Inhaltsverzeichnis für January 2020 in Getaway

I’d rather not be writing this letter to you, Mr Ramaphosa. I’m a travel editor, not a politician. But I’ve been driven to write because of the things I see around me, both in the travel industry and society at large. We are a broken country and you are one of our best, and last, hopes. It’s a new year, and boy do we need hope. At Getaway , it’s our job and privilege to celebrate South Africa, to show off the best our country has to offer. But we’re finding it harder and harder to recommend places in this violent land. Where are we truly safe? Where can visitors avoid armed robbery (not even in the finest hotels)? Where can they avoid the pervading rape and murder (no longer…

WE ASKED: Where is your favourite summer sundowner spot? Under a beautiful ancient baobab in Livingstone, Zambia – although the view at Copia Eco Cabins [near Bot River] comes in at a close second. Mischke Bosse Beach Bums, along the coastal road between Umhlanga and Ballito. Tony Martin Johnson Barnacles in Seaview, Port Elizabeth. Beryl Booi The Walter Sisulu Botanical Garden in Ruimsig – close to the waterfall before walking up to the mountain. Keikantse Mooki Silvermine Dam in Cape Town. Jessica Prevôst On Thesen Island [in Knysna] at The Exchange, a restaurant where we enjoyed sundowners and burgers. Geoffrey Ellis On a Shayamanzi houseboat on Lake Jozini a couple of months ago... Mark Henson The shipwreck just past the southernmost tip of Africa. Thinus Brink Kasane in Botswana –…

Favourite holiday spot Sun City’s Valley of the Waves. ‘I had the best times there as a kid. It always evokes this sort of Lion King feeling in me.’ Cocktail inspiration ‘When I think of Sun City, I think of the mountainous surrounds juxtaposed against beach sand and waves. And afternoon thundershowers, after which the sun comes out again. The smell of the rain on the rock has a very earthy nose to it, which is akin to the angelica root in gin. I’d enhance this with a lightly smoky single malt and some saltiness (from seaweed). To sweeten, some orange liqueur and I’d balance that with an dry vermouth. Plus bitters for a spice finish, and a garnish of lemon zest to open up the olfactory senses.’ Here’s how…

Catch a falling star? If you’re lucky enough to witness a meteor shower, consider that the typical meteor is about the size of a grain of sand. The good thing is that showers are predictable – there will be 21 of them this year, varying in quality. Your best bets are the Puppids (15–28 April, especially the 23rd, from 7pm to 11pm), the Northern Taurids (1 October–25 November, especially the 12th, from 9.30pm to 3am) and the Geminids (4–16 December, especially the 14th, from 11.30pm to 3am). You’ll need to know where in the sky to look out for them, so get your hands on the 2020 Sky Guide Africa South (Struik Nature, R145), now in its 70th year of publication. It also covers the year’s planetary movements, upcoming eclipses,…

1. Emthunzini Hats R999, sunhats.co.za With an up-turned brim, a French Navy ribbon trim and genuine leather tan strap, the Tina M Eden Flexibraid looks like an ideal ladies sun hat. But what we really like about it is that it’s crush resistant, has a UPF50+ sun protection and an adjustable loop around the head. 2. Turkish Towels R489, thecottoncompany.co.za These beautiful towels are crafted by a family-run team of artisans in Turkey before finding their way to the Cotton Company’s showroom in Paarl. Loomed from pure cotton, they’re elegant and soft (but don’t dry quite as well as a normal towel). 3. Ballo Sunglasses R2 190, ballo.co.za For seven years, Ballo has been rethinking sunglasses. Using recycled offcuts and other sustainable materials, and hiring local talent…

GHOST MOUNTAIN INN This classic country hotel offers great value, excellent service, wonderful guided tours as well as knowledgeable self-drive advice. You have to drive into Mkuze town to reach it, but once there the atmosphere is both groomed and rural. I like the location of rooms 13, 14 and 15. From R995 pp sharing B&B. ghostmountaininn.co.za AFRICAMPS @ WHITE ELEPHANT SAFARIS That reliable name in glamping has just opened in Pongola Game Reserve with 12 luxury self-catering tents (sleep five). Game drives and walks, boat cruises, canoeing and more are on offer, and breakfast (R110 pp) or braai baskets (R175 pp) can be ordered. R1 340 for two plus R250 pp extra. africamps.com &BEYOND PHINDA Phinda set the bar for luxury safaris in KZN and it remains high; with…

