South African Travel Digest

Gordon's Bay harbour . Are you planning a trip to Cape Town, South Africa and wonder whether Gordon's Bay is worth a visit?  I would definitely recommend at least a couple of days in Gordon's Bay since there are so many things to entertain the visitor.  This small seaside town with its beautiful harbour just 25 km from Cape Town,  is a scenic paradise and a visit will never be forgotten. It is also the ideal place to visit if you have small children. Here are my top five places to visit in Gordon's Bay: Bikini Beach View of False Bay from Bikini Beach. Although there are many  other better beaches around Cape Town to visit, Bikini Beach has Blue Flag status, meaning it is safe and clean to swim (an international quality award).  The water is also a bit warmer than the other beaches around Cape Town. The scenic view of False Bay alone makes this a must visit beach. Go for a swim at Pringle Bay. Drive to Betty's Bay to watch the African

Will you be travelling with a small child to South Africa soon? The idea of traveling with a small child to a faraway foreign country such as South Africa can be a bit overwhelming at first. But with careful planning  such a trip can become really rewarding and enjoyable. The only disadvantage is that the child will not remember much about the trip after becoming a bit older, but you will be teaching him or her some skills that will last forever.  South Africa is generally safe to travel with children but you will need to do your homework. My son has been traveling overseas with us since the age of three. When flying from and to South Africa you should be prepared for a really long flight.  The key is to anticipate specific situations that you have to make provision for.  Packing for the long trip Make sure that you know exactly what your travel insurance covers and what you need to do in case of an emergency as well as who to contact. Take additional medicine with, fo

Mini trains at Cedar Junction Theme Park. Want to take your children for an outing? The school holidays or weekends can be the ideal time to take them for a train ride to keep them busy. Pretoria has some remarkable train rides to offer.   Having a young kid myself, I know how exciting it is for them to ride on the trains and to hear their sound.  But you can also take them for a ride in a real train. Here is my list of favourite train rides in Pretoria. Centurion Society of Model Engineers Each Sunday the Centurion Society of Model Engineers meets and offers rides on their mini locomotives with little carts for a small fee. These ride are really value for money with some interesting scenery. They can be found each Sunday at Kwikkie Crescent Street, Zwartkops, very close to the Centurion Gautrain station. Barry rides most Sundays in Centurion, except for the third Sunday of each month. Below to the right is one of the many steam trains. Children love to ride

The farm house at Vergelegen Wine Estate. Vergelegen Wine Estate in Somerset West about 40 km from Cape Town offers an ideal day trip which the visitor will not easily forget.   Apart from being a top wine producer, the history of the estate is also captivating while the surroundings will take your breath away. The estate boasts a Wine Tasting Centre, a Stables bistro and fine dining at The Camphors restaurant.  Visitors can also organise for a picnic in its beautiful and tranquil gardens.  Vergelegen  when translated means "situated far away" is well-known for its fine wines.  It was already built in 1685 by Simon Van der Stel and later further expanded by William his son.  It has since then had many owners who restored and refurbished the house and the gardens.  It is currently owned by the company Anglo American and has seen many heads of states entertained here, including former President Nelson Mandela. I have visited Vergelegen Wine Estate already

Next time you fly to South Africa, why not also use your iPad as your travel guide and companion? With the numerous free travel applications available in the Apple iPad's application store, you will be assured of a wonderful stay with all the information you need right there at your finger tips. Recently I realised that that there are numerous free travel applications available which will just be as good as those one you have to pay for. In this post I would like to recommend my  five best free iPad applications  you should consider downloading for your next trip. Triplt Free trip organizer (7.9MB) This trip organizer will merge all your travel details into one itinerary. It also links with other social media platforms and your emails to access your travel arrangements. You will never be confused about your travel details ever again. Touchnote Postcards for iPad (11 MB) With this free application you can use your own photos and send them as postcards to your fam