Africa

This is

Author and poet JR Ford takes his family along the Garden Route of South Africa on a self-guided eco-tour

I could almost taste something different in the air as we landed in Cape Town. Or was that my imagination? Truth to tell, there was a great deal we could recognise from photos and our research as familiar, but there was so much that was different too. And the staggeringly beautiful views of a wilder landscape that we could see as we flew into Cape Town were just the start of a holiday whose experiences were to be some of the most memorable of all our lives. And we would only manage to scratch the surface of the African continent in our few weeks of visit.

I had done my research and booked our trip in advance, but that didn't mean we were going to be wrapped up in cotton wool, or away from what was the real Africa in some sanitised hotel chain. Picking up the hire car and getting to our first place in Camps Bay was little bother, but what struck me was the issue of security. Security is big business in SA, and with good reason. There is an element of danger, of unpredictability, about SA, and you do need to listen to the people who live there.

“Mate, this is Africa”. Did this mean that we should be on our guard? Did this mean I was bringing my children into a difficult and dangerous place? There had been a few sharp intakes of breath when I had told people of our intention to travel to SA. There was danger there, I was told. You had to be careful, I was told. Was I really sure I wanted the risk?

Damn right I did. Because, if I hadn't, my family and I wouldn't have had the most amazing experience. The SA culture and traditions come from a very different place from my own, and, at times, I felt very different because of that.

A particular example is the schism that still exists between rich and poor, and – along the Garden Route at any rate – it is a racial division.  And that was odd for me. I could see many poor, black people walking miles to get to work, and rich, white folks walking for pleasure as we hiked up Table Mountain, saw the beautiful and amazing botanical gardens at Kirstenbosch, or went to the bottom of the world at Cape Point at the Cape of Good Hope. (Actually, Cape Agulhas is further south … and east, and we visited that too, as I'll mention later).

“Mate, this is Africa”.  

Suddenly, I was aware of the difference between the reality of a country that is not even 30 years on from Apartheid and my own home country of England. But I was a guest and it was not my position to judge. And, anyway, the Garden Route – as I was reliably informed – is not representative of the whole of South Africa. It is part of it, and it is an amazing part of it, with warm and welcoming people, whatever their colour.

We had many laughs and fun along the way, with petrol pump attendants teaching me some Xhosa as they filled the car, banter with disillusioned SA rugby fans and some amazing food in restaurants – especially if you eat meat, as I have come to believe that there are no better steaks anywhere. And with the Rand being weak, it is so affordable. The country as a holiday destination is right now very attractive indeed. And actually, considering how difficult it is to effect change, I gradually understood over the course of nearly three weeks in South Africa, just how much change there had been, and just how far SA society had come.

There has been a massive shift too, in how animals are treated and just what a tourist draw they can be; and the fact that these natural resources are so unusual for the majority of the world – certainly the western world – gives the SA tourist board a distinct advantage.

Poaching still exists, as does the reprehensible activity of big game hunting. What is even more disgraceful is that as far as the lions shot by visiting hunters are concerned, the animals are generally accustomed to being fed by humans and are tolerant of them. Which makes them easy targets for the brain-dead.

Anyway, we left Camps Bay and the Cape (after a dodgy experience with a baboon which got into the car at the Cape), amazed by what we had experienced. Boulders Beach, with its colony of African (or jackass) penguins was a particular highlight – along with the wild baboons and ostriches at the Cape. These were penguins rescued from an oil slick and released, but they chose to remain near the Cape.  

These penguins, I found out, are native to Southern Africa, but I suppose I expected them to need the colder climates of Antarctica. Given the 20 degrees celsius and the sunshine we experienced, even in the SA winter, I can't say I'm surprised they were happy there though! What is surprising, given how appealing they are, is how endangered they have become; colonies such as the one in Boulders Beach offer close views of an amazing bird in the wild.

We travelled along the coast to the Hermanus area, staying in a beautiful, thatched cottage on the beach in De Kelders, from where we could see whales in the bay. We could also see sun birds on the patio, and once were visited by a mongoose. But it was the whales we had come to see. We visited the southernmost point of the African continent during our stay here, travelling through a national park to get to Cape Agulhas. But to find the tarmac vanishing and being replaced by a dirt track masquerading as a main road was surprising and disconcerting to say the least.

“Mate, this is Africa”.  

The boat trip lasted over two and half hours, and took us beyond the harbour of Kleinbaai. Dyer Island Cruises guarantees sightings of southern right whales – but as animals are unpredictable, patience is required.

The tour started with views of African penguin, skuas, giant petrel and various cormorants, gulls and terns. It took a little longer to locate the whales, which on this day were proving elusive – at only the start of the whale watching season and after heavy weather. The whale season is between July and the end of November, but the height of this is in September and October. Still, the crew of the boat were persistent and eventually this rewarded us with the sightings of two whales almost within touching distance.

What seems to set Dyer Island Cruises apart from other operators is the extensive nature of their tour that took in Dyer Island and Shark Alley, providing us with the opportunity of seeing a Cape fur seal breading colony. Shark Alley is so named as it has the largest concentration of great white sharks, brought there by their by the plentiful feeding ground of seals. We were fortunate to see great white sharks up close but not quite personal!  And this certainly produced an exciting end to our cruise.  

We came away both impressed and enriched by the experience and would heartily recommend it to others.  Such trips are never cheap but – given that it equates to little more than a day at a theme park – it certainly represents value for money given what we experienced, and the memories that will stay with us. I'd take this over some rollercoasters any day!  

“Mate, this is Africa”!

Green Adventures February 2016

Read part two: John and his family continue their journey along the Garden Route.

“Mate, this is Africa”, is a saying we were to hear many times during our stay – and even before we left – and one whose meaning would change for us as we explored the Garden Route and delved into African life and traditions for the first time.

Africa had always held a fascination for me, but – despite both of us wanting to go – my wife and I had never visited any part of the continent. As a multi-linguist and Europhile, I am a seasoned traveller, but have never attempted to go anywhere beyond the confines of Europe.

It may seem strange to get to my stage of life and not explore the more far-flung parts of the Earth, but being able to converse in different languages has meant that Europe itself held a fascination for me that was unparalleled. It was also easier with children not to drag them half-way across the world for little reason! I am proud of my continent and love its diversity and its culture and its heritage. There surely was no reason to visit anywhere else, was there? Because I could get all I wanted in Europe, couldn't I?  There was nothing that I was missing, was there?

Except for the animals. The big, wild and breathtakingly beautiful animals.

So, with the children grown up enough to cope with the long-haul flights, we finally surrendered to the inevitable … and took the step to another continent. To the furthest part of it.

And never once regretted it.

“Mate, this is Africa”.