LARGER-THAN-LIFE ART The Norval Foundation in Tokai is both impressive and one of the most approachable art venues in the city, with a wonderful child-friendly sculpture garden (kids get in for free, norvalfoundation.org). Another reason to visit right now is to see New Zealand artist Lisa Reihana’s in Pursuit of Venus [infected], which took 10 years to make and has been hailed as a ‘hi-tech marvel’. It’s a multimedia ‘moving wallpaper’, a digital pantomime played out on a 17 x 22,5-metre canvas, to the soundtrack of Maori music (until 20 January). There’s also the big exhibition by William Kentridge, SA’s world-famous contemporary artist. Why Should I Hesitate (until 23 March) is the first-ever showing of his sculptures. Younger minds will be fascinated by the mechanised installations, some of which incorporate…

THE ART OF DUPLICITY Back in the 1920s, speakeasies were hidden to avoid the prying eyes of the Prohibition-era police. Fast-forward 100 years and the Art of Duplicity is similarly concealed, but only to lure cocktail connoisseurs with its aura of exclusivity. You’ll have to crack a well-crafted riddle and whisper a secret password before being led down a dark alley and into a dusty warehouse filled with vintage glassware, velvet chairs and a small gathering dressed like Mae West and Al Capone. Tap your toes to live jazz and snack on peanuts (you’re encouraged to throw the shells onto the floor) while deciding on your drinks. The cocktails here are made to tell a story, so be sure to ask multi-award-winning bartender Brent Perremore what inspired his Saigon Floozy…

A is for Asian braaiing – Korean at Chopsticks & Table in New Church Street, and Japanese (aka robata) at Tomo in Loop Street (there’s an Asian tea garden upstairs too). B is for upper Bree Street, which sparked off the CBD’s culinary craze. It has now spread into nearby Loop, Long and Buitengracht (and the side streets in between). Park your car and explore. C is for Coco Safar in Sea Point: a coffee roastery, pâtisserie and chocolatier, microbrewery for botanical drinks, plus the most romantic tapas and a unique two-hour ‘dessert bar experience’. D is for Dunkley Square, tucked away in Gardens, home to Maria’s (opened 1955) and Roxy’s Late Night (opened 1990) which is open all day too. Plus Jessy’s Waffles. The best dinner-and-a-movie date? Nonna Lina…

3... is the number of nights Getaway photojournalist Matthew Sterne spent in this rooftop tent, eating rusks for supper while sheltering from the summer rainstorms. (Don’t worry, when the clouds cleared the views more than made up for it.) On his two-week recce of the Drakensberg, he discovered campsites that are a dirt-track deeper into the mountains and a hilltop higher than any hotel or cabin. They’re places where you eyeball a gliding vulture over your morning coffee and all you can hear is the breeze rustling the leaves while you decide which trail to explore, or just settle into a comfy chair for the day and take in the view. In the next issue, we’ll reveal the best of the lot.…

CAROLINE WEBB First Look, page 27 & A to Z of Cape Town Food, page 86 For her final trip as a full-time member of the Getaway team, Caroline returned to Vic Falls for a reckoning with the Zambezi River. On her first visit a few years ago, she almost drowned while white-water rafting (and then had to spend an insect-bitten night sleeping rough on the river bank). This time, she got to relax in a luxury tent on an island in the middle of the mighty river, and made her peace with it. She hopes 2020 brings many more full-circle moments. CATHERINE HOFMEYR Cape Town, page 72 & Velddrif, page 98 Catherine spent most of her childhood holidays on the Cape West Coast, flitting between a shack in what’s…

