South Africa Car Hire

Green Point

A friendly spot
Mmm, Green Point pumps, it’s difficult to know where to start. It’s also gay friendly, wild, whacky and over the top. Good spot to see in the New Year and great places for girls to go out dancing if you don’t want hairy men leering at you over their beer. Discover it for yourselves.
The Green Point Stadium has a great flea market on Sundays, and offers an assortment of international music concerts and sporting events. It was once the site of a Boer prisoner of war camp.

Green Point is home to the oldest lighthouse in South Africa which was erected in 1824

Places to Stay
Big Blue
This relaxed place is actually pretty organised and they will pull out the stops to make your stay a good one.


Fawlty Towers
Self-contained self-catering flats for independent travellers.
House on the Hill
House on the Hill offers luxurious accommodation at backpacker rates.

St Johns Waterfront Lodge
A well established hostel near the Waterfront with two swimming pools and secure parking.

Sunflower Stop
On the main drag close to Sea Point with easy access to beaches and the city centre, this is a reliably good hostel.

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Graskop

In the 1850’s a renowned eastern Transvaal character Abel Erasmus known to the Africans as Dubula Duzé (he who shoots at close range) had a farm called Graskop (grassy hill). From here he exercised rough justice as the native commissioner of the lowveld.
Today Graskop is the terminus of the branch railway from Nelspruit and a centre of a substantial timber industry.
From Graskop the scenic Panoramic Route leads northwards along the edge of the escarpment to the Blyde River Canyon. God’s Window is 10km from Graskop and is the start of the Blyde River Hiking Trail which passes Fann’s Falls, New Chum Falls and the Bourke’s Luck potholes. The final day is marked by the Three Rondavels and a dramatic suspension bridge across the river.

Places to Stay
Graskop Valley View Hostel
Graskop's newest backpacker is bright, fun and funky.

Green Castle Budget AccommodationAndre, King of the castle, is known for his tall (short, long, thin, fat…) stories.

What to do
Graskop Adventures
Head here for an awesome adventure.

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Grahamstown

Grahamstown is home to Rhodes University, a few thousand students and a lot of churches. Renowned for its diverse festivals and wild parties, the most important annual event is the National Arts Festival in July. It’s a short trip from here to the coast, the Great Fish River Reserve and the Addo Elephant Park.

A rose by any other name…
The town was originally called Graham’s Town after its founder, Lieutenant-Colonel John Graham. It was established as a military outpost in 1811. Thanks to the arrival of the 1820 settlers it became a successful trading post on the frontier and thrived.
Grahamstown is also known as a City of Saints, thanks to the fact that there are around 70 churches here. Sounds more like City of Factions. Although maybe there used to be too many people to fit into the normal number of churches.
These days Grahamstown is best known as the Festival City. The National Arts Festival in July lasts for eleven days and is the largest festival in Africa. The town is transformed into a street market and every available hall seems to be a performance venue. Music ranges from opera to street jazz, and theatre performances from Shakespeare to experimental. Whether you want to shop, party, visit art exhibitions or find the lunatic fringe, there’s a place to do it.
Other festivals include Business Leaders Week and the Science Festival.

Culture
• The Albany Museum complex is made up of several buildings housing a variety of exhibitions.
• The Observatory Museum has a working camera obscura which reflects the view from the street onto a wall in the building.
• The institute of Ichthyology is named after Professor JLB Smith who rediscovered the supposedly extinct coelacanth. There’s a stuffed one in a glass box to prove it.
• The Cathedral of St Michael and St George started as a small church in the town centre in 1824 and took 128 years to complete. The bells are the oldest and heaviest ring of eight bells in Africa. The largest bell weighs 1,25 tons.

A bit of background…
After a turbulent history of warring between British and Xhosa warriors, Grahamstown became a busy trading centre in the early 1800’s. Ivory, skins, ostrich feathers, aromatic gums and cattle were bartered in exchange for beads, blankets, copper and European produce. The town was the one place where warriors and soldiers encountered each other without reaching for weapons and as many as 2000 wagons lumbered into the town on market days. With time many of the settlers disillusioned by their allocations in poor farming situations moved to the town and resumed their original trades as millers, wheelwrights, wagon makers, gun smiths and mechanics.
At this time Grahamstown was the second largest town in Southern Africa.
It now has the highest rate of unemployment in the Eastern Cape, and possibly in the country.

Today the school and university life dominates the town. During vacation periods, the streets are empty and the stillness of the air is disturbed only by the subdued weeping of commercial travellers (urban legend, ok?).

Kid you not though, it's a great spot to go and have fun when the fun is happening.
Grahamstown is 125km inland from PE and 180km from East London.

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Johannesburg - South African shares inched a whisker higher on Thursday as a weaker rand buoyed platinum miners while retailers Massmart and Truworths jumped on strong earnings.

