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Africa

Nisan - Temmuz 2023
Elaine tarafından 96 günlük bir macera Okumaya devam et
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  • 48ayak izleri
  • 14ülkeler
  • 96günler
  • 339fotoğraflar
  • 10videolar
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  • GezginAfrica
    Gün 18

    Tsitsikamma National Park

    1 Mayıs 2023, Güney Afrika ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    We started the trip along the famous garden route and our first stop was Tsitsikamma National Park. We stayed in Tsitsikamma Village Inn and spent half a day relaxing. In the park we hiked along the coast line to a waterfall. This hike involved bouldering and climbing rocks to reach the path. It was an unusual hike with all the bouldering but the coastal scenery was stunning and I loved hearing the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks beside us. The hike took three hours and we were tired afterwards due to all the concentration involved insuring that we were stepping on stable rocks.

    After our lunch three girls from our group decided to do the bungee jumping from a bridge in the park. The rest of us watched in support. It brought back memories of my bungee jump in Costa Rica and I was glad I wasn't doing it again.    Okumaya devam et

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  • GezginAfrica
    Gün 20

    Garden Route

    3 Mayıs 2023, Güney Afrika ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We continued along the Garden route and visited the Cango caves. These caves were lived in by the native San or Bushman people. Our guide Leanne explained how the caves were discovered using a small oil lamp. She demonstrated the small area the original discoverers would have seen using their lamps and then she turned on all of the lights to show what the true scale of the cave was. There were huge stagmites and staligtites surrounding us in the large cave. We learned how the calcium rock formations occur and how water flow changes the appearance of the cave. Our guide explained that there was concerts in this cave from 1960s to 1990s however people ruined the caves appearance as they took home rock formations as souvenirs so the concerts were stopped. Nevertheless Leanne sang a song to demonstrate the acoustics of the cave. The sound was magnificent it brought goosebumps to my skin.

    We stayed in Barrydale and went to a brandy tasting because Barrydale is known for its brandy. I have never had brandy before but I said I would try it and I was quite surprised how nice it was. Our hotel was the Karoo Art museum and it had very quirky art and bedroom designs.

    We drove to De Hoop Nature Reserve which is a World Heritage Site for it's wild flowers and bird life. We walked down to the beach and saw dolphins swimming in the bay. After lunch we headed to Africa's most southernly point, L'Agulhas. This is also the point where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean. Our guide Cardi told us the that the Atlantic Ocean was colder than the Indian Ocean. We checked by comparing the coldness of the water from one hand and the other but we were not convinced that there was any difference. There was a nice statue which was the map of Africa and it showed the rivers, mountains and desserts of the continent. It was nice to try and figure out where we had travelled and compare it to the size of the continent.

    We stayed in a beautiful lodge house in Stanford called Standford Valley Guest Farm. We had our own rooms with a porch that overlooked the stunning mountains around us. There was horses in the field and we got the view the full moon rising from our porches. It reminded me that on the start of the tour we stayed in accommodation with a porch looking out over safari animals while this last accommodation looked over the horses and mountains. We had dinner together and then played Una card game for a while. It was a lovely evening with plenty of laughs.    Okumaya devam et

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  • GezginAfrica
    Gün 22

    Hermanus

    5 Mayıs 2023, Güney Afrika ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Today was the last day of my first tour group. After breakfast we drove to Hermanus and walked along the promenade. This was where we said goodbye to Liz as her mother came to collect her. Liz had not seen her mother since 2018 so there was a heartwarming reunion. Her mother's 92nd birthday is next week but she looks at least 10 years younger. Liz was the lady who went to school with Arthur Cummings so her mother was delighted to meet me too.

    We drove through Hermanus to Stony Point and we walked along the boardwalk searching for penguins. A lot of the penguins were out fishing for the day but there was some penguins walking around and resting under rocks. We had fun watching the penguins waddle to the water edge and enjoy the waves of the water.

    I sat in the front with Shorty for our drive along the coast to Cape Town. It was one of the most beautiful coastal roads I have seen. The huge mountains were on one side while the blue sea was on the other one. This road has been voted as one of the best coastal drives around the world and I can understand why.

    Before reaching Cape Town we drove through the vineyard area. We stopped in Stellenbosch to have lunch and then did wine tasting in Fairview in Paarl.

