Monday 31 December 2007

Northern Carmine Bee-eater, The Gambia



The Gambia is an excellent Destination for bird Safaris, Here is a photo I took on a recent Gambian Birding Safari

Monday 13 August 2007

Thursday 9 August 2007

Tanzania’s Top Ten Destinations

Monkey photographed on Safari in Tanzania
1.The Ngorongoro Crater is stunning and most certainly unique. The crater has an immediate and overwhelming initial impact on all ones senses. Designated as a World Heritage Site, the crater has one of the largest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. An estimated 25,000 large mammals in a relatively small area make it a ‘must’ destination when on safari on the Northern Tanzanian Safari Circuit. This natural amphitheater is as diverse as the immense Serengeti with a cross-section of wildlife and habitats all contained in the collapsed volcanic crater. Ngorongoro is home to one of the few remaining populations of black rhino in Tanzania.



2.The Serengeti National Park has so much to offer for it is vast and every season is special in this amazing National Park. However, for most safari itineraries the main focus of any trip to the Serengeti is the migration, depending on the long rains from February to May, where up to two million herbivores take advantage of the short grass of the southern Serengeti to calve and feed, before moving north westerly to eventually arrive at the dramatic crossing of the Grumeti river, home to some of Africa's biggest crocodiles. Large numbers of lion, hyena and cheetah follow these massive herds producing some of the finest game viewing on earth.

3.The Zanzibar archipelago consists of fifty or so islands the main island is called Unquia but usually referred to as Zanzibar Island. Stone Town is the capital of Zanzibar being the port and entrance to these spiced islands. As you step off the ferry onto the quay, the smell of cloves is carried on the breeze to greet you and immediately you are transported into this tropical paradise. Dhows sails, shaped like the crescent moon, sail out of the harbor and pass along the miles of palm fringed beaches – this is heaven on earth.

4.Tarangire National Park is probably Tanzania’s most underrated park. This park is used as a stop over point on the way to or from the Serengeti. It is a special area, a bird watchers paradise and in the dry season many animals are attracted to the area as it has a year round water supply along the River Tarangire. There are some wonderful camps here such as Swala Camp and then the magnificent Oliver’s Camp in the wilderness area of the Park. The park is most legendary for the large concentration of elephants and the huge baobab Trees that dominate the park.

5.Lake Manyara National Park is a small but scenic safari park. The wooded parts of this park get so humid that the only escape from the heat is to climb the trees. Although it is most unusual for lions to climb trees, this park is famed for its tree climbing lions. The park also offers canoeing on the lake and this is a fabulous way to get out of the safari vehicle burn off a few calories and see the game from an unusual perspective.

6.Mt. Kilimanjaro, sitting on the Tanzania- Kenyan border, is remote, alluring and simply put, awe inspiring. Part of the adventure of climbing this mountain is to begin on the dusty plains of equatorial Africa and experience the non technical climb to near arctic conditions at the summit, passing through tropical rain forest, moorland and alpine desert onto snow and ice. Located in Northern Tanzania, Kilimanjaro dominates the landscape. This is Africa’s highest point.

7.The Selous Game Reserve is huge and wild, roughly the same size as Belgium. This park is on the Southern Circuit and has much to offer. Although it is not as popular as the national Parks in the North of Tanzania, in recent years visitors have begun to realize this park has much to offer the tourist looking for the remote wilderness experience. The northern section of the park has a handful of luxury camps. This area is one of the few places in Africa where wild dogs are found. As the animals here are not as habituated to humans they are much more difficult to spot. However this park truly offers the Out of Africa experience.

8.Ruaha is probably the most arid of Tanzania’s parks. It is on the Southern Circuit and is sometimes know as Giraffe Park as it has in excess of 8,000 Maasai giraffe. The Kudu is also prolific in this park and when surprised this animal will stand as a statue, blending perfectly into the background. The rare and endangered African hunting dog are fairly common in Ruaha. As is the case in most areas of Tanzania, bird life here is spectacular. From December to January the park enjoys a large number of the rare Eleanor’s falcons.

