by Rupert Utley
South Africa is my favourite country, and I have ridden around the world and traveled our planet extensively, and so that is quite an accolade.
It is a glorious country. From the coastlines of the Cape in the south, through the winelands of Stellenbosch and Robertson, the Overberg and across the mountain ranges into the stunningly beautiful and ancient Cederberg and Karoo. Up the Garden Route to the Transkei and Wild Coast, tropical Durban, and then north through the High and Low Veld to see African animals in the immense game reserves such as Kruger, and perhaps more up close and intimate in the reserves such as Limpokwena on the Limpopo river where South Africa borders with Botswana and Zimbabwe.
Its a big, wild and exciting country and there is so much to see and do. Don’t believe all the negative press, you will be warmly welcomed. You will drink well, eat well, get a tan, and your lungs will be refreshed with clean unpolluted air. You will have the holiday of a lifetime.
For me…..I have motorcycled across the South African deserts, rivers, mountain passes, valleys and through the bush. I have flown my paragliders above Table Mountain and Lion’s Head, thousands of meters above Porteville and Citrusdal, and soared along the cliffs at Wilderness just a few meters above whales, great white sharks, and hundreds of hammerheads and dolphins. I have hiked the entire Wild Coast with a small backpack, swimming across the estuaries, sleeping under the stars on the sand, in Xhosa Roundels, and in backpackers along the way. I have climbed Table Mountain and explored the fynbos covered mountains many times. I have swum across the Orange River to Namibia and I have learned to sail at Langebaan and sailed around the Cape of Good Hope.
I like South Africa so much I bought a beach house in the idyllic village of Arniston.
The Weaver
A couple of video links attached below for an introduction to South Africa
The Weaver 