The copyright act of 1978 (as amended) prohibits the reproduction of this copy IN ANY FORMAT, (See Clause 4 Terms and Conditions) without prior permission of the original publisher.

Publication

WEEKEND WITNESS

Page

12-13

Date

Sat 26 Jan 2019

AVE (ZAR)

39583.11

Their beauty makesthem perfect for InstagramA BEACH with Table Mountain asthebackdrop is the most Instagrammedspotin SouthAfrica,but agamereserveandacityofJacarandasaren'tfarbehind.International travel company Big 7

Travel looked at hashtags,readersvotesand a panel of exper tsto sussout 50of the most photogenic spots in thecountryandfoundthat themosthighlysought-after selfie spot is Blouberg-strand in Cape Town.Accordingto the site, SA's dramatic

scenery,fantastichiking trails, deser tedbeaches and spectacular ocean viewsmake the country an Instagrammer 'sdream location.

KwaZulu-Natalclaimedseveralspotsinthetop50thankstotheMandelaCap-ture Site outside Howick, Umhlanga 'sfamousred and white lighthouse, themajesticDrakensbergmountains, SaniPass,the beachesof CapeVidal andtheunderwatersplendourof SodwanaBay.

The full list is set out below.N Bloubergstrand:One of themostfamousvantagepointsin theworld, this isthe imagemostpeo-plethink of globallywhentheyhearthename "South Africa".N Sabi Sands Private GameReserve:You'll find thisbetweenHoed-spruit and Acornhoek, on the westernedgeof the KrugerNational Park.You'llgetto seesomeamazingbig gamethere,butyou'll alsobedoingit in seriousluxury.N Jacaranda trees, Pretoria:Thesebeautiescomeinto flower in thespring and line the roads, especiallyinthe Brooklyn area.Beyond pretty whenat their full bloom.

N Blyde River Canyon:Officially known asMotlatse Canyon,this can be found at the northern endof the Drakensbergescarpment.It is aremarkable25km in length.N Lion Sands Ivory Lodge,Mpumalanga: The lodge has an out-door room where you can sleepat onewith nature. Who knowswhat creaturewill pop up and sayhello.B Stellenbosch: Wine regionsaroundthe world do haveatendency to be pret-ty, but this town in the South Africancountrysidebeats them all. With itswhite buildings and rolling hills, it's avery Instagrammable spot.N Sani Pass:Thismountainpasslocat-edin thewestofKwaZulu-Natal stretch-es up closeto 3000 m. Not alwaysaneasydrive, but you'll be rewardedwithpicturesqueviews.BEMapungubwe, Limpopo: Locatedwhere the Shasheand Limpopo riversmeet, this World Heritage Sight isknown for its golden rhino statue,birds,serenity and senseof history.N Valley of Desolation, CamdebooNational Park: Sheer cliffsalongsidelargecolumnsof rocksthat rise 120mfrom the valleyfloor.You're looking di-rectly at 100million years of historyright there.N God's Window, Mpumalanga:Thesemajesticcliffsplungeover900 m,looking down acrossgame reserves.Along hard walk to get to the top, butworth everysinglestepwhenyou seetheview.N De Hoop Nature Reserve, WesternCape: You'll find this whiter-than-white

sand on a stretch of beach threehours from Cape Town in theOverbergregion,nearCapeAgul-has.N Bo-Kaap, Cape Town: An areaofCapeTownthat isso,socolour-ful and vivid - it could have beeninvented especiallyfor Instagram.N Tsitsikamma National Park:A national park that has everything,from deepgorgesandhugeYellowwoodtrees to numerous forms of wildlife, in-cluding wild pigs.N Sodwana Bay, KZN: Locatedon theeastcoastof KZN, this goldenbayfeelssounspoilt. It's alsooneofthe bestdiv-ing sites in a countrythat'sblessedwith so | __many of them.N Chapman's PeakDrive: Thishasgottobe up there with themost scenic driving |routes in the world.The road- snakesalongsteepcliffsandsandybeaches,with !greatvantagepoints.N Cape Vidal J

beach, KZN: A |World HeritageSite |and one of the best {

beachesin SA. Also |a great place for |snorkellingandget- |ting stunning un- [derwaterpictures. |

CONTINUED]ONPAGE13 |

Mandela Capture Site, Howick: The exhibition tells a story of NelsonMandela'sjourney through life and how he built a new nation from withina conflicted South Africa. Historicallyimportant and fascinating.

Lion's Head,Cape Town:While taking aphoto acrossthe bay of TableMountain is themost knownphotograph, thetrek up here tocapture the cityfrom a uniqueperspectiv e istotally worth it.

