South Africa | Cape Town & Safari

South Africa was by far one of my favorite ports. Sailing into Cape Town was absolutely beautiful. The port was right on the V & A waterfront which was full of shops and restaurants. It was very westernized and reminded me a lot of home. We also had a perfect view of Table Mountain from our dock!

CAPE TOWN PART 1:

On the very first day, our ship cleared face-to-face immigration and then my friends and I headed straight to Table Mountain! A few of the professors on the ship are from Cape Town and recommended a trail to us: India Venster. Our group anticipated that the trail would be fairly easy, but boy, were we wrong. I was in a group of about 15 people and by the time we got a quarter of the way up, 6 people decided to walk back down and take the cable car. I decided to keep hiking. I was doing okay and I wanted to be able to say that I've climbed Table Mountain. Luckily, my friend Chris always has my back, so he volunteered to go slowly with me and two other girls. We took our time, played music out of Chris' speaker while walking up, and took several breaks to just stop and look at the picturesque views. It was difficult and we definitely did some climbing, but reaching the top of that mountain felt like such an accomplishment. My other friends who were hiking faster and taking the cable car were waiting and cheering for us when we got to the top! It felt like finishing a marathon. We took some group photos and then rode the cable car down to to the base.

Halfway up the Table Mountain with Chris

We took an Uber to the V & A waterfront where we had lunch at a spot called Mugg & Bean. Splitting the bill between so many people was really complicated, but after we got it all figured out we were able to walk around and shop a little at a food market and some clothing stores. After, we went back to the ship to change and pack some bags as our group of friends had rented an Airbnb for the duration of our stay in South Africa. We Ubered to the Airbnb, which ended up being extremely nice, hung out there, got some snacks from a nearby grocery store, then headed to a place called the Fat Cactus for dinner. It was amazing Mexican food - something I hadn't had in awhile. After dinner, we all went to Cafe Caprice, a bar by the beach. A large majority of SAS kids were there so it was super fun to see everyone and dance! That night, my friend Lily and I returned to the ship while some of our other friends stayed at the Airbnb.

GARDEN ROUTE GAME LODGE:

The next morning, I met up with a group of about 25 students to depart for the Garden Route Game Lodge for a safari. The bus ride was about 4 hours long, but it wasn't so bad! I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the Garden Route Game Lodge was when we arrived. The lobby served us fresh aloe juice upon arrival and our hotel rooms were basically like Bora Bora bungalows, but over trees in the jungle instead of over the water.

During my time at the Garden Route Game Lodge, I participated in 4 game drives: two in the morning and two in the evening. I was able to see lions, rhinos, cheetahs, zebras, hippos, giraffes, elephants, and more! I don't think there was a single thing that our driver missed. I even witnessed a cheetah hunt — three cubs hunted a springbok.

The Garden Route Game Lodge also had a reptile center where I was able to play with snakes. All of the snakes I touched were safe, so I was able to wrap them around myself and take pictures. Ironically I felt like I was missing out on the 'typical ‘spring break’ that was taking place back at home, but luckily, I was able to get my tan on at the lodge during my free time too at a really nice pool next to the lodge’s restaurant/bar. 

Giraffes spotted on an afternoon game drive

Playing with snakes in the reptile center

CAPE TOWN PART 2:

After two nights/three days at the lodge, I returned to Cape Town to meet up with my friends. We went to an amazing sushi restaurant and spent our night by the water. I slept at the Airbnb that night and woke up the next morning to check-out and head to brunch. My friend Maggie found this amazing place where I was able to get a GIANT iced coffee and the best avocado toast with egg & bacon. It was just like a typical brunch I would have had at home and it perfectly filled a craving I didn't even know I had. After brunch, we headed to Bo Kaap, a street full of colorful buildings. We walked around, took some pictures, and met some locals! Afterward, we went back to the V & A waterfront for dinner, where we had mouth-watering burgers and milkshakes. I ended up going back to the ship that night to rest before my International Business field class the next day. 

Colorful Bo Kaap

I spent the last day in Cape Town on my International Business field class. Lucky for me, it was a wine tour! We went to Groot Constantia which I believe is the oldest vineyard in South Africa. There, we were able to get a tour of the vineyard, meet the CEO, learn about the company, have a picnic, and wine taste! The food was amazing — there were a variety of crackers and charcuterie, salad, pasta, etc. We were able to try three wines; two red and one white! It was a great day, and worth 20% of my grade (amazing, right?). After the field class was over our class went back to the ship as it was almost time to depart for Ghana. 

South Africa was absolutely amazing. It was picture perfect, weather perfect, and just plain happy. Most people I talked to said that they had a good time - it is definitely a destination that I want to travel back to someday...and for longer!