"The results from the retailers suggest worries about rate hikes were a bit overblown and platinums are going through the roof," said one Johannesburg-based dealer.

Mid-cap mass retailer Massmart jumped 3.56% to R52.30 after it reported a 28% jump in annual headline earnings per share and said it expected a solid first half.

Fashion retailer Truworths strode 2.87% higher to R23.30 after it unveiled a 29% jump in annual profit and said the sales growth in the first 8 weeks of this financial year exceeded 20%.

The two sets of earnings, plus upbeat comments from food and clothing chain Woolworths on Wednesday, allayed investor jitters that two interest rate hikes since June would halt a consumer spending boom that has swelled retailer profits.

The news also boosted the country's biggest clothing retailer Edgars Consolidated Stores (Edcon), which rose 1.85% to R27.50.

The Johannesburg Top-40 index of blue-chip stocks nudged up 0.03% to 19 844.77 points while the All-share index edged 0.03% higher to 21 664.66 points.

A weaker start on Wall Street amid worries over consumer spending kept a lid on sentiment in South Africa, and some heavily-weighted mining stocks like BHP Billiton fell.

But platinum miners starred, boosted partly by a weaker rand. The world's biggest platinum producer Anglo Platinum leapt 5.81% to R820 while Impala Platinum climbed 2.8% to R1 323.95 rand.

"I think the weaker rand is the driving force. The platinum stocks are also playing catch-up with some of the other miners which have had a nice run but are now suffering from a bit of profit taking," said Abri du Plessis, Chief Investment Officer at Gryphon Asset Management.

Construction, steel and cement company Aveng rose 2.21% to R24.98 after it said it expected to lift full-year headline earnings per share and EPS by 40%-60%. Separately, Holcim said it would sell the biggest part of its South African business to local black investors. Aveng owns 46% of Holcim South Africa.

Black-owned mining group Mvelaphanda Resources Ltd rose 0.72% to R35 after it posted a jump in earnings driven by its investments in gold and platinum producers, and said it saw further gains ahead.


News source: www.news24.co.za

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Prague - Leading astronomers on Thursday approved historic new guidelines under which distant Pluto is no longer defined as a planet.

After a tumultuous week of clashing over the essence of the cosmos, the International Astronomical Union stripped Pluto of the planetary status it has held since its discovery in 1930.

It is the first time that scientists have had a formal definition of what is - and is not - a planet.

Thursday's decision by the prestigious international group spells out the basic tests that celestial objects will have to meet before they can be considered for admission to the elite cosmic club.

For now, membership will be restricted to the eight "classical" planets in the solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

Much-maligned Pluto doesn't make the grade under the new rules for a planet: A celestial body that is in orbit around the sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a ... nearly round shape, and has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.

Pluto is automatically disqualified because its oblong orbit overlaps with Neptune's.

'Dwarf planet'

Instead, it will be reclassed in a new category of "dwarf planets", similar to what have long been termed "minor planets". <>The definition also lays out a third class of lesser objects that orbit the sun - "small solar system bodies", a term that will apply to numerous asteroids, comets and other natural satellites.

Although astronomers applauded after the vote, Jocelyn Bell Burnell - a specialist in neutron stars from Northern Ireland who oversaw the proceedings - urged those who might be "quite disappointed" to look on the bright side.

"It could be argued that we are creating an umbrella called 'planet' under which the dwarf planets exist," she said, drawing laughter by waving a stuffed Pluto of Walt Disney fame beneath a real umbrella.

The decision at a conference of 2 500 astronomers from 75 countries was a dramatic shift from just a week ago, when the group's leaders floated a proposal that would have reaffirmed Pluto's planetary status and made planets of its largest moon and two other objects.

Plan 'highly unpopular'

That plan proved highly unpopular, splitting astronomers into factions and triggering days of sometimes combative debate that led to Pluto's undoing.

Now, two of the objects that at one point were cruising toward possible full-fledged planethood will join Pluto as dwarfs: the asteroid Ceres, which was a planet in the 1800s before it got demoted, and 2003 UB313, an icy object slightly larger than Pluto nicknamed Xena by its discoverer, Michael Brown of the California Institute of Technology.

Charon, the largest of Pluto's three moons, is no longer under consideration for any special designation.


News source: www.news24.co.za

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Bloemfontein - The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein on Thursday dismissed the SABC's application for an order granting it leave to broadcast live the hearings of Durban businessman Schabir Shaik.

To permit live television coverage could inhibit participants in Shaik's case, SCA President Judge CT Howie said in his judgment.

"[It will], whether by way of being the last straw or in combination with all the other circumstances, create the material risk that justice will be impaired and the respondents' section 34 and 35(3) rights to fair hearings infringed," the judgment read.

