South Africa suggestions? Cape Town and Garden Route.

[davidedric]

Hi everyone.

We are off to South Africa at the end of the month. We will have six nights in Cape Town, two in the winelands, and six along the Garden Route. For once, we are not planning any wildlife viewing!

Any suggestions for photographic opportunities would be very welcome.

Thanks,

Dave

[Manfred M]

I have to dig way back in my memory, as Capetown was one of the first big international trips y wife and I did back in the early 1980's.

Cape point can be stunning, if the weather holds out (I understand that is a rare event, but we happen to get lucky) and the view of the city from Table Mountain can be equally impressive. I remember getting some great street shots in the Cape Malay part of town. Kirstenbosch Gardens were gorgeous too.I remember really liking the Stellenbosch area of the Wine Country.

I also got some nice shots of the lighthouse at Cape Agullas (the most southerly point in Africa). We did not drive the. Garden Route, so no comments on it.

[Mike Buckley]

Wine
You knew this topic had to be first in my post!

If doing wine tastings would be a good fit for you and Margalit (as opposed to only viewing the enjoyable countryside and towns while you're in the winelands), hire a guide so you can do as much drinking as you want without having to worry about driving. If you want a specific recommendation, let me know and I'll get you in touch with the guide we used.

Our guide took us to Fairview Winery and Cheese in Paarl (you can do cheese tastings also) and to a wine tasting and lunch at Allée Bleue Winery, a small estate in Franschhoek. Both were enjoyable but not special.

Fairview has very pleasing grounds and is a good first stop of the day because you can enjoy a nice breakfast there. They have goats on display at the entrance because they are the first commercial provider of goat cheese in South Africa, though they also make milk cheese. The goats are a big theme at Fairview also because the winery makes the low-end Goats do Roam wine (a word play on the famous Cote du Rhone wine region of France).

My favorite winery by far was Mulderbosch Winery in Stellenbosch, which was the only one of the three wineries that I explicitly requested that we visit. (I liked their wine before going to South Africa.) If you go there, don't feel the need to stick to their menu of offerings. If Corbis Germishuys is still working there, ask that he serves you. He knows wine and is very flexible with what he'll offer you.

Ask for their best Barrel Fermented Chardonnay and hope they are still serving the 2008 vintage. Well worth paying extra for if you can twist their arm to serve it. Their Chardonnay is no longer available in America, so if I was going there again I would call a couple days ahead of time and try to arrange for a tasting of the 2008. If they only want to sell you the bottle, it's well worth it. I bought several.

As for red wine, ask for their Faithful Hound, which is a Bordeaux-like blend. Their 2010, 2011 and 2012 versions are quite good, though I've never tasted them side-by-side and don't know which one would be the best. My guess is the 2010 is a little better than the other two. When I went there, that wine wasn't even on the part of their tasting menu featuring their best red wines. I wasn't nearly as impressed with their best red wines as their best white wines, so I asked Corbis to bring the best red wine regardless of the cost. He quickly returned with the 2010 Faithful Hound and a huge smile on his face. It was the best by far of any red wine I had tasted that day and was also one of the least expensive.

If you want the experience of trying the classic South African red wine whether at a wine tasting or while enjoying a meal, drink a wine made from Pinotage grapes. The grape was developed at Stellenbosch University, the country's main university focusing on wine, so South Africa could market its own wine. It's a cross between Pinot Noir and Hermitage (more commonly called called Cinsault). Other countries are now growing the grape in relatively small quantities but it all started in South Africa where you can find it on just about any wine menu in a restaurant in South Africa.


Day Trip from Cape Town
Begin with the coastal highway in Table Mountain National Park on the opposite side of Table Mountain from Cape Town. I believe that becomes Chapman's Peak Drive, which has gorgeous views. Make your way to Boulders Beach to see the famous and rare African Penguins. You'll enjoy the views returning to Cape Town on Chapman's Peak Drive and the coastal highway every bit as much as when you traveled in the opposite direction earlier in the day.

Garden Route
We only spent two full days on the Garden Route and one of them was to hike, so I won't be much help. The Heads at Knysna Lagoon is really nice scenery and only a short walk from your car. However, be very, very careful about protecting your camera. Mine was drenched by literally a rogue wave.

If you are driving to the Garden Route from Cape Town, consider going to Hermanus for lunch on your way. The Southern Right whales won't be frolicking in the ocean this time of year, but the ocean still provides nice scenery. Getting to the beginning of the Garden Route from Hermanus also provides nice scenery.

We stayed in Wilderness (located between George and Knysna) and used that as our base for visiting the Garden Route. George and Knysna would be better places to stay if you want choices of restaurants and the like. Wilderness worked for us because we rented a small home there and ate all of our breakfasts and evening meals in the home.

Have a great trip! You can't go wrong.

[JBW]

Hi everyone.

We are off to South Africa at the end of the month. We will have six nights in Cape Town, two in the winelands, and six along the Garden Route. For once, we are not planning any wildlife viewing!

Any suggestions for photographic opportunities would be very welcome.

Thanks,

Dave

I have been in contact with Diana Studer for a few years over the web. She is a world class gardener and blogger. I would suggest getting in touch with her via G+. here is her link