Mohave, Tuli Wilderness, Botswana : April 2026

Thursday 9 to Monday 13 April 2026

What a fantastic long weekend at one of my favourite places to celebrate Tracey's 60th birthday.

The drive from Joburg always takes longer than your estimate so it's good to leave early. There's plenty of time to wait at the border while one car has to return to Alldays to replace a trye.

Once we are finally settled into our rooms, there's still time for a game drive and mandatory sundowner drinks in the bush.

Dinner back at camp and we party a bit too late so the 5am wake-up call for a 6am game drive leaves us short of an hour or so of sleep.

Every night. Luckily after brunch there's plenty of time for a nap before the afternoon game drive.

The game sightings and bird watching are always special here eventhough the bush is thick and there's so much water around.

The  "Bush Dinner" is always a highlight for me. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRACEY!

Thank you Hanlie and others for some wonderful photos.

Hermanus and Seapoint : 2026

Friday 3 to Monday 6 April

A whirlwind trip to two of our best places means squeezing in as many favourite spots as possible. 

Hermanus.

Staying at Auberge Burgundy.

Lunch at Gabrielskloof Winery.

Trawling through the art galleries. Dinner catching up with friends.

Up the Hemel and Aarde valley.

Wine tasting at Creation.

Sunset and dinner at Bientangs cave.

Cocktails and music at Sky Bar.

Brunch with friends in Betties Bay.

A visit to the penguin colony. 

The drive from Rooi Els to Gordon's Bay.

Seapoint. Mezcal cocktails and tacos at Una Mas.

Bagels and coffee at Kleinskys. A flight back to Joburg.

Franschoek, Cape Winelands

Wednesday 1 April and Thursday 2 April

When the plane lands at noon and you arrive at Spier at ten past one, including waiting for the bags and picking up a rental car, you've made good time! Because we are with overseas guests we have chosen the more commercial and touristy wineries for them and I have to say we are very, very impressed...world class wines, lovely staff, gorgeous architecture, gardens and art. There is a charge for tastings but it takes the pressure off feeling obliged to buy..

On the way over the pass to Franschoek we also stopped at Delaire Graaf. The views from this estate are just amazing.

We stayed at The Lab in Franshoek. Madeleine and Rocco joined us for dinner and a lovely catch up at Frank's. 

On Thursday our first stop was Haute Cabriere for a tasting of Pierre Jourdan MCC. I always love a bubbly but their other wines are good too.

My love of bubbly goes back to 1986 when we visited the old Cabriere farm and owner Achim von Arnim would start the wine tasting with Sabrage; now a Neil party trick.

"Sabrage is the ceremonial art of opening a bottle of Champagne or Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) using a saber. It is one of the most theatrical traditions in the wine world, and Haute Cabrière is famously regarded as its spiritual home in South Africa."

Our 2nd stop was La Motte for another wine tasting and a cheese plate.

Bob and Jane are enjoying the shopping in Franschoek. We ate dinner at Reuben's. This is another sleepy town where staying up until 10pm is concidered a late night!