Howie said he had not lost sight of the public broadcaster's contention that live coverage could serve to educate the public on how appeals were conducted.

Not the way to do it

"I happen to believe that public education in the workings of the court is long overdue and that television is the most effective means of instruction. What I am clear about, however, is that this is not the instance by means of which to reach that goal," the judge said.

Howie said the educational enhancement was however not the motive for the application, but "the perfectly understandable" one of increasing viewer and listener numbers.

The judgment also referred to witnesses in the Shaik case that would be potential witnesses in the pending trial against former deputy president Jacob Zuma.

The SCA found these witnesses should not be deterred by television exposure from testifying again, as argument in the Shaik appeals would make full and repeated reference to Zuma.

The judgment found that Zuma's alleged guilt was not at all involved in the Shaik case. The risk of the public thinking, based on argument presented in Shaik's case, that Zuma's alleged guilt had already been decided however had to be minimised.

"Obviously it will not be anyone's intention in the pending criminal appeal to consider or pronounce upon Zuma's alleged guilt, but again, it is in the interests of justice... to minimise, if not eradicate, the risk that popular perception will regard the crucial question in the Zuma case as having already been made," Howie said.

"In regard to this second reason, live or delayed coverage by radio would serve to create that risk, just as much as live or delayed television coverage."

The judgment was a unanimous decision by five appeal court judges.

The public broadcaster was also ordered to pay the costs of the State represented by advocate Billy J Downer and Schabir Shaik.


News source: www.news24.co.za

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Cape Town - Parliament will soon move at huge cost to Oudtshoorn in the Little Karoo for two days and even the town's airport will not escape unscathed.

The name of the project is The People's Parliament and 464 hotel rooms have been reserved provisionally.

Parliament could not provide an estimate on Thursday of what it would cost to fly the MPs and their support staff to Oudtshoorn and to house and feed them there.

The purpose of the project - planned for September 14 and 15 - is to take parliament to the people.

A meeting of the parliamentary programme committee was told on Thursday that trains, which would have taken them to Oudtshoorn, were not regarded as practical as they would have had to stand at the sidings for too long.

Now, between four and six aircraft will be chartered (the cost has not been determined yet) and, because Oudtshoorn airport is not equipped for such big aircraft, certain changes will have to be made to accommodate them.

R626 400 for accommodation

These include, among other things, extra fire engines and safety personnel.

Rumours were rife among political parties that the runway would have to be extended, but Tango Lamani, parliament's general manager of operations, said this would not be necessary.

The standard tariff of the Oudtshoorn Inn is R450 a night for a single room.

The cost of 464 rooms for three nights at the inn would run to R626 400.

Opposition parties have said the whole idea is a waste of money.




News source: www.news24.co.za

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Cape Town - A man has drowned and another has been reported missing in the Southern Cape where heavy rain continued on Thursday, causing rivers to burst their banks.

Captain Malcolm Pojip said 45-year-old Daniel Boesak of George had tried to cross the flooded Molin River in the town.

He had tried to cross where a bridge had been washed away during a recent flood.

Pojip said a man had been reported missing at Riversdale after people had seen him being washed away in the swollen Goukou River.

He added that the Kaaiman's Pass, between George and Wilderness, had been closed to traffic because of mudslides.

Meanwhile, the Cape Town regional office of the SA Weather Bureau forecast the possibility of further rain at George on Thursday night, progressively decreasing with the likelihood of sunny skies by noon on Friday.

Two large dams being monitored

Pojip said about 85 people had been evacuated from their homes and that 173 houses had been affected by the floods.

Many who had been evacuated earlier in the week had returned to their homes.

Rescue personnel were also anxiously monitoring two large farm dams in the Swellendam area.

Meanwhile, Montagu has again been cut off from the outside world, the second time in a month, while Riversdale and surrounding towns in the Eden district also have been affected.

The municipal manager of Hessequa municipality at Riversdale, Johan Jacobs, said they didn't have money to repair the damage, estimated at R10m.

The Goukou River that burst its banks caused the most damage. Flood waters damaged a sewage farm as well as a caravan park. About 300 people have been left homeless.

sewerage pipeline damaged

Montagu teacher Alton Sauwer says the roads to Cape Town and Ashton and Touws River have been closed, and some suburbs in Montagu have been cut off. Children were unable to go to school on Thursday.

Among roads that were closed to traffic on Thursday were the Garcia Pass at Riversdale; the road between Suurbraak and Barrydale; to Suurbraak from the N2; between Heidelberg and Suurbraak; to Botlierskop (near Klein Brak River) and Friemersheim (near Groot Brak).

Roy Veldtmann of the emergency operational centre in Robertson said a sewerage pipeline in McGregor was seriously damaged.