    The tour ended on the outskirts of Cape Town. I have travelled with a few different but I would say this group was one of the best. I felt that we bonded really well even when some people left and new people joined the group. There was no conflict or negative energy and everyone enjoyed the company of our tour guides. It was sad saying goodbye to our group and you could see everyone was trying to hold back tears.    Okumaya devam et

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  • GezginAfrica
    Gün 23

    Cape Town

    6 Mayıs 2023, Güney Afrika ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    I spent a week in Cape Town. Initially I thought that this would be too long to spend in a city before starting my next tour however the more I researched activities in Cape Town the more things there was to do.

    The first morning I woke up early and climbed Lions Head. My tour guide was Tony from Atlantic Outlook Adventure and we hiked with Huda who grew up in Cape Town. This was my first time seeing the city and it was amazing seeing the size of Table Mountain and it's closeness to the city. The Lions Head hike involved climbing up rocks and using ladders to get to the top. While walking Tony explained local stories about the mountain and the city. He was very interested in nature and explained how many of plants are used for medical purposes. By the time we got to the top a cloud had covered the mountain so unfortunately we didn't get to see the sunrising. Nevertheless it was a nice hike and a good way to start the morning.

    When we returned back to the bottom of the mountain Huda asked if I wanted to go for a coffee to celebrate our early morning exercise. We went to Against the Grain in Bo Kaap area which is a pretty area with very colourful houses. Huda is a muslim, coloured South African woman and she is a chef who cooks lunches for IT companies. We had a wonderful conversation about both our lives. She explained how her life growing up was affected by the Apartheid system but she lives and works to show her children the possibilities in life. As we walked back towards my hotel Huda invited me into her house and how she showed me the industrial kitchen in her basement where she cooks all the meals for the companies. Her three sons were at home and one of them gave me a chocolate muffin he had baked that morning. It was lovely to meet a random stranger and have a great conversation where we both felt connected us.

    In the afternoon I meet Cardi, Linde and Michaela to go to the URC quarter final. The Stormers were playing the Bulls. It took place in DHL stadium which was built for the 2010 soccer world cup. The atmosphere was electric and the Stormers who were the home team won 33:21.

    The following morning I did a free walking tour of Cape Town. It was interesting learning about the different settlers in Cape Town. The Dutch, Portuguese and English all pushed the indigenous people out of the city and brought slaves in to build the city. There is still a lot of conflict regarding ownership of different lands in Cape Town. After the walking tour I used the hop on hop off bus to get around the city. I stopped at Camps Bay for a walk along the beach. I met Michaela, Linde and Michelle from the tour for dinner that evening at V & A Waterfront. There were singers from the local township busking on the street and we ended up staying there for an hour listening to them as they were really good.

    The next day I used the hop on hop off bus to go to Kirstenbosch botanical gardens. It was a beautiful botanical gardens with a great view of Table Mountain. I walked around the peaceful gardens and then found a bench to sit and observe the nature and people around me for a while. On the way back into the city I stopped again in Camps Bay to have an ice cream and say a final goodbye to Michaela.

    The following morning I climbed Table Mountain with Fatima from Atlantic Outlook Adventure. We used the Plattekip Gorge route to the top. It was steep at times but only took about two hours to get to the top. Fatima explained some stories about the mountain and Cape town itself. I said goodbye to Fatima at the top of the mountain and took time myself to walk around the top seeing the different viewpoints. I then took the rotating cable car back down the mountain before using the hop on hop off bus back to my hotel in Seapoint.

    One of the main things to do while in Cape Town is driving to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope. I used a day tour with the Red Bus and we drove out of Cape Town along the coast to Boulders beach. Boulders beach has a colony of penguins living there. In comparison to Stony Beach, Boulders beach was very busy with tourists who tried to get as close as possible to the penguins to take a photo. Unfortunately this meant that the penguins was chased out to sea and swimming away. I didn't feel comfortable seeing silly tourists bothering the penguins in order to get their photo so I ended up walking away and walking along the sandy beach instead. Our next stop was Cape Point where we walked up the lighthouse for a view of the coast around us. From the lighthouse we walked along the scenic boardwalk to Cape of Good Hope which is the most South Western Point in Africa. It was a nice scenic walk and nice to say I have been there but if I am honest Cape Agulhas, which is the most southern point of Africa, was more scenic.

    I noticed before coming to Cape Town that the musical We Will Rock You was touring while I was in Cape Town. The tickets were a lot cheaper than at home so I decided to buy one. I had a seat ten rows from the front and it cost €12. The storyline of the musical was a little bit far fetched however the singing and comedy side of the show was very good.

