South Africa Archives - Hoblets On The Go

Johannesburg is South Africa's largest and fastest-growing city and is built on a history of racial division that achieved its most dramatic form in the twentieth century policy of strict separation known as apartheid.

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Gauteng

South Africa: Gauteng – Cradle of Humankind

The Cradle of Humankind is a paleoanthropological site and is located about 50 km from Johannesburg. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999, it is home to the largest concentration of human ancestral remains in the world.

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South Africa

South Africa: Five cool and unique places to stay

South Africa is a stunning country and there is a lot to see and do when you visit. There is a huge amount to accommodation to choose from, but if you are looking for something more unusal then this post will give you some ideas.

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Gauteng

South Africa: Magaliesburg – Sima Kade Bush Retreat

Designed as sustainable off-grid retreats for total immersion in the natural environment, Sima Kade is truly at one with its surroundings. The cabins here are built using stone and wood from the valley to mimic the surrounding environment.

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Mpumalanga

South Africa: The Panorama Route

The Panorama Route is a scenic road in South Africa connecting several cultural and natural points of interest. The route, steeped in the history of South Africa, is in Mpumalanga province, centred around the Blyde River Canyon, the world's third largest canyon.

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Limpopo

South Africa: Kruger National Park

The world-famous Kruger National Park is South Africa’s largest game reserve and one of the finest wildlife sanctuaries on the planet. The Kruger has nearly two million hectares of unfenced wilderness, in which more mammal species roam free than in any other game reserve.

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Kwazulu Natal

South Africa: Eshowe – Fort Nonquai

The Zululand Historical Museum is housed at Fort Nongqayi. The Fort was built in 1883 by the British to house the Zulu Native Policemen called Nongqayi and was completed in 1894. The Nongqayi were trained in this fort and were led by Colonel Addison.

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Kwazulu Natal

South Africa: St Lucia – Hippos and the beach

Surrounded by an UNESCO World Heritage Site, this town is at the heart of magnificent natural coastal forests, wild animals, majestic bird life, breathtaking beaches and hospitable people. There are at least 1 200 crocodiles and 800 hippos found in Lake St Lucia.

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Kwazulu Natal

South Africa: iSimangaliso Wetland Park

A World Heritage Site, iSimangaliso Wetland Park (the former Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park) incorporates an astonishing variety of habitats from the Ubombo Mountains to grasslands, forests, wetlands, mangroves and ancient dunes, magnificent beaches and coral reefs.

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South Africa

South Africa: Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park

Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park, formerly Hluhluwe–Umfolozi Game Reserve, is the oldest proclaimed nature reserve in Africa. It consists of 960 km² of hilly topography 280 kilometres north of Durban in central KwaZulu-Natal, and is known for its rich wildlife and conservation efforts.

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Eastern Cape

South Africa: Camdeboo National Park

The 19 400-hectare Camdeboo National Park is unique in South Africa encompassing some of the most rugged and spectacular Karoo-mountain landscapes, a large freshwater dam and it almost entirely surrounds the historic town of Graaff-Reinet.

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South Africa

South Africa: Sleep Under Stars at Addo TiPi Bush Camp

Tipi Bush Camp, on a private reserve adjoining Addo Elephant National Park. There are three large 6.3 metre diameter TiPi’s, based on the American Indian style can each accommodate 4 people on a self catering, un-serviced basis.

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Eastern Cape

South Africa: Wildlife Watching at Addo in the Eastern Cape

Addo Elephant National Park is a diverse wildlife conservation park situated close to Gqeberha in South Africa and is one of the country's 20 national parks. It currently ranks third in size after Kruger National Park and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

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Western Cape

South Africa: Two Angels: A Knysna Retreat Worth Finding

Situated at the water’s edge of the Knysna Lagoon, this magnificent 6 Bedroom House, plus 3 sea-facing cottages, offers the very best location on the South African coastline.

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Western Cape

South Africa: Explore the Dias Museum in Mossel Bay

The Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex was officially opened on 3 February 1989, however its can be traced back to the 1960s when the museum was first opened. The museum later became known as the Post Tree museum complex before being renamed again in 1989.

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Western Cape

South Africa: Mossel Bay – Ancient Coast Where Humanity Began

Mossel Bay sits on South Africa's Garden Route where sea-facing caves at Pinnacle Point preserved evidence of human behaviour dating back 160,000 years making this small harbour town one of the most significant sites in the entire story of our species.

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Western Cape

South Africa: Stay Aboard a Train at Mossel Bay’s Beach

Santos Express is a permanently moored vintage train hotel sitting directly on the shore of Santos Beach in Mossel Bay on the Garden Route offering converted railway carriages as rooms with some of South Africa's most unusual beachside accommodation.

