Today is full moon, so it is the perfect evening to hike up the Lion’s head in Cape Town. The hike takes 45 to 60 minutes, depending on how fast you walk. Every month dozens of people are hiking the small mountain to see the sunset. But only at the day of full moon you can enjoy the moonrise some minutes after this wonderful moment.

 

Full moon is the only date where you can enjoy both spectacles at the same time. When the sun disappears in the sea, all visitors walk to the other side on the top of the mountain from where you have a beautiful view over the whole city. While you are having a snack and a drink you will see the lights turning on in the city. Then the moon is rising up. First it seems slowly, but then the moon suddenly appears as a big yellow ball.

Pilot whales are the longest of the oceanic dolphins and grow up to six meters. They are highly social and males and females stay in their mothers’ pods.

The reason for the beached animals is still unknown but there are many theories. Some biologists explain that when one of the lead whales gets caught in shallow water, the others follow. Then they lose orientation and strand at the shore. We hope the rescuers are able to keep the whales alive and bring them safely back to the sea.

Cape Town full of colours! This year the vibrant Cape Town Carnival took place on the Fanwalk in Green Point on the 16^th of March. It was free for everyone who loves to see beautiful people dancing in colourful costumes. The celebration full of colours, art and music expresses the richness of language and culture of Cape Town. At the last weekend it was the 4^th visual spectacle in this city and again thousands of people participated dancing in the streets along the 1,2 km long Carnival route.

The magical journey of imagination started at 5 pm on Saturday and live music was playing until midnight. Many people enjoyed the celebration of creativity which began 4 years ago. The Carnival came alive at 7pm when spectacular dancers and performer started the parade through Cape Town.

During the entertainment there were many small stalls where you could have a snack. Around half past 9 the multicoloured parade arrived at the stadium.

The celebration was a great event for people of every age: Old and young people, families and friends.

On 10^th of march 2013 the starting gun was fired to open the 36^th Cape Argus Cycle Race (in short the Argus), the largest cycle race in the world. This year around 36 000 participants were riding their bikes 109 km starting at the Civic Centre in Cape Town onto the N2, down the M3 along the False Bay Coast past the entrance to the Cape of Good Hope, along the Atlantic Coast and on to the Cape Town Stadium. The original route took the cyclists 140km.

After 2 hours, 39 minutes and 55seconds, Herman Fouche came home as the winner of the Argus 2013. The elite group was following and after a while the casual cyclists began to cross the finish line. Richard Brandson, one of the celebrities, came home around one o´clock in the afternoon. It is very nice to see the smiling, sometimes relieved faces of the riders. Some of them lifted their fists, some holded hands and others shared high fives while arriving the destination.

Even people who are not interested in the cycle sport could spend an amazing day at the Cape Town Stadium. This year the cyclists were creative in wearing funny costumes as well: They came home dressed as pirates, zebras, rhinos or fairies. At the destination place, there were many tents and stalls where you could have a coffee, beer or snacks.

After some hours all participants arrived at the stadium in the afternoon, some more exhausted than others. We congratulate all cyclists and hope they will join the tour again next year.

A fantastic trip through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Zambia!

Have a look at the tour report…

Day 1) 26.8.2012 -  Cape Town

11:15, time to land in Cape Town for half of our group, ready to start an unforgettable tour with us. Wolfgang and Nicole are happy to welcome Claudia and Torsten, Ingrid and Dana, Petra and Hans, Gerd and Ionel.

Before starting the City Tour we drive to Sweetest Guesthouse and fetch Andrea and Will; they already spent some days in Cape Town.
We explore Cape Town driving through the city center, past the Clock Tower, Cape Town International Convention Center and St George Cathedral. After an interesting tour we return to our guesthouse to rest a bit.

We meet again for the Pre-departure Meeting at 18:00 at Sweet Orange and there we get together with Barbara and Bernard, Klara and Lutz, Gabi and Manfred. We are a big group but Barbara and Bernard, Klara and Lutz, Gabi and Manfred and Will and Andrea already know each other. The friends booked their African adventure with Madiba and they have already been exploring Cape Town for a couple of days.

