South Africa on a Road Trip

Day one was a day full of activity. I rented my car – a Volkswagen Vivo from Avis Rent a Car (in case your driving license is not in English, you will need to get an International License). Was surprised to see that the car was in such fantastic condition. My first stop was Delta Airstip, 50 kilometers north of the city for my first Skydiving experience. I went with Skydive Cape Town, who seemed very professional. The beauty of this jump is that landscape – the Atlantic coastline, the plains, the Table Mountain of Cape Town which appears like a tiny Noah’s Arc. My instructor Rene (who was from Germany) taught me how to pull off a roller coaster in the air.

Next morning I went to the serene town of Stellenbosch. The place has some fine vineyards and I had registered for a wine tour with Wine Flies. Ian was our guide-cum-driver. And our group was really interesting, with fun-loving people from different parts of the world. Stories were shared over wine, chocolate, cheese and food. My host for the night was Eugene, who has a beautiful house there. He told about some secret trips and trails on the Garden Route over dinner.

Next day would turn out to be one helluva road journey. I decided to go to L’Agulhas – the southernmost tip of Africa. From Stellenbosch, as I made my way south, I reached a place called Gordons bay. And this is where I saw the stunning road ahead – Atlantic Ocean on one side and the hills on the other. I reached a place called Pringle Bay which has an almost deserted and peaceful beach. From there I went to Betty’s Bay, which is a must-visit place if you are a penguin lover. I then proceeded to Hermanus – a sleepy town which if frequently visited by the Brits. It was already past afternoon and I really wanted to reach L’Agulhas before sunset. Making my way via a shortcut through Elim and L’Agulhas National Park (while greeting countless Ostriches on the way), I reached the point where the cold Atlantic and the warm Indian Oceans meet - L'Agulhas. There is a shipwreck close-by and I made it just in time to catch the sunset behind a shipwreck (photographers, note this). My night halt was in Swellendam, a good 100 kilometers from L’Agulhas. And driving post sunset there can be tricky. So avoid it if you have an option.

Richard, my host at Swellendam told me about the Cango Caves and Cango Wildlife Ranch in Oudtshoorn. I made my way through the majestic Tradouw Pass on R324 and passed through the towns of Ladismith and Calitzdorp before reaching Oudtshoorn. For Port Wine lovers, Calitzdorp offers some of the best Port Wine there is. I reached Cango Wildlife Ranch around 3 pm in the afternoon and got to live my childhood dream of petting a Cheetah in there. I reached Mossel Bay by dinner time and checked into a Backpackers hostel.

The next day would turn out to be the most intense day of my trip. I went hiking on St Blaize Trail early in the morning. The trail takes you onto the cliffs overlooking the ocean and is a good 13 km long. The weather was cloudy. So, with crepuscular sun rays piercing the clouds to hit the surface of the ocean, waves lashing onto the sedimentary rock formations and a cave which is known to have housed a core population which showed first signs of modern human behavior, this trail was a surreal brush with the past.

I headed towards Knysna after brunch at Santos Express and visited the pretty Victoria Bay en route (couples, you have to go here). Eugene had told me about a secret trail some 20 kms before I would reach Knysna. Drupkelders Trail. Trivia - not more than 12 people are allowed on this trail at any given time. What you get at the end of this 4 km hike into the forest is something intensely soothing. Rocky pools with cascading river water having a dark green color owing to tannin from the leaves. The day I went, I happened to be the only person on the trail and thus I felt like it was my own private swimming pool. I reached Knysna in the evening and headed straight to the Knysna Heads, which has some stunning views of the lagoon opening into the ocean. That evening as the water receded in the lagoon, got to see two unique things – a group of people baptizing one of their own and people searching for bloodworms (fish baits).

Bloukrans Bridge is a breathtaking structure over Bloukrans River. What makes this bridge even more amazing is that you get to jump off it – Bloukrans Bridge Bungee. This was one major reason why I had come to South Africa. A drop of 216 m right into the valley. I felt this was a bit more challenging (read exciting) than the tandem skydiving because you are all by yourself here. The experience was totally worth it though. I headed next to Tsitsikamma National Park to go Kayaking and Li-Loing on Storms River. I then rushed to Port Elizabeth to catch my flight back to Cape Town, thus bringing the road trip part to an end.

Exploring Cape Town on foot can lead you to interesting places and events. Old Biscuit Mill for example. This Saturday market is a melting pot of cuisines, souvenirs and people. Or the Cape City Walk Tours, which start from Greenmarket Square on Bree Street. I was just in time for the tour of Bo-Kaap. The most striking and unique thing about the Bo-Kaap area is the color of the houses there – blue, orange, yellow, green, pink etc – and each color represents a profession which the inhabitants were good at.

After the tour, my host Mike was glad to accompany me on a trek to the famous Table Mountain. We took the Plateklipp Gorge route and it took us a little over an hour to reach the summit. We came down via the Cable Car. And the day ended with Mike and I pub-hopping on Long Street and Bree Street. He was one cool host. Coincidentally, it was Halloween night.

Another cool way of exploring the city is on Cape Town City Tour buses. You can easily get a pass and hop in and hop off at any place on the route. I went to Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. The garden has some amazing walks and there are different flowers in different parts. One can find the Protea flowers (National Flower of South Africa) in abundance here. The highlight is of course the 100 meter Canopy Walk on a bridge in midst of the garden.

My next day was reserved for another interesting activity – Cage Diving with Great White Sharks. It happens at Gaansbai – around two and half hours east of Cape Town. I went with White Shark Adventures, who picked me up at 3 30 in the morning. It turned out to be a good day as we got to spot around 5 different Great Whites between 2 and 4 meters long. Though you are inside a cage, it's chilling knowing that one of the most violent predators on earth is gliding inches away from you.