Out of Africa 2022
BEYOND BEYOND
An incredible once-in-alifetime sister-adventure covering over 25,000 miles and nearly one million steps (combined) in one month starting in Dubai, then the Stellenbosch/Winelands and Cape Town in South Africa then on to the Masai Mara and Nairobi in Kenya and ending our journey in Cairo!
The 15-hour direct flight from LA to Dubai flew over the Antarctic where the icecaps were clearly visible. We slept and ate well, arriving in the evening to a scorching 127° weather. That type of heat just sucks the energy from you — in Dubai, everything has air-conditioning and in many cases, it’s even in the outdoor restaurants, coming up through the floor. Abu Dhabi was the hottest though, with temps in to the 130’s. Dubai is one of the 7 Emirates and clearly rivaling Vegas for attractions - it’s a region of superlatives — everything is the biggest, tallest, largest, deepest…
We did visit Burj Khalifa, world’s tallest building; Burj Al Arab, the sail building; The Fountains; the Frame; Souks; Museum of the Future; Jumeirah with Atlantis in the background where we swam in the 90° ocean! Plus Abu Dhabi for a full day.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the largest in the country. We wore full abaya including covering our hands.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi
The Frame: Largest in the world (500 ft. tall)
Lanzerac in Stellenbosch, Winelands, South Africa
Lanzerac dates back to 1692 and is now a vineyard, a hotel, spa with restaurants and the charming cottages we stayed in.
The second oldest town in South Africa, Stellenbosch is known for its natural beauty and oak-lined avenues, Cape Dutch architecture, history and culture – and of course its wine routes. “Stellies” – as it's affectionately known – is a university town, so there were tons of charming, lively bistros and shops in town. The weather was perfect and we hiked, explored and did an amazing wine tour including Graff Delaire with its magnificent mountain and valley views, not to mention the foodand the freshest, largest oysters we’d ever had.
So much exploring to do in and around the estate.
Waterford - Wine and chocolate pairing.
Delaire Graff (diamond people) Estate
Table Mountain is visible from everywhere. She is also the beast we conquered climbing up at down her in a day! When she’s cloaked in fog, they call it Tablecloth. We ventured out to take in the glorious sunset at Signal Hill with views to Lions Head , and the beautiful Camp’s Bay we’d visit on the coming days. It was so cold and windy, but we had a great time. It’s also the paragliding cliff area.
The bustling Victoria and Alfred Waterfront area named after Prince Alfred, who began construction on the harbor in 1860, and his mother Queen Victoria was just steps from out hotel and offered boutique local shops, big name brands and myriad dining options, central to our theme. The Saldanha Bay oysters were magnificent and the fresh salmon sushi was outstanding, generous and extremely reasonable. Great selection of local wines, also reasonable.
Test Kitchen with Chef
The Tablecloth is over the mountain.
Our full day exploring the Cape Peninsula took us down the east side and up the west side where we enjoyed a spectacular sunset at Camp’s Bay. Fresh seaside lunch on the water in Simon’s Town, loved the precious penguins in Boulders Beach and were awed by the Cape Point at the Cape of Good Hope where the Indian Ocean violently greets the Atlantic. The coast is littered with shipwrecks and aptly nicknamed the Sea of Storms. “Chappies” (right) is a grand bay that connects Hout Bay in the north with Noordhoek in the south on an expensive toll road, but worth the engineering. At Cape Point, Tracy chased down the parking lot baboons that steal bags and scare tourists, certainly frowned upon.
Camp’s Bay along the west coast is known for its fine white sand, natural rock swimming pool and views of the craggy Twelve Apostles mountains. It’s bordered by a promenade full of restaurants, clubs, and hotels, and most similar in vibe to our Laguna Beach.
TABLE MOUNTAIN
Once every 10 years, they close the cable car to the top. We happened to be there during this closure, but no way was this going to stop us. Armed with handsome guide from O&O who carried our water and picnic lunch, we climbed this holy beast. It was a moderate climb and took a good 4 hours there and back which included a leisurely walk on the table, and lunch. We were sore the next day for sure. We were also so lucky with the weather! The day before was overcast and rainy, the day after was cold and blanketed. We did actually put on/take off clothes throughout, it warm in the middle and freezing at the top, especially in the shadows.
Table Mountain is like a sky-scraper, 3,563 feet above Cape Town — and its famous plateau looks over the city like a protective guardian. We couldn’t believe the variety of flora and fauna, native only to the area.
We celebrated our last day visiting the Mojo Marketplace and surrounding areas, and of course dining on more scrumptious fresh oysters. We also visited the 3, nearby, enormous outdoor public pools. And that evening treated ourselves to Kloof Street House , a very hip restaurant in an old Victorian with trendy drinks and delicious foods. Great peoplewatching. Dark little intimate corners, great artwork, and eclectic decor overall.
A very long through-the-night haul from Cape Town, overshot
Ethiopia and
Traveling in Africa is a challenge to be sure. It’s not unusual to see a man walking with his camel, or a family of five on one motorbike along with groceries and a goat.
to
swinging back through Nairobi then to the Mara.
Room with a view. It changes every hour, sometimes elephants, sometimes giraffes or baboons…
Our guides Karisa and Stanley soon became our family. They were also drivers, spotters, advisors, photographers and protectors.
Darn chilly at night! Lovely warm beds though with water bottles which worked marvelously.
The Big 5 +++
Morning, full day, and evening safaris. So many wildlife shots, we just got spoiled… oh and the wildebeasts by the thousands! One day, we were lucky to see the entire chase by two cheetah brothers of an unsuspecting young wildebeast.
You have to be careful of the shady trees to pick to lunch under. Some have cheetahs above, sleeping lions below or a cobra in the grass or wound around the tree. Thank God for our amazing guides.
Nairobi | Karen Blixen’s (Isek Dennison, ‘Out of Africa’) House and Hemingway’s in one day - it was on our bucket list, but not guaranteed. Whirlwind private tour with lunch, plus a gift shop stop, amazing driver!
