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Picture

South Africa - September 2017


Images from a 14 day trip with HF starting in Cape Town and finishing at the Kariega Game reserve east of Port Elizabeth.
More images, taken by Jim Welton can be found here

Arrival Day - Friday 8th September - ​Kirstenbosch Botanic Gardens

Late morning arrival, awesome picnic lunch and guided tour of the world famous gardens.

Day 2 - Saturday 9th September - ​Cape Town & Robben Island

Walking tour of Cape Town Gardens District (1.76 miles), with visits to the Slave Lodge (Museum) and District 6 Museum dedicated to the township demolished after apartheid was abolished. Lunch was at the Castle of Good Hope before an afternoon trip to Robben Island and a tour of the Prison where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned and a bus ride across the island to the Penguin colony with views of Cape Town and Table Mountain across the bay​. Dinner was on the Waterfront.
Thanks to Pat Eakins who supplied this postcard. It shows many of the places visited while in Cape Town.
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Cecil Rhodes
Slave Museum
Tribute to SA Music. Note: John Broadwood Piano.
District Six Museum
District 6 Road names
District 6 Map
Castle of Good Hope
Castle of Good Hope

Day 3 - Sunday 10th September - ​Table Mountain

Some climbed it and some rode the cable car up and walked on the top. (1:49 hrs climbing, 3.41 miles, 1.9 mph, 2,275ft of assent)
Table Mountain from the Hotel
Just before the real climb started
Looking up Platteklip Gorge
Looking down Platteklip Gorge
Just before the top of Platteklip Gorge and Summit
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Water droplets from a waterfall we are walking behind
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Camps Bay from Table Mountain
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It's not as flat as it looks from below!
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Cape Town

Day 4 - Monday 11th September

​​Western Cape & Cape of Good Hope
The old lighthouse
Uphill flags!
Cape Lappet Moth Caterpillar
Cape of Good Hope from Western Cape
Western Cape
Western Cape
The new lighthouse
Seaforth Restaurant - Lunch!
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The Western Cape from the old lighthouse

Day 5 - Tuesday 12th September - ​The Cape Winelands

Walk from the Devon Valley Hotel through the surrounding vineyards of the Stellenbosch region followed by a tasting and lunch at the Middelvlei vineyard then road trip via Franschoek to Montagu
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View from Baden Power Drive nr Stellenbosch
Vine pruning in progress
Wheat used as companion planting
The gaffer!
A stop in Franschhoek
Franschhooek Church
Franschhooek shop
Franschhooek
Franschhooek shop
Franschhooek
Empty reservoir off Route 45
View off Route 45 nr Franschhoek
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Stellenbosch winery panorama

Day 6 - Wednesday 13th September - Montague circular walk / climb

Strenuous walk along the Cogmanskloof Trail guided by Jako (expert on wildlife and flowers of the region) 
Montagu
Montagu Country Hotel
The Montagu Country Hotel is the only original Art Deco hotel in South Africa.
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Montagu from the Cogmanskloof Trail
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Montagu from the highest point of the Cogmankloof Trail

Day 7 - Thursday 14th September - Visit to Port Vinyard and Ostrich farm en-route to Wilderness

A day on Route 62, with coffee stop at Ladismith, Wine tasting at De Trans winery, Calitzdorp and lunch at the Safari Ostrich Farm at Oudtshoorn. Final destination Wilderness Hotel Resort & Spa.
Coffee Stop in Ladismith
Catering for children
De Krans winery
Wine & Port tasting
The line up!
Safari Ostrich Farm - Oudtshoorn
Safari Ostrich Farm - Oudtshoorn
Roger - our guide
Lady Ga-Ga!
The male does the incubating
Just checking!
Susan

Day 8 - Friday 15th September - Touw River walk

5.7 mile Walk along the Touw River to the waterfall and return. Included crossing the river twice using a pontoon. Some walked back to the hotel on two miles of the Pied Kingfisher Trail
The Pied Kingfisher Trail