Now everybody is here and we can say again “WELCOME TO CAPE TOWN!”

Day 2) 27.8.2012–Cape of Good Hope

After a nice breakfast at Sweetest Guesthouse, Wolfgang picks us up and we drive first to Chapman’s Peak, one of the most beautiful spots on the coast. There we have the time to take some awesome pictures and then we proceed on our way south to Cape Point. Most of the group decides to walk down to the Cape of Good Hope, which was believed to be the southern most tip of Africa and the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, which is in fact Cape Agulhas.

We drive back to Boulders Beach to see the penguins and stop for lunch at the Seaforth Restaurant before coming back to Cape Town. Now we have time to take the cable car up Table Mountain and enjoy the breathtaking view of the city and the sea. Afterwards we visit the Waterfront, take a walk around, do some shopping, or sit in a nice restaurant and enjoy a cold drink.

Curious what is coming up next on this fantastic trip?

Have a look at the whole tour report. Even better, experience it yourself and book your unforgettable African Adventure directly with Out of Africa Safaris or via one of our German partners.

Elands Bay is a very small community on the West Coast of South Africa. Almost every day tiny fisher boats can be spotted in the bay looking for fish and crayfish. Nestled scenically at the foot of Baboon point and around the Verlorenvlei lagoon, the charming village is ideal for people who seek for tranquility and nature.

Especially surfers love the spot because the left breaking wave can be incredibly good. On good days, “epic” is a word you can hear quite often. Surfers travel up from Cape Town for a day just to surf on the reef. About two years ago also the local Coloreds started surfing here. Unfortunately, the community does not have much money and relies on the help of others the get wet suits  surfboards, leaches and fins.

Simon Heugel, from Switzerland, is one of the guys who travels up regularly to Elands Bay to have an incredible surf. When he left the country to return to Switzerland, he decided to leave his surfboard where he left his “ surfer-heart”, in Elands Bay, and give it to the locals.

Stefan, from Out of Africa Safaris, also decided to give away one of his surfboards. Last weekend, when we were up, we could finally give the guys their new boards. Together with Dirk from Africa Tours Individuell, we handed the boys over their new surfboards. Clinton got Simon’s board and could not believe his luck to suddenly have a board in such a good condition with leach and fins. The next day we could see the guys having fun with their new boards and ripping the waves.

Dirk from Africa Tours Individuell, who is on a fam trip in South Africa at the moment, also had a good time in Elands Bay, surfing some nice barrels on the reef. Thanks for visiting Elands Bay Beach Cottage and for the good times we could spend together.

Special thanks to Simon for this great gesture!!

Rhino poaching has developed to be a serious problem in South Africa over the last couple of years. In the last 5 years more than 1600 known rhinos have been poached in South Africa, with the alarming number of 668 rhinos in 2012. Only 18 800 white and 4880 black rhinos are left in South Africa, which constitutes 74% of Africa’s rhino population. Read more about those terrifying numbers at the website of Stop Rhino Poaching.   

It is time to participate. Help to save the rhino by buying a Rhinose!

You don’t know what it is, where to buy it or what to do with it?

Well, Rhinose Day is an annual campaign to collect money, raise awareness for rhinos and fight against poaching.  The World Rhino Day is on 22 September every year, nevertheless, every day should be a Rhino Day to protect this beautiful animal. The purchase of a Rhinose allows everyone to participate in the campaign and help to save the rhino.

The red plastic rhino horn, the Rhinose, can be bought in CNA stores in South Africa for only R 30 and the sales revenue supports the campaign to save the rhino. And next? Attach the Rhinose to the front of your vehicle and show your commitment to the campaign. Maybe other people will take notice and participate as well.

Out of Africa Safaris decided to be part of the campaign. We will put a Rhinose on every of our vehicles to raise the awareness of this serious problem.

If you need a break from the busy city life and are looking for unspoilt nature and peace, Kogelberg Nature Reserve is the right place for you. High mountains, beautiful valleys and the unspoilt Palmiet River offer you a close but though remote getaway.

