Set at the confluence of the Indian and Atlantic oceans and backed by the iconic Table Mountain, the bustling city of Cape Town presents an alluring combination of drawcards. Incredible powdery white beaches, highly acclaimed wine routes, and astonishingly beautiful mountain trails surround a cosmopolitan hub. This diverse metropolis is filled with superb shops and restaurants, extraordinary heritage monuments, a multitude of entertainment venues, and a spectacular, chic waterfront harbour. Highlights include the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art; Table Mountain's jaw-dropping views; Boulders Beach, where penguins might swim right up to you in the warm Indian ocean waters; the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, where you can walk along a treetop canopy among incredible native flora or watch an open-air concert at the base of the mountain; Robben Island, where visitors can see the cell where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years; and many more.
Set just over an hour from Cape Town, within the inspiring landscapes of the Cape Winelands, Franschhoek is a heritage town and a world-renowned food and wine destination. Travellers could choose to focus their visit on any one aspect alone - nature, cuisine or culture - and find plenty to keep them busy. The estates here attract wine experts from around the globe with their Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cap Classique sparkling wine (among others). Five-star restaurants alongside the cellars are surrounded by the same jaw-dropping valley scenes that have brought artists and writers to the area for centuries. A superb literary festival takes place around May every year, and, combined with the town’s Cape Dutch manor houses, fascinating museums, and charming boutiques, makes Franschhoek a wonderful place to visit in winter. Summer provides endless hiking, cycling and other outdoor opportunities among the lush farmlands and mountains.
The Mluwati Concession is a 10 000 hectare private reserve hidden in the wilderness of Mpumalanga’s renowned Kruger National Park. Characterised by a sweeping landscape of bushwillows, acacias, open grassland, the N’waswitsontso River, and the eponymous Mluwati River, the concession is a nature lover’s and photographer’s paradise and provides an important protected habitat for a large lion population. Visitors can enjoy game drives and view an array of wildlife including leopard, wild dog, zebra, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, impala, giraffe, and wildebeest. The area also teems with hundreds of bird species including the southern yellow-billed hornbill, the crested barbet, and Burchell’s glossy starling. Ask a guide to tell you about the intriguing lost treasure of ‘Qugunyan's Fortune’ - an abandoned fortune of gold, diamonds, and coins with a fascinating story attached to it.