Day 9 - Saturday 16th September - Knysna

Cruise on Knysna lagoon aboard the MV John Benn with the burned out Featherbed Nature Reserve in the background followed by lunch at the Cruise Cafe in Knysna. Then on to the two hectare aviary at the Birds of Eden Sanctuary before arriving at the Tsitsikamma Village Inn.
4 pied kingfishers
Getting your ducks in a row!
Dik-dik
Barbary Doves
Hartlaub's Turaco
Maned Goose
Maned Goose
Cape Glossy Starling
Cape Bulbel
Cape Bulbel?
Livingstone's Turaco
African Grey Parrot
Red Masked Conure
Olive Thrush
Dusky Lory
Sun Conure
Moustache Parakeet
White Faced Whistling Duck & Common Shell Duck
Ringed Teal
Hadeda Ibis
Scarlet Ibis
Scarlet Ibis
Scarlet Ibis
Scarlet Ibis
Young Scarlet Ibis
Scarlet Ibis
Scarlet Ibis
Carribean Flamingo
Crowned Crane
Cattle Egret
Cattle Egret
Cape Weaver
Cape Weaver & nest
New Cape Weaver Nest
African Spoonbill
Egret trying to get in!
Common Shell Duck
Golden Pheasant
Mandarin Duck

Day 10 - Sunday 17th September - Tsitsikamma National Park and Coast

Walking in the Tsitsikamma NP. After visiting the suspension bridges over the river, some took a forest trail, some a coastal stroll. 4.06 miles
Dassie - related to the elephant!
Dassies
Suspension Bridge over the Storms River Gorge
Cormorants waiting for lunch
Dassie
Storms River waterfall
Picture
Tsitsikamma Village Inn

Day 11 - Monday 18th September - Kariega Game Reserve

Long drive to the Kariega Game Reserve. Afternoon Game Drive finishing with a Sundowner overlooking the plain
The plain from the lodge
Nyla
Nyla
Nyla
Buffalo
Giraffe
White Rhinoceros
White Rhinoceros
White Rhinoceros spraying
White Rhinoceros
White Rhinoceros
Wildebeest
Wildebeest
Wildebeest
Wildebeest
Zebra
Zebra
Zebra
Hadeda Ibis
Giraffe
Giraffe
Giraffe
Giraffe
Giraffe
Cape Glossy Starling
Sundowner time!
The entire group
Everyone with the lodge high on the hill in the background
Sunset
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Day 12 - Tuesday 19th September - Kariega Game Reserve

06:00 start for the Game Drive to try and find the Lions & Elephants - among others - then a walk along the beach at Kenton-on-Sea before another game drive, with some excellent results, before Dinner and speeches!
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6am in Kariega - looking for Lions
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Sunrise
Sunrise
Young Bull Elephant
Lioness
Lioness
Lioness
Lioness
Lioness
Lioness
Lioness
Lioness
Lioness
Lionesses drinking
Lionesses drinking
Young Bull Elephant
Young Bull Elephant
Young Bull Elephant
Impala
Impala
Impala
Giraffe
Giraffe
Giraffe
Zebra
Zebra
Zebra
Blesbuck
Blesbuck
Blesbuck
Wildebeest
Wildebeest
Picture
Impala Buck
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Impala
Kenton-on-Sea
Picture
Picture
Picture
Late afternoon Game Drive & sundowner
Eland
Blesbuck
Eland
Bush Buck
Day old Elephant calf
Day old Elephant calf
Day old Elephant calf
Day old Elephant calf
Family portrait
Day old Elephant calf
Ahhh!
Sand bath
Warthog
Black Backed Jackal
Kudu
Water Buck
White Rhinoceros
White Rhinoceros
White Rhinoceros
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Braai area

Day 13 - Wednesday 20th September - Kariega River Cruise & departure day

Another 06:00 Game Drive to the Kariega River for an early morning cruise with the added bonus of travelling through the reserve.
Eland
Red Hartebeest
Red Hartebeest
Little Grebe
JJ
African Fish Eagle
Kariega River
Kariega River
Egyptian Geese
Egyptian Geese
Kariega River
Cape Glossy Starling
Great White Egret
Pied Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
Eland
Kudu
Kudu
Kudu

This site was last updated on 23rd February 2023
All images are copyright © of Bernard Novell, unless otherwise stated, and may not be downloaded, copied, published or used in any way without express permission in writing