Stellenbosch on Two Wheels

A Stellenbosch-based adventure sports company has launched guided bicycle tours through the historic town and surrounding winelands.

"It is something different. You actually have an opportunity to experience Stellenbosch and its surroundings, and not just sit in a bus," says the Adventure Shop's Raino Bolz.

You don't even have to be in peak condition to join in. Bolz advises tourists to travel light and cycle in comfortable gear such as shorts and t-shirts. The guides carry a snack pack for each rider. From here, tourists cycle through Stellenbosch to interesting historic sites.

The tour kicks off in Stellenbosch, at the tourist information centre where riders collect their mountain bikes and helmets.

En route the guides will point out other prominent landmarks such as the 'moederkerk', and the theological seminary.

Heading into the countryside

Next, the group heads out to the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, just outside Stellenbosch. Cyclists might work up a bit of a sweat on this part of the route, but the beautiful mountain fynbos should offer enough of a distraction.

The tour follows a winding road through oak and poplar forests to two wine estates in the Jonkershoek Valley. At Lanzerac Wine Estate, cyclists are also treated to chocolate and wine pairings, the ultimate indulgence.

Ending a perfect day out

After the tasting, the group cycles back into Stellenbosch, which is mostly downhill.

Bolz says that there are some variations to this route, and that the tour can be tailored to suite the group's cycling ability. The duration of the tour is four to five hours and cyclists depart at 9.30am from the Stellenbosch tourist information centre, where the Adventure Shop is located.

The cost is R490 per person, which includes a guide; bicycle and helmet rental; two wine tastings and a snack pack and drink.

Visit www.adventureshop.co.za to find out more.

For the full article, click here.

Visitors stream through SA airports

Johannesburg - There was an "impressive" increase in passenger traffic at airports countrywide from November 2011 to January this year, Airports Company SA (Acsa) said on Monday.

"These are encouraging indications of an improvement in air travel numbers and it is hoped that growth will be maintained through 2012," spokesperson Solomon Makgale said in a statement.

"In spite of tough market conditions as a result of poor economic performance, the three months... showed that 9.2 million passengers... were facilitated through... a countrywide network of airports."

This represented a 2.9% growth when compared to the same period a year ago.

"Traffic was boosted noticeably over the summer period at Cape Town International Airport due to additional international seasonal capacity and the introduction of Velvet Sky flights," he said.

The airport recorded "impressive" increases in international passenger travel over the previous year, with November's traffic growing by 12%, while December and January each had a 17% rise.

In December during the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) in Durban, the number of flights at King Shaka International Airport increased by 7.1% with 10 380 additional visitors.

"International traffic grew exceptionally by 105%, with an average flight occupancy of 95%."

Makgale said although OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg saw a modest 1.5% growth during the three months, statistics confirmed it remained southern Africa's traffic hub with an average of 1.6 million passengers passing through it each month.

"Overall traffic results showed that Acsa facilitated a total of 29.9 million arriving and departing passengers between April 2011 and January 2012, an increase of 2.6 percent over the previous corresponding period," Makgale said.

- Sapa

TripAdvisor in hot water

Travel website TripAdvisor was censured by Britain's advertising watchdog on Wednesday, and told it must not claim that all of its user-generated reviews are from real travellers.

The website carried statements such as "more than 50 million honest travel reviews and opinions from real travellers around the world" and "reviews that you can trust", the Advertising Standards Authority said.

But the watchdog upheld complaints that the US-based company - which claims to be the world's biggest travel site - did not verify the reviews to the extent that it could guarantee they were all genuine.

It said that claims that all reviews on the site were from actual travellers were "misleading".

"We told TripAdvisor not to claim or imply that all the reviews that appeared on the website were from real travellers, or were honest, real or trusted," it said in a statement.

TripAdvisor said its fraud detection systems were "advanced and highly effective" but that it was "not practical" for them to screen all reviews manually.

A key complaint was made last year by an online reputation management firm called KwikChex.com, which said it had spoken to thousands of hotels claiming to be affected by malicious reviews, the Guardian newspaper reported.

Full article on iafrica.com

10 Best places to live in the world

Thanks to its beautiful beaches, great restaurants, friendly communities and wide choice of properties, Cape Town has just been voted one of the 10 best places in the world to live in a survey conducted by the UK Telegraph and Sotheby’s International Realty.

