- Victoria Falls
- Pangolin Better Wildlife Photography Course on the Chobe River
- EarthArk Mobile Safari – Savuti
- EarthArk Mobile Safari – Khwai Conservancy – Part 1 of 2
- EarthArk Mobile Safari – Khwai Conservancy – Part 2 of 2
- EarthArk Mobile Safari – The Okavango Delta – Moremi & the Xini Lagoon
- Cape Town – Kirstenbosch & the Bo-Kaap
- Cape Town – Muizenberg, Kalk Bay & Boulders Beach
- Cape Town – Betty’s Bay and Stellenbosch
- Cape Town – Table Mountain, Blaubergstrand & Woodstock
Cape Town which sits on South Africa’s western coast, at the top of the Cape Peninsula and in the shadow of Table Mountain, was the last leg of the trip.
The first stop was the renowned Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, nestled against the eastern side of Table Mountain.
The Silvertree is native to a small are of the Cape Peninsula, with most of them growing in Cape Town and is a protected tree in South Africa.
Early September is spring time in Cape Town, with many flowers in bloom.
Of course, where there are flowers, there will be birds. The Cape Sugarbird is native to the Eastern & Western Cape regions of South Africa and feeds on nectar and small insects. This is a female – the male’s tail is much longer.
And the beautiful sunbird, this one a male
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Gardens, The Centeneray Tree Canopy Walkway was built. Also known as the Boomslang (tree snake) the walkway winds it’s way through the trees like the snake that inspired it.
At it’s highest point it’s 12m (just under 40 feet) above the ground.
In the 70’s a yellow flowered Bird of Paradise was discovered at Kirstenbosch. Originally named Kirstencbosch Gold it was renamed in 1996 to Mandela’s Gold in honour of Nelson Mandela.
The gardens are varied, with trees, plants, flowers and streams.
After Kirstenbosch, we headed to the the very colourful Bo-Kaap, which sits on the slopes of Signal Hill. This predominantly Muslim neighbourhood is also the centre of Cape Malay culture in Cape Town.
The lilac coloured home at the top was the site of our Cape Malay cookery class. The spices Faldela used are almost as colourful as the houses!
Cape Malay cuisine is a mix of African, Malaysian and Indonesian influences. The food is flavourful, but not overpoweringly spicy. Faldela showed us how to make Samosas, while explaining the holistic properties of each of the spices.
Back at the hotel fairly early, I decided to head down to the V&A Waterfront to do a little sightseeing and have some dinner.
I sat patiently (or not) waiting for dark so I could photograph the ferris wheel at night
