Table of contents for July 2015 in Getaway

CHRIS DAVIES Chris Davies doesn’t enjoy the cold and spent five years on Cyprus where summer temperatures can top 40 degrees Celsius. Strangely, it was there that he first tried skiing - a hapless afternoon on a snow-capped Mount Olympus. Despite the chill, it was so much fun he vowed to try it properly one day. Read about his affordable jaunt to the French Alps on page 62. LYNETTE BOTHA After visiting the Seychelles four times, Lynette and her family moved there from Cape Town permanently. Between freelance writing for various global travel magazines and raising two young daughters under three, her downtime is sacred. She spends it best in the warm waters of Anse Royale, fresh coconut in hand. Discover her secret budget Seychelles spots on page 70. ADAM…

1. Whale Trail hikers are greeted with the sight of southern right whales having finished their yearly swim from Antarctica’s icy waters to the warm, quiet coastline of De Hoop Nature Reserve to breed, give birth and nurse their calves. 2. Whale milk has a toothpaste-like consistency because of its 35-50 per cent fat content which prevents it breaking up in the sea. Calves can drink up to 200 litres of it every day for at least six months. 2. The southern right male has testicles weighing in at about 450 kilograms each, the largest by far of any animal on Earth.…

Tracks4Africa Guide launched in March this year, specifically for the iPad. It’s not the usual navigation offering from Tracks4Africa, instead think of this as a paper map replacement; if your iPad has GPS, you’ll see where you are on the map, but you can’t route to your destination (for routing buy the Tracks4Africa Overland Navigator at R799). Maps must be purchased in-app, and so far Botswana, Namibia and South Africa are available. The resolution won’t get you to city-street level, but by toggling between points of interest (POIs), such as parks, campsites and fuel stations, you get a useful overview of a large area with quick access to POI phone numbers and GPS coordinates. For iPad only, R199,99 per map. NLife South Africa is an offline, turn-by-turn navigation app that…

Muslim travellers will spend more than R2trillion annually by the year 2020*. The creators of HalalTrip have identified this and built an app to simplify travel by including a user-generated food-spotting feature that allows users to share and rate halal food across the globe. There’s also a mosque locator, an in-flight prayer-time calculator and general information. We asked three prolific travellers to try it out. *according to dinarstandard.com FATIMA JAKOET SENIOR FIRST OFFICER, SAA The app didn’t work offline (this flight didn’t have Wi-Fi). It will be useful to have a qiblah (the direction that Muslims need to face when praying) locator that can work without connection for when you’re in a place where you don’t know which direction you’re facing, such as on an aeroplane. JAMEEL KARIM MARKETING…

Your family is coming to visit in Matjiesfontein. Where do you recommend they stay? Lord Milner Hotel. I think it’s unique, not just in South Africa, but also in the world, actually. It represents a colonial village that signifies a certain period in time, not just of South African history, but of British history, as well as world history. And it’s perfectly preserved. You’ve recently published Empire, War & Cricket set in the town. Tell us the story behind it? Matjiesfontein was bought by David Rawdon in 1968 and restored to its former glory - what you see today is testimony to that. The hotel was completed in 1899 and opened to the public in 1901 by a man named James Douglas Logan, who was an incredible character. He came…

‘One place I think is absolutely lovely to go to in winter because of its fireplace is Stanley Beer Yard [011-482-5791] at 44 Stanley. Craft beers and typical pub fare on the menu, and on a cold Joburg winter’s night there are few cosier places to be than on the huge leather couch in front of the fire among a cool (slightly older) Joburg crowd, listening to rather good music to boot – think Johnny Cash and Neil Young. ‘ – ROBYN ALEXANDER, SUNDAY TIMES HOME WEEKLY EDITOR ‘The fire in the back section warms up the entire Scusi Bistro [011- 646 -8639], restaurant in Parkview. So much so that you can dispense with jackets and jerseys once you’re inside. Il Giardino [011-482-4978] in Milpark –…

WHY YOU SHOULD BOOK NOW January and early March are the best times to visit the Portes du Soleil: January, for the best combination of snow and good value accommodation, and March for accommodation and the end-of-season sales. Book your accommodation now to get the most affordable deals. The longer you wait, the more you’ll lose out. COST This trip cost R18 000 all inclusive, but an extra R3 000 or R4 000 will give you a chance to splash out on some fine dining. Try Hotel Christiania in Les Gets for a beautiful fireside setting, great food and excellent French wines.www.hotelchristiana.com ‘I had a baguette in my backpack and a ski pass on my sleeve, and I couldn’t have been happier. Why had I never done this before?’ SLOPE…

