DESTINATIONS AFRICA | SOUTH AFRICA


What’s NEW?


New flights with Norse Atlantic


A new service from Gatwick to Cape Town with Norse


Atlantic started three times a week from October 28,


offering a budget-friendly way to reach Cape Town, from £436 return in March 2025. flynorse.com


Steyn City Hotel by Saxon, Johannesburg


CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Elephants in Kruger National Park; Big Swing in Graskop Gorge; fam trip group at Angels View hotel PICTURES: South African Tourism


picturesque hubs for adventure activities, such as sunrise hot-air ballooning, quad biking through pine forests and kloofing (canyoning) down rivers. I get my adrenaline fix ziplining over mist-soaked


treetops at the Graskop Gorge Lift & Adventure Centre, where rope suspension bridges and 500 metres of forest trails criss-cross the gorge. From Sabie and Pilgrim’s Rest there are lots of other options too, including longer hiking trails, fly-fishing and even gold-panning. Nearby, Angels View hotel stands out for its modern design, outdoor pool and Earth Grotto Suites with cliff- edge views of the Drakensberg landscape. We round off our Panorama Route adventure with a boat ride in the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve. Guides alert us to the presence of crocodiles and hippos nearby, and in the distance point out colourful rock formations along with the Three Rondavels, a trio of majestic mountains.


BUSH CRAFT Leaving behind the grandeur of the Drakensberg, anticipation begins to build as craggy mountains give way to the plains surrounding Kruger National Park. Over the next two days we see giraffes, elephants and zebras, and best of all, four of the big five – only missing the elusive rhino. On one of our daily drives, we meet baboons, baby hyenas and warthogs, and bumping down a dusty track on another early morning excursion, a lion pads out of the bush towards the Jeep. Conservation and learning are key concerns at


Kruger, particularly at Kruger Untamed, two new camps 50 7 NOVEMBER 2024


in remote areas of the park. Everything from water use and energy to food supply is carefully considered, and all trace of the camps is removed each season so the land can rejuvenate. That’s no mean feat given their amenities; my suite at the Tshokwane River Camp comes with a plunge pool and a bush shower filled with enough hot water for an eight-minute wash. Sister site Satara Plains Camp, which opened in May 2024, is another sustainable-yet-sumptuous place to stay. As with any magical trip, our last day has come too soon, but it brings the trip to a memorable close. We gather around the campfire for storytelling by Innocent Ngwenya – once a poacher, now a tracker at Londolozi Game Reserve’s Tracker Academy. “I was on the wrong path and I’m ashamed of my past. The Tracker Academy changed my life – I learnt that when you protect wildlife and wild places, you create a better life for yourself and your loved ones.” It’s a profound statement that leaves a lasting impression on our group. As Ann Ashley of Major Travel says: “It felt quite magical and showed the importance of animal conservation.”


TW BOOK IT


Major Travel offers a seven-night package taking in a four-night Panorama Route Tour and three nights at Kruger Untamed from £4,195, based on two adults sharing. Price includes all tours and activities, return flights from Heathrow, transfers and some meals. Based on a May 15, 2025, departure. major.travel


Opened in October, this new hotel is set in the luxury Steyn City estate in Johannesburg, and is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World. saxon.co.za


GweGwe Beach Lodge, Wild Coast, Eastern Cape Set in the Mkambati Nature


Reserve in the Eastern Cape, this small hotel opened in June with sea views, cycling, scuba diving and wildlife watching, from around £283 per night. naturalselection.travel


Nelson Mandela Cruise


Terminal, Port of Durban Upgraded in 2023, the


renovated terminal is capable


of handling 4,000 passengers a day. New terracotta cladding and triangular motifs reference Zulu designs. kcterminal.co.za


Damara Trail, De Mond Nature Reserve, Western Cape


The country’s first ‘slow’ hiking trail provides a relaxed two-day route through a coastal reserve, with camping stops on a wooden deck overlooking the ocean. capenature.co.za


travelweekly.co.uk


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