"Lives have not been endangered and an air force helicopter is monitoring the area," he said

Juani Walters reports that several people have left their homes in Suurbraak, and drinking water is being trucked to the town.

The joint operational centre in George says Riversdale and Heidelberg have been the hardest hit.

Warning about severe storms

Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool said the Hessequa mayor "gave me the assurance that the humanitarian crisis was being handled well and people were being given food, blankets and temporary accommodation".

Gishma Abrahams reports from Port Elizabeth that the weather office has cautioned people about severe storms on Friday.

This comes just weeks after estimated damage of at least R310m was caused in the Eastern Cape by heavy snow and floods.


News source: www.news24.co.za

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Vienna - An Austrian teenager who escaped eight years' captivity in the hands of a man she had to call "master" simply asked for her favourite toy car when she was reunited with her family, her father said on Thursday.

The disappearance of Natascha Kampusch at the age of 10 as she walked to school in 1998 remains one of Austria's most baffling crime mysteries.

Speaking about the moment the family was reunited, Kampusch's father, Ludwig Koch, told the Austrian daily Kurier: "She said: 'Dad, I love you.'

"And the next question was: 'Is my toy car still there?'

"It was Natascha's favourite toy, I never gave it away in all those years."

"I always put out of my mind the thought that she was dead."

He and her half-sister identified the 18-year-old on Wednesday and were joined by her mother on Thursday at the hotel where Kampusch is staying with a policewoman and a psychologist.

Captor kills himself

She escaped on Wednesday while her kidnapper was distracted, police said.

A man police believe to be her captor committed suicide by throwing himself under a train soon afterwards.

"Her health is OK and mentally she also appears to be OK, at least in the eyes of a layman," said police spokesperson Armin Halm.

But her father, who split from her mother before the kidnapping, told the paper Natascha was "emaciated and has a very, very white skin and blotches all over her body", according to quotes released ahead of Friday's edition.

"I don't dare to think about where they come from," he said.

Adolf Brenner, the policeman who questioned her first on Wednesday, told local news agency APA she was forced to call her captor "master" in the first years of her ordeal.

The police spokesperson said it was unclear whether Kampusch had been abused.

Officers were due to interview her later on Thursday once DNA tests confirmed her identity.

Escape

Kampusch escaped from a garden outside the house of the kidnapper, whom police identified as Wolfgang Priklopil, in Strasshof, a hamlet 25km outside the capital, Vienna, and about 10km from her home, police said.

"It seems there was a moment when she was not observed (when) the suspect was busy and she had a chance to escape ..." chief inspector Johan Fruestueck told Reuters Television.

She showed up in another garden nearby and identified herself to a neighbour.

Her captor equipped a 6m² cell beneath the house's garage with running water, toilet, washing facilities, bed, books, radio and occasionally television, said police officials.

Police said they wanted to know details of the relationship between Kampusch and the man, given that she appeared to come down with "Stockholm Syndrome", a psychological condition in which long-held captives begin to identify with their captors.

Kampusch's captor had recently loosened his security measures, allowing her occasional outings in the village with him.

He was distracted by a phone call, allowing her to flee, investigator Erich Zwettler told Sky Television.

Panicked

"He noticed his victim had escaped, panicked, jumped into his car and drove away fast," Zwettler said.

Priklopil's red sports car was found abandoned in a Vienna parking lot.

Police said it was virtually certain Priklopil was the man who committed suicide while a manhunt was under way.

While the body was mutilated by the train, he had the key to Priklopil's car in his pocket and wore his clothes.

Priklopil, a communications technician, had been questioned by police soon after Kampusch's disappearance - just like hundreds of owners of white vans similar to the one a schoolfriend had seen Kampusch get into on the day she vanished.

The hunt for the teenager had never been dropped.

Sightings had been reported in Hungary, divers searched ponds and police flew over the region with infrared cameras.


News source: www.news24.co.za

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Cape Town - Tony Yengeni was toyi-toying his way into Pollsmoor Prison on Thursday afternoon, supported by a vocal crowd of supporters.

The former ANC chief whip and veteran of the anti-apartheid struggle has been sentenced to four years for fraud.

The crowd was chanting "Viva, Tony Yengeni, viva."

Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool was among the supporters, as were some department of correctional services officials.


News source: www.news24.co.za

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The Overberg and Route 62 - Grabouw

Lying in between some of the Cape’s most spectacular mountain passes, this is apple, mountain bike and adventure country. Midway between the winelands and sea, you can head north to Franschhoek or south over the mountains and through the forest to the coast.

Places to Stay

Pippins Country House
An escape from city lights with the Winelands, beach and the airport within easy reach.


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Cape Town - Drivers involved in bad accidents or who commit serious traffic offences might have to undergo retraining and retesting before being allowed back on to the road.

Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe said the prospect of retraining and retesting of drivers after a serious accident and serious traffic offences would make South Africans think twice in future when they got behind a steering wheel.

Key to this would be a new driver's licence points demerit system discussed at a departmental work session with delegates from the various provinces, states the department's website, www.transport.gov.za.

Under the system, drivers may forfeit their licences after too many offences.

Transport department spokesperson Collen Msibi told Die Burger this system would apply from the beginning of next year in Pretoria.

"Then the system will be extended to the rest of the country within 18 months."

Motorists apparently will receive points with the demerit system at the beginning of every year.

Demerits for every traffic offence would be deducted from these points.

Points carried over

A driver's licence will be suspended when the points are used up, and be cancelled completely if it has been suspended three times.

Drivers who committed no offences in a year will have their points carried over to the next year.

Accumulated points will not exonerate drivers from serious offences such as drunken driving or serious speeding offences.

Msibi did not want to confirm this information on Wednesday night.

He said the minister had to study the system again and approve it.

Automobile Association driver training manager Dave Johnston told Die Burger on Wednesday that he agreed in principle with a demerit system.

"The department will be able to point out serious offences with it.

"But I'm worried about traffic officers who commit offences themselves."

He said he hoped the plan also would indicate faults on the country's roads.

There were too many double-lane roads where the speed limit was only 60km/h.

Some dangerous single-lane roads through built-up areas had the same limit, and this was contradictory.

The speed limit could easily be raised on safe roads and be reduced on more-dangerous roads.

"Speed isn't the biggest reason for our country's road deaths.

"The real culprit is not keeping to the correct following distance between vehicles," he said.




News source: www.news24.co.za

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Eastern Cape Inland and the Karoo - Graaff-Reinet
The fourth oldest town in South Africa was founded in 1786. More than 200 of the buildings here are national monuments and a walk through the streets offers an insight into the architectural heritage of South Africa.
The world’s largest grapevine grows in the museum garden. It was planted in 1870, has a girth of over 2.5m and still bears fruit.
The Karoo Nature reserve surrounds the town and incorporates the Valley of Desolation, a game viewing area and two hiking trails.
Old buildings and relics of the past
The Victorian Chemist still has original interior shop fittings, show windows, front door and pharmaceutical equipment.
The Drostdy (Town Hall) was restored in 1977 and is now a hotel. The garden is a great place to relax with tea and yummy cake and there are some interesting old domestic utensils displayed inside the building. Try working out what they were used for if you can...
Reinet House was declared a historical monument in 1952. In 1956 it was opened to the public as an historical museum in the form of a period home.
The Old Residency opposite Reinet House is a well-preserved model of the early 19th Century H-shaped house. For those interested in guns, it houses the extensive Jan Felix Lategan Memorial gun collection.
The Old Library Museum has an excellent collection of the Karoo fossils and a period dress collection.

The Valley of Desolation
The nearby Valley of Desolation is one of South Africa’s most remarkable phenomena. These dolerite capped shale mountains have been eroded into all sorts of bizarre shapes. A short climb takes you up to the top where there are walks to different view points. Birds spin dizzily around the heights, while down below the town sits snug in the bend of the river. The sheer cliff faces echo bird calls, dassies scurry and leap on the boulders and tenacious plants spring from every crevice. As the sun goes down the rocks glow red - hang your legs over the edge of a cliff and watch the colours change.

Places to Stay

Le Jardin Backpackin’
A cosy Karoo stop over.

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The Wine Region - Gordon's Bay and Somerset West

Around town
Join the student population of near by Stellenbosch sunbathing on Gordon Bay's golden beaches. Take a cruise around the harbour, cast a line into the sea and watch the sun sink behind Cape Point.
Drive the awesome coastal road via Cape Hangklip to Hermanus, keeping eyes peeled for migrating whales from September to November.

Places to Stay

Abelia 12 Guest Lodge
Not a backpackers as such, but a good alternative for those wanting to stay away from crowds and city lights.


Wonky Donkey Backpackers Lodge
Wonky Donkey is located close to the beach and on the glorious coastal route where waves and whales abound.


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Around Cape Town - Glencairn

Glencairn is situated on the crossroads between the eastern and western sides of the Cape Peninsula. So after you've watched the sun rise and had a swim in the warm waters of False Bay, plan for a sunset on the wild western side over the cold waters of the Atlantic.
The hours between sunrise and sunset are easy to fill - there's hiking, diving, surfing, swimming and visiting the penguins just for starters.
The coastal road leads to Cape Point Nature Reserve from here, then turns around the Peninsula and hugs the coastline on the way to the long miles of Noordhoek's beach, ending at the foot of Chapman's Peak Drive.
A small shopping centre in Glencairn caters for most needs, but those who prefer malls will find plenty to shop for at Long Beach Mall, over on the other side of Black Hill.

