Category: Africa

Camping in the Okavango Delta

One of the highlights of our holiday was the three nights we spent camping in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Brian had been there 30 years ago and had good memories, so I am glad he wanted to return! It truly is a special place, a UNESCO world Heritage site, and a great place to spot wild animals.

Getting to the Okavango Delta

We flew from Port Elizabeth, South Africa to Maun, Botswana, a good base for beginning the trip to the Okavango camps. Botswana is an interesting country, land locked but full of adventure and a truly unique travel destination.

Accomodation Options in the Okavango

Many of the accommodation options in the Okavango were really upscale, and kind of unnecessary for us. We do not need hot tubs and gourmet meals when we’re in the middle of a beautiful natural landscape. Our purpose in visiting this unique region, where the Okavango River flows into the Kalahari Desert, was to see wildlife and enjoy the natural beauty. We opted not for a 5 star lodge with air conditioning and hot tubs, but for a camping trip and it was great!

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South Africa’s Garden Route

South Africa’s garden route is beautiful and world renowned as a great road trip. We drove from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, with stops in between, and the views were gorgeous.

About South Africa’s Garden Route

Technically, The Garden Route begins west of Stellenbosch, our first stop after Cape Town, and runs from Mossel Bay in the west to Storms River in the east, so we covered that and then some.

South Africa's Garden Route map
Garden Route map

Between Stellenbosch and Port Elizabeth, there are a lot of beautiful stops to make!

Oak Valley Wines

Oak Valley Estate on South Africa's Garden Route
Nice view with some wine at Oak Valley

Oak Valley was one of those fortuitous stops along South Africa’s garden route because we needed a break from the car. Plus, we had driven to the fringes of the wine region, and we wanted to visit another winery while we could. This was a good choice: the estate has beautiful grounds and some nice wines too!

On the way back to the highway, we stopped at an incredible “farm stand”/tourist attraction, where we stocked up on picnic foods and local craft cider.

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One Night in Stellenbosch

The drive from Cape Town into South Africa’s Garden Route has to be one of the world’s most scenic drives. We spent three days driving it, stopped at beautiful parks along the sea, wineries, and a cheetah sanctuary, and determined that three days on the Garden Route and one night in Stellenbosch was nowhere near long enough.

After our kayaking adventure, our next destination was Stellenbosch, located in The Cape Winelands, the wine capital of South Africa.

Remhoogte Wine Estate
Remhoogte Wine Estate Stellenbosch
The view at Remhoogte Wine Estate

The highlight of our visit to South Africa’s famous wine region was our stay in the beautiful guesthouse at the stunning Remhoogte Wine Estate. Overlooking a lake, the winery is home to zebras, wildebeest, impala, and quite a few friendly dogs. If you spend only one night in Stellenbosch, stay there, and try to go for longer.

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