Final Thoughts: South Africa And Botswana

Highlights -

• meeting up with Warren at the airport
• wine tasting tour
• Cape of Good Hope/Cape Point tour
• District Six Museum and visiting the townships
• Visiting Robben Island
• couchsurfing with Hannes for 3 nights
• couchsurfing with Christal for 5 nights
• climbing Lion’s Head at sunrise and walking around atop Table Mountain
• people watching at cafes
• lunch in Camp’s Bay
• whale watching in Hermanus
• cage diving with Great White sharks in Gansbaii
• riding an ostrich in Outdshorn
• petting cheetahs
• Rasta homestay with Brother Paul in Knysna
• horseback riding in Storms River
• sandboarding, partying, and shopping in Jeffrey’s Bay
• Addo Elephant National Park safari
• wineball and hanging out at Buccaneers hostel in Chiantsa
• Xhosa village tour at Bulungula
• dinner and dancing at a Xhosa village in Coffee Bay
• hiking to rock art in the southern Drankensberg Mountains
• riding in a Land Rover up the Sani Pass, hiking and exploring the Kingdom of Lesotho (including a beer at the highest pub in Africa)
• 5-day safari to Kruger Park (seeing all the animals, especially the lions, and buffalo during the game walk)
• staying at Bob’s Bunkhouse
• touring Soweto township near Johannesburg
• Apartheid Museum
• eating a smiley (sheep’s head) to complete a dare
• 7-day camping trip to Botswana’s Okavango Delta (mokoro rides, seeing lots of elephants, hanging out with Dion (guide), and getting to know Ingrid, Richard, and Peter)
• Johannesburg city tour

Lowlights –

• being forced to buy an onward ticket upon arrival at the Cape Town airport in order to enter the country.
• almost having my pocket picked while waiting for a bus on the sidewalk in Cape Town
• not seeing a leopard in Kruger Park (to complete the Big 5 sightings!)
• my first night camping in the Delta – little sleep, cold and wet

Eating -

South African wines, capuccinos, kudu, eland, ostrich (eggs and meat), malva pudding, bobotie, smiley (sheep’s head), pap, sausage, Jungle (granola) bars, braii (BBQ) foods, avocados, salads w/chicken.

# of Days Couchsurfing -

8

Average Cost Per Day -

$77

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Related posts:

1. We’re Going To South Africa!
2. Day 1 – Botswana Or Bust
3. My South Africa Snafu