Table of contents for May 2018 in Getaway

A muddy hiking affair A few years ago, a friend from our Cape Town hiking group of five invited us to join him on the Shipwreck Trail. Some German and Swiss friends were also coming along. This trail, which is run by local farmers, has various stages between Port Alfred and the Fish River. Hikers can select a stage or do the whole trail. The treehouse sleepover on the first night and a day of canoeing up the Riet River appealed to us. After a pleasant day’s ramble, identifying birds and appreciating the peace of the riverine environment, we arrived at dusk at the much-anticipated treehouse. We had a lovely braai and spread ourselves between the three houses built on a wooden deck. I awoke in the early hours to…

La Clé Country Lodge WESTERN CAPE Hiring Jacques Erasmus of Cape Town’s Hemelhuijs, who is admired for his talent in both interiors and cuisine, to design Le Clé des Montagnes’ new lodge was a clever move by the owner. Here, Jacques has mixed style and the importance of food in bringing people together. The effect is immediate as you enter the lodge: the kitchen is to your left (you are welcome to help prepare meals or just chat to the staff while sipping your wine at the kitchen table) and straight ahead, a little further in, sits the mahogany 10-seater antique dining table framed by a double-volume space that makes you feel grand as you sweep into this stately space. The atmosphere is best described by two pithy adjectives, ‘casual…

What is it that makes a perfect Karoo road trip? I turn off the N1 just before Colesberg and pass Gariep Dam, leaving the Free State for the Eastern Cape with this thought playing on my mind. These flat and endlessly open roads are ideal for brainy brooding. I’m plotting a cross-province road trip with a difference – combining everything the Karoo is (peculiar padstals, creaky windpompe and long straight roads that lick the horizon) and was (a sprawling wild space teeming with antelope herds pursued by lion and cheetah, and dinosaur before them). On the R390 heading for Steynsburg a road sign warns against potholes, but I’m pleasantly surprised to see they’ve all been patched up and I can easily keep the pedal at 120 kilometres an hour, with…

GETTING THERE Fly to Bloemfontein. Drive south-west on the N1 to the Gariep Dam area – about 200km. Flights from Cape Town to Bloemfontein with Mango are from R2 708 and from Joburg, with South African Airways, from R1 998 return. travelstart.co.za NEED TO KNOW The laid-back pace in the Gariep area means establishments have a slow start. The average opening time for most shops and restaurants is 9am (later on a Sunday). If you plan on fishing or boating, bring your own gear. STAY HERE Adamsview comprises luxury and standard self-catering units. All have air conditioners, DStv and a patio and garden area to soak up the sun. Luxury units (one has a spa bath facing the dam) from R650 pp sharing, standard units from R450 pp sharing. 082-622-3366,…

Adistant screech echoes off the hills. We stop walking and turn to look at the loch. This particular inlet, Loch Nan Uamh, is one of more than 200 sea lochs along Scotland’s west coast, and our narrow footpath has zigzagged up its southern slopes, offering cloud-wreathed views of the pine-clad far shore. The shrill blast is unmistakable, and now a second and third bounces across the water as a billowing steam train crosses a stone bridge, then disappears, still blasting away, into a tunnel. Back on the path, we climb the final steps over a grassy ridge and get the first glimpse of our destination for the night: Peanmeanach bothy, a solitary stone cottage overlooking a deserted, sandy bay. The low cloud is turning to rain as we navigate a…

Trevor Wigley is a Qolora institution. When visitors roll into this Wild Coast village, chances are they’ll end up on one of Trevor’s trails within hours of arrival. I was no different. I’d come to Qolora to stay at the fine old family resort of Trennerys, explore the coast and visit the pool of Nongqawuse, famed as the prophesy site of the 19th-century cattle killings. Trevor would provide the perfect insider’s take on the area. My journey had brought me from East London to Kei Mouth, then across the Kei River on the pont ferry. It was a golden afternoon and I caught the rush-hour traffic (a dozen locals and a bakkie), chugging across the chocolate waters, bound for the old Transkei. The gravel road wended through green hills dotted…

Amerae Vercueil Fish braai Our food contributor is as much an outdoors fan as a foodie. If there’s a mountain in sight, Amerae will grab her gear and climb it, while the sea provides her with hours of snorkelling. When it comes to food, she’s a self-confessed butternut enthusiast and a nut-butter collector. 2018 braai trends to keep an eye on are: rib-eye steaks and buchu-infused beer bread, she says. Cyril Ramaphosa Portfolio As the new leader of a diverse country, Cyril will have to take many bulls by many horns – and some of the horns may be as long as those of his herd of Ankole cattle. When he first set eyes on these majestic beasts in Uganda, the president was smitten, and so began a process of…

