Group photo in Capetown
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We were a group of 8 ladies and 1 man/guide/driver/leader in a 10 seater Volkswagon microbus. We stayed mostly in cottages with kitchen facilites and we prepared our own dinners and breakfasts on a self-help basis.
Capetown is rated as one of the most beautiful cities in the world by Lonely Planet, publishers of the best guide books in the world. This particular itinerary was very relaxing with only a few hours of travel everyday. We will have a mix of beautiful mountain, ocean and countryside sceneries. South Africa is in the Southern Hemisperes which accounts for its popularity during the cold winters in Europe and America.
We made a loop covering the vineyards of Stellenbosch, then over the mountains of the little karoo from Montagu to Outdshoorn. Then its down to the Garden Route towns of George, Knysna, Mossel Bay and Hermanus. We then return to Capetown to cover the Cape of Good Hope.
Day 1 Thu: The jouney begins
We boarded the plane at 945pm in KLIA with a stopover in Singapore.
Day 2 Stellenbosch Wineries & delayed luggage
We arrived at Capetown Airport at 905am but all 7 luggages from KL did not. We were delayed at the airport sorting this out and only managed to leave for Stellenbosch 46kms at 12pm without our baggage. We visited the town and also shopped for some clothes and toiletries. We also shopped for our dinner which we prepared at our very nice cottage 30 mins out of town.
Day 3 More Stellenbosch, more shopping then Montagu
We had to make up for lost time due to the delays yesterday and visited a Wine Celler, a Cheese factory and the Stellenbosch museum housed in some antiquated dwellings. Then it was off to Sommerset Shopping Mall for more shopping to tide over until our baggage arrived. By the time we got to our next destination Montagu some 4 hours away, it was already night.
Day 4 Montagu Mineral Springs Resort then the little Karoo road to Oudtshoorn
Montagu is a popular destination for locals who come to enjoy the warm natural springs. Its also a good place for walks and bicycling. Unfortunately we had only a few hours before going on the 240 kms journey to Oudtshoorn, passing through some magnificent wildflower country.
Day 5 Full day Oudtshoorn- Cheetahs, Ostriches, Crocodiles (meat?)
We started at the Cango Cheetah Wildlife Santuary where some of us petted wild cheetahs. Then its off to visit one of the many Ostrich farms for which this town is famous for, followed by lunch break at a restaurant which had Ostrich, Crocodile and Camel meat on its menu. We also visit the Swartberg Pass, rated the best mountain pass and a must-see by LP and the best caves in South Africa i.e. the Cango Caves.
Fernkloof Wildflower Reserve/Unique Fynbos Flowers
Day 6 Train ride and beginning of the Garden Route
We proceeded to George via the picturesque Outdshoorn moutain pass, to catch the world famous Outeniqua Cho-Tjoe, a steam train running along a spectacular line to Knysna, a very pretty seaside tourist town. We lunched at The Knysna Oyster Company which serves excellent fresh oysters before retiring in the Wilderness National Park 180kms. Our delayaed baggage finally arrived after 5 days.
Day 7 Trekking in Wilderness, sea cruise in Mossel Bay
Wilderness National Park is a coastal park with good treks and canoeing facilities. So some of us trekked and others canoed. Unfortunately due to time constraints, we had to move on to Mossel Bay 76kms. We went on the Ramonza, a yatch which took us up to the nearby seal island, also one of the sites for Great White Shark cage diving. We settled in a cottage beside the sea.
Day 8 Botlierskop Safari and more Mossel Bay
In the morning we went on a 3 hours game drive in a Game Reserve to view the animals of Africa in the wild. Then it was back to historic Mossel Bay which was served as a water stop for ships during the times of Bartholomeu Diaz and Vasco Da Gama. We arrived in Hermanus 350kms at night.
Day 9 Hermanus Whales (easily 20 or so..)
This place is world famous for being the best off-shore whale watching site. September is the peak of the whale watching season and we went on a few viewing spots along the few kilometers of coastline. The last time I was here I only saw perhaps 5 whales in total but this time round I think I must have sighted a minimum of 20. The town is also a pleasant tourist town with good shopping and restaurants. We also did short walks in Fernkloof Wildflower Reserve, a hilly area which was covered with flowers.
Day 10 Coastal drive to Capetown, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
We took the scenic route along the coastline to Capetown 109kms, stopping at numerous places to admire the views and takes photos. We arrived early so we stopped over at the Kirstenbosch Gardens, rated as one of the most beautiful in the world by Lonely Planet. Then it was off to our very pleasant domicle in Houts Bay area of Capetown.
Day 11 Cape Peninsula full day
This full day trip involved a drive to the Cape of Good Hope. Along the way we visited Groot Constantia, the oldest and grandest winery in South Africa and the penguins of The Boulders. This is a typical trip done by visitors to Capetown.
Day 12 Table Mountain, Capetown and V&A Waterfront
The weather was very misty and windy. As a result the cable cars up Table Mountains were not running. There was no view of the Table for the whole day. We went on to visit the Bo-Kaap area, a Malay district and the Castle in the centre of Capetown. We lunched and spend the rest of the day at the trendy Victoria & Albert Waterfront with its malls, restaurants, acquarium and cinemas.
Day 13 & 14 Airport and Home
The flight out was at 11am and we arrived in KLIA at 855am the following morning.
Whales in Hermanus/Colourful Baths in Capetown
Email: yongleemin@pd.jaring.my or yongleekeng@yahoo.com
Phone: Lee Min: 016-220 9033 or 603-4023 8210
Phone: Lee Keng 012-315 8353 or 603-6137 9937
Address: No 2 Lrg Air Bersih Satu, Air Panas, 53200 Kuala Lumpur