GETTING THERE Air Seychelles flies directly to Mahé from Johannesburg three times a week; flight days vary due to seasons, as do flight costs. Flights can start from as little as R5 500 return depending when you book.airseychelles.com CAR HIRE Victoria Car Hire is the most affordable on Mahé and will negotiate lower rates for longer stays. From R450 per day. +248-437-6314 BEST TIME TO GO Weather is warm all year round, even during the rainy season in January and February. While there are heavy downpours during this period, rain never lasts more than a few hours and the temperature is still beautifully balmy. April/May and October/November are the best times for snorkelling and diving, as visibility is good - reaching up to 30 metres at times. The prime time…

WHY VISIT THIS AUGUST? The Hantam Vleisfees happens in the last weekend of August. Accommodation in Calvinia is booked out already (check for cancellations closer to the time) but is still available in surrounding areas, such as Nieuwoudtville. It s also the beginning of the flower season. ‘Here, almost everything that stands was something else before. The walls of the optometrist’s office have been around since long before contact lenses; the museum used to be a synagogue’ For the last hundred kilometres, I’ve only seen straight lines and crows. The R27 cuts through the brown corduroy of a late summer Karoo with no meandering. So when the Hantam mountains rear up above my dashboard, it’s not surprising that they too are straight, a second horizon above the first. The town…

Ever laughed so much you’ve wet your pants? I really hope so. One summer many years ago my brother returned to South Africa after seven years in the United Kingdom. Tired of England’s dull days, he longed for open skies, broad landscapes and light - beautiful, uplifting African light - and a family memory that would last a lifetime. The Orange River was the perfect fit. As children, we’d spent many glorious days on the Pongola River tubing down its rapids when there’d been rain. Our group was motley. There was us - my brother, older sister, mother and I - and then a gaggle of kindly, corporate, overly chivalrous men on a team builder. My sister and I were paired in an inflatable, my mother and brother in another.…

DISNEY ON ICE JOHANNESBURG, CAPE TOWN 26 June–5 July and 8–12 July A pair of ice skates weighs more than two kilograms. Now consider how much work goes into designing a costume fit for ice; if it’s too heavy, it throws off the balance. Add hours of make up and dressing and you can appreciate the sheer mastery behind a production that looks effortless, colourful and, at times, mind-blowing. ‘Let’s Celebrate’ is this year’s theme and features over 50 Disney characters. DO IT From R100 pp.computicket.com NATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL GRAHAMSTOWN 2–12 July A careers teacher told Irish comedian Dylan Moran if he didn’t go to university he’d end up robbing post offices. He didn’t get a tertiary education, yet here he is, along with satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys, and musos Ray…

DURBAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Where Durban When 16-26 July This year’s event will present over 250 screenings from around the world. Last year’s audience awards winner, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared was screened in more than 40 countries and grossed more than R600 million. Some screenings are free, others up to R50. durbanfilmfest.co.za INNIBOS LOWVELD NATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL Where Nelspruit When 1-4 July Limber up to yesteryear’s greats. Laurika Rauch, Anton Goosen, Rina Hugo and others will be at the biggest Afrikaans outdoor concert in the world. Works by local artists are also on display. R50 pp (some shows have a separate charge). innibos.co.za SOUTH AFRICAN BOOK FAIR Where Johannesburg When 31 July-2 August It’s a first for Johannesburg and visitors can meet British illustrator…

AIR BOTSWANA DROPS DIRECT CAPE ROUTE Air Botswana will no longer operate direct flights between Maun and Cape Town - the service will be routed through Gaborone. Flight frequency between Gaborone and Cape Town will increase from twice a week to four times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.www.airbotswana.co.bw FLY-IN OPTION FOR LUXURY KRUGER LODGES Airlink’s new fly-in option to Kruger National Park (KNP) is set to make travel to our flagship park a bit simpler (but not exactly cheaper), by getting guests from anywhere in the world to their destination in KNP on a single ticket. Scheduled flights will link Skukuza Airport and Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport to a number of luxury lodges in the park.flyairlink.com * Prices correct at the time of going to print.…

STAY HERE LORD MILNER HOTEL was completed in 1899 and sits on the tranquil fringe of The Great Karoo. Stay in the Olive Schreiner Cottage, from R750 pp, or a standard room, just as beautiful, from R600 pp. matjiesfontein.com OUT-OF-TOWN-TRIPS... A visit to Matjiesfontein’s Monument Cemetery shouldn’t be missed. It’s about a 10-kilometre drive south of the town, and has its own set of interesting stories. The monument to Major General Andrew Wauchope (the Scottish war hero killed at Magerfontein during the Anglo-Boer War) can be seen clearly against the hillside from the road. thegreatkaroo.com Laingsburg, 20 minutes away, along the N1 has a fascinating history with its famous flood in 1981 that rose metres high and swept people away. It’s a town that people just drive through but…