A slackpacking safari at Gondwana Game Reserve for eight, worth R102 000 ‘I’m gobsmacked and so excited. I’m sure it won’t be too hard to find three couples to join my hubby and me on this great adventure.’ Claire Keyser SeatSaint SUV cushion and backrest, worth R2 300 ‘This will certainly make driving more comfortable – I can’t wait to test it!’ Choadre Adams Gregory Packs adventure luggage vouchers, worth R7 000 ‘I got married earlier this year. We are looking forward to using our new luggage on honeymoon!’ Arno Koen ‘With only one decent suitcase in my cupboard, I’ve been searching high and low for new luggage. This will be put to good use.’ Natasha Stander See page 55 to find out what this year’s Gallery prize is.…

WORTH TRAVELLING FOR 27–29 DECEMBER PORT ELIZABETH Bridging the gap between Christmas and New Year, the Ebubeleni Festival keeps the party pumping in Nelson Mandela Bay. Friday is for local hip-hop, gqom and the latest craze, amapiano, with Cassper Nyovest, Moonchild, Kwesta, Sho Madjozi and more. Saturday is comedy night, while the main concert on Sunday at the stadium includes PE divas Zonke (right) and Msaki, Lesotho legend Tsepo Tshola and Durban’s DJ Tira. computicket.com 10–11 JANUARY CAPE TOWN Horse-racing season kicks off with the elegant two-day affair that is the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate. The dress code is strictly blue and white, and smart (ladies: hats or fascinators recommended), with prizes including Cartier accessories, bubbly and, for the best dressed, a trip to London. There’s a jazzy garden party on…

This is the story about a family’s incredible journey. It’s also about a moving frontier of love, deception and violence. A hint of its inner boundary is on a map in the Historical Atlas of South Africa by EA Walker, published in 1922. From Hondeklip Bay to Burgersdorp is a shaded area: ‘The Colony’s Northern Frontier, 1798-1824’. In this area, during the 18th century, Boer farmers, /Xam hunters, Khoekhoen pastoralists, slaves, runaways and fugitives from colonial justice lived – all co-operating, squabbling, cohabiting and, from time to time, killing each other. As settlers with greater firepower claimed more and more land, the shaded area was pushed ever northwards. Within it was a polyglot of pastoral people who came to be known simply as Bastaards. They would be led by the…

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 20 years for the likes of Frommer’s and The Telegraph , scours TripAdvisor and other online accommodation sites when researching a destination. For Zululand, she created a longlist of 15 to inspect. The following made the final cut. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? • Your own self-catering bush villa (pg 64) • The best views and access to Lake Jozini (pg 64) • A B&B stopover that’ll make you linger (pg 65) • A game-reserve bargain for a group (pg 65) • Fantastic hospitality beside a river (pg 66) • Great-value Big Five safari stays (pg…

SIGHTSEE IN A VINTAGE SIDECAR They say driving a car is like watching a movie, but riding a motorbike is like starring in it. This is true especially along the Atlantic Seaboard at sunset. Cape Sidecar Adventures takes you on a two-hour coastal flit, leaving your hands free to take photos. They kit you out with leather jackets, vintage helmets, goggles and a cool bandana, so from the kick-start you look and feel the part in your own personal movie. Ask if Brody the sidecar dog can join you (people on the street will grin and take photos; it’s not you or your silly helmet – it’s all for Brody.) The whole family will love this activity, and each sidecar takes up to three people (or two people and a…

IT’S QUITE A FOOTSLOG … and lies at the bottom of a cliff below the road, but the steep, 20-minute walk down to Smitswinkel Beach, past Simon’s Town, isn’t undertaken by many, and therein lies your reward. It’s also good for snorkelling. GET IN YOUR CAR AND DRIVE… … to Scarborough’s usually empty (and dog-friendly) sands, or on to Cape Point’s beaches, where you won’t find lifeguards, beach chairs for hire, ice-cream vendors or, very possibly, another person. Nearest the entrance gate is Olifantsbos, tucked behind a rocky point and popular with deep-south surfers. Wildest and most unspoilt of all, and bordered by dunes, Platboom is for exploring and walking in the company of terns, gulls, sandpipers and the occasional ostrich or baboon. It’s also favoured by kite- and windsurfers.…

