Clarens, South Africa: Tranquil, rustic and superbly mysterious. - Johan and Sara. Date of travel: Nov 2007
As a bank executive I just wanted to opt out of the rat race some days and, skidaddled from the bright lights of Sandton and drove to the untarred roads and solitude of the Free State. And thus we ended up in Clarens: Sunday mornings look like the glitterati have transplanted themselves here. Nevertheless the Swiss influence is obvious. With picturesque Alpine houses set in meadows with sheep and cows contentedly grazing it's not too difficult to imagine you're in mini Switzerland. A mere three hours from Johannesburg, two and a half hours from Bloemfontein and four hours from Durban, this country gem lies on the doorstep of the Golden Gate Highlands National Park with its sandstone highland rocks aged between 50 and 100 million years which, back then, resembled the Okavango swamps. Hard to believe when you look at it today. It would be wonderful to explore this region with a geologist who could explain the significance of the different levels of colour in the canyons and gorges. One of the great things about Clarens' craft shops, art studios and galleries is that you are left alone when you browse. This is a big plus. You can stay for two minutes or two hours and are never made to feel you have to buy or leave. The result is that you buy much more than if there'd been an assistant shadowing your shopping endeavours. In the craft shop at Golden Gate we met with that special brand of humour only found among Afrikaners - a bottle of Fokol wyn.

Platinum Golf - Golf in South Africa - Janneke Waterkant. Date of travel: May 2007
We have just come back from two weeks golfing trip to the Western Cape in South Africa. What a beautiful part of the world! Had everything pre-arranged through a company called Platinum Golf (www.platinumgolf.co.za), who arranged our car, hotels, tee-off times and then suggested different must do/see things to do on the days we were not playing golf. Arrived in Cape Town, stayed at the Cape Grace Hotel and played Clovelly Country Club and Steenberg. In between we went to Cape of Good Hope - loved the penguins on the way back! From there we went to Knysna and stayed at the 5-star Pezula Resort Hotel. Superb, especially their 'beach club' in the Noetzie Castle! Played the Pezula and Simola courses, especially Simola (Jack Nicklaus' signature course) is spectacular. Even though we are used to walking, we were happy to be in a cart. Great views! We also went to Oudtshoorn to see the ostriches and the Cango Caves. On the way back we stayed in Le Quartier Francais right in the middle of Fransschoek. Fantastic food, no wonder they won several prizes for their kitchen. Played Pearl Valley (another Jack Nicklaus course - started to get used to the many bunkers) and Erinvale, another beautifully manicured course. Had too little time to explore everything there is to see and do, so will definitely have to come back! Can recommend it to anybody, but especially to fellow golfers - this is a superb golfing destination. Go now, before everybody else discovers it...

Delightful Drakensberg! - Cathy & Colin Tuson. Date of travel: Sep 2006
It's the end of a 2 week trip that's taken us to Johannesberg, Cape Town and now here to Halls Country House in the Drakensberg foothills. In the 2 big cities you're as conscious of security as you are anywhere in the world. But here - half the time they leave the keys in the car and the doors open at night! What a magnificent piece of friendly, rural Africa. Well, we're on the plane home tomorrow, but we'll be back soon.

Something for Everyone - Gill Matterly. Date of travel: Aug 2006
South Africa is an incredibly diverse country - not just its people, but its various regions and landscapes. It is well worth hiring a car and travelling across the country - there is so much to see and do. The Western Cape has a splendour of its own - sophisiticated CApe Town, the lovely but overdeveloped Garden Route, Cape Agulhus (the Southern Most tip of Africa), then the wild and untamed beaches of the Eastern Cape, the splendour of the bushveld in Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces (wildlife lovers - a visit to a game farm is a MUST!)... Kwazulu-Natal is lush and tropical, with a range of wonderful National Park to visit such as Mkuzi... The Karoo has its own dusty magic - mountains, flat lands, caves to explore. And then the Northern Cape - the Kalahari Desert (visit the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park for a mindblowing experience). Add to all of this a friendly people and this is a great destination. As when travelling anywhere, one must be vigilant - crime IS a reality in South Africa but being sensible can help. Lock doors, keep all your possessions on you, dont walk around in unknown areas at night. The history of the country has created the melting pot it is today and although the ugly scars of apartheid can still be felt, this is an unbelievable place to visit and to live. There are plenty of different types of accommodation (from B&Bs to backpackers to hotels), excellent food to expand the wasteline and something for everyone.

