Table of contents for December 2024 in Getaway

I’ve just returned from spending a weekend in a town that could arguably be one of my favourite places on Earth. Around a twohour drive from Cape Town, it is a slice of heaven I regularly frequent, and I could see myself retiring there when that time of life (hopefully) comes knocking at my door. I’ve seen the town grow and thrive, adapting to modern living yet retaining its charm. Boutique store owners still trade their wares at the market every Saturday, one of which I have affectionately dubbed poepvangers, which appeared on a label attached to a pair of long johns a storefront mannequin was wearing on the first day I entered the establishment. All but one of this town’s stores belong to a franchise the nearest mall is…

Blue Pond, Biei, Hokkaido, Japan Described as a 'happy accident', this man-made feature formed following work on the Biei River as a safety measure to protect the nearby town of Biei from volcanic mudflows after the eruption of Daisetsuzan National Park's Mount Tokachi in 1988. People think that the pond's bright blue hues, ranging from cobalt to turquoise, result from a mix of natural minerals, including colloidal aluminium hydroxide in the water. You can visit the Blue Pond using various tour operators.…

Just as you're getting out of the starting blocks, another year is over. You wonder where the time goes every December. For some, 2024 was filled with making people happy and winning awards. And so, before we launch into 2025, we round up some - only some because of space constraints! - of this year's award winners. Naturally, this includes food, drink, places to stay, places to go and the top cities to visit. Before we get there, a quick diversion: National Geographic has listed KwaZulu-Natal as one of its top 25 places to travel next year. These destinations are 'hand-picked by National Geographic's explorers, photographers and editors'. Why? For starters, the Babanango Game Reserve is the country's most ambitious rewilding project in decades and has reintroduced elephants, lions, rare…

For years, this cluster of tiny fishing villages on a glorious lagoon, tucked away in the West Coast National Park an hour or so north of Cape Town, was 'our secret'. An illusion, of course; quite a few others thought the same and acted equally proprietary. I've never owned anything in Churchhaven, but my soul is there - affirmed every time I visit. Most of the 'lagooners' the people who grew up there, living off the sea and the land, my friends - have died. But their spirits still inhabit the place, still dwell in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. You might know it as one of the prime spots to view spring wildflowers, showing their faces to the sun across the rolling plains and rocky outcrops…

WHERE TO STAY GRASKOP HOTEL, for art and good home-cooked food graskophotel.co.za WESTLODGE, a four-star B&B on the edge of Graskop. westlodge.co.za WHERE TO EAT HARRIE'S PANCAKES has regular customers for its sweet and savoury pancakes. harriespancakes.co.za THE CHUBBY PIG, for simple food and great milkshakes on the Treur River, 30 km from Graskop on the R532 towards Bourke's Luck Potholes. Thechubbypigeatery MORE INFO GRASKOP GORGE LIFT COMPANY graskopgorgeliftcompany.co.za Overview of the area around Graskop graskop.co.za/seedo FOR WALKS safcol.co.za…

Savanna Douglas A GEM CALLED QWABI (P80) Savanna has always loved nature. She was horn in Transkei and spent her younger years splashing around in emerald pools and bounding on Port St Johns’ lush coast. Savanna is a storyteller and journalist happiest when exploring the great outdoors - the bush is her breakaway of choice. She has a heart for adventure and a soul that sings for good music, art, culture and food. Her love for animals and critters that roam the local plains encourages others to explore their connection to the animal kingdom. Sarah Kingdom ZAMBEZI, THE GREAT (P94) Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, before moving to Africa when she was 21, Sarah is a travel writer, mountain climber and guide, yoga teacher, trail runner and mother of…

Stellenbosch has got wine and food, and activities to get your heart pumping and galleries to soothe your soul. Known as Eikestad because of the many oak trees planted by its founder, Simon van der Stel, the historic town sits among hills and vineyards and is surrounded by significant magnificent mountains: Stellenbosch Mountain, Jonkershoek, Simonsberg and Botmaskop. Probably best known as the seat of Cabernet Sauvignon in South Africa, it's also known for its Chenin Blanc. There are more than 200 wine farms in Stellenbosch, of which 126 are members of Stellenbosch Wine Routes. START WITH BREAKFAST AND THEN WALK As with everything, Stellenbosch has coffee shops and cute places to grab breakfast in spades. Too many to mention here… The best way to orient yourself and really get into…

