South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the
southernmost country on the African continent, renowned for its diverse
ecosystems, rich cultural heritage, and complex history. Home to over 63
million people, the nation is uniquely structured with three distinct
capital cities: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), and
Bloemfontein (judicial), while its largest urban and economic hub is
Johannesburg. After centuries of colonial expansion by Dutch and
British forces, the country established a systemic framework of racial
segregation known as apartheid in 1948. South Africa transitioned to a
democratic parliamentary republic with its landmark, multi-racial election
on April 27, 1994, which saw anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela elected as
president.
Getting there ...
We continued our African adventure from
Xugana in Okavango Delta, Botswana. We
took the light aircraft from Xugana to Maun (with one intermediate stop) at
~ 10:30AM, and from Maun (2:30PM) to Johannesburg (4PM), and got our rental
car to drive to our hotel, Sanctuary Mandela, at about 5:45PM.
[Victoria Falls]
[Chobe, Botswana]
[Xugana, Botswana] [South Africa]
Day 11 (9/22) ...
- Sanctuary Mandela
Sanctuary Mandela is a premier boutique hotel and historical landmark
located in Houghton Estate, Johannesburg, South Africa. Once the primary
residence of Nelson Mandela from 1991 to 1998, this thoughtfully
restored property has been transformed by the Nelson Mandela Foundation
into a space of reflection, heritage, and luxury. It is a rare
destination where travelers can sleep, dine, and immerse themselves in
the legacy of South Africa's iconic anti-apartheid leader.
Before
dinner, a hotel staff gave us a house tour to introduce us the story of
the home, Madiba's personal side, and explored original architectural
elements and heritage details.
Day 12 (9/23) ...
- Sanctuary Mandela
I have read and watched Mandela's book and
movie "Long Walk to Freedom" (and also the movie "Invictus") a long time
ago, and I was deeply admiring Mandela's character and leadership.
It's such a privilege to stay at a place of reflection, connection and
quiet inspiration.
- Constitution Hill
Constitution Hill is a living museum, UNESCO
World Heritage site, and the seat of the Constitutional Court of South
Africa. Located in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, it serves as a powerful
symbol of South Africa’s transition from a brutal apartheid past to a
democratic future. The precinct was famously chosen to build the
nation's highest court directly inside a former prison complex where
tens of thousands of people—including Nelson Mandela and Mahatma
Gandhi—were once brutally incarcerated.
- Apartheid Museum
The Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg is widely
regarded as the preeminent museum dedicated to chronicling the rise and
fall of South Africa’s 20th-century state-sanctioned system of racial
segregation. Opened in 2001, the museum uses striking brutalist
architecture, dense multimedia archives, and artifact collections to
guide visitors through the emotional and heavy history of oppression,
underground resistance, and ultimate triumph.
- After lunch at the cafe at the Apartheid Museum, we drove out of the
city toward our next destination, Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge in the
Northern Drakensberg mountains, about 350km south of Johannesburg.
After about 2 hours of driving, we turned to R714 (west of Warden) and
met the biggest trouble in our driving trips: we got a flat tire!
There were so many potholes on R714 and I failed to avoid some of big
holes. We immediately noticed the different sound and condition
from the front-left tire. We stopped by the roadside, set up the
warning triangle behind our car, and tried to learn how to use the jack
(the VW jack was really strange to use and the mobile signal was weak so
Youtube was not loading fast enough). I called the rental car
company (Sixt), and I was told the nearest roadside service was more
than 200km away and it would take more than 3 hours to reach us.
We decided to flag down a car on the road to ask for help. We were
at a remote area with very little traffic on R714. Finally
after a while, a nice lady stopped her car and came to our rescue!!!
Day 13 (9/24) ...
- Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge
sunrise
Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge is the highest alpine lodge in South
Africa, sitting at an elevation of 2,220 meters (7,283 feet) in the
Northern Drakensberg mountains. Perched at the base of the dramatic
Sentinel Peak, it is owned by the local Batlokoa community and serves as
the official trailhead for some of Africa's most legendary hiking routes,
including the Sentinel Peak Hike & Chain Ladders to the Tugela Falls.
- Tugela Falls
We booked a shuttle at 7:45AM to the Tugela Falls
trailhead at the Sentinel Car Park. It's an 8-km very rugged road
in poor condition and it requires a high clearance 4x4 vehicle.
Tugela Falls is a breathtaking, multi-tiered seasonal cascade located in
the Northern Drakensberg mountains within South Africa's Royal Natal
National Park. Dropping a staggering 948 meters (3,110 feet) over the
sheer basalt cliffs of the iconic Amphitheatre escarpment, it is
recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's highest multi-tiered
waterfall. However, in 2016, a Czech scientific team used advanced
geodetic equipment to remeasure Tugela Falls. They calculated its total
five-tier drop at 983 meters, 4 meters higher than Angel Falls, world's
"highest" waterfalls in Venezuela (Angel Falls holds the undisputed
title for the highest single uninterrupted drop of 807 meters on Earth,
but its total height of 979 meters includes a second lower plunge and a
long stretch of sloping rapids downstream). While institutions like the
World Waterfall Database have acknowledged that Tugela is highly likely
the tallest total drop, the ranking remains widely debated because the
baseline calculation points for both waterfalls are still heavily
scrutinized.
The Sentinel Peak Hike is a challenging
12-kilometer (7.5-mile) round-trip alpine trek with ~ 500 meters (1640
ft.) elevation gain starting from the high-altitude Sentinel Car Park
(most easily accessed via the shuttle from Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge).