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Western Cape

South Africa: Exploring the Cango Caves Near Oudtshoorn

The Cango Caves is a cultural and natural landmark in South Africa. The 20 million year-old Cango Caves system consists of a series of hidden chambers cut deep into a thick limestone rock layer. It is situated in the Swartberg Mountains, 30 kilometres north of Oudtshoorn.

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Western Cape

South Africa: Cape Agulhas – Africa’s Southernmost Point

Cape Agulhas or the "Cape of the Needles" is a rocky headland in Western Cape, South Africa. It is the geographic southern tip of Africa and the beginning of the traditional dividing line between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans

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Western Cape

South Africa: Shark Cage Diving – Gansbaai’s Wild Ocean Thrills

Gansbaai is a fishing town and popular tourist destination in the Western Cape of South Africa. It is known for its cage diving in search of sharks and for whale watching. We spent a couple days in this small town exploring the region.

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Western Cape

South Africa: Sleep Among Giants at Platbos Forest Gansbaai

Platbos Forest offers self catering accommodation in an indigenous forest found on the Baviaanspoort Hills in Gansbaai. This ancient forest has trees that date back over a 1000 years in age. This endangered and rare ecosystem is one of a kind and worth the visit.

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Western Cape

South Africa: Muizenberg’s Beach Huts – A Rainbow on the Shore

Muizenberg's famous striped beach huts line a wide sweep of False Bay sand just outside Cape Town — a burst of primary colour against the surf that has made this laid-back Western Cape neighbourhood one of South Africa's most photographed and beloved coastal destinations.

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Cape Town

Cape Town: South Africa’s Breathtaking Escape

Cape Town is a breathtaking South African city set beneath the iconic Table Mountain where two oceans meet offering visitors a remarkable mix of stunning natural landscapes rich history vibrant culture award-winning cuisine and world-class adventure experiences all in one extraordinary destination.

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Western Cape

South Africa: Boulders Beach: Cape Town’s Penguin Paradise

Boulders Beach is a sheltered granite cove near Simon's Town on the Cape Peninsula where a thriving colony of African penguins shares the sand with swimmers offering one of South Africa's most intimate and accessible wildlife encounters within easy reach of Cape Town.

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Western Cape

South Africa: Driving Chapman’s Peak – Cape Town Coastal Route

Chapman's Peak Drive is a spectacular 9-kilometre toll road carved into the granite cliffs of the Western Cape linking Hout Bay and Noordhoek with 114 hairpin bends and unbroken views over the Atlantic Ocean far below.

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Western Cape

South Africa: The Cape of Good Hope – Africa’s Wild Southern Tip

So named by Portugal's King John II this area has captured the imagination of European sailors such as Dias who first named it the Cape of Storms in 1488 and later in 1580 Sir Francis Drake who called it the "The Fairest Cape in all the World".

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Western Cape

South Africa: Cape Floral Region – South Africa’s Wild Heart

The Cape Floral Region has been called the world's hottest hot-spot for plant diversity and endemism. Its flora is so diverse and unique that it warrants classification as one the world's six principal floristic regions.

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Cape Town

South Africa: Cape Town’s Townships – Where History Lives On

A legacy of apartheid, the townships of Cape Town were built to house migrant labourers. Though much poverty still exists in the townships, they are also strongholds of local community ties. So much so, that even some who can afford to move out choose not to.

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Cape Town

South Africa: Cape Town – V & A Waterfront

A restored Victorian working harbour transformed into Cape Town's most dynamic leisure destination the V&A Waterfront combines world-class dining shopping and cultural institutions with unbroken views of Table Mountain and easy access to Robben Island.

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Cape Town

South Africa: Cape Town – Kirstenbosch

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town South Africa is a world-renowned sanctuary spread across the slopes of Table Mountain showcasing thousands of indigenous plant species within a breathtaking natural landscape that captivates botanists walkers and nature lovers alike.

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Cape Town

South Africa: Cape Town – Robben Island

Robben Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated in Table Bay off the coast of Cape Town where Nelson Mandela was held captive for 18 years and which now stands as South Africa's most powerful symbol of freedom and resilience.

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Cape Town

South Africa: Cape Town – Bo-Kaap

Bo-Kaap is a historic Cape Town neighbourhood celebrated for its rainbow-coloured houses cobblestone streets and deep-rooted Cape Malay heritage offering visitors a vivid window into the city's rich multicultural history culture and culinary traditions.

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Cape Town

South Africa: Cape Town – Table Mountain

Table Mountain is a flat-topped, ancient sandstone landmark soaring above Cape Town, offering visitors sweeping views across the Atlantic Ocean and the Cape Peninsula, accessible by aerial cableway or hiking trail and celebrated as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.