World Travel Awards

Earlier in October the World Travel Awards-Africa took place, where South Africa’s three major cities- Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg shone.

Hailed as "The Oscars of the travel industry" the World Travel Awards celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and is acknowledged globally as the ultimate travel accolade, rewarding world-leading hospitality brands.

Voting for the competition is online and encourages travel and tourism executives and business and leisure tourists to vote for their favourite destinations, resorts and game reserves, among others.

The World Travel – Africa Awards turns the global spotlight on the continent’s leading leisure and commercial destinations, and sees some African nominees, like South Africa, breaking into international categories.

South Africa ranked high in international category nominations, but stood out in the Africa heats, winning 32 awards out of 57 categories, including leading African airport, beach destination, family resort, city hotel, conference venue, safari lodge and spa resort.

The awards also saw East African state Kenya score honours.

  

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Happy Hippo that makes you smile!

750 days in the Kalahari Desert

Wildlife photographer Hannes Lochner spent 750 days in the harsh surroundings of the Kalahari Desert to chronicle the life of a female leopard and in doing so delved into a dark and fascinating nocturnal world of big cats and other predators.

Through his incredible project, Mr Lochner, 41, documented the struggle of Luna the leopard to raise cubs in one of the most punishing environments on earth, where big predators become more active at night, and when the photographer's visibility is severely diminished.

He also captured some stunning and often comical pictures of other creatures, bug and small, including colourful lizards and a pair of quizzical-looking owls.

He travelled a colossal 100,000km during his time at the Kgalagadi TransfrontierPark in South Africa. The images, collected in his new book 'The Dark Side of the Kalahari', capture the awe-inspiring beauty and breathtaking diversity of life in the region.

Shooting mostly at night, the Cape Town-born photographer had to brave: night-time temperatures of -13 in the winter, while trying to catch up on his sleep in sweltering 40C heat in the day.

There was a female leopard, named Luna, which had to protect her cubs from the park's lions, cheetah, spotted hyenas, brown hyenas and jackals, all of whom will kill cubs on sight.

The leopardess had three litters during the two years and three months she was trailed by Lochner. Her middle two cubs were killed by a brown hyena, but she later gave birth to another two which survived.

Also, unusually for leopards, she was regularly joined by 'family man' Oscar, the father of all three litters.

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Eight Cape Town beaches were awarded Blue Flag status

If beaches have Blue Flag status, that means they are clean, safe and secure, and adhere to international safety and tourism standards.

"Having Blue Flag beaches and marinas is a significant tourism draw-card, because international visitors know what to expect when visiting a Blue Flag beach or marina."

The city said Cape Town had the highest number of Blue Flag beaches in the country.

The Blue Flag is awarded annually to over 3650 beaches and marinas in 44 countries across Europe, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada, and the Caribbean.

The eight beaches granted Blue Flag status are as follows:

Bikini

Mnandi

Strandfontein

Muizenberg

Llandudno

Camps Bay

Clifton 4th

Silwerstroomstrand

The two marinas that got Blue Flag status are Granger Bay Water Club and the False Bay Marina.

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Sea Point pool praised as on of the best in the world

The Sea Point swimming pool, which is built on the beachfront overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, was named among world’s top ten swimming pools by Britain’s The Guardian newspaper.

The description on The Guardian’s website reads: ‘The Pavilion swimming pools in Cape Town are a local institution. You swim your lengths while watching super tankers moored alongside twirl on their anchors. Sometimes surf from the cold Atlantic Benguela current washes over the deck.’

“This is a great accolade for Cape Town and reaffirms our commitment to providing top quality public facilities where people can enjoy time with friends and family outdoors. The Sea Point swimming pool is one of our prize facilities and is an extremely popular destination for both tourists and locals,” said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services, Alderman Belinda Walker.

During the peak summer season (October to February) the swimming pool attracts up to 60000 visitors over the period and more than 20000 visitors per month in December and January. The swimming pool can accommodate up to 1300 people at a time.

The facility is open throughout the year, and a handful of Capetonians persevere with their training throughout winter, even when water temperatures drop to about 12 degrees Celsius. 

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