    On my final day in Cape Town I decided that I would treat myself to a massage as I knew that the next trip will entail more camping instead of lodges or hotels. I had a lovely treatment in the Mount Nelson Hotel which again had a wonderful view of Table Mountain. It was very relaxing and a great way to finish my time in Cape Town.    Okumaya devam et

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  • GezginAfrica
    Gün 30

    Western Cape

    13 Mayıs 2023, Güney Afrika ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Today I started my next leg of my trip with Acacia. I meet my group last night for a pre departure information meeting. Harmony and Crispen are our tour guides who are both from Zimbabwe. There are twelve on this leg of the trip (two Americans, two from New Zealand, one from Singapore, two Germans, two French and two Aussies).

    Our first activity in the trip was a township tour of Langa in Cape Town where we met Mufassa. Mufassa grew up in this township and he brought us around the area explaining the history of townships. This township was developed during the Spanish flu in early 1900s as black people were thought to be transmitting the virus. This meant black people were segregated into this area however this got worse when the apartheid system occurred. Mufassa showed us the old houses and the newer houses that people are been given for free as compensation for the Apartheid system.

    After the tour we had an hour free time in Cape Town. I walked through the Orangjezicht market beside the waterfront. It was a cute food market with lots of people hanging out with friends and treating themselves to nice lunches or sweet treats.

    We then drove to the Highlanders and stayed in the Highlanders campsite. We set up our tents overlooking the vineyard valley. We met Sparky the owner who did a wine tasting for us. He explained that the valley grows specialist types of grapes and is irrigated by 270km manmade canals. The wine tasted very nice and it was a good activity to start getting to know the rest of the group.    Okumaya devam et

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  • GezginAfrica
    Gün 31

    Orange River

    14 Mayıs 2023, Güney Afrika ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    From the Highlanders we headed north and very quickly the landscape changed. The soil became drier and the lovely green trees changed to small scrubs. We crossed the border into Namibia and stayed in Felix Unite which was a town on the border beside the Orange River.

    The next morning four of us went canoeing down the Orange River. We canoed eleven kilometers down the river. It started through a canyon and canoed down the calm river. There was two small little rapids which helped push us down the river quicker at times. We saw a large quantity of birds for example eagles, heron and swallows. When we arrived back to campsite we ate our lunch and headed onto the Fish Canyon. I really enjoyed this kayaking activity as it was a very calm beautiful canyon.    Okumaya devam et

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  • GezginAfrica
    Gün 32

    Fish Canyon

    15 Mayıs 2023, Namibya ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Today we drove the dusty bumpy roads to the Fish Canyon. Fish Canyon is the second largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon. It is 500m deep and 160km long. We set up our camp close by before heading to the canyon for a sunset walk. We walked along the side of the canyon and watched the sun set. The colours of the rocks in the canyon as the sun set was beautiful. When we returned Crispen had our dinner made and we sat around listening to Crispen and Harmony share their stories of wild animal encounters.Okumaya devam et

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  • GezginAfrica
    Gün 34

    Namib Desert

    17 Mayıs 2023, Namibya ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We arrived in Sesriem on the edge of Namib Desert. Once we checked into the accommodation we realised that there was something wrong with the truck as it wouldn't start again. The plan for the following day changed as we had to get taxis into the park while our truck was being repaired.

    The taxis arrived at 7:15 and we headed to Dune 45. Dune 45 is named as it is 45 kilometers from the edge of the park. We got our exercise work out in as we climbed up the ridge of the 150 meter dune to the top. We had a lovely view of the other dunes around us and the shadows from the sun made the dunes look beautiful.

    We then drove to Dead Vlei which is another part of the park. This area was supposedly a river bed 5 million years ago but the river bed dried up leaving dead tree trunks remaining. We hiked inland in the hot dry heat and we're not disappointed when we spotted the trees. The contrast between the black trees and the scenery around us. These trees were also located beside the tallest dune in the park. This dune is called "Big Daddy" and it is 310 meters high. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to climb this dune as it takes about an hour to reach the top.