Tickle your taste buds
Do a gourmet restaurant tour - one of South Africa's top 100 restaurants is right here in Simon's Town and Kalk Bay has a whole bunch of good food spots.


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The small village of Gingindlovu is surrounded by extensive sugarcane fields and was once the site of one of Cetshwayo's military kraals. Here during the battle of Gingindlovu, Lord Chelmsford and 6 000 men on their way to relieve Eshowe, vanquished an Impi of 11 000 Zulu.
Check out the cemetery at the Gingindlovu battlefield that commemorates those who lost their lives in the battle.

Places to Stay

Inyezane
Inyezane is, without doubt, the most off-the-wall backpacker in South Africa and we love it. Huge.


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Mountain passes around George
George lies at the foot of the Outeniqua mountains. Six passes have been made over time. The first was opened in 1689 following an old elephant trail into the Little Karoo. The second pass, in the east, goes over Duiwelskop into the Langkloof Valley. In 1812 Cradock’s Berg pass was built. All three passes can be hiked and the Cradock Pass is part of the 7 day Outeniqua hiking trail.
The Outeniqua Pass leads from the forests of George into the dry scrub of the little Karoo where wide-eyed ostriches flutter their eyelashes and await their fate. It runs in sweeping curves over the mountain peaks which drop into deep valleys where the gravel Montagu Pass takes a slow ride up an easier gradient.
The Robinson Pass, between Oudtshoorn and Mossel Bay is yet another magnificent road that overlooks ranges of jagged mountains fading into blue distances.
There are loads more passes, each one a jewel in its place – look at a map and see how long you can stay off the N2.

The Outeniqua Tjoe-Choo
This class 24 narrow gauge steam train is one of the few working passenger steam trains still in existence.
It leaves George at 8.10am and arrives in Knysna at 11.30am. It returns to George at 12.55pm. Tickets can be bought at both stations.
Hop on with a picnic basket and let it transport you back in time through the wetlands, forest and along the coastline.

What's in a name?
George was named after the English king, King George III.


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Hunting ground to the beast of legends, the Great White Shark, Gansbaai is a sleepy fishing village that has recently become Hot Public Property.
Viewed world wide on video, this predator is largely misunderstood and loved only by photographers, thrill seekers and obsessed/wacko marine biologists (but not by their moms).
There are peaceful cliff walks to meander, whales to watch and fish to catch. Not to mention plenty of sea birds and seals (the Great White’s most favourite snack after humans in crunchy cages).

Shark cage diving.
Dyer Island has earned international recognition as the most successful area in the world from which to view the Great White Shark in its natural environment and you’ll find some of the best shark cage diving in South Africa here. Not to mention heaps of seals, penguins, bird life and a bunch of other stuff...

You’ve just got to decide whether shark diving is environmentally cool or not. I personally don’t think it’s ok.

The Drup Kelders.
One of the most unusual geological features of this coastline is a series of underground pools known as the Drup Kelders (dripping cellars). These natural caves have a few stalagmites and stalactites and crystal pools that are perfect for swimming.


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A rose by any other name…
The charming town of Franschhoek lies on the river by the same name about 25km south-east of Paarl. The picturesque town nestles between distinguished wine farms and imposing mountains in the Franschhoek Valley - a fairy book village that oozes old worlde charm and French influence.

Tweaking taste buds
Franschhoek’s excellent restaurants have caused the small valley to earn the title of “food and wine capital of the Cape”.

If you only have time to visit one wine farm in the area, make sure it’s the Boschendal Wine Estate. Set against the backdrop of the Groot Drakenstein Mountains in the Drakenstein Valley, the estate was established in 1685 and is probably one of the Cape’s most beautiful wineries. The manor house –a fine example of Cape Dutch architecture - was built in 1812 and is open to the public. You can wander around the homestead, sample some of the Cape’s finest wines and enjoy a picnic under the oak trees.


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This is a lovely little town in the heart of the Free State's cherry growing industry. Rock paintings are splashed around the area and there is an abundance of nature based activities such as hiking. It has a wide range of accommodation varying from the sensible to the esoteric.
The esoteric can try Rustler's Valley (Tel/Fax: (051) 923939) whose stunning setting overlooks the Maluti Mountains. We think that they have great doubles but found the staff's unfriendliness strangely at odds with the general "peace, love and prosperity for all mankind" ideology of the place.
A car is preferable.


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Nobody quite knows how Etosha came to be, but some geologists believe that a large inland lake was fed by a great river which changed its course and left the lake to dry up and shrink to its current size.
There are three camps in the park - Namutoni, Okaukuejo and Halali - and we found all three lacking for such a famous park. That said, we enjoyed Namutoni the most because of its fantastic spot lit water hole which teems with game every evening and stays busy until the wee hours of the morning.