9.Mafia Island is set off the coast of central Tanzania, twenty kilometers from the Rufiji River Delta, making this remote island an ideal place for relaxing after a safari in the Selous. A small island, fifty kilometers long and fifteen kilometers wide and completely surrounded by a barrier reef, entry by light aircraft is required. The reef is teaming with marine life. There are over 460 species of tropical fish in these reefs as well as five species of turtles. The diver, either beginner or more experienced, has a profusion of underwater habitats to explore.

10.Arusha National Park is a lovely park is set between the peaks of Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro. It is a tiny park - only 53 square miles. The Park is an area of outstanding beauty and can be visited easily for a few hours from the nearby town of Arusha. The highlands are forested, with the peak of Mount Meru rising above the forests to dominate the park. The forests are populated by a thriving and varied bird life and climbing in the ancient cedar trees is the dramatically marked black and white colubus monkey, barking its haunting call through the quiet forest.




Kalisti Juma cares about responsible tourism; tourism should change lives for the better http://www.betheladventure.co.uk . For more information on Tanzania see http://www.tanzania-info.co.uk this site provides information for planning a safari in Tanzania.


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Why you should go to Africa for your next beach holiday.

With seemingly almost everyone following each other to the traditional summer beach holiday destinations of Spain, Portugal, Greece and Florida. I have an few ideas why you should leave the beaten path and take your next beach holiday in Africa!

Africa probably does not spring to mind as the first destination you would choose when planning a beach holiday, but there are many great reasons to give it a try. Cape Town in South Africa has up until recently always been "the" destination to go to if you wanted to go to Africa and enjoy the beach as well as all the other great things that only this great continent has to offer. Now there are new kids on the block and places like Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania, Mombasa in Kenya and The Gambia have really come in to their own each offering their own unique selling points and flavour of Africa but all great beach holiday destinations.

One of the more obvious reasons to pick somewhere on the African continent is to enjoy the beach during the European winter, breaking up your winter and escaping the summer holiday rush. How often these days do we hear of strikes at airports during the summer peak holiday period, delaying millions of holidaymakers and destroying their few weeks away from work? Escape the rush and travel out of the peak season.

Beach Holiday in Cape Town, South Africa

Capetown in South Africa is still the most sophisticated beach holiday destination in Africa, with the incredible backdrop of Table Mountain, excellent accommodation options and some of the best restaurants in the world it would be an excellent place to visit even without the beach. On top of that you can also enjoy the best wines and scenery of South Africa on the Garden Route, which stretches from Mossel Bay to the Storms River in the Western Cape. There are ten nature reserves in the area as well as unique marine reserves, home to soft coral reefs, dolphins, seals and a host of other marine life.

Combing golf with a beach holiday has always been popular in places like Spain and Portugal, South Africa and the Cape Region have some of the best Golf courses in the world, now you can combine a beach, golf and safari holiday, there is nowhere in Europe that can boast that!

What about the beaches? Cape Town has some excellent beaches, False Bay with the long sandy beach which extends from Gordon's Bay to Muizenberg and includes Boulders Beach and Simon's Town. The Atlantic Seaboard along the West (Atlantic) side of the Cape Peninsula with well known beaches including Sandy Bay, Clifton Camps Bay, Scarborough and Kommetjie. The West Coast, running Northwards from Cape Town with the windy conditions make these beaches popular for surfing and kite-surfing.

An important point to note is the sea in False Bay is about 6 degrees warmer than the Atlantic Seaboard and the West Coast!

On the down side, Cape Town is the furthest point in Africa you can travel to from Europe, so expect a long flight as mentioned above the water can be a little chilly and then it is probably one of the more expensive destinations in Africa.

Beach Holiday in Mombasa, Kenya

Kenya, probably best known for it's wildlife safaris on the Masai Mara but also has plenty to offer in the way of beach holidays on the coastline near Mombasa. The city of Mombasa is a "real" bustling African city and there is in stark contrast to the sophistication of Cape Town. There are however many fine places to eat to sample some more traditional African food as well as those catering to western palates. The Old town is also well worth visiting and Fort Jesus, a Portuguese fort built in 1593 by order of King Philip II of Spain, to guard the Old Port of Mombasa, Kenya. It was built in the shape of a man and was given the name of Jesus as a religious reference.

