South Africa – Safari, Hiking and City Trip

This was my first trip to Africa – and I’ll definitely be back! From 28 April to 17 May 2022 we travelled through South Africa, and the country has so much more to offer than I could ever have imagined. We split our three weeks into three parts: safari, trekking and a city trip.

Safari in Madikwe National Park

Getting there

We landed in Johannesburg and rented a car right at the airport. From there it was about 4.5 hours to Madikwe National Park.

At first it really took some getting used to that people walk along the highways. In some places off the highway we didn’t feel entirely comfortable either. But we never had any dangerous situations – though we didn’t stop anywhere, either.

After the long flight the drive dragged on quite a bit. But as soon as we were in the national park, the tiredness was blown away: the first gazelle, the first elephant right next to the track! 🐘 After another hour we reached the Etali Safari Lodge, had a quick meal and fell into bed.

Game drives

In Madikwe National Park you’re not allowed to go on safari in your own car – and looking back, I wouldn’t want to. In the open safari vehicles with 2 guides per vehicle you see animals you would never have spotted yourself.

A big plus: only 3 vehicles at a time are allowed near the animals. They coordinate by radio who comes next – so there are no traffic jams and the animals aren’t disturbed. Although: the animals don’t really care about the vehicles, they’ve got used to the noise over the years.

• Stay: 4 nights at the Etali Safari Lodge – just right for us
• Game drives: twice a day, at 6 am and 4 pm
• Duration: 3–4 hours each, with a coffee stop in the morning and a gin and tonic or wine break in the evening – a dream!
• In between: eating, working out or chilling by our own pool watching the elephants at the waterhole

The food at the lodge was absolutely next level, and I’ve rarely experienced such polite and attentive staff.

Because winter was just around the corner, it was already very chilly in the mornings and evenings – a thick jacket is a must. During the day it was often really warm.

I could have stayed there forever, watching the animals day after day. This place was a true oasis of relaxation – saying goodbye was really hard.

On towards the Drakensberg

On day 5 we continued to the Drakensberg, with two stops along the way. The first was an hour from Johannesburg, in a gated residential complex – where you feel a bit like a rabbit in a zoo.

The second was the Amphitheatre Backpackers Lodge: a quirky but fascinating place with a hot tub next to the bar and a sauna in front of the toilet. Everyone was super friendly and the food was great. For our very small room we paid just under €60 – not exactly cheap for a backpacker lodge.

4-day hike in the Drakensberg

In the morning we met our guide Patrick in Mnweni, together with Anton, a local who carried part of our luggage – and off we went.

Day 1: Into the valley towards Fangs Pass

Someone gave us a ride in the back of a pick-up to the starting point a few kilometres from the village. From there we hiked about 10 kilometres into the valley towards Fangs Pass. Because in places there were no trails at all, it took quite a while.

I’m so glad we did the hike at the start of the African winter – I couldn’t imagine it in summer. The sun set around 5:30 pm and didn’t rise again until 6:50 am. So lots of time in the tent, but it passes surprisingly quickly.

Day 2: Through the bush to Fangs Pass

After a quick breakfast we went through the wildest bush and for what felt like half an eternity along a stream bed – the most tiring part of the whole tour. Then it was steeply up to Fangs Pass, where we arrived as early as 1 pm. So: pitch the tents, explore the area, nap and dinner.

Day 3: 15 kilometres across the high plateau

The night at around 3,000 metres was colder than expected: the whole tent was covered in frost and it took me ages to get out of my sleeping bag. 🥶 After a few photos we set off around 9 am to the next camp, about 15 kilometres away with hardly any elevation gain. Relaxed, but also a bit monotonous, because the mountains are completely flat on top.

Along the way we met a few baboons and exactly one person. Wonderful! Super handy: there’s water everywhere in the mountains. During the day we had bananas, bars and dried fruit – but rather tightly planned; we were never really full in those 4 days, haha. All the more we looked forward to the hot meal every evening.

Day 4: Sunrise & the most legendary bar

For sunrise we climbed one more hill. The birds glided along the rock face in the first light, and the absolute silence made the moment unforgettable. Then came a last outdoor breakfast – coffee for me, porridge for Tom, like every day – and then it was all downhill to Mnweni.

We made one more stop at the most legendary bar of my life: an absolute shack we’d never have recognised as a bar – but a cold Coke and a beer there after the hike? Absolutely awesome!

Back at the Cultural Hiking Center in Mnweni we looked around a small shop and soaked up as many impressions as possible. Then we went back to the Backpackers Lodge for one night.

Culture shock in Durban

After about 3 hours’ drive we reached Durban – and got a culture shock first. I just wanted to quickly buy a nail file at the shopping centre opposite the hotel … From a mountain village without electricity or running water straight into a packed shopping mall – that was a disastrous decision. W A Y too many people! Send help! Dinner at the Protea Hotel Fire & Ice, on the other hand, was absolutely delicious.

Cape Town

From Durban we flew to Cape Town. Landed at 10 am, quickly to our Airbnb in Camps Bay, got changed – and there we were in running shoes on the promenade, ready for the Wings for Life Run. Tom enjoyed it a bit less (especially after the run), I was super happy, haha.

Our highlights in Cape Town

• Sunrise hike up Lion’s Head: If you like it quiet, this isn’t for you – there are crowds of people here every day. But it’s a short hike and the view is amazing!
• Table Mountain via the Kasteelspoort ravine: There was absolutely no one here and the trail is extremely beautiful. It takes about an hour to the top – we even went up twice!
• Waterfront: Really nice for strolling around, browsing the stalls, listening to buskers or shopping.
• Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden: Love it! Perfect for walking and enjoying nature.
• Penguins at Boulders Beach: Here we really fell into the tourist trap and paid for a 200-metre boardwalk – only to find out afterwards that the penguins are lying around everywhere outside it too.
• Whale watching in Hermanus: Spoiler alert – we didn’t see any whales. Hermanus is considered one of the best spots in the world for land-based whale watching, but mid-May apparently isn’t the best time. The town is still really nice and the food was amazing.
• Kogel Bay: A stunningly beautiful beach with an incredible mountain backdrop.
• Muizenberg: Surfer’s paradise! We walked along the beach and ate at Tortuga Loca , a Mexican restaurant with super tasty food.

Cape Town was super exciting and definitely worth a visit. But we were glad we shortened our stay to 8 instead of 10 days – that was absolutely enough for us.

How dangerous is South Africa?

This is the question I was asked most often. There’s no blanket answer:

• Drakensberg: Here I felt extremely comfortable and safe. We left the car for 4 days with a laptop and valuables inside and didn’t have a bad feeling.
• Between the safari and Johannesburg: in a few villages I would have hated to get a flat tyre – the vibes there were very different.
• Cape Town: Here we didn’t have a single uncomfortable situation and always felt safe. But we rarely went out in the evening, and when we did, only in better neighbourhoods.

The only “crime” we experienced: Tom’s swim shorts were stolen after we’d left them on the car outside the Airbnb to dry for a few minutes. 😅

My verdict

For me, the highlight of the trip was clearly the Safari – I’d never seen wild animals so close, and everything around me was new and exciting. I hope I could give you a good overview for your own planning. If you have questions, feel free to leave a comment or write to info@dieannamaria.at.

Love,
Anna