It’s been a long year of travel for the Getaway team. Collectively, we’ve traversed southern and east Africa in search of the best spots to write about for the magazine and this blog. Here are our favourite places that we’ve been to in 2012. Put them on your list for next year’s travels!
St Lucia, KwaZulu-Natal coast
The fact that hippos may roam the streets at night and crocodiles loom about the estuary is thrilling stuff. I enjoyed cruises on the river, day and night game drives and horse riding at iSimangaliso Wetland Park but didn’t have the guts to kayak on the estuary after the guide said, ‘If you feel a croc tugging your roe, just let go, don’t try to pull it back – you will lose.’ A visit to St Lucia should include a visit to Cape Vidal for a beautiful beach and bush experience and kids will love the Crocodile Centre and Isiphaphalazi Butterfly Dome.
Read my blog about 10 things to do in St Lucia
Oubaai, Herold’s bay, George, Western Cape
The Garden Route is quite spectacular, no questioning that. But sometimes the mainstream places along the route get all the attention and all the crowds. When next you travel this route be sure to stop and stay in Oubaai in Herald’s Bay. It oozes grace and is a gem of unspoilt, untouched beauty. The beach is soft and nestled by picturesque mountains, the water is warm, great for swimming and surfing; mountain hikes and walks litter the area. And there is more: you can play the Ernie Els Signature course at Oubaai Golf Club or spoil yourself with a spa treatment or a luxury stay at the Hyatt Recency Hotel. But whatever you do, don’t drive past without stopping.
Senga Bay, Lake Malawi
I visited Senga Bay towards the end of my 21-day road trip through Southern Africa on the Put Foot Rally (read: Put Foot Rally 2012). Senga Bay is all kinds of magic: the early morning wind creates fragile, psuedo waves that ebbed erratically as fisherman dragged their pastel-shaded boats out onto the lake. The early evening is even more picturesque as the moon bounces off the still waters and illuminates the beach. It’s difficult to do much more than relax on the beach and take it all in, but even those looking for a little excitement aren’t left out. Beneath the surface is a snorkeller’s paradise. Clouds of brilliantly coloured cichlids dance between underwater granite archways and the soft sandy bottom and lack of menacing currents and jelly fish means you won’t be hearing that ominous Jaws soundtrack while you’re underwater. Safe. Perfect.
Meg de Jong, digital liaison
Kagga Kamma Private Game Reserve, Western Cape
I feel like Kagga Kamma is my little secret. Not far out of Cape Town, seemingly into the middle of nowhere, the landscape makes dramatic changes and you find yourself in a kind of rocky moonscape. I love the surrealness of it. Another highlight is the chance to rip around on a quad bike through the reserve. I thrived on the little adrenalin kick, and was fascinated by the rock art and critters we discovered on our tour.
www.kaggakamma.co.za
Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe
I took a mid-year break to go camping in the Gonarezhou National Park in the south-western corner of Zimbabwe and discovered a remote wilderness, where tourists are few and game is plentiful. The vast landscapes, red sandstone hills and absolute stillness of the place blew me away. It seemed liked time stood still. I spent hours watching Black Eagles build their nest on the side of the spectacular Chilojo Hills and a bull elephant stretching its trunk to reach the juicy leaves at the top of a thorn tree. There was so much to captivate me; from the myriad of bird species that came to visit our campsite to the night calls of passing animals. It was difficult to choose my campsite each night as there were so many great spots to choose from. I finally decided to pitch my tent under the branches of a majestic baobab tree overlooking the Runde River (tough choice). In the afternoon, sunsets brought incredible colors to the surrounding bush, each day bringing a new scene. It truly is a magical place.
Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana
Winter mornings in Mashatu, just five hours’ drive north of Pretoria, demand water bottles, beanies and blankets. Along with the iciness, Mopani leaves give way to gravity and the land, starved of water, turns to moonscape (so much so that not one zebra was seen on my trip). This however means the chances of seeing thrilling predatory action are pretty high as the remaining animals are left relatively weak and become easy pickings for the big cats, hyena and wild dogs. It also means the waterholes become a hub of activity. Animals, from birds to elephants, all jostle for a drink and the sunken hide becomes a photographers dream hangout. Yes, you guessed it, winter (and summer for that matter) in Mashatu offers incredibly intimate wildlife encounters.
Read my blog about my photographic safari in Mashatu
Rwanda
I’ve had some amazing trips this year, including India and Mauritius, but Rwanda tops my list. I travelled to the country in August, exciting about ticking off gorilla tracking, which had been on my bucket list for ages. I loved coming face-to-face with these beautiful animals – it was the best wildlife experience of my life so far. What I didn’t expect was to fall in love with Rwanda, an inspiring country that’s come a long way from the horror of 1994?s genocide. There’s a lot more to the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’ than mountain gorillas – rare golden monkeys, birds and other wildlife in the Volcanoes National Park and Nyungwe Forest, lush landscapes, misty tea plantations, unspoilt beaches in Gisenyi on Lake Kivu, and warm and friendly people who have found a way to move forward from the horror of the genocide and make Rwanda one of Africa’s economic and political success stories.
Read Sarah’s blogs about Rwanda here
Baines Baobabs in Nxai Pan National Park, Botswana
With just three campsites, each completely isolated and separated by kilometers of beautiful Kudiakam salt pan, Baines Baobabs is without doubt my favourite travel discovery for 2012. The pan lies within Botswana’s Nxai Pan National Park, just 30 kilometers north east of the main park gate. The road north of the gate is one long, deep sand pit and a 4×4 is essential, but the journey is well worth it. Campsites 1 and 2 are the best, each marked with large Baobabs and with plenty of space for vehicles and tents, and spectacular views across the pan. In any other setting, Campsite 3 would be a clear winner, but when we visited, the bush around the camp had grown up quite high, obscuring the view to the surrounding pan and making it feel a little hemmed in. All three sites have a very neatly constructed pit toilet and separate bucket shower, each behind an unobtrusive wooden screen. There is no water though, or any other facilities – no rangers, generators or even fences – so you really need to bring everything with you to enjoy this incredible bush camping experience.
What was your favourite destination of 2012?
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