🇿🇦 South Africa & Mauritius 🌴– The Trip of a Lifetime ❤️

🇿🇦 Cape Town – 4 Nights

We arrived in Cape Town around lunchtime and checked into The Portswood Hotel, just a short 30-minute transfer from the airport and right on the famous V&A Waterfront. After a long journey, we wanted to stay awake, so we headed straight out for a wander, some lunch, and our first look at the harbour – complete with seals lazing on the docks!

The V&A Waterfront is such a lively area, full of shops, restaurants, street performers, and views across to Table Mountain. It’s the perfect base in Cape Town, and everything feels safe and walkable, day or night.

Table Mountain & Helicopter Adventure 🚁

We started one morning with a trip up Table Mountain. The cable car opens at 08:30, and we went early, meaning there were no queues. My top tip: don’t stress about rushing for “the best window”, the floor rotates so everyone gets a 360° view both up and down. The ride itself and the views at the top were unforgettable.

That afternoon, we had one of the absolute highlights of the trip. We’d booked lunch at the stunning 12 Apostles Hotel, perched on the coastline with panoramic sea views. The food was exceptional and the setting unforgettable. Afterwards, we boarded a helicopter for a 20-minute flight back to the Waterfront. By then, the skies had cleared, with completely perfect visibility to take in the coastline, the ocean, and Table Mountain from the air. It’s hard to describe how special it felt, without doubt one of the best things we’ve ever done.

🐧 Cape Peninsula Tour

Another day was spent exploring the Cape Peninsula. Although the morning began grey and rainy, the skies cleared beautifully as the day went on. We travelled the Atlantic Seaboard past Camps Bay and Hout Bay, then along the dramatic Chapman’s Peak Drive. From there, we visited Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, where we spotted whales from the lighthouse and saw baboons, ostriches, and even eland, the largest species of antelope.

The highlight for me, and the main reason I booked this tour, was visiting the colony of African penguins at Boulders Beach. The sun came out just in time, and it was every bit as magical as I hoped. We also stopped for lunch at Seaforth Restaurant in Simonstown, where I had the best calamari and chips worth the trip alone!

Franschhoek Wine Tram 🍷

On our final day in Cape Town, we ventured out to the Franschhoek Valley, around an hour’s drive away, to experience the famous Wine Tram. It’s a hop-on, hop-off tram that lets you explore a selection of vineyards without worrying about transport. We chose the Blue Line and began with a welcome glass of wine at 10.30 am.

Our stops included Rickety Bridge for a delicious cheese and wine pairing, Grande Provence for a premium tasting of six wines, and finally Franschhoek Cellar, where we shared a bottle of wine and some small plates before heading back. Tastings and food were excellent value – everything we enjoyed cost less than £50 in total. It was such a fun way to see the valley, taste incredible wines, and soak up the scenery.

🐘 Safari – Welgevonden Game Reserve, 3 Nights

From Cape Town, we took a short 1-hour 45-minute flight to Johannesburg and then transferred to Welgevonden Game Reserve, a malaria-free private reserve covering over 37,000 hectares.

We stayed at Ekuthuleni Lodge, where we had a beautiful suite, wonderful butler service, and all meals and drinks included. The daily routine quickly became addictive: a 6 am morning safari (around three hours), back for breakfast, a leisurely lunch, and then an afternoon safari around 3.30 pm, ending with sundowners before dinner under the stars.

The wildlife sightings were beyond incredible. We saw all of the Big Five – lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino. Spotting two leopards was a real highlight as they are so rarely seen, and on our final drive, we were lucky enough to see a brown hyena, another rare sighting. Every drive was different and exciting, with giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, and so much more.

It’s impossible to fully explain how special a safari is until you’ve done one – the early morning stillness, the thrill of not knowing what’s around the next corner, and the sheer beauty of seeing wildlife in its natural habitat. For me, it was one of the best experiences of my life and something I would recommend to everyone.

Johannesburg Stopover – 1 Night ✨

After the safari, we spent a night in Johannesburg at the Peermont D’oreale Grande, Emperors Palace. It’s right next to the airport with a free shuttle, making it ideal for a stopover. What really stood out, though, was the vibe – it felt like being in Las Vegas, with a buzzing casino, restaurants, and live entertainment.

It’s not somewhere you’d stay for a week, but for one night, it was perfect – comfortable rooms, plenty of choice for food, and a fun atmosphere to round off our South African adventure before heading on to Mauritius.

🌴 Mauritius – Beachcomber Canonnier, 5 Nights

For the final leg of our journey, we flew to Mauritius for 5 nights of sunshine and relaxation at Beachcomber Canonnier. After the excitement of Cape Town and the early mornings of safari, this was exactly what we needed.

Set in tropical gardens with sandy beaches and calm lagoons, the resort has a relaxed, friendly feel. Days were spent by the pool or on the beach and enjoying cocktails. It was the perfect place to unwind and reflect on everything we’d experienced.

Looking back, this holiday had it all – city, culture, wildlife, and beach. South Africa and Mauritius are an unbeatable combination, and this really was a trip I’ll never forget. ❤️