Since their rebirth in the early 1990s, speakeasies have transformed from illicit bars into icons of sophisticated tippling. Shake (or stir) up your evening with any one of these vintage-themed bars. Asoka in Kloof Street has one request: come for dinner, stay for drinks. asoka.za.com The Gin Bar hides its repertoire of 118 gins in a romantic brick courtyard behind Honest Chocolate on Wale Street. theginbar.co.za Hanks Olde Irish pairs its large collection of whiskey with live jazz and blues, because ‘that’s the way whiskey should be enjoyed’. hanks.co.za Harringtons Bar and Lounge will delight your senses with a new cocktail on the menu every week. thefirmct.co.za Orphanage Cocktail Emporium on Bree Street is where lost souls revel in marvellous mixtures, music and company. orphanageclub.co.za…

These are still going strong, for more than 20 years: • old-school steakhouses Hussar Grill, Nelson’s Eye, Pirates, Barristers; • classic Italians Magica Roma, Mario’s, Mamma Roma, Giovanni’s and Pizzeria Napoletana; • Belgian Den Anker; • Brass Bell, Foresters Arms and Ferryman’s; • Kloof Street’s Yindee’s, Saigon, Bacini’s and Café Paradiso; • the pioneer Africa Café; • Euro-classic Aubergine; • Anatoli’s, Bukhara and Bo-Kaap’s Biesmiellah.…

YOUNG ENVIRONMENTALIST I am 12 years old, and have two very cool but very annoying brothers Makai, 10, and Ryder who is 8. We are a family of five who all love Africa, the bush and to travel. My passion is our amazing wildlife and our planet, and so far I’ve raised over R250 000 to help rescue and rehabilitate orphaned and injured rhinos in South Africa. Recently, I hosted a group of Australian journalists and their kids for South African Tourism. I really, really loved sharing our African animals and also the bush with them. Their trip made me think more about responsible tourism and how there’s not enough education about it, especially for families. I really want to share with people that you don’t need to ride an…

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Cruxland, the earthy gin made with Kalahari truffles, rooibos and honeybush, has launched a limited-edition version finished in French oak brandy barrels, resulting in a complex, elegant and well-balanced sipper. Exclusive to Tops at Spar, R370 Once known as ‘Sugarlandia’ thanks to its high-quality sugar cane, Negros in the Philippines is where Don Papa, the world’s first single-island rum, is made. The new limited-edition Sherry Cask rum has notes of plum, figs and dark chocolate. R699 Mad Giant Brewery’s new Captain Ginger is a premium ginger beer with, yes, 4% alcohol. This zesty, bubbly thirst-quencher is made from real ginger fermented with unrefined sugar. Dried elderflowers and hibiscus extract give it the pink colour. R75 (four-pack) Sure, it’s a bit of a mouthful to say, but Auchentoshan (‘OK-ken-TO-Shan’) is what…

• Kenton’s annual Anything That Floats is on 27 December, from Bell’s Cove to the beach down the Kariega River. The tide means it’s an early start this year (7am). There will be floats for sale and a free sunscreen spray station. The Port Alfred event is on 28 December at 11.30am, up the Kowie River from Kiddies Beach. quicket.co.za Do it in reverse. Up the Kariega River is the best way to get to Kenton’s secret bush pub, which is only open over the festive season. On 29 December from 1.30pm is the annual Float to Horns Up (below), where a party awaits with DJs, food stalls and drinks specials. howler.co.za Mpumalanga’s Sabie Tube Race gets bigger every year (more than 3 000 pitched up for the last one). Fancy dress…

One of Southern Africa’s greatest tourist draws is its wildlife. Having animals in captivity for human enjoyment runs counter to this ‘unique selling point’. The SA Tourism Services Association has recently released animal-interaction guidelines, considering that certain practices are aimed purely at ‘satisfying the instant-gratification, thrill-seeking nature of visitors and the time pressures of the world they come from’. The guidelines are the result of a 12-month process of investigation and consultation, and aim to ‘draw a clear line in the sand’. Designed to help us make good choices, the guide clearly identifies five activities that are unacceptable: • performing animals (including birds, reptiles and marine mammals, and covers ‘unnatural’ behaviour, not only ‘tricks’); • walking with elephants or predators; • tactile interactions with predators or cetaceans; • tactile interactions with any infant wild…

