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We had chosen SA for these main 2 reasons: first, the beautiful landscapes and second all the game reserves (I personnaly was very interested in surfing Jeffrey's Bay - one of the best waves in the world). In the end, let's say we were not disappointed.
In the North Easter part of the country, Kruger NP and St Lucia Wetland Park delivered above our expectations with hords of elephants, rhinos, hippos, crocs, girafes, warthogs ... and a few lions. It had been a very long time we had not enjoyed a real sky full of stars, without any form of pollution, and we even listened to the wind blowing through the bush ... back to nature ...
The whole Southern coast later also brought its share of exitement: great surf sessions in Jeffrey's Bay (even in small surf) and on the Garden Route and once again some amazing wildlife: dolphins playing in the surf, stinky sea lions, funny penguins swimming among people, and some pretty scary sharks (especially when you surf at the same beach where you saw earlier a lot of sharks!). To end our South African journey, Cape Peninsula definitely got us stoked with its thin part of land surrounded by two oceans, not to mention Cape Town and the beautiful Table Mountain (which we climbed).
In the end, we have been fulfilled on the nature's side, but as one can imagine, SA has more darker sides, which you do have to realise when you're travelling. That's also some stinky Apartheid times nostalgia from some Afrikaans, the oppressing presence of crime (just try reading newspapers reports or ask the locals, they all have some pretty scary stories to share) and obviously linked poverty with the huge townships surrounding any given city ...
We will also remember the tenacity of some people who helped change history and contributed to Apartheid end such as these former political prisonner on Robben Island who explained to su how their fight for equality led them to being incarcerated ...
Finally, SA would not be a country where we would choose to settle (although Cape Town is pretty tempting) with its life spent between over secured houses, work and big malls full of fast food restaurants. However, we will always keep in our memories the bush, the wildlife and some of the waves that SA breaks have to offer.
See below the long awaited top 10 of our South African trip:
1. The Olifants trail in Kruger National Park ... a guided walk under 40deg in the bush with some serious guides and some scary rhinos ...
2. the Cape of Good Hope
3. Robben Island off Cape Town where Nemson Mandela spent some 18 years in jail.
4. 4 lions under a tree in Kruger Park.
5. The surfing in Supertubes - Jeffrey's Bay and the dolphins playing in the surf in Plett Bay.
6. Imfolozi game reserve where my brother nearly got killed twice by an elephant and then by 5 rhinos.
7. Swimming with penguins in Boulder's beach in Cape Town
8. Our fist braai (barbecue) with some nice afrikaans guys (interesting cultural experience).
9. hundreds of buffalo's eyes reflecting our lights during a night drive in the Kruger Park.
10. trekking in Nature's Valley on the Garden Route
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