WHAT Ballito Cable Ski Park WHERE Ballito WHO Teagan Cunniffe Let’s just say my first experience on a flyboard (a board buoyed up by a jet stream of water) wasn’t as graceful as I’d hoped. While I plunged about like a concussed dolphin, instructor Laurent Bauwens patiently explained how to tame the wobbly steed. Ten minutes later I was hovering a metre above the surface. A feat I was proud of – until Laurent hopped on and shot up 15 metres into the sky and swan-dived gracefully into the depths. ‘It just takes practise!’ I heard him shout. For energetic founders Rowan Sharples and Carl Franz, what started off as a safe environment for their families to enjoy while they jet skied has exploded into a full-on adventure hub for…

WHETHER FLYING ACROSS THE  WORLD, discovering our continent or exploring South Africa, adventure and travel enthusiasts need to feel free to go wherever and whenever they want, and for as long as their hearts desire. If travel is a dedicated part of your lifestyle, or you’re planning that once-in-a-lifetime big bucket-list trip, or even if you’re an occasional traveller, self storage can be your best friend. Apart from having a safe place to ‘park your normal life’ while you’re away, an often-overlooked perk of self storage is the opportunity to make money. Keeping your ‘clutter’ in a storage unit clears space in your home, which can be used for other purposes. The homes of adrenaline and outdoor junkies can often be strewn with bulky adventure-sports equipment such as surfboards, mountain…

20 INSPECTED 12 SELECTED HOW TripAdvisor lists accommodation rated by guests, but as much as we love peer reviews, they don’t offer a comparative voice – so how do we know No. 1 is really the best? Pippa de Bruyn, who has reviewed accommodation for 18 years for the likes of Frommer’s and The Telegraph , scours TripAdvisor and other online sites when researching a destination. For Prince Albert, she created a longlist of 20 to inspect. The following made the cut. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? •  A beautiful romantic hideaway (pg 42) •  The best views and outdoor living (pg 43) •  A foodie haven (pg 43) •  A luxurious, remote farmstay (pg 44) •  The most historic guest…

DAY 1 & 2: Gariep Dam to Mountain Zebra National Park DISTANCE 210km ALLOW 3 hours Turn off the N1 and drive the R58 over the Gariep Dam wall (stop to take some photos). Then just before Venterstad, turn right onto the R390 – it’s a flat, scenic drive that passes through Steynsburg and Hofmeyr (stop at the Karoobos Padstal (1) for country snacks) before reaching Cradock. Here, fill up with fuel and get food supplies at Spar or Pick n Pay before driving the last 10km stretch to Mountain Zebra National Park (2) on the R61. Spend two nights in the park at the gorgeous new rock chalets (3) as it’ll give you a full morning to do the highly recommended cheetah tracking (4). DAY 3: Mountain Zebra to…

‘THESE MAGNIFICENT BEASTS COULD SOOTHE THE SOUL OF EVEN THE MOST RESTLESS MAN ALIVE’  Ankole belong to a group of indigenous cattle thought to have originated in East Africa thousands of years ago. Those with the longest horns were considered sacred and were owned only by kings, hence Ankole came to be referred to as the ‘cattle of kings’. Excerpted from Cattle of the Ages by Cyril Ramaphosa, published by Jacana Media. From R850 at selected book stores. jacana.co.za…

1 GOLDEN GATE HIGHLANDS NATIONAL PARK FREE STATE SNOWFALLS IN LAST TWO YEARS Dustings on the peaks, but normally heavier SNOW-O-METER No one is immune to the thrill of snow – not even Golden Gate’s hard-bitten rangers. They have been spotted making the odd snow angel or two. Senior section ranger Dhiraj Nariandas has witnessed the park’s seasonal changes over 10 years and says no matter how often it snows, ‘You still become a child when you’re in it.’ He says while annual snowfalls are usually substantial, with snow piling up on the ground, 2016 and 2017 had only light dustings on the peaks. Those winters were preceded by drier-than-normal months and Dhiraj is hopeful that better rainfall in the past few months bodes well for good snowfalls this coming…

