The accommodations were out of this world- 5 stars for sure. This was a 4 hour drive east of Cape Town.
Knysna
Knysna is a beautiful little town situated on a lagoon further east along the coast. We went on hikes along the beach, watched the tide, and walked around the town.
Knysna Beach
Knysna Lagoon
Hermanus
Hermanus is fantastic town right on the coast is known for being a great spot to go whale watching. We saw so many southern right whales breaching, it was incredible. Just 30 min away in Gansbaai we went great white shark cage diving. This was my favorite part of the trip by far! They got so close- what an experience!
Stellenbosch
We loved Stellenbosch wine country! I have traveled all over the world and lived in some of the most notable wine countries in the world (Tuscany and Northern California), but South African wine is by far the best. All of it is amazing and it’s all so cheap!
We went on a tour with a company called Wine Flies that was really well put together. They pick you up and take you to 6 wineries, stopping for lunch half way through. I thought it was just going to be taking us to different wineries, but the guide took us behind-the-scenes so we saw/learned so much- even tried wine straight out of the barrel. Highly recommend.
Cape Town
There was so much to see in Cape Town. Table mountain was so much fun! We didn’t hike up, but there was plenty of hiking to do around the top, and of course, great views. The V&A waterfront was fun to walk around. Seaside is another neighborhood with lots of restaurants/bars. Camps Bay was probably my favorite neighborhood that we stayed in- had the best/young vibe.
Table Mountain
Cape of Good Hope/Cape Point
You can’t go to South Africa without going to Cape Point! It’s a nature preserve at the tip of the cape peninsula. You can ride a funicular up to a gorgeous viewpoint, explore old historical shipwrecks, and hike and picnic along several trails. There is a restaurant with a gorgeous view over the bay.
Cape Point
Penguins at Kalk Bay, on the drive to Cape Point
Restaurants
South Africa has amazing food- nothing truly “original” since it was colonized by the Dutch, but everything was amazing. Also- SO CHEAP! I can’t tell you how many times we all 5 went out to eat, had appetizers, multiple bottles of wine, amazing main courses and desert, and didn’t pay more than $125. Total. INCLUDING TIP! 5-star restaurants- so amazing and delicious.
A couple of standouts:
Strandloper
In Langebaan we went to Strandloper, which is a restaurant right on the beach that serves a 10-course seafood meal. Amazing! We drove up there (1.5 hours north of Cape Town) just to go here 🙂
Oppie Dorp
In Stellenbosch we went to Oppie Dorp– 5 stars, out of this world!
Sirocco
In Knysna we went to Sirocco in Thesen Harbor Town (a little island in the middle of the lagoon)- another 5 stars!
In a few of the hotels/Airbnb’s they had barbecues, which in South Africa they call “braais”. We bought some food and had a braai at a couple of places too, just so we wouldn’t get tired of eating out, so I’d recommend that as well.
Hotel
We mixed it up and stayed in Airbnbs, as well as hotels, throughout our trip. It just depended on the location and if Airbnbs were available for 5 people or not. Airbnb is great option to find rentals when traveling, especially with a group of 5. Here, you’ll find a large range of unique accommodations to rent in South Africa, and most of the places on Airbnb are a far better value for your money than traditional hotels. Though my favorite part about it is you really feel like a local when staying in a new city! Sign up here to get $40 off your first visit!
Transportation
We rented a car to go to all of these places. Really the only way you can do it unless you used busses I guess. All of the roads were great – all paved and very wide.
South Africa Travel Tips:
Health – No vaccines needed for South Africa.
Voltage – Make sure you get an adapter specifically for South Africa, not just Africa (which I did, and had to borrow everyone else’s the whole trip).
Packing – Be careful not to pack too much if you go with a big group and rent a car, we had to get pretty creative to fit our luggage and all 5 of us in the car.
Follow the rest of Jenna, Gwen & Steve’s trip here:
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