Andrew Pieterse. Date of travel: Aug 2004
Drakensberg Getaway This Drakensberg story is one of retreat, beauty, relaxation and good eating. The drive towards the Drakensberg Mountains swept over the undulating foothills down side-roads that snake along meandering countryside to our first destination Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse. Cleopatra is tucked away in the beautiful Kamberg valley in the Drakensberg Mountains, it is a gourmet getaway where attention to detail is evident everywhere. The dining room and lounge are extended over a trout-filled dam that looks out across the water to the stunning mountains of the Southern Berg. It is a magical place - a secluded luxury hideaway where the most important factor is not to come here if you are on a diet! The build up to dinner was an event in itself with all the guests meeting at 7pm for drinks and given an entertaining, detailed account of the gourmet meal that was to follow by Richard the chef and owner. Everything is hand prepared on the premises, some of the sauces (the highlight of most plates) take up to three days in creation. It's three fabulous starters each, in our case a plate of meltingly succulent scallops, then a rich, baked butternut soup with a dollop of creamy pesto and a plate of Mozambican king prawns. A small freshening sorbet provided Richard the time for final preparations of the main course, an elaborate plate of choice lamb cuts on rosti with three different chutneys, and rounded off with a rich chocolate concoction, perfectly offset by homemade orange-infused vanilla ice cream. Breakfast the next morning followed in a similar style and although difficult to leave we knew that we had to walk some of this food off or we would never make the next meal. That food was possibly the best I have ever eaten but seriously doubt having survived 2 days of this non stop eating. Kamberg hosts a site of Bushman rock art with relative easy access, a stunning walk including a waterfall, and particularly well preserved examples of Bushman paintings. It is here that the "Rosetta Stone" of San art first provided archaeologists with the key to interpreting the symbolism of the paintings as spiritual in content - showing how hunters gained power from the animals that they killed. Its all professionally explained by guides and although I had seen these paintings before I was again moved. The road to our next stop the Antbear turned out to be just a little hop away mainly because Richard had guided us via the back roads. The Antbear Guest House is one of those seldom found gems hidden away in a network of rural roads in the Drakensberg foothills. The little white washed farmhouse has been converted into a place of artistic elegance. It is full of hand sculptured wooden furniture, a labor of Conny and Andrews love. Andrew greeted us dressed in very flamboyantly African dress and welcomed us with a cup of tea. He is a humorous character with a passion for entertaining, conversation and alternative living. Andrew is a dab hand in the kitchen too. The food is very different to that of Cleopatra definitely not as rich but no less of an experience. Supper was the best Indian food I have ever eaten with a selection of curries, papdams, onion badjis, sambals and naan bread to boot. Andrew quite likes the company in the kitchen and its really different watching this kind of cooking. Its like a circus as he casually juggles the egg turner or adds a handfull of spice to some frying onions. The hosts eat with the guests at a single table with candle chandeliers and a fireplace. Its very welcoming indeed. For desert Andrew whipped up caramelized cape gooseberries in whiskey with hint of time. Why the Antbear is so affordable is a bit of a mystery me and till today the Antbear is my favourite guesthouse anywhere. Armed with Conny’s picnic lunch setoff to Giants Castle Nature Reserve. Giants Castle is a spectacular part of the Drakensberg and one of my favorite regions. Its has less tourism than most other parts and I have always wondered why as it is about as beautiful as it comes. We wanted an easy walk so opted for Worlds View a 14 km trail with a spectacular 360° view at its end. We had lunch and soaked in the views and got back to Giants Castle Camp in time for a well-earned cappuccino and piece of cheesecake.Dinner back at the Antbear turned out to be a Moroccan evening. Again the food was excellent. Andrews advice and enthusiasm inspires confidence and we reorganised some of our plans The following day was supposed to be a visit to the battlefields but I had forgotten about the Drakensberg Boys Choir. Andrew arranged tickets for us and this is really something