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Zulu kings and chiefs lived here to escape from the summer heat. The British settlers established their capital here for the same reason.
The Dlinza Forest is part of the town and it’s said that “Eshowe” is the sound of the wind sighing through the forests that surround the town. Nice thought but the name probably comes from shrubs which are prolific to the area and called “showe” or “shongwe” by the Zulus.
Attractions include "The Fort" (Zululand’s historical museum), the Vukani (woven craft) Collection, the Dlinza forest boardwalk which runs 10 metres above the ground, Mpusheni Falls, Martyr's Cross, the Norwegian mission station and Shakaland.
It was once home to the legendary John Dunn - hunter, trader, explorer, soldier, statesman, white chief of Zululand and husband to 48 Zulu wives.

Places to Stay
Zululand Backpackers
Situated in a wing of the George Hotel, Zululand Backpackers offers comfortable good value for money accommodation.

What to do
The Zululand Brewing Company
Stop off for a half pint of the brewer's finest - stay for more…


Zululand Eco-Adventures
Think of a cultural tour in Zululand and they probably offer it - or something like it.


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Bursting at its seams with fishing holes, Ermelo has 277 lakes of varying sizes within a 20km radius of the town (which explains why the area ranks highly amongst frogging fans). Other big crowd pullers are the flamingos and flowers.
More mainstream attractions include Stone Age corbelled huts, the source of the Vaal River, Anglo Boer war sites and Goliath’s footprint.

Places to Stay
Gateway Backpackers
A convenient stop over that offers some unusual attractions.


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The best left hand break…

This is a surfer's (and beach lover's) paradise with the best left hand break in S.A. according to Surf bum Geoff. Elands also has some very fine seafood and lots of kreef*. In fact, a while back millions (and I mean millions) of kreef crawled out of the sea in a desperate attempt to escape a bad Red Tide (which starves them of oxygen) only to die on the beaches. It was an unforgettable spectacle which made environmentalists weep as they desperately tried to loads the creatures in bulldozer tips and transport them to healthier sea. Ask the locals about it - someone will have pictures. Very freaky stuff.

Surf report.
For surfing enthusiasts, Eland's Bay is a place of pilgrimage. The majestic, fast moving waves which roll into the bay in summer when the south easter blows are world famous. Surfers can work into the sea from a headland to catch the waves early and enjoy a long ride.

Check out Baboon Point and the Elands Bay Cave which houses San paintings that date back 15 000 years.

Excellent camping is available right on the beachfront.

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East London has the largest river port in the country. It’s a great surf stop and those in the know say that Nahoon Reef is comparable to Sunset Beach in Hawaii.
Check out the museum’s Coelacanth. Ancestor to amphibians which in turn became land vertebrates (that’s you and me), the Coelacanth was believed to have been extinct for over 70 million years. Until one was caught by a local fishing trawler!
The museum also has one of the world’s few dodo eggs.
The river was known to the Hottentots as Iggab! ab (place of buffaloes). East London is a harbour for the export of citrus, mineral ores and wool. Considerable imports are also handled here.

Stock up on cash.
If you're heading for the Transkei, feed your wallet before you leave as banking in the Transkei is tiresome.

Surf’s up.
If surfing is your thing, take time to stop for some of the best waves in the country.

Bizarre.
When East London was first founded, 157 Irish woman were "imported" to become brides to the settlers.

Places to Stay

East London Backpackers
They are just 50m from Orient beach with restaurants, clubs and pubs nearby.


Niki Nana Backpackers
With a zany zebra striped roof you can spot from the air and bright green walls, you can't miss it.

Sugarshack
Located right on the beach overlooking some great swell.


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Those beaches, those breaks, those babes
Surf City has the largest population of surfers in the country. Peppered with surf shops and spots, it's an ideal city surfing locale. There are lots of spots, from mellow beach breaks to grindingly hollow reef and beach breaks.
Surf dudes, here’s your breakdown.

See shark feeding time at the Aquarium.
Go for a stroll around Umgeni River Bird Project.
Watch cricket at Kingsmead cricket grounds.
Take a bet on the horses at Greyville and make your fortune.
Go to the Snake Park and watch them milking venom.
Learn more about Jaws at the Sharks Board near Umhlanga Rocks.

Check out the Natural Science Museum at the City Hall.
Try the vegetarian restaurant at the Temple of Understanding.
See what’s on at the Bat Centre. It’s a focal point for art, craft and alternative happenings.
Visit the Durban Art Gallery which has huge collections of everything. Current and historical art sit beside anonymous carvings, clay pots and beadwork and English masterpieces compete with the works of celebrated South African artists. It has over 3500 works.
Visit Grey Street, sample fiery local curry, buy henna for DIY temporary tattoos and visit the largest mosque in the Southern Hemisphere.
Buy a curio at the Victoria Street Market, some spices to make your own curry with and finish off with some magic muti from a kerbside witchdoctor.
Hang out at the happening waterside bars where you can watch ships come in until you fall off your barstool or get kicked out.