Along the coast there are plenty of places to stay with some of the most luxurious hotels you'll find anywhere in Africa, some great little beach cottages as well as basic beach side campsites, something for everyone.

The snorkeling and diving in Mombasa and the surrounding areas is also excellent and it is a great place to learn to dive with the prices here are substantially cheaper than many other well know diving locations. Bamburi beach is a great location to base your beach holiday in Kenya, about half an hour from Nairobi, there are some great hotels and beach cottages as well as an excellent PADI dive center located at the well know Travellers Beach Hotel.

Of course no trip to Kenya would be complete without some sort of Safari and they can be organised from Mombasa with a popular destination being the Tsavo National Park, less well known than the Masai mara, but at just over 21,000km sq, Tsavo is the largest national park in Kenya and one of the largest in the world with large herds of Elephant and plenty of lions, it is well worth considering if you want to take a break from relaxing on the beach!

With these two very different African beach holiday options, I hope to have given you a just a flavour of what Africa can offer you in the way of your next seaside holiday.

Saturday 14 July 2007

Johnny Clegg & Safari on Chobe river in Bostwana

Great video of a canoe safari on the Chobe in Botswana to the sounds of African musical legend Johnny Clegg... love it!

Friday 13 July 2007

History of the Kruger


History of the Kruger National Park

The first evidence of human occupation in and around the Kruger Park stems from the one hundred rock paintings and 300 archaeological sites left by early humans thousands of years ago.

François de Cuiper, who led a Dutch East India Company expedition to the Kruger, was the first recorded European in the region. His expedition however was thwarted by an attack by local tribesmen.

Europeans and local farmers were attracted to the region by rumours of gold, and by the trade in precious goods such as ivory and skins. The rapid obliteration of the wildlife was noted by then president Paul Kruger, and he urged the Transvaal government to establish a wildlife reserve for the protection of the species. The Sabie Game Reserve, bordered by the Crocodile River in the south, the Sabie River in the north, the Lebombo Mountains in the east and the Drakensberg Mountains in the west, was established in 1898. Scottish-born James Stevenson-Hamilton was appointed Sabie's head ranger in 1902. He proved to be a man with vision and fortitude, and eliminated poaching on the reserve. Not long after his arrival he was called Skukuza - he who sweeps clean - by the nearby Moçambique tribes. By 1905, the Park had expanded to seventeen thousand kilometres. In the 1920's it became clear that game reserves had tourist potential. Stevenson-Hamilton set out to exploit this new source of income. When he learned that the South African Railways had a nine day tour of the lowveld he immediately arranged an overnight stop at Sabie Bridge to be part of the itinerary. As public knowledge grew so did funds. The Park was opened to the general public in 1927. Over the years, the Kruger Park changed from an inaccessible expanse of wilderness with few camping areas and fewer roads to what it is today - a well-run National Park that is a national flagship for conservation.

One of the men who was in large part responsible for this remarkable transformation was James Stevenson-Hamilton, undeniable father of the Kruger National Park - "I had at least brought up Cinderella and launched her on her career. I loved her best when she was a pathetic and dust-covered little wench, derided and abused. Always I felt that, giver her chance, and her attractions recognised, unlimited possibilities lay before her. Now that she had become a Great Lady it was fitting she should be provided with custodians better suited to provide her new requirements (Upon retiring, 1946)."

In 1950 a research station was opened in Skukuza, which heralded a new era - research continues to this day, and Skukuza is still where the main research centre is housed. Nine years later an eighteen hundred kilometres fence protected the animals from the Kruger National Park from the outside world. Since traditional migrating routes of the herds were now cut off this caused many problems, which needed careful management.

On the 31st of May 1972 the Sabie and Shingwedzi reserves together with 70 privately owned farms were consolidated into the Kruger National Park, one of the great game parks of Africa. Important also was the Act of Parliament by which the park was established.

