Inspiring travel stories, tips, and guides from a couple exploring the world one destination at a time.
Last Updated: May 2026
Cape Town was our base for the entire Africa trip — we flew in through Johannesburg, used the city as our hub between the safari legs, and flew home from here. It is one of the most beautiful cities we have ever visited. The setting alone is extraordinary: Table Mountain rising over the city, the Atlantic on one side and False Bay on the other, and miles of dramatic coastline stretching in both directions.
Last Updated: May 2026
After Botswana we flew back to Cape Town and drove east into the Cape Winelands. Stellenbosch sits about 30 miles from Cape Town in a valley framed by mountains — a Dutch colonial town settled in 1679 with a Mediterranean climate of hot dry summers and mild wet winters that makes it one of the great wine-growing regions in the world. We spent two days here exploring the estates before flying home, and it was the perfect decompression after the intensity of the safari.
Last Updated: May 2026
After 30-plus hours of travel — California to London to Johannesburg to the bush airstrip at Skukuza — we made the short drive through the South African bush and arrived at Lion Sands Narina Lodge in Kruger National Park. We sat down for lunch and watched an elephant walk by. After all those hours in the air, it was the perfect welcome to Africa.
Last Updated: May 2026
We flew from Cape Town to Johannesburg to Maun, Botswana, then boarded a small bush plane for the final leg to the dirt landing strip at Linyanti Bush Camp, near Chobe National Park in northern Botswana. As we taxied to a stop, a lion was watching from the edge of the strip. It was the beginning of one of the most memorable experiences of our lives.
