By road - Durban to Cape Town

Once it became apparent that there was not to be a weather window that would get us to Cape Town for our planned Christmas festivities and wine tasting we decided to go there anyway - by land. It's only 2000 km!

A car was acquired from Hertz and we set off on 18 December.

There are basically two routes - one goes north of Lesotho, via Bloemfontein and is slightly quicker and shorter. We chose the southern route via Port Elizabeth and the Garden Route along the south coast. 

Art deco high street, Grahamstown

A fuel stop took us into Grahamstown where we were surprised to find a main street full of art deco buildings. It was somewhat bizarre, on the day that the pressure to remove the statue of Cecil Rhodes from Oriel College Oxford was being reported in the British press, to pass the apparently thriving Rhodes University in South Africa.

Transkei view from the Nelson Mandela Museum

The route passes through townships - we asked ourselves "which do you see first - the medical clinic or the funeral palour?" all very sobering. In the arid Transki farmland of the Xhosa speakers we found Nelson Mandela's birth place the tiny village of Mvezo. We stopped at the Nelson Mandela Museum overlooking there. Museum is probably a bit overstated - it consists of two large spaces with chosen storyboards outlining his life, interspersed with selected quotations.  Outside is a reproduction of his cell space on Robben Island, which we hope to visit later.

On the game drive, Mpongi

This extended visit made us late arriving at the Mpongi Private Game Reserve, but no bother - we were whisked  off in a jeep for dinner. Could not resist an early game drive the next day.  The lodge however was let down by staffing and security issues.

Blue wildebeeste, Mpongi

Artistry in thatch - Elephant's Footprint Lodge

Next was the Addo Elephant Park, reported in separate post, where we stayed just outside the park at the Elephant's Footprint Lodge. This is when we realised what a fortune South African thatchers could make in the UK!

Storms River Gorge

The Garden Route crosses several rivers in deep gorges, of which Storms River Gorge was probably the most impressive (and also the one where it is possible to stop for photos).

Knysna entrance

We had to include a night in Knysna. We had glowing reports of the town, some from 30 years ago, but had been put off visiting there in Sea Bunny by write-ups of the entrance. Our observations from the heads justified our reservations!

Knysna lagoon from the Heads

The lagoon, however remains picturesque. the bar where we had dinner could have been an English country pub.

Bartolomeu Dias

For a dose of history we stopped in Mossel Bay and visited the Bartolomeo Dias museum (when Susan said we should go to the Dias Museum Richard wondered why Cameron Dias would have a museum in South Africa!). Part of the museum complex commemorates the first landing by Europeans in South Africa in 1488. It houses a life size replica of Dias's caravel which was sailed from Portugal to Mossel Bay in 1988.
A diversion to take in two mountain passes, supposed to be very scenic, was aborted as there was serious haze over the mountains so there would be no views.

Dutch Reform Church, Swellendam

A lunch stop in the Old Jail cafe in Swellendam seemed appealing - it was very good! The Dutch Reform Church opposite was an impressive building

At Cape Agulhus

Southernmost human in Africa!

Cape Agulhus, not Cape Point or the Cape of Good Hope, is the southernmost point of Africa. As capes go it's not overly impressive - fairly flat  and approached via a long drive over arid land and then opulent holiday homes after passing through the local township