    Once we returned back to our camp we were hoping that the truck was repaired however the starter was completely broken. The mechanics removed the starter and somehow was able to get the truck going by pushing it to get movement and then the truck started. For the next two days we will have to push the truck to help to get it started until we are in Swakopmund and hopefully they will have a replacement starter part. As Crispen our tour guide said "this is the unexpectedness of traveling but there is always plan B, C and D".    Okumaya devam et

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  • GezginAfrica
    Gün 35

    Swakopmund

    18 Mayıs 2023, Namibya ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Today we arrived in the coastal town of Swakopmund. It is an interesting town as it has sand dunes on one side of the town and the sea on the other side. When we arrived at our lodge the receptionist showed us a video explaining all the activities we could do. Some of the options were a dolphin cruise, sandboarding and quad biking. However Swakopmund is best known for skydiving due to the scenery.

    I have been tempted to doing a skydive for a while but I wasn't sure I would be able to go through with it. There was another girl in our group, Courtney, who was interested in doing the skydive which made it easier to say "let's do it". An hour after arriving, we were collected by a minibus and drove to the local airport. When we arrived the instructors went through the safety instructions before we were fit with our safety harness. There were ten people in total doing the skydive that day. Courtney and I were booked onto the third plane load. We saw as the first two groups lifted off and then spotted their parachutes landing. Each jumper had a tandem partner and a separate instructor who was taking a video and photos. It was fascinating watching as the instructors landed and then collected their next parachute bags to head off in the plane again for another skydive. Then it was our turn to go!

    My instructor/tandem partner checked my harness again before we got into the plane. Then we climbed into the small plane. It was scary as the plane lifted off the ground into the sky. After a few deep breaths I was able to look out at the desert and ocean scenery below. One thing I remember was my tandem partner and video instructor talking about what was for their dinners while I was trying to remember to breathe.

    After a few minutes we got the signal that we were five miles out from the jump zone. My tandem partner connected our harness together and told me "let's go have fun". The doors opened and my video instructor went out the door first hanging onto the plane awaiting us. We moved over to the edge of the door. I held onto the straps on my harness for dear life although in hindsight that wasn't going to help me much. My tandem partner sat at the door edge while I hung with my feet under the plane. I didn't dare look down so instead I looked straight out onto the horizon. On the count of three we fell out the door of the plane free falling.

    After a second or two I remember getting a shoulder tap to say I can release my hands from the harness and spread them out wide. I spotted the video instructor smiling at me to say "give thumbs up" and I remember thinking great everything must be ok. The free fall was for 35 seconds and then my tandem partner released our parachute. It is very hard to explain the sensation of the free fall and I am not sure I was expecting the variety of emotions I was feeling as we fell. After the parachute was released my tandem instructor asked me how was it but I couldn't verbalise how I was feeling. It was a mixture of madness, shock, relief, fear and thrill.

    I was surprised by how high up we were when the parachute was released as it seemed like a long way to get to the ground. As we parachuted to the ground my tandem instructor pointed out to me the different locations below such as the sand dunes, the mountains, airport and the beach. It was only then that I relaxed and enjoy the scenery around me. Once at the bottom I rejoined Courtney for a debrief. That debrief lasted all evening as we tried to put into words how the skydive experience was for us both. We were glad to have someone else to try and process all the emotions we felt with.

    The following day as the rest of our group did their own activities Courtney and myself took it easy as we needed a well deserved rest after the exciting previous day skydiving.

    When I reflect on the skydive I feel the whole experience was surreal. My biggest fear before the skydive was how I would feel hanging over the edge of the plane however I was surprised and grateful that we didn't have a long time waiting at the edge of the plane to build up that fear. The freefall was a cool sensation that was over quicker than expected. I am not sure if I will ever do a skydive again but I am glad to be able to say I did it in Namibia.    Okumaya devam et

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  • GezginAfrica
    Gün 37

    Spitzkoppe

    20 Mayıs 2023, Namibya ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Our next stop was Spitzkoppe which is on the way to Etosha National Park. It is a desert area with very large rocks. When we arrived we met Joe who was a local guide and he showed us some Bushman paintings. These paintings were drawn by San people 5000 years ago. Their purpose was to warn other San tribes about animals in the area and give a direction to others about where the animals were seen. You can still see clearly the shapes of zebra, rhino, giraffe and lions in the drawings. It is amazing to know the drawings have lasted so many years.

    Camping in Spitzkoppe was a very basic experience as there was no showers or toilets so we had to use any nearby bush for toilets. It added to the adventure experience. Nevertheless the benefit of staying in this location was the sunset and clear sky for star gazing which was stunning. The vibrant colours on the rocks around us were indescribable. I slept with my tent door and windows open to fall asleep looking at the magnificent stars.    Okumaya devam et

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