Table of contents for November 2016 in Getaway

JANINE STEPHEN From pop stars to Alaskan truckers and even a former president, Janine has met (and interviewed) all sorts. Most of all she loves far-flung places... Whether it's Groot Marico or Mexico City. On page 92, she tells you why Mexico's capital needs to be your next faraway escape. WELCOME LISHIVHA After a skydiving excursion, this recent addition to the Getaway team kept asking everyone to call him ‘The One Who Fell from the Sky'. Clearly in need of some grounding, we decided to send him on his first-ever multi-day hike – into the Overberg. Read about it on page 72. EVAN HAUSSMANN A veteran journalist with little desire to travel the beaten track, we sent Evan to his happy place (Mozambique) to find a new, relaxing route to…

The private life of rhinos After 20 years of doing safaris in Southern Africa, I was finally able to get this stunning, rare specimen in action on camera. At first we heard only some noise in the bush but due to our excellent guide, we found this crash of rhinos right in the heart of Tuli Block in Botswana. The majestic creatures were completely relaxed and unalarmed by our presence as they were doing their thing. If you look closely enough, you can see the ear of a baby rhino on the left of the picture in the bush. We stayed with them for 10 minutes then quietly left the scene, letting nature take its course. This encounter was a reminder that there is still hope for the future of…

1 The first-ever Franschhoek Craft Festival will offer beer, yes, but also all things handmade, beautiful and delicious. Stock up on cheeses, chocolates, jewellery and decor, among other things, at Môreson wine farm on 5 November. Tickets R180 including wine tastings, webtickets.co.za PS: Art Franschhoek runs until 13 November. The small town has a surprisingly large number of galleries – including ceramics and photography – that are interesting, eclectic spaces to spend time in (some also offer coffee and shopping). franschhoek.org.za NOT IN FRANSCHHOEK? TRY THIS: For real treasure hunting, in which the goal is finding gold (or, to be precise, R150 000 worth of Kruger Rands), head to Gold Reef City in Joburg every Sunday in November. Participants in Digger Joe’s Treasure Hunt get a map to embark on…

Many torches do the job – shine brightly and last the holiday – but few truly light up my life. For me, the ideal torch must have the following: a high lumen count; replaceable and rechargeable batteries (for budget and environmental purposes); indicator lights so it doesn’t sommer go flat; dimming options to further save on battery life; and a means of hanging it in the tent. It must also be tough, durable and small enough to fit into my pocket. I tested 10 torches and the 1000-lumen NiteCore MH10 is the closest I’ve ever got to the perfect torch. It lights up a whopping 100 metres and provides enough periphery light for good visibility. I really liked the variable beam options (from a soft 70-lumen light to the spotlight…

OUR EXPERT SAYS: ‘Hogsback specialises in compact, fire-warmed self-catering cottages, and they are all bargains’ TripAdvisor lists accommodation rated by guests, but as much as we love peer reviews, can we trust them? Pippa, who has reviewed accommodation for 18 years, inspected 21 properties – some rated on TripAdvisor, plus she rooted out new ones. These 10 made her list. Best view and biggest collection THE EDGE MOUNTAIN RETREAT TripAdvisor No. 3 of 6 B&Bs/Inns Peter Colyvas and Wouter Jordaan rented out their first cottage back in 1991 and used the income from this to build the next one on the lip of their prime seven-hectare cliff-side property, just a few minutes' drive north of town. Today there is a choice of 20 self-catering cottages – most located within sight…

1 The Shortmarket Club Those old enough to remember will have a sense of déjà vu on entering The Shortmarket Club and finding themselves in what was once the VIP section of a Cape Town nightclub called The Boiler Room. Now reincarnated, it's where chef Wesley Randles (left) and manager Simon Widdison (right) – both ex Pot Luck Club – are spreading their wings, with chef Luke Dale-Roberts and his wife, Sandalene, invested in the concept. The interior, which is thanks to Sandalene, sets the tone. The Shortmarket Club (SMC) feels like an establishment that might have existed in another era; banquettes with soft leather upholstery and glass dividers, low-hanging lamps and a bar where someone knows your name. For me that someone is Vuyo Mzozoyana, formerly of Espresso Lab…