Gateway Curries (inside Mistry’s) It’s lunch hour Monday, a young office worker puts back a mutton bunny while scrolling through text messages. Well-fed executives suck on the remains of their Tab, scrape back chairs and leave a landscape of screwed-up serviettes and empty curry bowls on the glass-topped table. This has to be Durban’s best-kept secret: authentic curries in the cool calm of a pine-furniture showroom. Navie Vallabh’s husband, Bharat, owns the Mistry’s franchise in Umhlanga Ridge, so she set up a three-women operation inside his shop - a prime view of bunk beds certainly beats double-parking in Dr Goonam or Dr Yusuf Dadoo streets. ‘Curry is about the touch of the cook,’ says Navie, and Jenny Marimuthu cooking fresh onsite makes it worth navigating the maze of circles to…

‘The fuzz will be rummaging through her for dope in every town,’ noted a friend, after the pimping-up of Lil Bertha left her bursting with flowers, peace signs and starfruit trees. Yes, I have friends who still talk like that. They probably have the ‘digitally remastered’ re-release of Woodstock on their iPhones. I’ve been stopped once, at a roadblock outside Riviersonderend, and the lawman was merely concerned with whether the yellow luminous tape ran around the entire circumference of my caravan. Pulling into country-road farm stalls often has elderly couples peering owlishly over their teacups while young blades in over-manicured beards and their hipper halves murmur uncertain approval into skinny lattes. But those who really dig Lil Bertha are children. 'That’s, like, so, so cool,' they whoop, before being ordered…

Orthodox Christians make the pilgrimage to Mai Shum, a reservoir in the northern part of Axum that, according to legend, was built 3 000 years ago as a pool for the biblical Queen of Sheba. Also known as Makeda, her origins are obscure but her identity is central to Ethiopian legend. In January each year, the bath becomes the focal point for the Timkat, a celebration that sees priests arrayed in golden vestments parade through the streets with a replica of the Ark of the Covenant (also believed to have found its final resting place in Axum). A great fig tree stands in the centre of Axum’s crossroads. Its black and white base is made up of seven painted platforms that are said to represent the seven days of the…

SUUNTO AMBIT3 PEAK HR R7 999, capeunionmart.co.za WEIGHT 89g FEATURES 10/10 EASE OF USE 8/10 BATTERY LIFE 8/10 COMFORT 8/10 BEST TECH It’s water resistant up to 100 metres and has trekking, skiing and mountaineering settings. It tracks speed, pace and distance, and also has route navigation, a compass and GPS to mark waypoints. Other features include a thermometer, barometer, altimeter, storm alarm, sunrise and sunset info, a percentage battery indicator and the ability to receive notifications such as missed calls from your smartphone. There’s an easy-to-use app to sync info for iPhone and Android. It has a two-year warranty. RATING 8,5/10. The external heart-rate monitor strap is outdated and it’s the priciest watch here, but if you are a regular adventure traveller who appreciates tech, then this…

GETTING THERE From Cape Town, you have two options. You can brave the stop-go traffic and stay on the N7 for about 300 kilometres before turning onto the R27 at Vanrhynsdorp. This route ended up taking me close to six hours, with stops and breaks. For that amount of time, you could take the longer N1 route, turning onto the R355 – but it’s much less scenic. DO THIS The Akkerendam Nature Reserve is starkly beautiful, but I found it confusing to navigate, so pick up a map at the gate. The Kareeboom hike takes four to six hours and there’s also a more strenuous six-to nine-hour Hantamspiek route. Check with Riaan van Wyk (083-320-2116) about signage and roads, they change frequently. Be careful if you’re in a 2x4: the…

2000 km... ... from anywhere. For hundreds of years, explorers sailed past the remote South Atlantic island of St Helena without knowledge of its existence. First pegged to Portuguese maritime maps in 1502, its obscurity left it floating in the wake of the developing world. Its remoteness has kept it there. An airport, scheduled for completion in early 2016, will bring travellers closer than ever before. On a recent voyage there, we sailed back in time, almost 2000 kilometres off the coastline of Africa to explore the island’s impressive landscape, bizarre biology and fascinating history. It’s a volcanic wonderwork and a modern-day explorer’s wet dream. Read about it in the next issue of Getaway.…