The last few years have seen the removal of fences separating the Kruger Park from the neighbouring reserves - Sabi Sand, Timbavati and Thornybush, allowing animals access to increased requisite resources and allowing tourists increased access to the game. In addition, the Kruger Park, which currently covers 2 million hectares, is to be extended into a Peace Park - the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. This massive reserve will incorporate the Kruger National Park, the Limpopo National Park of Mozambique and the Gonarezhou National Park of Zimbabwe into a 36000 square kilometre park larger than Switzerland.

The Kruger Park has been lauded for the professional management of its wildlife and people. It is a living monument to President Paul Kruger, James Stevenson-Hamilton and those that fought for the establishment of a large wilderness reserve, where dwindling African wildlife may still find refuge. The Kruger Park offers, without a doubt, one of the best wildlife viewing experiences in the world. For more on the Kruger visit the Kruger section of the Safari Guide

Thursday 28 June 2007

African plans largest game park

The Safari Guide
By Letlhogile Lucas
BBC Focus on Africa, Gaborone

Plans to create the world's largest game park are being finalised at a meeting in Botswana in southern Africa.

The planned conservation area will straddle the borders of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

It is hoped the park will bring in tourists to such attractions as the Victoria Falls, Okavango swamps, Chobe National Park and Caprivi Strip.

Officials believe it will also help regional tourism ahead of the 2010 World Cup taking place in South Africa.

The prosposed Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Park will cost an estimated $100m to set up and is expected to contribute significantly to job creation in the five countries.

Africa's biggest game park at the moment is the 35,000-square-kilometre Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park on the borders of Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.



Click to see a map of the area the park will cover
While the southern African region has big potential as a tourist destination, those meeting in Botswana's capital, Gaborone, say much needs to be done to attract tourists to the region.

At Thursday's gathering tourism ministers and environmental experts are hammering out a joint conservation policy.

"The major issue is about sustainable tourism," Botswana's Tourism Minister Kitso Mokaila told the BBC.

"Tourism is a revenue generator and therefore if we can get the conservation issue right then I think we can start talking more positively and more confidently about sustainable tourism."

Among the obstacles cited were the landmines scattered in the Cuando Cubango region of Angola, where a 27-year civil war ended in 2002.

"What we want right now is to make sure that the funds that are available for the de-mining to proceed as soon as possible," said Eduardoa Chingunji, Angola's tourism minister.

"But let's not forget that at times also the question of landmines in Angola is overblown... there are specific areas where there were battle lines for a long time - that's where you find the concentration.

"The priority right now is to de-mine a major part of the border that is between the countries," he said.

Another issue the ministers have been grappling with is the bad image associated with Zimbabwe that could well tarnish their park project.

Tourists tend to shun Zimbabwe because of the political and economic strife there.

But Mr Mokaila said he did not see politics coming in the way of business.

"When I was in the Victoria Falls all I could see were tourists all over the show. Obviously if the Zimbabwe situation were to change it would also enhance what we're doing.

"But I think that the very fact that we're also involved with them in these negotiations also assists their issues."

As well as finding a common position on issues of tourism and the management of the wildlife, it is also hoped that the project will assist in region's economic integration.

Welgevonden


DSC00296.JPG
Originally uploaded by arimathea
Driving in Welgevonden game reserve South Africa

African Safari

A montage of the animals seen on safari in South Africa

Ray Mears in Africa

Ray shows how to make rope from mother-in-law’s tongue, or Sansevieria trifasciata laurentii (Sansevieria)

Battle at Kruger

A battle between a pride of lions, a herd of buffalo, and 2 crocodiles at a watering hole in South Africa's Kruger National Park while on safari

Incredible video well worth watching

Wednesday 27 June 2007

Golf & Safari in South Africa

A new range of holidays in South Africa have been developed for the holidaymaker who wants to take a trip on the wild side while enjoying the more laid back pleasures of golf.

Visitors to South Africa can now take advantage of a golf safari, which takes them through a national park, visiting numerous golf clubs for a round on the way.

Ideal for the golf and animal lover, or the golfing-mad dad who also has a family of non-golfers to consider, Golf Tours usually combine golf drives with game drives.


