Category: Our Stories

Read our travel stories from around the world

Pangolin-Gin

Introducing Pangolin Gin: a zesty gin for a very deserving cause

November 18, 2019

The tiny pangolin is a creature that’s been increasingly in the spotlight, but only because if we don’t put them there, we may never see them again. That’s because they are being poached into extinction for the protective scales that cover their bodies. These scales and demand for their meat make the pangolin the most trafficked animal in the world. And with four of the eight pangolin species found in Africa we urgently need to do whatever we can to protect them.

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Off the beaten track with Transfontier Parks Destinations

October 7, 2019

When I first heard of Transfrontier Parks Destinations I was excited, but a little sceptical. They are a company, not an NGO, but a group of business-minded entrepreneurs pioneering a new form of hotels in South Africa. Working within or the area’s that run alongside Southern Africa’s Transfrontier Peace Parks, their goal is to establish a sustainable tourism industry that sees local communities have a real, vested interest in the environment which surrounds them. It’s an ambitious dream, built out of love and respect for both people and nature, that many before have tried and failed. However with a number of lodges, camps and even 4×4 trails now under their umbrella – this time it seems to be working! more “Off the beaten track with Transfontier Parks Destinations” …

cape-leopard-conservation-cake

Cape Leopards – part of our heritage

September 16, 2019

As South Africa celebrates Heritage Month, I was recently reminded of a part of our heritage that few people know even exists. We’ve all heard of the Big Five, which includes elephants, rhinos, buffalo, lions and leopards, however in order for us Capetonians to see any of these species, we normally have to travel inland. Little do we know, that right in our backyard, the Cape is still home to one of these five – with Cape Mountain Leopards the last of the legendary ‘Big 5’ to survive in the wild in the Cape.
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cape-town-shimmy-beach-club-restaurant

Review: Shimmy Beach Club, Cape Town

June 24, 2019

The sun is beating down, turning what started off as a chilly winter’s morning into one of those fine days that only Cape Town can deliver. The ocean is shimmering and without a breath of wind around, unusual for this part of the world, it’s reflecting a blue hue that’s akin to some oceans I’ve seen in the Med. My feet are itching – itching to be released from the shackles of winter boots and instead spread their toes in the sand. And that’s how I end up walking the doors of Shimmy Beach Club in Cape Town.
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gold-restaurant-drumming-cape-town

Review: GOLD Restaurant, Cape Town

June 20, 2019

You can feel the drumming almost before you hear it. The ground is rumbling with its rhythm and the strangely elongated African statue at the doorway mysteriously comes alive with its presence. As the gates swing open to GOLD, the beat beckons for you to follow it upwards, through a maze of artefacts and African artwork to another world. Following the call of the enthusiastic drum master on stage, you pick up your own djembe and are soon just another note in the cacophony that is building up with a frenzied speed. Laughter punctuates the air as a variety of different languages sound the coming together of nations from all over the world, and soon enough you are all beating to the rhythm of one drum.
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