Africa Adventure

South Africa is full of surprises, such as natural nooks and crannies, characteristic coffee shops and cafés, wide open plains and desirable lodgings. You can plan the perfect holiday in its borders whether you’re looking for adventure or a romantic getaway to blow your socks off. Nestled in a secluded spot near the Witteberg Mountains is Du Kloof Lodge; the perfect place to get away from it all and still enjoy cosy comforts.

Du Kloof Lodge is where you can breathe in the tranquillity along with the air. It’s found between the Witteberg Mountains and Du Toits Kloof in one of the most beautiful wine-producing areas of the Western Cape. The lodge itself blends in with its surroundings; every care was taken to ensure the enterprise was 100 per cent considerate to the surrounding environment.

In the leafy town of Swellendam you’ll find a number of elegant cafés and eateries in which to enjoy a spot of tea and some scones. We had been driving for a good few hours when we decided to stop off in the picturesque town in search for some nourishment and rest.

We happened upon La Belle Alliance Restaurant and Tea Garden, a serene restaurant housed in an old Masonic Lodge. The tables outside were mostly full as a tour bus had stopped here for a rest period but we managed to find a spacious wooden table under the canopy of tree tops overhead.

There is a stream, called the Koornlands River but small enough to be a brook, which runs alongside the venue. I’m sure it usually adds to the peacefulness of the place but it was under construction at the time and the noise was anything but peaceful. We decided to stick it out, however, as the restaurant owners had thoughtfully placed apologies on each table explaining that the construction work was in order to preserve the stream in the long run.

A typical street in Dakar

It has been likened to France’s Paris although I’m not too sure why. Dakar is the largest city in Senegal and lies along the Cape Verde peninsula. It has developed into a major port and the comings and goings of foreign shipments adds to its cosmopolitan feel. But the city is also essentially African and a day and night spent exploring its streets will contain surprising meetings, soulful music and a society abuzz with culture.

Lonely Planet emphasises that Dakar is a city of drumbeats, loud markets and inexhaustible nightlife. But before you begin exploring the city upclose you need to remember that while Africa can be exotic, refreshing and magical, there are elements of darkness and brutality. Be aware of shady characters trying to get money off of you with their too-good-to-be-true offers. Be street-smart and you won’t fall into the money-grabbers’ traps.

Mali is one of Africa’s most under-rated travel destinations, but thanks to government initiatives  to focus on the development of infrastructure and sustainable tourism that could soon change. Mali boasts four UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Timbuktu, the Bandiagara Escarpment, Djenné and the Tomb of Askia.

• Most English-speaking people think of Timbuktu as the other side of nowhere, although many would be hard-pressed to tell you where the unlikely tourist destination is located. Timbuktu used to be an important trading post on the ancient trans-Saharan caravan route. It still receives thousands of camel caravans every year as traders come from the Taoudenni salt mines to sell their wares. Between the 1400s and 1500s it also served as the country’s intellectual and spiritual centre. While it is currently under threat from the encroaching desert, it retains three historically important mosques: Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia.
  • The Bandiagara Escarpment is home to the Dogon tribes, which make their homes on the mountain cliffs. The mountains are made of sandstone and contain some of the country’s most important archaeological, ethnological and geological sites. Local guides take tour groups to see the Dogon villages up on the mountains, where life has changed little since the tribes first settled there. Tourism in the region is currently poorly regulated, but in an effort to curb the exploitation of ancient sites and to preserve archaeological artefacts, the government is trying out various management plans.