All manner of wild life can be observed, none more so at the Skukuza Golf Club, unique in the fact that it is the only club actually in the national park.

At the nine-hole Skukuza, holidaymakers are as likely to see an antelope, warthog and hippo, as they are a birdie, eagle or albatross.

It’s amazing how difficult the par three, ninth hole becomes when you know the lake you have to drive across is home to hippos!

Guests enjoy five star safari hospitality with twice daily game drives to track down Africa’s Big Five – lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and rhinos.

Visit the Golf Holiday Guide in South Africa for more information


Kruger National Park Wilderness Trails

Wilderness trails in the Kruger National Park allow adventurous visitors a close personal encounter with nature by traversing large areas of unspoiled wilderness on foot, under the guidance of armed and experienced trail rangers.

Wilderness Trails
No persons under 12. Maximum 8 per trail. Participants spend 3 nights in a wilderness camp accompanied by a trail ranger costs approx R2400.00

Olifants River Back-Packing Trail
Depart from Olifants on Sundays and Wednesdays between 01 April and 31 October. Duration 3 nights. Bookings are made per trail. Approx R10600,00 per trail (max 8 persons)

Mountain Bike Trails
For Full day trail all 6 spaces must be reserved. Currently available from Olifants only. Morning: R325,00 Afternoon: R185,00 Full day: R685,00

Lebombo Motorised Trail
Maximum 4 persons per vehicle. Duration 4 nights. Participants to supply own catering and equipment. Approx R5200,00 per vehicle

Kruger National Park Accomodation

Accommodation in the Kruger national Park South Africa
Kruger National Park Accommodation styles range from standard bungalow, to luxury safari lodge, to basic camp site, with prices to suit every budget. So whether you are a family on holiday, a serious safari camper, or just looking for a weekend break, there's bound to be something for you.

Main Kruger Park Lodging and Rest Camps: Self-catering, economy family cottages and guesthouses. Bungalows, chalets and huts.
  • Skukusa Restcamp in Kruger National Park is the biggest and probably the most popular rest camp situated in the heart of Big Five territory and is easily accessed by road and by air. Skukuza Restcamp in Kruger National Park is capable of accommodating over 500 guests with 104 camp sites, 21 furnished safari tents, 180 economy bungalows, 20 luxury bungalows, 15 guest/family cottages, one dormitory and 4 luxury guesthouses. The myriad of birds and wild game in the area is easily spotted by going on bush walks and game drives. Wildlife documentaries are shown in an outdoor amphitheatre. There is a magnificent 9 hole (18-tee), Par 72 golf course available for golf enthusiasts. There are also facilities such as a shop, ATM, internet cafe, restaurant, library, fuel station and more.

  • Crocodile Bridge Restcamp
    Just a stone's throw from the Mozambican border and Maputo, Crocodile Bridge Camp is rich in local history and is the best half-way house you could wish for. Accommodation and lodging at Crocodile Bridge Restcamp comprises of bungalows, safari tents and caravan/tent camping sites. This area around Crocodile Bridge Restcamp in Kruger National Park is flat scattered with Marula trees alongside the Crocodile River. The game viewing area is known as the 'Southern Circle' and is renowned for its concentration of different prides of Lion with different hunting techniques and behavior. It has an abundance of prides, heards, troops, packs and swarms. It is home to a larger percentage of the Kruger National Park's total Rhino population.


    • An ideal camp from which to pursue the Big Five
    • Self-catering facilities are available for the independant camper
    • The camp comprises of bungalows, safari tents and camping sites
    • Amenities include a laundromat, grocery shop and liquor store
  • Letaba Restcamp
    A green and thriving oasis, Letaba Camp offers comfortable accommodation with excellent game viewing especially for elephant and birds. The idyllic Letaba Rest Camp is situated on a sweeping bend of the Letaba River, midway between the southern and northern boundaries of the Kruger National Park, South Africa. At Letaba Camp you can choose between a guest house, cottage, bungalow, hut or a furnished safari tent, as well as camping and caravan sites for your lodging in Kruger Park.

