Backpacking in South Africa: 7 Non Safari Animal Experiences

Following my recent post reflecting on my safari in Tanzania – my night in the Serengeti, I aim to get more of my cool African back catalogue up and running. When I backpacked through Soweto, Durban, Joberg and Pretoria in 2011, I forgot to mention the important part of African adventures – wildlife! This post Read more about Backpacking in South Africa: 7 Non Safari Animal Experiences[…]

gaborone botswana

World Borders: How to Get From Botswana to South Africa (Tlokweng to Kopfontein)

In my ongoing world borders series, I give you the best and easiest ways to cross borders all over the world, all from my personal travel experiences. The border crossing from Botswana to South Africa is a fairly straight forward one, so here’s an overview of my journey. You might have read how I went Read more about World Borders: How to Get From Botswana to South Africa (Tlokweng to Kopfontein)[…]

Joburg Beer in Soweto Shebeen

Thirsty Thursdays: Joburg Beer in Soweto Shebeens, South Africa

What’s a Shebeen? It sounds like a Scottish or Irish word, doesn’t it? Well funny you should say that, because actually the word “Shebeen” is originally Irish/Gaelic and translates into English as “illegal whiskey drinking venue” (or something of that ilk). “Shebeens” have become famous in places such as the USA and Zimbabwe. But actually I Read more about Thirsty Thursdays: Joburg Beer in Soweto Shebeens, South Africa[…]

Backpacking in South Africa: Nelspruit to Johannesburg Passing By…Belfast

After a stop over in the city of Nelspruit – albeit to leave people off at hostels and hang around in a shopping centre car park, the final leg of my African experience of 2011 was upon me. I had been lucky to get to visit an Irish Pub in Nelspruit, O’Hara’s where a fresh Read more about Backpacking in South Africa: Nelspruit to Johannesburg Passing By…Belfast[…]

Herbert Goes Bananas: Road Trip Johannesburg to Pretoria Via Sterkfontein

Herbert Goes Bananas: Road Trip Johannesburg to Pretoria Via Sterkfontein

Having spent a few amazing days in Soweto and Johannesburg, I had made up my itinerary and rough plan for the rest of my time in southern Africa. In South Africa itself, I would make do with visiting just four cities (Durban, Soweto, Johannesburg and Pretoria) and I would cross into two of the other Read more about Herbert Goes Bananas: Road Trip Johannesburg to Pretoria Via Sterkfontein[…]

Visiting the Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg, South Africa

Visiting the Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg, South Africa

If you don’t understand the horrid history of South Africa, then a trip to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg is a must when visiting the country. I knew a bit about it, but going to the museum added a lot of details, facts and stories to my knowledge of the black and white divide in Read more about Visiting the Apartheid Museum, Johannesburg, South Africa[…]

Waiting For Grace At Park Station: Gaborone to Johannesburg

Waiting For Grace At Park Station: Gaborone to Johannesburg

Cramming so many things into my adventures means I often cut things short, without wanting to. I had to say farewell to Botswana on my third day. I had basically only decided to go there as I was staying in the north part of South Africa so close to the border that it would be Read more about Waiting For Grace At Park Station: Gaborone to Johannesburg[…]

Arrival in Doha, Qatar: Good Evening Middle East

It is possible you’ve never heard of Doha, it hardly advertises itself to you in the same way as New York, Paris and Buenos Aires do. But this, is a special, “sleeping giant” capital city of intrigue. It was my first ever trip to the “Middle East” (itself an oxymoron) and came about in the Read more about Arrival in Doha, Qatar: Good Evening Middle East[…]