South Africa Travel Guide
7/02/2008 at 12:05 PM
Tags: Tourism Boards, Tourism Board Travel, Google Earth, Travel Tech (all tags)
Google Earth seems to get more useful by the day, and now you can plan more than just your next pool party using the free software.
South African Tourism worked with Google to develop a special batch of layers to hype the country. You can fly in over cultural sites and historic landmarks or click over to the nature and safari info to plan a wildlife-focused trip.
And of course all the locations for the 2010 World Cup are highlighted as well. Speaking of, tickets for the competition go on sale in February 2009, about the time, we'd expect, you'll start seeing a huge amount of press about visiting South Africa.
Related Stories:
· Sightseeing in South Africa [Google LatLong]
· Tourism Board Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Google Earth coverage [Jaunted]
by pbb
6/11/2008 at 3:15 PM
Tags: Culture Travel, Fringe Festival Travel, Summer Travel (all tags)
One major factor separates South Africa's National Arts Festival from its relative fringe fests in Edinburgh and New York: Instead of sweating off a beer buzz in line to see the next hot group, you can enjoy light-jacket temperatures in the 50s and 60s.
The '08 version of the fest goes June 26-July 5 and includes an all-new stage in the lush Makana Botanic Gardens, a local comedy sellout act known as "The Dog's Bollocks," guitar quintets and a retelling of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" from Puck's perspective.
Related Stories:
· National Arts Festival [Official Site]
· Summer Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo of "Carrot Sisters": National Arts Festival]
by egw
5/21/2008 at 5:30 PM
Tags: National Parks, Google Maps, South Africa Travel (all tags)
Rangers at Kruger National Park will stage a demonstration of their ranger-y skills tomorrow, and three tourist access roads near Malelane will be closed down. Why? The rangers plan to fire some live ammunition. Things should be back to normal by noon.
That's not the only danger in the park, though. African buffalo, rhinos, cheetahs and hippos all roam Kruger, which covers an area larger than Connecticut. Also worth avoiding are the poachers that hunt in the area. South African news site IOL reports that hundreds animals have been killed in the park in the past four years.
Related Stories:
· Kruger National Park [Official Site]
· Kruger National Park Closes Temporarily [LAT]
· Totally Awesome/Famous "Battle at Kruger" Video [YouTube]
· National Parks coverage [Jaunted]
· Where Is/Google Maps coverage [Jaunted]
by pbb
4/30/2008 at 9:30 AM
Tags: South Africa, Airlines, Nationwide Airlines (all tags)
Who would've thought that having an engine fall off the plane as you're taking off would be bad for business? That's what happened to South African carrier Nationwide Airlines late last year, and although they hit the skies again for a while, losing the engine was the beginning of the end.
As of yesterday, Nationwide Airlines has ceased to operate, another in the long line of airline victims of late. They also blame a 30 percent increase in fuel prices, coupled with the loss of business as a result of their "incident" last year. Nationwide was operating both domestic flights all over South Africa and international flights, including a regular route to London.
At this stage, passengers with Nationwide tickets are still stranded and in the dark as to whether they're going to get any compensation or assistance. But we're getting used to that this spring, aren't we?
Related Stories:
· SA Airline Crashes [The Times]
· South Africa Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: mutzair]
by amandak
3/25/2008 at 1:00 PM
Tags: Celeb Travel, Paris Hilton, South Africa, Knowledgeable Travel (all tags)
For someone who can afford to travel around the world, Paris Hilton remains relatively... unchanged by the trips she has taken. She's on tour with Good Charlotte (and current boyfriend Benji Madden) and got the chance to visit South Africa where they were performing. Later, someone asked Paris what her impressions were of the country, and she said, "South Africa and West Africa, they are both great countries."
On your next trip, don't wait to look dumb until you get home. Ask the stupid question right away so you can look enlightened when you come home, even though you're not. It's a lesson lost on Ms. Hilton, but not on us.
Related Stories:
· Jaunted at Sundance: Virgin America Flirts With Paris Hilton [Jaunted]
· Airport Photo Shoot: Paris (And Her Luggage) In Paris [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: IDLYITW]
by egw
2/29/2008 at 1:05 PM
Tags: Mancations, Biking, Mountain Biking, South Africa Travel (all tags)
Flying down narrow singletrack trails on a mountain bike is challenging. Doing so after sundown in the South African wilderness sounds damn near crazy. But if there's a beer and a beach at the end of the road, then we're all in.
Live2Ride tours in Langebaan, South Africa--a coastal city roughly 60 miles from Cape Town--offers just that experience for only about $30. Starting at sunset, riders head out from the beachfront, winding through town and up into the woods. The ride is just shy of eight miles long, but the darkness makes dirt roads all the more tricky. (Yes, you'll have lights.) The trail spits you back out by the water where you can score drinks at Driftwoods restaurant.
If you're looking for something a bit longer, Live2Ride also offers day tours for about $70. The Aurora route is a grueling climb up into the Piketberg mountains with a total elevation gain of over 3,000 feet. But save some of that energy for a fast descent on the second half--you'll need it to squeeze your break levers.
Related Stories:
· Live2Ride [Official Site]
· South Africa Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Mountain Biking coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: coda]
by benh
2/25/2008 at 1:05 PM
Tags: It's Summer Somewhere, It's-Summer-Somewhere, Wine Travel, Wine (all tags)
South Africa is a great summer trip, as we've told you before. But if you're a vineyard fan now's really the time to get there for a seasonal plus: grape harvesting and stomping.
We'd recommend heading to Muratie Wine Estate at the base of the Simonsberg in Stellanbosch. March 1 brings their "Great Muratie Port Stomp" where for 40 Rand (about $5) you can go and stomp the new port grapes, reserve your own bottle of port, picnic on the lawns of this historic homestead and listen to the sounds of Jannie "Hanepoot" van Tonder's great 18-piece band playing a South African jazz program.
Stay on-site in one of the estate's two guesthouses or stay in Camps Beach, minutes from Cape Town with the same laid-back vibe at The Bay Hotel. It's got amazing views of Table Mountain, the ocean and is backed by the Twelve Apostles. Rooms are chic and minimalist with neutral decor. Be sure to do it up as The Bay's where all the beautiful locals come to congregate.
Related Stories:
· Cape Town Tourism [Official Site]
· Muratie Wine Estate [Official Site]
· It's Summer Somewhere Map [Jaunted]
[Photo: :: Rick ::]
by sedona
1/15/2008 at 9:30 AM
Tags: It's Summer Somewhere, It's-Summer-Somewhere, South Africa Travel, Big Things (all tags)
It's summer right now in South Africa and the tourists are flooding into pretty Cape Town for their summer fun. Folks are heading into the city by car at the rate of 200 cars per hour--yep, somebody measures that--though nobody can tell us how many are flying into Cape Town International.
There are plenty of attractions to keep you busy in the South African city, but we also recommend taking a trip a little further north into the Northern Cape province. The statisticians tell us that 1,000 visitors per day are headed to the Northern Cape's Big Hole and a place with a name like that sounds like something we shouldn't miss. (We love big things, you know.)
The Big Hole is actually a former diamond mine near Kimberley, the capital of the Northern Cape. It took 50,000 workers almost 50 years to dig it, and these days they're trying to get it listed as a World Heritage site. If you visit, you probably won't find any stray diamonds lying around, but the Big Hole and the related museums are spectacle enough, surely.
Related Stories:
· Tourists Flock to the Cape [SABC News]
· It's Summer Somewhere coverage [Jaunted]
· South Africa Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Wikipedia]
by amandak
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