    • Being close to 3 major dams, provides for excellent wildlife viewing
    • View game on a 3 hour night drive
    • Banking facilities, first aid and a fuel station are available
    • The Goldfields Environmental Education Centre is located within the camp
    • Guest houses, cottages, bungalows, huts or furnished safari tents

  • Lower Sabie Restcamp
    From Lower Sabie Camp you have the opportunity to watch the endless procession of animals coming to drink at the Sabie River. A range of lodging options is available from a luxurious guesthouse to family cottages, huts, bungalows, safari tents and campsites at Lower Sabie Restcamp in Kruger Park. Lower Sabie’s accommodation caters to a variety of guest requirements.

    A very recent innovation at Lower Sabie Restcamp in Kruger Park has been the addition of dreamily romantic, semi-luxury 2-bedded tents, positioned so as to secure intimate privacy for each one.

    Each has its own small bathroom and kitchenette, and some have the added advantage of a river view for sightseeing. Three of the tents have been adapted for use by visitors with impaired mobility at Lower Sabie Restcamp in Kruger Park.

    • Large numbers of game are attracted to the plentiful water
    • An ideal family oriented camp with a wide range of activities
    • A wide variety of bird species will appeal to the avid bird watcher
    • Day and night game drives are available at Lower Sabie Restcamp

  • Olifants Restcamp
    The Olifants River attracts large numbers of crocodile, lion and other game, The panoramic view from Olifants Rest Camp provides a perfect vantage point from which to spot wildlife.
    The 2, 3 and 4 single-roomed thatched bungalows fitted with en-suite facilities and kitchenettes afford panoramic views across the surrounding bushveld. One of the 2-bedded huts are specially fitted with aids for those with mobility difficulties, so they may also enjoy authentic Kruger Park lodging.

    Because Olifants Camp is situated in a transitional zone, 2 distinct types of vegetation can be found, offering a wide range of game. In the north, the low lying Mopane trees provide cover for Zebra, Impala, Kudu and Elephant.

    • Accommodation in bungalows, guest cottages and 2 luxury guesthouses
    • Picnic site and Kruger Park shopping facility
    • Abundance and diversity of wildlife and birds
    • Fully equipped Conference facilities accommodate 20 delegates
    • Mountain bike riding can be enjoyed

For more info and photos go to The Kruger National Park Safari Guide

Tuesday 26 June 2007

Cape Town

Cape Town is the third most populous city in South Africa. It is the provincial capital of the Western Cape.

Cape Town is famous for its harbour as well as its natural setting in the Cape floral kingdom, including such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. Often regarded as one of the world's most beautiful cities because of its geography, Cape Town is the most popular South African destination for tourism

Table Mountain
Arguably one of the most well-known mountains in Africa, Table Mountain provides a magnificent backdrop to cosmopolitan Cape Town.

Famous for the tablecloth of clouds that pours endlessly down its slopes when the south-easter blows, this is a mountain of many moods and offers walkers and hikers a range of routes that vary from strolls to rigorous hikes.
You decide whether you want to reach the summit and revel in spectacular views of the city or simply stroll along in the cool shade of indigenous forest – which ever you choose you won't be disappointed.
The ancient Afromontane forest has a fairy charm as vines and canopies create a magical atmosphere.


Signal Hill and Lion's Head
If you face Table Mountain and look right you will see Lion's Head and Signal Hill, two popular destinations in their own right.

Lion's Head is a short but popular hike that offers 360 degree views of the coastline, the City and Mountain.
Signal Hill offers excellent views of the City and harbour. It is from here that the noon day gun marks 12:00.
The peak to the left of Table Mountain is called Devil's Peak.


Cape of Good Hope:
So named by Portugal's King John II this area has captured the imagination of European sailors such as Dias who first named it the Cape of Storms in 1488 and later in 1580 Sir Francis Drake who called it the "The Fairest Cape in all the World."

Rich in cultural and natural heritage this is one of the top tourist destinations in South Africa and includes the famous Cape Point. Due to the variety of wildlife that occurs here it is the only section of the park that is fenced and visitors should look out for Eland, Red Hartebeest, Bontebok and Zebra.