Readers of the newspaper named Camps Bay and Hout Bay as their favourite parts of Cape Town, and sang the praises of the Cape Dutch homesteads in the Southern Suburbs and modern apartments overlooking the V&A Waterfront, notes Lew Geffen, chairman of Sotheby’s International Realty in SA.

"They also listed the Cape’s amazing wine, mountains, fun-loving people and outdoorsy lifestyle among the many factors adding to the city’s appeal."

The online survey was undertaken last year after the Telegraph learned that one in three Britons is now considering emigration, and it asked readers to recommend the top spots for these people to settle, by planting pins on a virtual map of the world.

It drew a huge response from readers all over the world, and a wide variety of recommendations, some of them quite unexpected. The other nine destinations among the top 10, for example, included Hong Kong, New York City, Maui in Hawaii, Barbados and the Turks and Caicos islands, but also the North Island of New Zealand, Tasmania, Buenos Aires and Victoria on the west coast of Canada.

Full the full article on iafrica.com

Welcome 2012!

We wish all of you that have traveled and worked with us over the years, a successful 2012!

The Finding Africa Team

A Year In The Wild - Update

Back in July, we posted an article on this blog about www.yearinthewild.com. From 12 June 2011 to 30 June 2012, Scott Ramsay will be exploring and documenting the wild places of South Africa. He’ll travel to 31 of South Africa’s most special wilderness and wildlife areas.

We catch up with him at Gamkaberg Nature Reserve, which I ashamedly admit, I had never heard of until now. But if the above photographs are anything to go by, I’m certainly putting it on my places to visit list.

“Why haven’t we been here before? That’s how we feel about the Gamkaberg Nature Reserve. I’ve always wanted to come, but the famous places got in the way: Cederberg, Karoo, Kruger, Kgalagadi… Can you blame me – these are all special places of course. But that’s why I’m doing this trip…to discover new wilderness areas in South Africa, and to share them with likeminded people.

This CapeNature reserve is not particularly big (although it is growing – that’s the subject for another blog…still to come!). Situated south-west of Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape, the 10 000 hectare Gamkaberg has is special. Perhaps more than any other reserve of its size, it hosts an incredible diversity of animals and plants. It falls slap bang in the middle of the transition zone between the cool coastal mountains and the hot, arid Karoo.”

For Scott’s full article and amazing photographs, visit Gamkaberg.

The Lion King, based on a true story?

BA to increase flights to SA

British Airways will increase its double-daily Johannesburg schedule by three flights from March next year, adding nearly 700 seats a week between London and South Africa’s commercial capital.

It will also add an additional service to its Cape Town summer schedule to offer double-daily flights from the end of October 2011. The 747-400 aircraft will add some 14 400 seats into and out of the Mother City over the busy summer season.

“The additional services give our customers increased choice and flexibility and provide better connections from London to our global network and to the regional and domestic network operated by our franchise partner, British Airways Comair,” says Gavin Halliday, the area general manager for Europe and Africa.

For the full article on iafrica.com, click here.

“Flightiquette”, what we should all know.

Flight Centre has compiled a list of 10 commonly aired in-flight grievances and how to minimize the risk of passenger-related turbulence at 30 000 feet.

1) Boarding and disembarking by row
Once aboard, carry your luggage directly in front or directly behind, as luggage carried to the side will leave a path of destruction (and more than a few headaches) among the aisle-seat dwellers who have already taken their seats.

2) The overhead locker
Ensure your bag is within the required dimensions, only bring one and, wherever possible, stow it in the locker directly above you. Don't deposit your bag above seat 1A and then proceed to your seat at the back of the plane. Trust us - there will be knock-on effects.

3) The arm rest
Let's face it; the middle seat doesn't have a lot going for it, so as you settle in to your window or aisle seat, spare a thought for the disadvantaged middle seat dweller.

If you have established early elbow dominance on shared armrests, make some space for the middle seat dweller, who otherwise faces a long and uncomfortable journey without arm support.

4) Chair reclining
On short flights (under two hours), reclining should be kept to a minimum and avoided completely during meal times. On longer flights, the one-in, all-in rule should apply.

5) Border crossings
Space is an extremely precious commodity in the economy cabin. Don't attempt to cross your neighbour's border (unless invited) by stretching the legs or extending the arm span to read a fold-out map or a broadsheet newspaper.

6) Footwear
You're in close proximity to your neighbours. If there is any suggestion or past history of odour issues, footwear should remain on or should be carefully secured.

