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When it comes to golf and big
game parks, South Africans and
visitors to the Republic are spoilt
for choice, writes David Newbery
WITHIN minutes of arriving at Cape
Town’s international airport terminal
I heard them – the vuvuzelas.
The soccer World Cup was in
full-swing and international soccer
supporters were blowing their
newfound toys.
The country was buzzing and
everyone wanted a piece of the action.
They were even blowing them on top
of Table Mountain where you can see
the magnificent Green Point stadium
1086m below.
A cableway ferries visitors, 65 at
a time, to and from the mountain’s
summit.
Of course, the majestic mountain
isn’t the only draw.
Most visitors to this extraordinary
country come to see the wildlife with
the Big Five (lion, elephant, leopard,
buffalo and rhino) high on the list of
must-see big game.
There are literally thousands of game
parks and reserves to choose from.
If it’s beaches you want, there are
thousands of kilometres of them.
And then there are the magnificent
mountain ranges, picturesque
winelands and world-class golf courses.
Travelling by road is a breeze thanks
to the excellent road network system.
Another reason for the explosion in
the international tourist market is the
relatively weak Rand, which means
visitors get good value for money.
Cape Town, Southern Africa’s
oldest European region, is a place of
natural beauty and the food and wine
is outstanding.
The revamped Victorian harbour
is popular with visitors eager to visit
the craft markets, museums, taverns,
shops, restaurants and hotels.
A favourite excursion is a drive
through the southern suburbs past the
famous Newlands cricket ground and
on to the unspoiled wilderness of the
Cape of Good Hope nature reserve.
The vuvuzela
“You must do the fan walk,” said the
owner of the quaint Newlands cottage
– our home base during our stay in
Cape Town.
So, on the day of the Spain v Portugal
match, we joined the thousands of
mostly Spanish and Portuguese fans
on the 2.4km trek from the city centre
to Green Point stadium.
The atmosphere was fantastic as
rival fans sang, cheered and blew their
vuvuzelas – only stopping to take in
the entertainment, something to eat or
drink at one of the many restaurants
and bars along the route.
“Have you got your ear plugs,” said
my partner Barbara nervously as we
settled into our seat to watch the game.
“No need,” I said. “I want to absorb
the full atmosphere of the World Cup.”
As it turned out, the vuvuzelas
weren’t as annoying inside the stadium
as they sounded on television.
(Top) Simola golf course at Knysna is a Jack Nicklaus-designed course that that
has been described as a thinking golfer’s layout. (Above) The Big Easy restaurant,
Winelands. (Inset) The vuvuzela
There’s even an Ernie Els connection.
He has his own wine label and a
restaurant aptly named The Big Easy
right in the heart of Stellenbosch.
The winelands
Just 45 minutes south-east of Cape
Town you’ll discover the towns of
Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschoek and
Somerset West where wine has been
produced for more than 300 years.
The area offers pristine scenery
and there are hundreds of wine farms
with gracious Dutch-style homesteads
scattered around the area.
On safari
To our delight, we discovered
Gondwana Game Reserve just over
four hours from Cape Town by car and
30 minutes from coastal Mossel Bay.
Owners Mark and Wendy
Rutherfoord started the reserve six
years ago, transforming a series of cattle
and sheep farms into an 11,000-hectare
safari destination.
The terrain consists of open
grassland, undulating valleys,
indigenous Fynbos (fine bush), some
Australian wattles and now herds of
wildlife.
With ranger Nadia Kent in command
we come face-to-face with a pride of
lions in an open field.
