Cape Town is a well-known major city in South Africa and is located at South Africa’s most southern point.
I enjoyed Cape Town for its scenery and the weather. The temperatures were comfortable (mid-60s), and the landscape was beautiful.
One of Cape Town’s most famous landmarks, Table Mountain, allows you to overlook the landscape with a 360° view. You can see the ocean, the city and the mountains all at once.
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On the first day of the trip, my group traveled to the pier at Cape Town to watch for seals. The pier is just off a winding street with a variety of small shops full of locals and tourists.
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A short drive from the pier is “Boulders Beach,” a well known beach in Cape Town. The water was clear and teal, and small waves crashed onto the shore.
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Boulders Beach is known for its African penguins. Walking across the sand and tip-toeing into the water were penguins about one-foot tall.
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Chapman’s Peak Drive is a scenic 5.6 mile road on the Atlantic Coast of the Cape Peninsula. This toll road winds its way between Noordhoek and Hout Bay. It’s carved into the mountain with spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean, cliffs and mountains, and it has 114 curves. The drive offers several lookout points to stop at along the way.
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Franschhoek is a town in South Africa especially known for its old vineyards. People visit Franschhoek Valley for activities like wine tasting, hiking and scenic drives or e-bike tours.
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My group opted to take a “scootour” of Franschhoek Valley. Guides drove jeeps with the group and trailers with fat-tire scooters up to the top of the mountain, allowing people to scooter down the winding paths that are along the old vineyards.
There are many parks and game reserves to choose from for safari in Africa. My family chose Madikwe mostly because of its kid-friendliness.
Many game reserves do not allow kids to come on game drives and make them stay at the lodge for crafty activities. However, Madikwe allows kids of any age to participate, but it also provides babysitting and activities for kids if that’s what they would prefer.
I had nine kids in my group, infants to age 15, and all of us participated in game drives.
Safari is tiring, so make sure you bring a go-with-the-flow mindset. It can also be relaxing at the same time. You get up really early and stay out late in the cold, but you have almost the whole day in between to rest up at the lodge.
We mostly spent this time hanging out by the pool and taking naps.
Going on safari also calls for lots of food. We ate almost seven meals a day. We had breakfast snacks before each game drive, a snack break during each morning and afternoon drive, lunch back at the lodge, high tea (snacks before afternoon drive), and dinner and dessert after returning from the afternoon drive.
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Madikwe Safari Lodge has 22 lodges within the reserve. My group stayed in Lelapa Lodge to accommodate the number of people.
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The first game drive was offered at 3:30 p.m., on day four. Evening game drives are from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Being surrounded by wildlife you have never seen in person before in the light of dusk is surreal.
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Morning game drives are from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The first morning, the group was able to spot a lion. Lion sightings are special and extremely exhilarating. Each jeep has a radio so that guides can alert each other about a sighting, but only three vehicles are allowed to approach the animal at once to prevent overcrowding or spooking the animal.
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Madikwe game reserve holds all of the big five: lions, leopards, elephants, rhinoceroses and Cape buffalo. The term “big five” comes from hunters who considered these five animals the most difficult to hunt. The group approached this Cape buffalo in the late afternoon, one of their most active times. In the afternoon, they will be found grazing and moving between water or feeding areas.
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Madikwe game reserve has black and white rhinos, and due to its anti-poaching efforts, visitors are able to see fully horned rhinos. The group was able to see both white rhinos and black rhinos throughout the safari, but white rhinos are much more common and easy to spot.
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Madikwe game reserve prides itself on its anti-poaching efforts, and prohibits hunting. It allows everything to be left up to the natural cycle of life. On game drives, not only was the group able to see live wild animals, but also skeletons left from the animals. This elephant skull was found near the side of a trail.
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The big five are all rare sightings while animals like zebras, springbok and giraffe are much more common. Animals like these will be spotted on game drives grazing or near a watering whole, usually in groups. Zebras are usually in groups with bachelor males.
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Cheetahs are not in the big five, but they are still an exciting siting. The group spotted the cheetahs sunbathing on an afternoon game drive towards the end of safari. While cheetahs are definitely more intimidating, seeing them act just like a pet cat is entertaining.
Victoria Falls was what I had pictured when I heard we were going to Africa. It was full of African culture. There were dancers on the streets and mini shops set up with handcrafted goods.
The town seemed driven by community, as if everyone was part of a big family. It was also full of tourists due to the waterfall attraction.
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Just after arriving in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, the group headed out for a Zambezi River Cruise. Several cruise boats were out floating down the river for the sunset. On each boat, there was a chef and waitresses that prepared and served appetizers and beverages.
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Victoria Falls isn’t just a landmark, but also the name of the small town where the landmark is located. The town is a perfect example of the culture. There were mini shops set up throughout the streets selling crafts and dancers doing traditional Zimbabwean dances. Students here walk home from school everyday. Some face longer treks than others.
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Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe is the seventh wonder of the world. It is approximately twice as wide and twice as deep as Niagara Falls. The group dressed in ponchos to avoid getting wet from the mist.
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Just a few minutes from the waterfalls is a restaurant called The Lookout Cafe. It overlooks the gorge and Zambezi river. The group got to enjoy lunch here while they watched people zip line and bungee jump.
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On the last night of the trip, the group went to dinner at the BOMA Dinner + Drumshow. BOMA is the African style barbecue dinner, and it takes place in a circular enclosure symbolizing the cycle of life and community. It was very crowded and smelled like lots of good foods. They served many traditional African dishes, including kudu stew.
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