SWEET SIMPLICITY WHO MELANIE VAN ZYL WHERE LIMPOPO HOW LONG TWO DAYS COMFORT LEVEL PRETTY PLUSH PETS PETS ARE WELCOME HARD-WORKING LUXURY WHO WELCOME LISHIVHA WHERE OVERBERG HOW LONG FOUR DAYS COMFORT LEVEL VERY PLUSH (AND DELICIOUS) PETS PETS ARE NOT WELCOME ‘IT WAS EVERYTHING I HAD DREAMED OF, AND I WOKE WITH A SMILE ON MY FACE’ ROOTS TO RIVERS TRAIL Heard of ‘cabin porn’? It refers to the ogling of gorgeous cabins in remote places – an urge for a simpler life in remote surroundings. For months, I had been lusting after one particular cabin in the Woodbush Forest near Magoebaskloof. Built on stilts three metres off the ground, it sits among rare samango monkeys and catches a chorus of woodland bird calls. And even though I hadn’t…

'A VERMILION FLYCATCHER LANDED ON A ROCK LIKE A SPLASH OF BLOOD' It seems impossible, but it’s true. We’re in the middle of mythical Mexico City, sitting under a stone arcade as an organ grinder conjures a spooky tune. Ahead is the Zócalo: a central plaza about 20 times the size of Cape Town’s Grand Parade, with the cathedral looming like a volcano at the far end and the soldier-lined National Palace standing to attention at one side. A Mexican flag bigger than a giant’s duvet curls to the music. It’s still early; the space turns humans into ants (later in the day it’s hard to see horizons through the tide of humanity). We’re just brushing the crumbs of an excellent chocolatin (chocolate pastry) from our lips when a taxi…

‘Africa has given the world humanity – and that is no small thing’ – Professor Phillip Tobias School children crowd around a guide at the Sterkfontein Caves exhibit in the Cradle of Humankind. There's a fizz of excitement at not being stuck in a classroom and they all take turns photographing each other in front of the ape-like reconstructions behind large glass cases. In between pulling peace signs and pouting, the guide manages to grab their attention and about 20 red hard-hatted heads swivel upwards to listen. ‘Welcome home,' she says. They all look at her confused. ‘This is the Cradle of Humankind. This is where we all come from.' I've come to the Cradle to get to grips with this statement – and do my utmost to avoid a…

A month ago I dragged photographer Teagan Cunniffe into the bush again. This time we were at Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, at the foot of the Warmwaterberg mountains. It was spring; it was meant to be warm, but we got up every morning before six and layered tee over vest, then second skin, jersey, scarf and windbreaker, expecting to peel them off as the sun rose, only to tug them tighter against the wind. Our lips chapped, our noses froze, our fingers looked like frozen oven chips. And we were loving it. We studied brilliant crassulas. We walked up to a rotting hippo carcass and watched as black-backed jackals nosed about its maggot-infested bulk. We saw three rhinos charging down a river bed, scoured the bush for birds. A cheetah took…

Belvedere is a word most commonly associated with the opulence of the self-proclaimed ‘luxury vodka', which is quite a contrast to the taxing descent and ascent of the Belvedere Trail in the Blyde River Canyon. The trail begins at Bourke's Luck Potholes. The first leg of the walk led me through the potholes, where I strutted with my head held high like some crusader, venturing off into far-off places where tourists' feet dare not tread. This was, of course, ridiculous, as the trail is frequently walked, and conveniently placed spray-painted directions make it nigh on impossible to get lost. Once through the potholes, two short bridges take you across to a fairly level path that leads you to the edge of the canyon. The views on this section are magnificent…