CULTURE ON A PLATE Developed by slaves who came from Southeast Asia – and infused with a longing for the flavours of home – Cape Malay food is based on a beautifully aromatic mix of spices (it’s notably not hot, like Indian curries). With additional techniques and ideas from East Africa, Europe and Islamic cooking applied to local ingredients, this is a unique cuisine created in Cape Town. As much as visitors might be drawn to the Bo-Kaap for its pretty houses, it’s the aromas and food that will entice them to linger. Made to be shared in generous quantities with family and community, it’s food that is humble, wholesome and heart-warming. Dhaltjies These crunchy little balls have a powerful bite but keep you coming back for more. It’s no…

• A sunset/game-viewing cruise on Lake Jozini, or picnic on its banks in Phongolo Nature Reserve. • The Fig Forest guided walk in Mkhuze Game Reserve, which includes two swing bridges over the river. • Ghost Mountain Inn for a lazy lunch, and to book interesting excursions. • The Elephant Research Project and rhino tracking. whiteelephant.co.za • The Border Cave, a Middle Stone Age site near Tembe Elephant Park (also a must-visit). • A guided hike up Ghost Mountain for the history and tales of intrigue. • Ticking off your bird list – Ndumo Reserve has the highest bird count in SA (430 species). • Sushi at Baobab Inn near Bayala, and a meal on the lakeside terrace at Jozini Tiger Lodge.…

THE SAFETY OF CAPE POINT Cape Town is blessed with world-class walks, and cursed with out-of-control crime, which makes hiking dangerous across the Peninsula. One area you’re safe is the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve at Cape Point, where myriad beautiful walks range from the one-hour Lighthouse Keeper’s Trail to the three-hour Kanonkop Trail – with views over False Bay. Most popular are the Shipwreck Trails from Olifantsbos parking area to the remains of the Thomas T Tucker (1942) and other maritime victims. Mention an overnight hike at Cape Point to Capetonians and they’ll look at you with an incredulous ‘you can do that?’ expression. But you can, we’ve done it and it’s spectacular. The two-day Cape of Good Hope Trail follows a 34-kilometre circular route covering beaches, mountains…

EAST FORT, HOUT BAY Park on Chapman’s Peak Drive and walk down to the battery of cannons and powder magazine. This fort complex harks back to an era when Hout Bay was of great strategic significance to the Cape. Early settlers realised that the bay could serve not only as an alternative anchorage to Table Bay, but also as a possible landing place for invaders. Consequently, the area saw the building of a number of defences. Initial fort construction took place after 1775 when Holland supported the newly independent American colonies and declared war on England. Some of the guns, with their VOC markings, are still in place and are fired on ceremonial occasions. The fortifications are above and below Chapman’s Peak Drive, less than a kilometre south of Hout…

Jess Oosthuyse: After navigating the steep, narrow backroads of the Atlantic Seaboard, this urban sanctuary will come as a huge relief. The Camps Bay Retreat feels like a replica of Frances Burnett’s Secret Garden , except that it has a sunset view of the ocean. And a cocktail bar on the terrace, so be sure to grab a Pimm’s before ambling down to lounge on the manicured lawn and laugh at the suckers fighting for space on the beach below. Booking essential. campsbayretreat.com Justin Fox: On the deck of the Radisson Hotel in Granger Bay, you’re right on the water and can watch the play of dusky pastel light on Table Bay after sunset. Louise Topping: The sand dunes on Noordhoek Beach. Its dog- and kid-friendly, easily accessible, has amazing…

For 1500 years, everyone has wanted to go to Istanbul. All the Popes and Russian tsars, all the great powers of the West and East, have dreamed of walking her fabled walls. Istanbul is ‘the city of the world’s desire’, the former Byzantium and Constantinople, the only city that has been the capital of three separate empires, the only one to straddle two continents, a gleaming city of domes and towers and green hills and sunlight on blue sea. You are not a tsar, but you need at least three days in Istanbul, because it is made of layers upon layers that only open up slowly, and the best of it takes time. Everyone stays in Sultanahmet, the Old Town on the promontory above the Golden Horn (the large, shimmering…