not to be missed under any circumstances. The day was spent in the Champagne Valley another beautiful part of the Drakensberg. For dinner Andrew had taken the Zulu line. An interesting stew with a type of dumpling bread baked in the same pot. Butternut and maize meal and some wild spinach added a touch of colour. What I have never seen before was the wild asparagus sautéed in lemon and butter with a hint of sesame oil. I start to drool even thinking about that now. The next morning was a guided horse trail through the Drakensberg foothills. I am not a horse enthusiast normally but with such relaxed horses I would not have missed it for anything. It was just before lunch we headed of to Montusi Montusi a bit like a hotel with a personal country cottage feeling about it. The lodge is perfectly positioned to catch the surrounding view, fields of galloping horses and lakes to fish in. The food here too is excellent perhaps not as unexpectly different as the Antbear but our lamb with chargrilled lemon and mint was perfect. Our last day in these mountains was spent walking the Tugela Gorge Walk below the Amphitheatre in the Royal Natal National Park. It took us to the base of the Tugela Falls, where the Tugela River plunges 948m (3,109 ft.) from the plateau, its combined drop making it the second highest falls in the world, and afforded us marvelous views of the Amphitheatre. Our trip back to Durban guided us through the Midlands Meander a place I find to be over rated unless you make the effort to pick out the gems that it does offer. We stopped at Marakesh Israeli Goats Cheese for a glass of wine and some cheese tasting. A perfect light snack after that lovely drive to get here. Our next stop took us passed the Karkloof Falls to the Karkloof Canopy tour.a unique eco-experience that takes people on a 3-hr adventure through the magnificent Karkloof indigenous forest. The canopy tour involves traversing from one platform to another along a steel cable suspended up to 30m above the forest floor. It was five thirty when we arrived back at my flat in Durban. We were all tired but satisfied with our week in the Drakensberg Mountains. I know that this region offers much more and far greater extremes but for us it was a perfect balance of natural beauty, good living and just a little excitement. More Information about the Drakensberg can be found online at www.drakensberg-tourism.com; www.drakensberg.net; www.drakensberg-accommodation.com; www.south-africa-tours.com/drakensberg.html; www.south-africa-tourism.com. Links to Drakensberg Accommodation: www.drakensberg-tourism.com/cleopatra-mountain-farmhouse. (Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse ; R1250 per person includes 3 meals. www.antbear.co.za - Antbear Guesthouse R350 per person includes dinner and breakfast www.drakensberg-tourism.com/montusi.html - Montusi R750 per person includes dinner and breakfast. Links to Drakensberg Activities: www.drakensberg-tourism.com/kamberg.html -Kamberg Nature Reserve R15 park entry per person + R25 Rock art presentation + R15 tour guide to game pass shelter. Giants Castle Nature Reserve (R20 park entry) Drakensberg Boys Choir concert (R75)Royal Natal National Park (R25 park entry per person. www.drakensberg-tourism.com/karkloof.html - Karkloof Falls www.drakensberg-tourism.com/karkloof.html - Karkloof Canopy Tour R395 per person. Tour Operator: http://www.drakensberg-tourism.com/amakhulu.jtml

Anon. Date of travel: Mar 2004
Theft has been rife at this Johannesburg Airport (JNB) for some time and yet little seems to have been done about it. Very few of my travelling friends have NOT lost something there. The theft has included not only baggage that disappears completely but also baggage that is unlocked and unstrapped. Some contents are removed, (often just a few small things, presumably to minimise reporting) and the case is then re-locked and re-strapped.

I love visiting my family in South Africa - Jo Evans. Date of travel: Jan 2004
My brother & sister-in-law moved to South Africa thirty years ago & I have had thirteen wonderful holidays over there. I have been as far east as the Kruger Game Reserve & as far south as Cape Town, up north to Byke Bridge. My family live between Jo'burg & Pretoria, just two & a half kilometers from Dave Town a new black town. For the last eight holidays I have been wheelchair bound but have found ALL South Africans regardless of colour or creed to be kind & helpful not only at the airport but everywere you go, no matter what part of the country you are in. Yes there is crime but there is crime over here too. If you want to go to a wonderful country & meet wonderful people then go to South Africa.