7) Mindless chatter
Before engaging in mid-flight banter with your neighbour, look for the obvious clues that point to a reluctant chatterer. Headphones on or face buried in a book mean "I don't want to talk".

8) Knees in the back
You're in a confined space, so the occasional bump to the seat in front is inevitable. Regular knees in the back are, however, almost a declaration of war.

9) Hands off the headrest
Like knees in the back, hands on the headrest in front are frowned upon. Avoid the temptation to pull the headrest in front for extra leverage when standing. The consequences of a poorly timed headrest shake can range from mild whiplash to severe red wine spillage.

10) The bathroom
Reaching the bathroom without breaching one or two of the rules above can be challenging. So, if you're likely to be a regular bathroom visitor, request an aisle seat at check-in and empty the tanks before boarding to avoid the rush that inevitably occurs once the fasten seatbelt sign is switched off.

For the full article on iafrica, click here.

Explore Gauteng

If South Africa was a ship, Cape Town would be the deck. In the Mother City there are sea breezes, deckchairs and beautiful views. Joburg, however, would be the engine room – the metal heart of the country where the hard work gets done.

But looking at the sunrise over the Magaliesberg mountains from the basket of his hot-air balloon, Adam Fillmore knows this isn’t true. “The Magaliesberg is 100 times older than Mount Everest and over 120km long,” said the AirVentures pilot.

Sailing along at a leisurely 10km/h, the balloon provides a refreshingly different view of the fast-paced province – crisp spring air, wildlife and quiet farming villages.

Showing off this unrecognised beauty, vibe and charm is what the Gauteng Tourism Department aims to do with its new campaign, “I’m a Gee Pee”.

The campaign was launched at the Cradle of Humankind, and will use promotions and tourism ambassadors to promote the region.

But the target audience is not foreigners – they want you and me to start holidaying in our province. It is estimated that for every 16 tourists who visit, one job is created.

Gauteng MEC for Economic Development and Planning Qedani Mahlangu emphasised that amid the global economic downturn, South Africa needed to depend on local, not international, tourism for economic growth. “Very few Gautengers have tried to explore Gauteng,” she said.

For the full article, click here.

Get jabbed for Zambia

The South African Department of Health has advised that yellow fever certificates will be required for travel to Zambia as of October 1.

This follows a shortage of the vaccine in South Africa and a delay on the change of government policy concerning innoculation requirements.

Mosquito repellants and prophylactics are also strongly recommended.

10 Fish River Canyon Hiking Tips

Having recently walked the challenging but incredibly beautiful five day hike along the Fish River Canyon in Namibia, there were a couple of things that we wished people had told us before we left. So here are a few tips that my friends and I learnt along the way, that you might find useful.

• Book the shuttle from Ai Ais to the canyon entry point as early as possible. There is only one vehicle and it leaves Ai Ais at +/- 7am and 10:30am. This means that if you catch the later shuttle you will only start the hike at 12:00 – loosing a whole morning. The shuttle can be booked at Ai Ais.

• Don’t forget to take cash with you on the shuttle as you will need to pay the park fees at Hobas before you can enter the canyon. This fee is NOT included in the cost that you would have paid when booking your hike months earlier.

• Other than the emergency exit on day two, there is no signage in the canyon whatsoever. Although the map of the hike is not very accurate, it does help with estimating your whereabouts… well kind of.

• Don’t stress if you haven’t made much progress after day 2, the terrain is tough going and you will make time up on day 4 and 5 when the canyon opens up. If you make camp an hours walk after Palm Springs on day 2, you are doing well.

• Don’t camp near “Sand Against Slope” – the sand is there for a reason. The wind can pick up at night and deliver ½ a ton of sand into your sleeping bag.

• I also wouldn’t suggest camping anywhere along “Dassie Ridge” and “Baboon Mountain”. Our fury primate friends get up to all kinds of mischief and keep you up all night with their loud partying.

• Bring secure sandals for river crossings.

• Please burn you toilet paper after use. Digging a hole and covering it with sand isn’t good enough. The wind simply blows the sand away.

• Some food that we found worked well from a calories vs weight point of view were: rice, pasta, couscous, crackers, tuna sachets, peanut butter, dried fruit, sachet pasta sauces, nuts, energy bars, honey, cup-a-soup, oat sachets and a few onions and garlic for flavour. I would also suggest biltong, but that didn’t even last the car trip there.

• Don’t forget to appreciate the five days of no emails, facebook updates, bbm, spam text messages, tweets, phone calls and general world events. It’s a beautiful thing.

Chris