Owl House: recluse’s masterpiece

In the remote Karoo village of Nieu Bethesda is a fascinating world of concrete sculpture, fantastic figures and mythical beasts set around a house decorated with luminous paint and multicoloured panes of glass.This is the Owl House, created by the reclusive Helen Martins and her labourer Koos Malgas in the 1940s and now regarded as [...]

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Taking the Nelson Mandela Route

Tourists fascinated by South Africa’s most beloved statesman, Nelson Mandela, can now “follow his footsteps” all the way from the Eastern Cape to Robben Island The Nelson Mandela Route starts in the Eastern Cape, in King William’s Town, which began as a London-based Missionary Station in 1826 and provides a backdrop to early European influences [...]

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Mapungubwe National Park

Mapungubwe National Park (initially called Vhembe Dongola National Park) is one of the relatively new National Parks in South Africa. It is situated in the triangle formed by the countries of South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe, at the confluence of the rivers Limpopo and Shashe, approximately 60 km west of Musina and 230 km north [...]

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Kalk Bay : South Africa

Kalk Bay is one of those places where you can finally catch your breath.This wonderful historic harbour village, en route to Cape Point, has everything you could possibly want from a day out by the sea. Well, everything except warm water. Which is just as well, because you might be less inclined to explore all [...]

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The Panorama Route

The Panorama Route runs along the spectacular Blyde River Canyon in Mpumalanga. It is arguably one of the most beautiful and popular travel destinations in South Africa. The Panorama Route is best known for its cultural heritage and its dramatic landscapes. It leads through the rocky mountain range of the northern Drakensberg. It is here [...]

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Diving in Cape Town

Silently balancing in a state of almost complete weightlessness, the dark water moving around you, it can feel almost meditative. Here, in the quiet depths of the ocean, you are forced to ignore your often hyperactive, chattering mind and just focus on the dive, all your attention focused on absorbing the strange and sometimes alien [...]

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DONKIN HERITAGE TRAIL

A 5 kilometre trail that follows in the footsteps of the 1820 Settlers, linking 47 historical sites in central Port Elizabeth, the Donkin Heritage Trail is a joy to anyone who [...]

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South Africa 2010 World Cup

South Africa regularly hosts major international sporting events, and since 1994 has successfully managed some of the biggest – including the 1995 Rugby World Cup, the 2003 Cricket World Cup, the [...]

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Spectacular Swartland

There’s a stretch of beach up the West Coast where I always go when I need to think. It may be when I need a little goal-directed thinking – like the time I decided that I desperately needed to see the world a little and impulsively packed my bags and set the gears in motion [...]

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Hartbeespoort Dam

Surrounded by the majesty of the Magaliesberg mountain range, Hartbeespoort is situated in the North West Province of South Africa. The village of Hartbeespoort is situated along the shores of the well known Hartbeespoort Dam. This spectacular dam is a popular destination for weekend getaways or day trips.
The Harbeespoort Dam was constructed in 1925 and [...]

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