I recently returned from a month-long trip to South Africa, visiting Cape Town, the northern Cape as far as Upington, Johannesburg/Pretoria, the south-eastern Transvaal and much of Kwazulu-Natal, including the southern Drakensberg. Reports of increased urban crime & slipping health & other social services were worrisome, but hardly visible to non-residents. We certainly never experienced anxiety of any kind, and my lasting impression of the trip is one of smiling, happy people. If our vehicle passed by a thousand children in the interior, 999 of them - all dressed in school uniforms - were waving! There is much hope for the future. South Africa still offers visitors from overseas more variety than any African destination.
South Africa's inflation rate is artificially low & it appears that the Government has put a firm lid on food prices. This results in very good prices at restaurants: one has to frequent really fancy joints to pay more than R35 ($10) for a main course, R10 ($2-70) or so for a starter and about R45 ($12) for an excellent bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Quality of accommodation & service fluctuates widely between urban & country areas. In all the major cities & some of the larger towns one has the choice of hotel chains such as City Lodge, Holiday Inn Garden Court, Protea, Karos, Formule 1, etc. which offer good value for money in the 3-star category, where one should expect a good, 'generic' hotel room (air-conditioned, en suite bathroom, colour TV, telephone) for about $70 per person, per day, bed & breakfast. It's a different story in the countryside. Two-star hotels are often no better than run-down boarding houses with seedy bars, bad food and no service to speak of. This was certainly our experience at the Hantam Hotel in Calvinia and the Kenhardt Hotel in Kenhardt. However, the 2-star Pofadder Hotel was quite pleasant and the Belmont Hotel in Ceres was terrific, especially the lavish buffet dinner!
The concept of guest houses and b & b's has taken off in South Africa in a big way. The latest edition of the Portfolio collection lists some 200 recommended B & B's. South Africa also has many excellent guest houses, several of which I can personally recommend, including the Weaver's Nest in Wakkerstroom, Fugitives Drift Lodge near Rorke's Drift, The Post House in Greyton, Mimosa Lodge in Montagu, Klippe Rivier Homestead in Swellendam, and Underberg Guest House in Cape Town.
450 BIRD SPECIES & 45 MAMMALS: FROM AARDVARK TO ZEBRA
Even though our October trip was geared towards birding, we ended up with a list of no less than 45 mammals, including Samango Monkey, Springhare, African Wild Cat, Bat-eared Fox, Cape Clawless Otter, Striped Polecat, Large-spotted Genet, Antbear (aka Aardvark), African Elephant, Black Rhino, White Rhino, Burchell's Zebra, Hippo, Giraffe, Blue Wildebeest, Bontebok, Blesbok, Red Duiker, Springbok, Klipspringer, Steenbok, Gemsbok, Buffalo, Kudu, Nyala, Bushbuck, Eland, Common Reedbuck & Waterbuck. (Complete list of birds & mammals available on request).
Both the Cape Clawless Otter - which was feeding in a rock pool in the ocean at Kommetjie near Cape Town and the Aardvark (which really is quite pig-like in appearance) were lifers to even our very experienced local guide, so these two sightings were particularly thrilling. Quite a few of the rarer, nocturnal mammals were - obviously - encountered on night drives, which we undertook just about everywhere. To be fair, we did spot some birds on the night drives too, a memorable one being a Spotted Eagle Owl which just sat and sat right in the road, seemingly fascinated by the quartz halogen beam. We never did see large herds of wildebeest or antelope as one might expect in east Africa, and this is pretty much par for the course in South Africa. We will be including a few days in Kruger National Park in a June '96 trip, to see if we can add some good-sized herds of elephant & buffalo, as well as a few of the large predators to our list...
Bird-wise, there were many highlights in the Cape, starting with Jackass Penguin at Boulders Beach, a huge flock of feeding Cape Gannet at Kommetjie, 15 birds of prey including the superb Black Harrier at Langebaan & the diminutive Pygmy Falcon near Pofadder. As always, there were larks everywhere and we 'got' all but one of the local specials: Clapper, Fawncoloured, Longbilled, Karoo, Red, Spikeheeled, Redcapped, Sclater's and Thickbilled Lark as well as Greybacked & Blackeared Finchlark. With perseverance and due to the excellent local knowledge of our guide, Dr. Peter Ryan, we also found Karoo Eremomela and Cinnamonbreasted Warbler, both missed by a British bird tour in the same area.
Eventually, we ended up with 450 bird species in total. Unfortunately, Wakkerstroom was pretty much a wash-out: very windy & cold the first day, hard rain the next. So we missed a slew of stuff there, including Botha's & Rudd's Lark, Yellowbreasted & Rock Pipit & who knows what else. We did manage Wattled Crane, Blue Korhaan & Redbreasted Sparrowhawk. Mkuzi Game Reserve made up for this: we rattled up 200 species in 2 days including Barred Owl, right on the southern edge of its distribution. Saw a bunch more stuff at Cape Vidal (Grey Waxbill at almost the same spot as last year, near some Casuarina trees), Richard's Bay (Terek Sandpiper, finally!), and Dlinza, where I got my life Delegorgue's Pigeon. We also had beautiful views of Green Twinspot. The Southern Drakensberg was great, once again. We saw every special, including (for the first time) Mountain Pipit. Best views ever of Drakensberg Siskin and Bearded Vultures galore!