It’s Africa Day on 25 May, which commemorates the founding of the African Union in 1963 and celebrates unity and heritage across the continent. The vast stone city of Great Zimbabwe, dating back to the 11th century, ranks among our continent’s most important heritage sites. It’s one of the largest, and arguably most impressive, pre-colonial structures south of the Sahara. Amazingly, no mortar was used in the construction, only expert masonry. At its peak it was the capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe and housed up to 18 000 people. In 1980, the newly independent Rhodesia was renamed after the site. Over the past century, Great Zimbabwe has become a potent symbol of African achievement and freedom. Just one of the triumphs worth celebrating on Africa Day.…

Freezing motion The simpler option: fast shutter speeds and exact timing are paramount. But there are degrees of freezing action – from pin-sharp, absolute stillness to images in which the subject is frozen and in focus with some blurred movement in the background (such as the water in Peter’s image and this shot above). Panning This technique is higher grade and takes practise. Tracking (moving your camera) with your subject while using a slower shutter speed creates a motion blur in the background, conveying the real-life movement of your subject in a still image, while keeping the subject relatively sharp. Panning can create a stunning image from a relatively ordinary scene. It’s not possible to pan a subject moving directly towards or away from you, so use freeze motion here.…

FINALIST African Sacred Ibis Lift-off I went to the Strandfontein sewage works in Cape Town to practise panning and slow shutter speeds. There was a group of ibis sitting away from the pans. I had the camera set up, and as I got out of my car they all took flight simultaneously. – By Jenny Rood, Cape Town Nikon D600, Tamron 150-600mm, ISO 100, f/15, 1/40 sec FINALIST Leaf Frog While on a hike at Virginia MTB Trails in Eston, KwaZulu-Natal, I came across this painted reed frog – no larger than a R2 coin – resting on a canna leaf. I reached for my phone. It was a challenge to capture this almost-macro shot with the available natural light, and with the leaf darting around in the wind. I…

The fish braai There’s no need to debone and skin the fish, or wrap it in foil – slap it directly on the grill and it’ll thank you with more flavour and moisture. Keeping the skin on protects the delicate flesh, holding it together. The bones will provide more flavour and keep the flesh juicy. And stuffing the fish’s cavity with fresh herbs and citrus will add a delicious punch. TAKE: Fresh whole white fish (2kg in total), scaled and gutted. SEASON IT Sprinkle with salt and pepper on each side and in the cavity. STUFF IT Pop orange or lemon slices, chopped chilli, garlic and fresh herbs (we used parsley) inside the fish. OIL IT Brush the whole fish (inside too) and a clean braai grid with olive oil.…

1 Karoobos Padstal. You’ll find coffee and koeksisters, freshly made pies plus proper Karoo sheepskin slippers for about R600 a pair (and it’s R2,50 to use the clean loo). There’s also a family museum and vintage photos to browse. 048-885-0395 2 Mountain Zebra National Park. As the name suggests, expect beautiful hilly landscapes, scenic drives and herds of plains game. Conservation fee R48 pp. 048-801-5700 3 Rock Chalets. These two-bedroom chalets are amazing. Luxurious and spacious with windows as walls facing the park and rocks cleverly built into the stoep, you feel miles away from the main rest camp even though you’re still in it. From R3 170 (sleeps four). 048-801-5700 4 Cheetah Tracking. The park’s resident cheetahs are closely monitored and you can see these lithe creatures in their…

‘We’re leaving the Free State and heading towards the Eastern Cape. We could even get as far as the Northern Cape if the dam was overflowing,’ Wikus Wiese chuckles as he steers the boat across the water. The surface is so still it appears viscous. Wiese, who runs boat tours, tells me that the seemingly infinite stretch of water around us is only a fraction of the dam. With a surface area of 374 square kilometres when full, Gariep is the largest dam in South Africa and supplies water to most of the southern Free State and Eastern Cape. As we approach the 88-metre-high dam wall, I feel like a speck at the foot of a looming, almost futuristic structure. When the dam was finished in 1972, costs amounted to…

ROUGH Sehlabathebe National Park • 4x4 adventure • off-the-grid isolation • highland mystery REFINED Ts’ehlanyane National Park • spoils and pampering • mountain serenity • luxurious R&R ROUGH Sehlabathebe National Park • 4x4 adventure • off-the-grid isolation • highland mystery REFINED Ts’ehlanyane National Park • spoils and pampering • mountain serenity • luxurious It’s quiet here. It’s not yet 6am and I am the only visitor in the park. But my solitude has nothing to do with the hour. In fact, if it wasn’t for the expedition team joining me a little later, I might well be the only visitor for months. Why? We’ll get to that in a bit. Right now, there is a soldier standing in the jeep track, flagging me down. ‘Where are you going?’ ‘To see…