‘Wait!’ I cried pitifully. ‘Not so fast! Don’t leave me behind!’ But out in the burning sands it’s every man for himself. Michael just lowered his head and leant forward into the heat and kept on walking. I sank to my knees with an unpleasant gasping sound and wondered if it would hurt when the crabs started on my flesh and how long it would take before I was just a small peaceful parcel of sun-bleached bones. We were walking the Whale Trail, just Michael and me - five days of solitude and foot-slogging through the wild beauty of the De Hoop Nature Reserve - and this was the fourth day, the brutal day when you leave the footpaths and take to the beach. A beach is a mighty pleasant…

WINNING LETTER It was a beautiful Friday afternoon in Jozi, and I thought it ideal to light a fire and throw a tjoppieand a braaibroodjieon the coals. When I checked the postbox, I found something to make the evening even more perfect - the March issue of Getaway. I poured myself a glass of red, lit the fire and settled down for some good reading. I read the heading of your editor’s letter: ‘Life’s a road trip. Having a crisis? Plan a road trip. It’ll help’, and I was immediately distracted. 2014 was a tough working year. Even the thoughts of my upcoming trip to the Kruger did not take the stress away completely. I had been planning to visit some friends in Cape Town. But then I remembered I…

What do you do after you’ve ticked off the Big Five? In his new book, The Impossible Five, travel writer, novelist and former Getaway editor-at-large, Justin Fox, set off to find the country’s most elusive mammals: Cape mountain leopard, aardvark, pangolin, riverine rabbit and (naturally occurring) white lion. We asked him to tell us more: How long did it take? It was supposed to take six months: one month per animal with a month to spare. Easy as pie. In the end it took me nearly three years. How did you narrow your list down? I started off with a long list of about 15 animals I thought would be nearly impossible to find, including the Knysna elephant and black-footed cat. But in the end it was a very personal…

Public review sites such as TripAdvisor are useful in trip planning, but the lack of a comparative and specific voice – where each property is viewed according to criteria by the same individual, and options in the area can be compared and collated – is where they can fall short for the traveller needing to make the right choice. In the sixth of our series to find the best places to stay in Southern Africa, we sent Pippa to scour the accommodation in and around Tulbagh. Using TripAdvisor as a base, she inspected 30 of the top-ranked options in the Hotel, B&B/Inn and Speciality Lodging categories, as well as many unlisted options. The result? You won’t find a better tried-and-tested guide to the best places to stay in this winter-wonderland…

IN CAPE TOWN... La Mouette La Mouette boasts six, yes six, fireplaces so there’s a good chance of securing a seat next to a crackling blaze – or of at least being in the vicinity. The building dates back about a century, so we’re talking wood-burning fires in old-fashioned hearths. See our guide to reserving the best tables below. On a Sunday Chef Henry Vigar’s classy six-course tasting menu – a steal at R295 (without wine) – is available for Sunday lunch. Can you hear that bottle of red being uncorked? PS. The new refurb was unveiled in May. http://lamouette-restaurant.co.za lamouetterestaurant.co.za The Mount Nelson A glass of Graham Beck Non-Vintage Brut Rosé (R80) on the plush banquette facing Planet Bar’s marble-framed gas fireplace is a civilized way to kick off…

Travelling to countries where sanitation is poor, we are often advised to steer clear of the spicy stuff, weird-looking dishes and street food. While this is true, we’re less often warned about the dangers of contaminated water. Reduce your risk of infection by following these basic guidelines. WATER SAFETY TIPS • Avoid salads or other items made with fresh produce as these are normally washed with tap water. • Drink water only if it’s been boiled, disinfected or if it’s in a commercially sealed bottle. • Forget the ice, unless it’s been made with purified or disinfected water – remember, freezing the water does not kill bacteria. • Where possible, brush your teeth with purified or bottled water (hotels usually provide a complimentary bottle daily). TREATING WATER It’s usually easy…

My first memory of an antique was when I accompanied my mother to a neighbouring farm for an auction. We came home with a clock that still ticks time away on her mantelpiece. It’s a beautifully crafted object, but it also has a story. Recently, I set off in search of similar storied treasures on a route from Cape Town into the Overberg. My first stop was Elgin and Grabouw. While I didn’t find any antique stores there, the coffee and cake at the Koffiekraal Café in a 1908 building on the main road in Grabouw is a treasure in itself. There’s also Winter’s Drift Tasting Station in the original train station in Elgin. The occasional train still passes through, making it a stylish way to indulge in trainspotting –…