BRIEFS First Person Watch OceanXlorers on Wednesdays at 7 pm (DStv 181, Starsat 220). Scan this QR code to watch the trailer. We always need a character to tell a story, and most people respond best to bold personalities, but what about the little guys? Habitats like the seabed don't tend to receive much attention, but living among those grains are organisms working hard to power the livelihoods of larger animals. Eighty percent of the world's oceans are entirely unknown - which means we can still save them. So, I look at the bigger picture and how each entity or unit collaborates to ensure this vast environment's functionality. What lives on the seabed, why it's there, what influences its occurrence in a particular area and how marine life varies as…

Churchhaven and the park are lovely year-round, but swimming is best from December to February. SANParks daily fees are payable at the gate. Where to Stay COTTAGES AND HOUSEBOATS sanparks.org perfecthideaways.co.za Where to Eat Accommodation in the park is self-catering, so bring your own food, drinks, wood or charcoal and water (for drinking). There are restaurants in Geelbek and Langebaan; en route, the restaurant at !Khwa ttu serves traditional fare. What to Do Geelbek Information Centre and Eve's Footprint and Trail sanparks.org !Khwa ttu khwattu.org WATER SPORTS capesports.co.za…

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 45 minutes Serves: 6 1 pork belly roll 2 tbsp harissa spice 1/3 cup pink sea salt 1/3 cup harissa apricot paste (available at Woolworths) 1. To prepare for extra crispy crackling, unwrap the pork belly roll and refrigerate it overnight to dry out. 2. Once the fire is ready, rub the pork belly with harissa salt. Slow roast for 40-45 minutes, turning occasionally to roast all sides evenly. Consider wrapping the pork belly towards the end to ensure thorough cooking. 3. After removing it from the fire, brush the pork belly with harissa apricot paste. Let it cool slightly before slicing and serving.…

TRAVEL Adventure There must be something in the water here,' a fellow journalist croaks in hushed tones as our party of seven stares off to our left, where two lions are mating near a waterhole. Two burly rhinos stand metres away from them, with a little one no older than a few months. A baboon barks from a nearby tree it shares with a Meyer's parrot, the unlikely pair more bothered with the heat than territorial trivialities. The wildlife offers us a warm welcome. We'll get to know them better during our two-night adventure at Qwabi Private Game Reserve in the lush green range of the Waterberg. Our adventure begins with a bag of the best kudu biltong from Toeka Se Dae (toekasedae.co.za), a non-negotiable pit stop when on the…

Stay Here Liuwa Plains KING LEWANIKA LODGE From R59 000 pps for a three-night fully-inclusive package with return flights from Lusaka. Open March to December. kerdowneyzambia.com There are also five campsites, owned and run by the community and promoted by African Parks with rates from R780 pn (two adults). ukuri.travel/bookings/liuwa-plain-campsites LUMBE POOLS CAMP From R3 800 pps pn (specials are often available for SADC residents) lumbepoolscamp.com Livingstone TAITA FALCON LODGE From R3 800 pps pn (inclusive, with special offers for SADC residents) taitafalcon.com Kariba Gorge MUKALYA LODGE From R5 400 pps (full-board) mukalya.com Lower Zambezi National Park SAUSAGE TREE CAMP From R27 900 pps (four nights, fully inclusive. Quote ‘SA-Special’ when booking) greensafaris.com/sausage-tree ZAMBEZI GRANDE From R5 200 pps pn (fully inclusive. Open April to November) zambezigrande.com Mpata Gorge REDCLIFF…