Vaughan McShane is one half of the South African husband-and-wife team behind the award-winning The Travel Manuel blog. When the BBC production team contacted him, he thought they'd made a mistake. ‘Other than some YouTube videos, I've never really done anything in front of the camera. But they were convinced that I was what they were looking for,' he says. ‘The show is focused on highlighting Tshwane as an alternative tourist destination in South Africa, with different offerings.' If it's a success, he adds, the formula will expand to other destinations. With several years of travelling the world under his belt, he says, ‘I try to leave my preconceived ideas or perceptions at home and just go in with a clean slate.' He gamely tackled every activity on the itinerary,…

1 SET UP YOUR SHOT Long exposures are fun to do and produce eye-catching results – any movement is blurred: water becomes smooth and ghostlike, clouds streak, busy streets ‘empty’ of cars and people. Most DSLRs can capture long exposures. A sturdy tripod is essential and your camera must have M (Manual) mode – or B (Bulb) mode which, along with a shutter-release cable, lets you take exposures of longer than 30 seconds. To enable longer exposure times during daylight, you need to use a narrow aperture (f/13 – f/22). At night, it’s the opposite. For both, a low ISO is best. 2 CHOOSE YOUR COMPOSITION The best scenes have motion that contrasts with still elements, such as the traffic moving along the Atlantic coast road in Junaid Samaai's photo…

You have a friend visiting from out of town. Where do you recommend they stay? The Peech Boutique Hotel in Melrose. It's quiet and quaint and a little unexpected ... you forget you're in the middle of Joburg. One year I was pregnant with our second child and it was Valentine's month. I decided to surprise my husband, so I made him type in the hotel's GPS coordinates and drive. When we arrived they came to our room to give us massages. We had Champagne and chocolate and later dinner. You were the first woman to win South Africa’s Comic of the Year title, at the 2016 Comedy Choice Awards. You were also voted Best Comic at the You Spectacular. How were those moments? I jump from mood to mood…

‘Marmite tart is something my generation remembers fondly,’ says Rachel Botes of Pretoria’s Carlton Café. ‘It was one of those staples rolled out for bake sales and Tupperware parties, usually made in a Pyrex dish and cut into squares.’ For those who aren’t familiar with it, freshly baked sponge cake is drenched with hot, buttery Marmite sauce for sweet-salty effect. ‘Toppings differ depending on where you are in the month,’ adds Rachel. ‘At the beginning it might be sprinkled with grated cheddar and biltong powder, and towards the end it’s just the Marmite.’ Her clever incarnation is covered with caramelised onions, a soft poached egg and a Parmesan crisp (R48). It’s also demarcated with a ‘C’ on the menu to indicate popularity – people have been known to travel from…

Are you travelling in a sedan or a 4x4? We found the bigger the packed size, the more durable the table – but it's still got to fit in the boot. How many people are usually in your camping group? Some tables are perfect for couples, while others are four-seaters that are best for groups. How far are you going to carry the table? If you're after a beach or picnic table, a lightweight option will make your life easier, but you may have to sacrifice some durability. What is the table made from? The thicker the tabletop and the heavier the table, the more durable it will be. Look for blow-moulded plastic and sturdy metal legs if you're a regular camper seeking a long-lasting option. How stable is it?…

1829 metres… …is how far Getaway's Welcome Lishivha fell from the heavens before his parachute opened on his first-ever skydive – and he made sure he grinned the whole way down. ‘Before getting into the plane,' said Welcome, ‘I called my best friend to reassure him of my love if I died from this jump. He told me to just enjoy it and smile throughout so the pictures looked good!' The tandem jump with Mother City SkyDiving launches at 3353 metres above sea level over a patchwork of farmland about an hour out of Cape Town, and provides views of the Cederberg mountains, Table Mountain, Robben Island and Cape Point. The free fall in the beginning was his favourite part, said Welcome, with the air rushing past his face and…

