South Africa

Capetown, South Africa. It's hard to beat the view from the top of Table Mountain. This observation deck overlooks Capetown, but you can walk around the top of the mountain for equally fine views of the Cape of Good Hope to the south and wine country to the north. Allow at least half a day to explore the hiking trails, have a scenic lunch, and enjoy a South African wine or two at the mountaintop cafe. A cable car runs between Capetown and the top of Table Mountain, but for added brownie points hike up (or down).

Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. The meeting of two oceans? I always thought so but it turns out that the Atlantic "officially" meets the Indian Ocean at Cape Agulhas, about 100 miles to the east. The Cape of Good Hope still feels like the edge of the world though.

Hluhlume-iMfolozi National Park. South Africa has way more top-tier national parks than I would have ever thought possible. Kruger National Park is the only one that seems to get any mention but there are dozens of others. Like this one. Maybe we never heard of them 'cuz they're almost unpronounceable. The dozens of large private game reserves in South Africa get high marks as well, but most of these are more about 5-star luxury and can be super-expensive.

So you want to see wildlife up close eh? Is this close enough for ya? The elephant brushed my side-view mirror as he walked past; the rhino just freaked me out cuz they can be so temperamental and I was out in the boonies with no one else near. Either one can flip a car easily but luckily they didn't. It would have made for an interesting damage claim on the rental car..

Golden Gate Highlands National Park, South Africa. This scene could look like something out of the American west 'till you add in the zebras.

It turns out that Golden Gate Highlands National Park resembles the Old West almost everywhere you look. It's easy to imagine ancient peoples living in this huge cave, LONG before any of the pueblos were built in the US southwest. The super-long log ladder (upper right photo) makes the hiking trail through here a little more interesting.

So one of the main reasons for this trip was to surf my way along the 900-mile stretch of coast from Capetown up to Durban. I bought a board in Capetown, surfed a month's worth of breaks that I never dreamed I'd see (let alone surf), then sold the board in Durban. South Africa is well known for its world-class surf spots and it didn't disappoint. So many good waves... It makes the cold water and big sharks worth the trouble (and that shark-bite kit in the photo is no joke). From upper left we have Mossel Bay, Victoria Bay, Buffalo Bay, Cape St. Frances (from "Endless Summer"), and Lower Point J-Bay. The main photo is Supertubes at J-Bay (Jeffrey's Bay), which is considered one of the finest waves on the planet. It might not look so big but in this photo it's well over head-high on Easter Sunday, 2018, as I was paddling out for "sunrise service"..

When you're on a month-long surfari you move around a lot. Whether camping or glamping or staying at hostels, B&B's, home-stays, park lodges, or just regular hotels, mixing up the lodging keeps it interesting. And a great way to meet new people along the way!

South Africa is about 50% larger than Texas. With all this area and so many different resources and environments, there's a wide variety of things to do & see.

Clockwise from above : Cape penguins at Boulders Beach, looking for great white sharks at Gansbaai, afternoon refreshments in Wine Country, a good reason not to "alight" in the game parks, occasional reminders of apartheid, the wonders of Capetown.

South Africans love their beaches. There are many beach parks along the coast like this one at Scottsburg Beach, near Durban. Most of them have huge grassy yards right down to the beach, a low salt-water wave pool right on the ocean, a more protected swimming pool higher up the beach, concessions, bars, bathrooms, lots of parking. Bring the family and hang out all day, or take an hour and go catch some fine waves out back. This is how ya do it !!