Boulders Beach
Just around the corner from the seaside village of Simons Town turn left off main road to Boulders Visitor Centre to visit the famous colony of Jackass Penguins, so called for their hilarious braying call.
This beach is ideal for kids as immense boulders shelter the cove from currents and large waves - but please always take care.


Beaches
The park has a beach for all preferences. If you like to mingle with bronzed beach goers and enjoy a bit of a beach culture, try Llandudno on the Atlantic seaboard.

However, if you are more of a laidback beach user head south and try out Noordhoek, Kommetjie or Scarborough - all of which are spacious enough to accommodate crowds and are also good for watching the sun set.

The Cape of Good Hope section offers more wild and secluded beaches with the benefit of beaches on both the Atlantic and False Bay coasts.

Victoria and Alfred Waterfront
Cape Town's Victoria and Alfred Waterfront development has grabbed the imagination of Capetonian and visitor alike. With majestic Table Mountain as a backdrop and the unique interest of the 'working harbour', it is not surprising that the 'Waterfront' has become Cape Town's most popular attraction. Its success has largely been built upon local support and attracts over a million visitors a month, of which 70% are Capetonians.

Table Mountain National Park


Table Mountain National Park, South African jewel, international tourism icon and Natural World Heritage Site.

Situated at the southwestern tip of Africa, the Table Mountain National Park, part of the Cape Floristic Region World Heritage Site, encompasses the incredibly scenic Peninsula mountain chain stretching from Signal Hill in the north to Cape Point in the south - a distance of approximately 60 km.


The narrow finger of land with its beautiful valleys, bays and beaches is surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the warmer waters of False Bay and has within its boundaries two world-renowned landmarks - majestic Table Mountain and the legendary Cape of Good Hope.

Nowhere else in the world does an area of such spectacular beauty and such rich bio-diversity exist almost entirely within a metropolitan area - the thriving and cosmopolitan city of Cape Town.


The Park is recognised globally for its extraordinarily rich, diverse and unique fauna and flora - with rugged cliffs, steep slopes and sandy flats - is a truly remarkable natural, scenic, historical, cultural and recreational asset both locally and internationally. Nowhere else in the world does an area of such spectacular beauty and such rich bio-diversity exist almost entirely within a metropolitan area - the thriving and cosmopolitan city of Cape Town.


A unique feature of the Table mountain national park is that it is primarily an open access Park with only three points where conservation fees are payable, Cape of Good Hope, Boulders and Silvermine, the rest of the Park is open access and free for all to enjoy.

Outdoor Activities
3-Day Hoerikwaggo Table Mountain Trail
A luxury three-day, guided, portered, catered, hiking experience that links the cultural history of Cape Town city with the natural heritage of Table Mountain.

Mountain Biking
Several approved mountain biking trails exist within the park. These trails are limited to existing jeep tracks and roads only, and are found at Tokai Forest, Silvermine, Kloofnek to Mowbray Ridge and at the Cape of Good Hope. Mountain ClimbingThere are a number of approved climbing routes. Contact the Mountain Club of South Africa for further details, telephone (021) 465 3412.

Hang Gliding/Paragliding
This is available at Lion's Head and Silvermine.

Hiking Trails
There are many hiking trails within the park that appeal to a wide audience - from those wanting a short or leisurely walk to those seeking a longer and more challenging hike.

Water-based Activities
Spectacular beaches abound for sun-seekers. The numerous beaches and reefs encircling the Peninsula also permit surfing all year round, and the ample supply of wind in the Peninsula makes this area the ideal spot for wind-surfing and sailing enthusiasts. The clear waters of the Cape Peninsula also provide excellent scuba diving and snorkelling conditions, although a wetsuit is necessary to ward off the cold. There are tidal swimming pools at Oudekraal and at Bordjiesrif and Buffels Bay at the Cape of Good Hope.

Angling
This is a very popular pastime, although there are seasonal and area restrictions determining where, when and which marine resources may be caught. The seas around the peninsula are a Marine Protected Area and there are restricted zones where no extractive sports are allowed.


For more information: African Safari Guide, the internet resource on your safari holiday to Africa