‘Any particular pizza for your majesties?’ she said, dropping a grotesque curtsy When I'm travelling I often avoid swanky restaurants because I don't have my good shoes and jacket with me, and because I'm allergic to bills in foreign currencies that require me to kidnap a sheikh's son for ransom money to afford the tip. But I didn't expect to be intimidated at Totonno's. Totonno's is the best pizza restaurant in America and probably the world, or so they tell you. A bunch of pizza restaurants in New York tell you that. It's hard to verify, but Totonno's has a strong claim. It's not really a restaurant. It's a greasy den on Neptune Avenue in Coney Island at the distant end of the F-train that runs eastwards out of lower…

A Survivor backpack from iStore worth R3999 This is a lovely prize and will be my new camera and laptop bag. It is well padded and will fit in nicely when I go camping and hiking. Thanks again to Getaway! - Gerald Kroukamp A trip for two to Mauritius worth R50000 Really happy to have won this prize. We got married last year and we didn't have the funds to go on honeymoon, so this makes up for that in the best possible way... - Grant Spreadbury Trip for two to Victoria Falls worth R41850 I visited Vic Falls many moons ago. My wife has never been. You won't believe how surprised and excited we are! Thank you for the wonderful surprise. - George Groenewald TomTom GO worth R4 699…

DURBAN JET-SETTING • In the past year, Durban's King Shaka International Airport has recorded a 46 per cent growth in international passenger volumes, thanks to four national airlines flying directly into the city – from Qatar, Turkey, Ethiopia and Dubai (Emirates). South African travellers can now use Durban as a gateway to the world: more than 900 global destinations are available through these airlines' networks. • Zambian airline Proflight also launched its routes to Durban in September. Flights to Lusaka cost around R7 300 return; from here it offers connections to Livingstone (for Victoria Falls) and to Malawi. proflight-zambia.com ISLAND EXPLORER • There's a new, free mobile app for travelling around Seychelles, featuring maps and info about restaurants, cafes, hotels and activities. It allows users to rate places and write…

World Responsible Tourism Day is on 8 November, and three African operators are finalists in the WRT Awards at the London Travel Market: !Xaus Lodge (image right) in the Kgalagadi Park, Bushman's Kloof in the Cederberg and Tanzania's East African Safari & Touring Company. The awards recognise, among other things, responsible employment practices, wildlife conservation, poverty reduction and community initiatives. ‘The ambition is to use tourism to make better places for people to live in; great places to live are great places to visit,' says the chairman of the African judging panel, Harold Goodwin. Celebrate by putting the 2016 finalists and previous years' winners on your travel wish-list, and rest assured you're helping to pay it forward: in South Africa, Grootbos Private Nature Reserve and Mdumbi Backpackers on the Wild…

Sun, sea, colourful cultural attractions, diving with manta rays and whale sharks, dhow trips and aromatic markets make Inhambane a popular holiday spot for South Africans, but the 12-hour-plus drive on Mozambique's EN1, much like trying to read this sentence in one breath, can be exhausting. Instead, my girlfriend Claire and I decided to break up the trip and see more of the country we so often whizz through. We discovered, with the completion of a ring road that skirts the erratic Maputo traffic, that we could be in our first slice of paradise in about six hours. Here's how we did it… STAGE 1: TO THE BEACH   TAKE THIS ROUTE From Johannesburg to El Paso Take the N12 and N4 from Joburg to the Lebombo border, then the…

Earlier this year I learned of the total distance covered in the world’s longest official ultra-marathon. It’s just shy of 5 000 kilometres. That is not the most staggering thing about it. The entire course spans a city block in Queens, New York. To complete it, athletes lap the block 5649 times. The record holder is a 44-year-old Finnish courier named Ashprihanal Aalto who, in 2015, completed the ‘neighbourhood dash’ in 40 days and nine hours. I’m suspicious of people like this. Finland might not be the most riveting place in the world to live but why would anyone from there (or anywhere else) want to fly to New York, pay for a hotel, catch the subway at least twice and pay an extortionate amount of money for a disappointing…