We have just spent two wonderful days there and stayed at the lovely Oudebosch eco-cabins. The newly built cabins have stunning views over the reserve and a natural swimming pool invites you to relax and just enjoy the wilderness. Each cabin accommodates four people (2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms) and has a spacious kitchen/living room area.

Furthermore, Kogelberg Nature Reserve is perfect to do hiking trips. You can choose from day hikes that vary between 3-4 hours (Oudebosch-Leopard’s Gorge) and 7-8 hours (Kogelberg Trail), and overnight trails. A small map where all different trails are marked is available at the reception.

Especially botanists will love this area. With over 1800 plant species, of which about 150 are endemic, the mountain fynbos is exceptional.

Besides, it is easy to get there. Kogelberg Nature Reserve is situated 90 km south-east of Capetown, close to Kleinmond. You will find a sign at the R44 and a gravel road leads you 3 km to the entrance.

The next time you need a short break, you might consider going to the Kogelberg Nature Reserve and spend a night at the very reasonably prized Oudebosch eco-cabins. Enjoy!

On Sunday the 9^th of December 2012 we organized a Christmas Lunch in one of the
poorest township areas near Cape Town.
We prepared a lot of food, presents, and clothes for the children and parents and we all spent an amazing day together!

Anthea and Howard Stoffel are the creators of this beautiful initiative and they will tell us how
everything started…

“2012 has been a year filled with blessing for me.” says Anthea Stoffel Trout,  “I had actively been giving off my time to volunteer throughout the year as a mean to honor the blessed year my family and I have had.

When my brother Howard brought up the idea to bring some German interns and friends on a tour through our local Cape Flats townships we figured it’ll be a good idea to coincide it with something that will benefit the community in some way, even if it was going to be in a small way.

Our father is the Pastor in a small community church, a church where most people are living in extreme poverty. They use a local school hall to gather every Sunday. We decided to take the eager group through Bonteheuwel and end in Bishop Lavis where a warm plate of food was served to the church congregation. There they had the opportunity to see how a big part of real South Africans live without the trimmings of a tour bus.”

“Bishop Lavis is about 3km from Cape Town International Airport. A mainly colored area surrounded by 2 big informal settlements. The area is rife with a very high unemployment rate (60%); poverty, single parent households, crime, abuse, teenage pregnancies and the alarming high HIV/AIDS rate.
Despite all the negativity, numerous educational institutions are found striving towards the improvement of the community’s social conditions. One such is Bergville Primary school. They created their own library, established a computer lab, they offer bodybuilding classes to the community and classrooms to 8 denominations for church services. But with just a little help from the government they find it very difficult to sustain these projects.” Adds Howard Stoffel.

“The team was so moved that they requested to do it again.” Continues Anthea. “That was the start of a budding relationship not just between the church and the interested volunteers but also between the school Bergville Primary and Head Master. Before we knew it, our extended family got inspired and started volunteering their time and whatever service they could offer.

Aunties and uncles and nieces and nephews alike.
What started as just exposing Europeans to our local Cape Town life is growing to a regular monthly gathering of like-minded people wanting to share their time and energy giving to people who are mostly forgotten by our usual touring industry.”

I remember the Pastor saying at the end of the day: “Thank you guys, you made our day!”

So now I would also like to say THANKS A LOT to Anthea, Howard and all the volunteers!

Nicole Lazzarotto

Two free concerts will be hosted in De Waal and Maynardville Parks.

Exciting, diverse and entertaining, the two concerts will encourage people to celebrate reconciliation and national unity through music and party.

Among others, at the De Waal Park concert you will experience the performances of Jimmy Dludlu and Saudiq Khan, while the Black Ties, featuring Chad Saaiman, and Cape Town divas Karin Kortje and Claire Phillips will play at the Maynardville event.

The De Waal Park concert

When?  Sunday 16/12/2012 , starts at 16:00 – ends at about 18:30

Where?  The park is located in Camp Street, Gardens.

Maynardville Park concert

When?  Sunday 16/12/2012 , starts at 12:00 – ends at about 18:00

Where?  Church and Wolfe Streets, Wynberg

Bring your family and friends and join the party!