Places to Stay
Agape Backpackers
Accommodation is in wooden cabins and the rooftop entertainment area has sea views.


Ansteys Beach Backpackers
Ansteys is just a short walk from the world famous “Cave Rock” surf break.
Banana Backpackers
Located in an apartment block with an enormous central open air “roof garden” of sorts, it is centrally situated and just a 5 minute walk from great year round swimming and surfing.


Hippo Hide
Set in a beautiful indigenous garden with an inviting rock pool this is a good choice for weary travellers wanting an escape from the occasional madness of the backpacking world.
Home Backpackers
Home is a quiet, safe, uncomplicated place where where everyone gets to know your name.


Nomads Backpackers
A comfortable home run by seasoned travellers.
On The Beach
Tthat's exactly where they are… and with walking distance of La Lucia Mall and a bunch of city amenities.


Smith's Cottage
The cottage is a 5 minute drive to beach and city (they run a shuttle).
Tekweni Backpackers Hostel
Tekweni cooks. One can’t say anything else about this ever-buzzy hostel and its hordes of people.

What to do
Adventure Dives
These guys are passionate about diving - and about having a good time. Tours can combine dives, safaris, adventure and culture.


Skydive Durban
Adrenaline and scenery combined in one rush.

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This attractive small town is set in a countryside famed for its show of spring flowers which are best exemplified in the nearby Tienie Versfeld Wild Flower Reserve.
This 22ha botanical sanctuary preserves a fragment of a typical sandveld environment and is open to visitors throughout the year although it looks its best around September.

Did you know?
The “Oudepost” farm boasts the country's largest orchid nursery.
Darling is the second home the hilarious and ingenious genius of Pieter Dirk Uys or Evita Bezuidenhout - one of South Africa's leading theatre personalities.


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The mountain that moves away.
Coleskop, an important landmark for 18th century travellers making their way into the unknown interior, can be seen from over 40km away. Strangely though, you never seem to get closer to it…
* a dorp - a small country village

Spring in the desert
If you are lucky enough to be here after the first rains of the summer season, you will see the dry soil burst into abundant life, hardy succulents blooming and bright mesembryanthemums sparkling in vivid colours along the roadside.
The area around Colesberg is renowned for producing high quality racehorses and top quality Merino sheep.

The last outpost
The self-proclaimed Afrikaner Volkstaat of Orania is about 100km north of Colesberg. After the official death of apartheid, a group of Afrikaners purchased the town and surrounding land in order to live according to their traditional beliefs. This marginalised community exploits technology to the full in all facets of their lives. (They don’t employ labourers, unlike the rest of South Africa.) The irrigation project, organic vineyard and dairy farm can be visited. There is also a museum with a collection of firearms, some dating back to the 18th century.


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Coffee Bay is a popular stop on the Wild Coast. The road is good with only the occasional pothole and once you’re here the laid-back atmosphere makes it difficult to leave. The scenery is dramatic, with cliffs backing a stretch of perfect beach. The gentle hills around the bay are covered by a network of trails that lead through nearby villages and to secluded secret spots.


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Shop till you drop.
Whether it’s sport at Newlands or shopping at Cavendish Square, the upmarket suburb of Claremont is a microcosm of Cape Town. It’s the perfect place for credit cards that have been sitting too long in a money belt. Cavendish Square and the Link are designer shopping heaven. Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens are close by and you are on the road to the warm Indian Ocean and scenic Cape Point.

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Other attractions include Rocklands - a well known site for rock climbers, activities in the Cederberg Mountains, prolific bushman paintings, rooibos tea, wild flowers and the annual flower show which is held at the end of August each year.

Permits for climbing are available in Citrusdal.

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The Heart Beat Of the Mother City
Cape Town’s city centre is small compared to any other city centre – especially considering it’s one of the main cities in South Africa and the country’s parliament capital. But small often equals charming, and the city centre certainly has enough charm to have you visiting her on a regular basis.
Cape Town is fast becoming dominated by a crowd of innovative and imaginative young adults and funky bars, night clubs and spectacular restuarants spring up constantly – so if you’re into the social scene there’s more than enough to keep you occupied.

There’s also plenty of culture, interesting museums and a happening art scene for the more civilised. And shop-till-you-droppers will have no problem running their credit cards into the ground what with all the yummy (often distinctly African) wares on offer.

This area covers the central business district of Cape Town, so all the following hostels are in town and close to shops, pubs, clubs and restaurants. They're hip, they're happening and they offer everything city slickers need.

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