WHAT TO SEE & DO IN CAPE TOWN
Starting a South Africa trip in Cape Town is not a bad idea. It's a laid-back, relaxed sort of a city, a world away from the Johannesburg rat race, and first-time visitors won't experience too big a culture shock here. A few days in Cape Town is just what you'll need to ease into Africa, so to speak, before you tackle a safari or some such adventure further north. It may be tough to leave the city behind, though! Scenically breath-taking, with Table Mountain forming the most appealing backdrop imaginable, Cape Town offers a feast of fascinating things to do and see. Take your choice from scenic drives, tours to the nearby wine country, interesting historical monuments like the recently restored Castle, appealing Cape Dutch architecture & furniture, superb beaches, restaurants to please every taste & pocket, the bustling Waterfront development, good hiking, biking & running opportunities, horse trails & riding, the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, scuba diving, boat trips & deep-sea fishing and much more.
The down-side? The weather can be crummy, especially in June & July, when it's rather cold - in the 50's - and rainy. Spring and summer, although mostly sunny & warm to hot, can be windy, and you have to experience a howling south-easterly wind which doubles up pedestrians and rocks buses to appreciate what I'm talking about. However, one soon learns to appreciate the wind as just one more facet of the incredibly varied experience that is Cape Town. A truly cosmopolitan city with its feet squarely in Africa, but with a feel that is very European.
A 'must do' outing in Cape Town is a ride by cable car to the top of Table Mountain for breathtaking views of the city & environs. Amongst others, one can see Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spent nearly 20 years of his life as a prisoner. At the terminal station the dassies (rock hyraxes) are so tame they'll eat right out of your hand. Conventional wisdom has it that the 'ideal' cable car trip is at about 1800 in summer so that all the sights can be seen in daylight, following which one can enjoy the most beautiful sunset imaginable. From November through April the cableway operates until 2130 (2230 from December to mid-January).
The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront is Cape Town's most popular attraction, and on weekends, especially over December and early January, it is extremely crowded. With more than 40 restaurants, fast food establishments, coffee shops & taverns, you won't go hungry or thirsty. Take your pick from Belgian through Mexican cuisine, from burgers to seafood. On our last visit, we had dinner at the very noisy Quay Four, which serves generous portions of very well prepared continental fare. Leisure attractions at the Waterfront are just as varied, ranging from boat trips and helicopter flips to visiting the Maritime or Fisheries Museum. Shopping reigns supreme, however, and the Waterfront boasts well over 100 shops, crammed with jewellery, curios, foods & wines, books, clothing, crafts and much more. Not to be missed.
I never tire of visiting Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, one of the more beautiful spots on the peninsula, where some interesting birds and typical fynbos plant species such as Protea and Erica may be seen. The Cape has many hundreds of endemic plants and the area is in fact a separate Floral Kingdom, the smallest, yet richest of its kind in the world. The best time to visit the gardens is in spring, when many of the Protea species are in bloom, but there is always something to see. Kirstenbosch's restaurant is quite popular, but I must admit to being less than impressed (in October '95) with the cold curried fish, usually fairly dependable local fare. As happens so often in lower to moderately priced South African restaurants, the emphasis was on quantity rather than quality. The service was quick, though!
We made our annual pilgrimage to Cape Point, the spot where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans purportedly meet (they actually meet at Cape Agulhas). It is a great outing, nevertheless, and we saw several interesting birds, including some sunbirds and a species found only in the Cape, the Cape Siskin, at the look-out point. From there, it is also possible to watch the fascinating spectacle of hundreds of Cape Cormorants, which breed on the cliffs, approach and leave the nesting site in a never-ending procession, while a steady trickle of Cape Gannet can be seen making their way around the Point, flying low over the water. The ruggedly beautiful Cape Point is worth a visit just for the view, which is hard to describe without resorting to clichΘs and hyperbole. Construction of a new restaurant and parking lot was scheduled for completion at the end of 1995, while a funicular tram-way, to transport the ever-growing number of visitors to the look-out point, is in the planning stages.
Yet another worthwhile outing is a day-tour of the scenically beautiful Cape winelands, including lunch at a typical estate. There are no less than 10 different wine routes within easy driving distance from Cape Town, the most popular ones being the Stellenbosch and Paarl Wine Routes, as well as the Vignerons de Franschoek. The area is reminiscent of northern California's Napa Valley, and one need not be an oenophile to enjoy the rural landscapes. The university town of Stellenbosch, where many excellent examples of Cape Dutch architecture may be viewed, as well as the picturesque village of Franschoek, originally settled by French Huguenot immigrants in the 1680's, should be on your itinerary.