WOOLWORTHS X TRI 1 December PAUL CLÜVER FAMILY WINES, N2, KROMCO TURN OFF, DE RUST ESTATE, GRABOUW Individuals or teams can choose from full or lite triathlon options, fun runs or scenic walks among the vineyards. This event combines fitness, fun, nature and community. Proceeds benefit the Woolworths Trust, supporting education, health and environmental initiatives. Entries are limited, so book early to avoid disappointment. wwxtri.co.za MUDDY PRINCESS STELLENBOSCH 1 December SANDRINGHAM FARM, STELLENBOSCH This women-only outdoor obstacle mud run is the ultimate girls’ dirty day out because it’s all about fun, not competition, making it ideal for princesses of all ages, sizes and fitness levels. Here’s to making muddy memories with your squad! Tickets: from R299 webtickets.co.za ONLY THE FITTEST 2024 (OTF24) 7 December CTICC, CORNER OF HEERENGRACHT AND RUA…

Tours Vine Hopper vinehopper.co.za Wine Tractor winetractor.co.za Wine Farms L’Avenir lavenirestate.co.za Cavalli Estate cavalliestate.com Blaauwklippen blaauwklippen.com Play Here Stellenbosch Summer Street Soirée STBStreetSoirees Stellenbosch Art Mile artmile.co.za Stellenbosch Adventure Ride bikesnwines.com Winelands E-bike Tours vinebikes.co.za Wonderdal at Hazendal wonderdal.co.za Blouklip Trail blaauwklippenwinetrails.co.za Eat Here The Stellenbosch Reserve thestellenboschreserve.com Vergenoegd Löw vergenoegd.co.za Hartenberg hartenbergestate.com Warwick Estate warwickwine.com Stay Here Bonne Esperance bonneesperance.com Middedorp middedorp.com More Info Here Visit Stellenbosch visitstellenbosch.org Stellenbosch Wine Routes wineroute.co.za…

Going Dutch BY OBIE OBERHOLZER X-CAGO BV, R999 at exclusivebooks.co.za Obie Oberholzer is a man of a singular vision. He quotes a psychologist friend in the pages of this, his 16th coffee table book: 'He did once say that through all my flaws, faults and failings, I can sometimes find cohesion in the haphazard beauty in the imperfect and make something out of nothing. And that's the kernel of it: beauty in the imperfect. He has an extraordinary empathy with his subjects, who are often people on the periphery; people most of us don't even see. But Obie gives them dignity by showing that their stories are important, that they are important. Objects are treated with as much respect - a street, a building, a statue, a bridge, a dusty, forgotten…

It happened as things often do: because of a girl. I had returned to the small village of Thurleigh in Bedfordshire, UK, looking for work and wanting to rekindle a romance that had ended when I had left the UK a few months earlier to travel the continent. The weather, which had been warm enough for strawberry picking a few months before, had changed, as had the villagers. Instead of hustling and bustling, the locals were now preparing to hibernate. Fruit picking was definitely out of the question, but there didn't appear to be much else to do either. To make matters worse, my aforementioned lass had moved on, no longer interested in a lowly strawberry picker. I was cold, lonely, unemployed and had a month to kill before my…

FIELD NOTES African Penguins A cacophony of chirping signals feeding time for African penguin chicks in the nursery at the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) seabird hospital in Table View. One of the rehabilitation team who dedicate their time to saving these magnificent creatures slips their hands underneath an infant’s soft grey, downy flippers, lifts it out of a pen and secures it between his legs to feed it two to three sardines - the chick will eat six in total today - simulating the regurgitation from parents. As its feathers aren’t yet waterproof, he will bring it indoors if it rains. SANCCOB is a registered non-profit organisation (NPO) that monitors seabird colonies and treats injured birds at its seabird hospitals here and in Gqeberha,…

TRAVEL Motoring Few people will remember this, but the R102 was the only road linking Cape Town and Gqeberha until the completion of the N2 in the early '80s. Although stretches of the old route were part of the freeway, it bypassed iconic places such as Nature's Valley, Bloukrans Pass, Jeffreys Bay, Kabeljous, Gamtoos River Mouth, Thornhill and Van Stadens Pass. The so-called Nature's Valley Road is a 40 km-long detour split by the highway into northern and southern legs of almost equal length: The Crags outside Plettenberg Bay form one end of the southern section, and Storms River Village marks the end of the northern section. The two meet at the Tsitsikamma Toll Plaza. It's one of the most picturesque motorcycling routes in South Africa, which every biker should…