PRINTEDANDDISTRIBUTED8YPRESSREADER4( (') pressreader >

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

B Bloukrans Bridge, Western Cape:At 216mhigh,youcanchoosetobungeejumpfromtheverytop, or, if you'refeel-ing alittle lessbrave,justtakein theviewfrom acrossthe valley.N Nourish'd, Cape Town: You cangetphotosforthe 'gramandfeelgoodaboutit atthis stylishandsustainablecafé.Bo-nus points for the fact they sendabso-lutely zerowasteto landfillN Durban Natural ScienceMuseum:A great placeto learn about science,andawonder fullyaestheticplaceto grabanInstagram shot.N Union Buildings:The seatof the South African govern-mentandhometotheofficesofthePres-ident of SouthAfrica.Steepedin recenthistory, this Pretoria spot is an iconicbackdropfor an Instagramphoto.N Robben Island:The most sombrestop on the list, itservedas a jail for political prisoners.Threeformer inmatesof RobbenIslandhave gone on to becomePresidentofSouthAfrica, includingitsmostfamousresident, Nelson Mandela.N Buffels Bay in the Cape PointNature Reserve: In a country knownfor its long, clean beaches, this one isthecreamofthecrop.Awonder fulsmalltownandgreatplaceto spendsometime.N Drakensberg Mountains:The namegiven to the easternpart ofthe Great Escarpment,which enclosesthecentralsouthernAfricanplateauandspreadsinto Lesotho. You could spendat leastaweekherecheckingout all thestunning vantagepoints.N Father Coffee:A world-classcoffeeshopand roasteryin Braamfontein, Johannesburg, that'sall about great coffeeand world-classfood. The design aestheticis up therewith the best in the world.N Hole in the Wall, Eastern Cape:Sit on the beachandwatchthe sunsetthroughthis smallhole in the rocksjustoffshore, that has formed over thou-sandsof years.N Cape of Good Hope: A rocky head-land that wasknownby sailorsnavigat-ing thesewatersfor hundredsof years.Thesedays,the shipssteerwellclear,andpeoplepreferto gettheir selfiewith thedistinctiv elocation sign instead.N Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park:A vastwildlifepreservein the KalahariDeser tthat stretchesright up into Bot-swana.You'll seewildebeestandspring-bok acrossthe red dunes,with lions alsocalling this spacehome.N Otter Trail, Eastern Cape:A five-daytrail alongthe coast(youcandosmallersectionsofit ifyoucan'tcom-mit to that muchwalking), whereyou'llbeatonewith natureandseetheruggedshore.E Inanda Mountain, KZN:About a 30-minute drive out of Durban,but worththemini roadtrip. When yougetthere you'll berewardedwith breath-taking views acrossthe Inanda valley.HeadfortheMzinyathiFallsignpostandfollow it to Matata Head. Just becareful...the road literally ends at theedgeof the cliff face.N Elands River Falls, Mpumalanga:These falls stretchup to 70m high attheir peak.Given the steepclimb,you'll

Diving Board,

romanticnight in theSabi SandsPrivate Game

Reserve.

.'

want to try to visit betweenApril am!

October for the best views, and easiesttrip.N The Silo Hotel:A slicknewhotel in Cape Town by theWaterfront that's alreadycapturedtheworld's attention and offers multiplestunning Instagramspots.E The Richtersveld:This deser t-style landscape in theNorthernCape,with itsjaggedrocksandsandy tracks, provides a striking con-

Table Mountain.

A bungee jumper 's paradise: Bloukra

Bo-Kaaparea ofCapeTown.

LEFT:myAn

avenue ofJacarandatrees inPretoria.

trast to the rest of South Africa.`l Namaqualand at spring time:

This areain theWesternCapecomesin-to bloomin springandisakaleidoscopeof colours- vibrant enoughto light upany Instagramfeed.N Muizenberg, Cape Town:AbeachsuburbofCapeTown,thissandystretchis saidto be the origin of surfingin South Africa. Make sure to get thebeautiful colouredbeachhuts into shot.N Hermanus Whale Watching,

Western Cape: Drive down the coastandyou'll find thiswonder fullittle townthat is the perfect spot to watch thewhales (June to December). You don'teven have to get a boat asyou can seethem from the shore.N MosesMabhida Stadium, Durban:Built for the 2010FifaWorld Cup, thisstriking stadiumholds 85000 peopleand is now used for everything fromsportto concer ts.The stadiumis an ar-chitectur almasterpiece.

ns Bridge in the Western Cape.

_

south Africa's top scenic spots

Vineyards and Cape Dutchhomesteads make Stellenbosch amust for Instagrammers.

E Walter Sisulu National BotanicalGarden, Gauteng: One of 10botanicalgardensaround the country, this onegetsspecialkudosfor havingawaterfallasthe centralattraction.Amazingfaunaand colours throughout.N Babylonstoren, Franschhoek:Babylonstorenis ahistoricCapeDutchfarm that's been elegantlytransformedinto a hotel with its own vineyard, spaandrusticgardens.Wander aroundandgetsnaphappyamongthevivid flowers.N Boulders Beach, Cape Town:The placeto goif youwant aphotowiththe cheeky little penguin colony thatlivesthere.And believeit, you really dowant that photo.N Knysna Elephant Park: No trip toAfricawouldbecompletewithout anup-close encounter with the wildlife andthis is the perfectspot to interactwithrescuedelephantsin the Western Cape.N FourSeasons Hotel, TheWestcliff:It's recentlyhad aR834million renova-tion andthe placeabsolutelyoozesclass.It also comeswith lots of space,withthe hotel grounds spreadout over threehectaresofwoodedhillsideoverlookingJohannesburg Zoo.

< El Nelson Mandela Bridge:This relativelynew addition to the Jo-hannesbur gskylinehasalreadybecomean iconiclandmark.Seeit beautifullylitupatnighttime,andyou'llsoonunder-stand;why.N Umhlanga Lighthouse:Completedin 1954in just under fivedays,this lighthouseis still everybit aspréttyasit wasbackthen.Grabacocktailat the Oyster Box Hotel andgetthe per-ect Instagramsnap.

A" Kagga Kamma Nature Reserve:A tranquiloasisofcalmintheCederber gmountains, where rock formationsframethe horizon and you can escapethe noise and lights of the city.

- BusinessInsider SA.

es