In late 1994 our accommodation in Cape Town was the Townhouse Hotel in downtown, not far from the Houses of Parliament and several other interesting historical places. The Townhouse is a very well run hotel with a restaurant which counts amongst the city's best. The rooms are on the small side, and guest parking is on the 7th floor, which makes for quite a production coming and going. Even so, the Townhouse, which has the feel of a good downtown club, is excellent value for money, has good security and is very centrally located.
In 1995 we selected the Kommetjie Inn, a recently refurbished hotel in Kommetjie, a small sea-side town on the cold (Atlantic Ocean) side of the Peninsula. The hotel is an easy walk to the ocean where many endemic birds and the occasional otter may be seen. Rooms here are spacious and very well appointed; breakfast was superb and the adjacent restaurant served above average fare, although I found the dining room much too dark. One evening we had dinner at The Red Herring in nearby Noordhoek, and we could not have made a better choice. For our party of six the bill was only $73, including the gratuity. Service was on the slow side, though. The Kommetjie Hotel is nicely situated for a visit to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve
Another recommended hotel is the Victoria & Alfred Hotel, which is located in the historic 1904 North Quay warehouse on Cape Town's waterfront. It has large, luxuriously furnished bedrooms with nice views of Table Mountain and the City of Cape Town. The hotel is a recent winner of the much sought-after Silver Collection Award based upon consistently high standards of service, hospitality and ambience. Other hotels at the Waterfront include the Breakwater Lodge (excellent value for money), the new Portswood and the City Lodge.
I also recommend a nice little guest house in Tamboerskloof, The Underberg, where you can have a spacious double room with bath, shower and bar-fridge, TV, telephone and a kettle for tea or coffee - plus a full English breakfast - for about $90 for the room (two people). Owners Len & June Barnett will go out of their way to make sure that you have everything you need.
GOOD NEWS FOR AFRICAN WILDLIFE
By Dr. Roy Stauth
There are some exciting new developments in wildlife conservation
efforts in southern Africa. For many decades wildlife habitat declined as
stock farming and other human activities expanded, but in the last few
years the trend has started reversing in countries like South Africa and
Zimbabwe. In July and August I toured the "lowveld" regions of
north-western South Africa and south-eastern Zimbabwe and discovered that
fences are coming down, cattle are being moved off the land, and much is
being done by private landowners to rehabilitate wildlife habitat,
reintroduce species to their former ranges, and increase the numbers of
many species of African wildlife.
There are a couple of things driving this transformation. Prolonged
drought and the lowering of protective tariffs on beef have recently made
cattle farming relatively unprofitable, while the growth of tourism (and
especially ecotourism) has caught the attention of many local farmers. At
the same time, government agencies responsible for parks and wildlife have
developed innovative measures which have encouraged farmers to make the
switch from cattle to game. For example, the National Parks Board of
South Africa has made contractual arrangements with private reserves and
farms on the western border of the world-famous Kruger National Park under
the terms of which these private lands have effectively become an integral
part of the park - all fences have been removed, so that game can move
freely back and forth between these private and public lands.
The success of this arrangement is causing a cascade effect: farmers
on the boundary of the new "Greater Kruger Park" have seen the economic
benefits (in terms of increasing land values and tourism revenues) enjoyed
by their neighbors, and are applying to be included in this new
arrangement. The result is that fences are falling like dominos, wildlife
habitat is being rehabilitated, and sound wildlife management strategies
are being adopted by private landowners. The bottom line is that wildlife
is now seen as an economic resource by more people, and farmers are either
selling out to ecotourism operators or are converting themselves to this
new, more sustainable, nonconsumptive use of their lands.
After some fifteen years working in environmental and wildlife
conservation in South Africa (with the National Parks Board and the
University of Cape Town), it is refreshing to see these developments. The
pace and scale of the change are truly remarkable, and in my recent visits
with senior government officials and officials with organizations like WWF
(World Wide Fund for Nature, aka the World Wildlife Fund) I learned that
this is only the beginning of a great planned expansion of wildlife
resources in what promises to be a mutually beneficial association between
the public and private sectors.
ZIMBABWE WITH PETER GINN: JUNE 1997
A country where the fences have indeed been coming down is Zimbabwe, a good example being the Save ('sah/vey') Conservancy , on the west bank of the Save River south of Birchenough Bridge. The Conservancy was formed by 16 ranches removing cattle and fences and concentrating on game and tourism. Elephant (600) and Rhino (40) have been re-introduced. The area provides an excellent example of how veld can improve with conservative use. The is an area of open woodland and grassland, the woodland consisting mostly of Mopane and Acacia. Birds are lowveld and water birds and potential bird sightings including Bat Hawk, Whitecrowned Plover, Redbilled and Yellowbilled Oxpecker, amongst some 350 species found here.
Peter Ginn, who recently concluded a successful lecture tour to the United States, will be leading a birding trip to Zimbabwe in June 1997. The tour has been developed with birding as the major objective, but it offers plenty of scope for game-viewing with the chance of seeing most big game species found in Zimbabwe. Time will also be taken to see other interesting things such as Great Zimbabwe, San (Bushmen) paintings, the Matobo Hills, Victoria Falls etc.
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