This route requires you to climb a set of vertical steel chain ladders
bolted into the rock wall. Once at the summit plateau, you can walk right
up to the edge where the Tugela River flows directly over the cliff face.
Unfortunately, it became extremely foggy when we got
to the edge of the waterfalls. We could barely see anything beyond the
edge. We quickly finished our lunch (rice bowl (Onishi Onigiri)) and
returned to the trail because the visibility was poor and we could not see
where the trail was at some places (we could only follow the sound of the
river...).
Day 14 (9/25) ...
After enjoying a relaxed breakfast, we began our
drive back to Johannesburg. This time I was driving extremely
cautious, avoiding every potholes I could avoid...
- Sandton
Sandton is an affluent commercial and residential
district situated in the northern part of the City of Johannesburg
Metropolitan Municipality. Widely recognized as "Africa's richest square
mile," it serves as the premier financial powerhouse of South Africa and
the entire continent. We stayed at the Sandton Sun & Towers Hotel
and walked to the shopping mall around the Nelson Mandela Square for an
Asian fusion dinner.
Day 15 (9/26) ...
- Maropeng, Cradle of
Humankind
The Cradle of Humankind is a world-renowned
paleoanthropological area located about 50 kilometers (31 miles)
northwest of Johannesburg. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in
1999, this 47,000-hectare expanse contains the world's largest known
concentration of human ancestral remains, yielding some of the most
critical fossil discoveries in the history of evolutionary science.
The Maropeng Visitor Center is the main exhibition space housed in an
iconic, award-winning building designed to look like a giant burial
mound. Visitors take an underground boat ride that journeys backwards
through time, tracking the elements of earth's creation before walking
through interactive displays on human evolution.
- Sterkfontein Caves
The Sterkfontein Caves, located a short drive
from Maropeng, are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of the Cradle
of Humankind. Famous for their rich fossil discoveries, they’ve provided
crucial evidence of early human evolution, including the famous
Australopithecus africanus fossil known as "Mrs. Ples" and the nearly
complete skeleton of "Little Foot." These limestone caves offer guided
tours and insights into humanity’s ancient past, making them a key
archaeological and tourist site.
- Shepherd's Tree
Game Lodge, Pilanesberg National Park
We drove north for about 2
hours to our next destination,
Shepherd's Tree Game
Lodge, a phenomenal hideaway that is tucked quietly away in its own
exclusive-use zone in the South-West of the Pilanesberg Game Reserve.
Although we already had great safari trips in Botswana, I wanted to have
a "mini" safari tour in South Africa before we concluded our African
trip.
- Afternoon Game Drive, Pilanesberg
Pilanesberg National Park is a
premier, 55,000-hectare game reserve (fourth biggest game reserve in
South Africa) located in South Africa’s North West Province. What makes
it a global marvel is its unique setting inside the crater of an extinct
1.2-billion-year-old volcano, featuring three concentric rings of rocky
hills that rise out of the surrounding plains. Home to the "Big Five"
(lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo), it is one of the most
accessible and popular safari destinations in the country.
Day 16 (9/27) ...
- Morning Game Drive, Pilanesberg
After pursuing a pride of lions
very far away, our guide got some information about a leopard and we
were rushing to the site. It was so crowded that the
traffic made everyone
almost stuck. We were lucky that the leopard moved to a gap where
we could have a clear view when it made a failed attempt to catch an
impala (it was happening so fast that we did not even catch the action
in video).
- Voortrekker Monument, Pretoria
After a hearty breakfast at the
Shepherd's Tree Game Lodge, we drove to Pretoria and visited the
colossal Voortrekker Monument.
Pretoria is the administrative capital
of South Africa and the historical heart of the country's civil service
and diplomacy. Located just 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of
Johannesburg, it is home to all foreign embassies, government department
headquarters, and the official seat of the President. My original
plan was to visit the Union Buildings, the official seat of the South
African government perched on Meintjieskop hill. However, the
perimeter and upper road access directly surrounding the Union
Buildings, specifically Government Avenue, is closed on weekends and
public holidays primarily due to strict security protocols and threat
mitigation. So my backup plan was to visit the Voortrekker
Monument.
The Voortrekker Monument is a colossal granite structure
located on a hilltop just south of Pretoria. Standing 40 meters (131
feet) tall, it was built to commemorate the history of the Afrikaner
pioneer "Voortrekkers" who migrated from the British-ruled Cape Colony
into the interior of South Africa during the Great Trek between 1835 and
1854. Designed by architect Gerard Moerdijk and inaugurated in 1949, it
remains a highly prominent landmark that is complexly woven into South
Africa's cultural and political heritage.
Going Home ...
We were back to JNB Airport before 4PM to return our rental car, and
had a long rest at a cafe in the airport waiting for checking in our
flight. Our flight home was a little bit complicated:
Johannesburg (JNB @ 10:50PM) on 9/27 (Sunday) to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
(ADD @ 5:25AM) with flight time ~ 5h35m, ADD @ 8:35AM to Lomé, Togo (LFW @
11:05AM) with flight time ~ 5h30m, LFW @ 12:35PM (without changing plane)
to Washington DC (IAD @ 7:30PM) with flight time ~ 11h, and IAD @ 10PM to
SFO @ 1:15AM on 9/29 (Tuesday). The total travel time was more than
36 hours. The main reason to choose these flights was we could get a
cheap business class on Ethiopian Airlines (JNB to ADD to LFW to IAD) for
Woanyu...
Although we have been to Africa several times before, this
African trip was truly unique and full of amazing experiences, from
untamed wildlife to unparalleled nature beauty, from culture heritage to
path of freedom and democracy, I was still absorbing what I have seen and
learned in the past 2 weeks. One thing I know for sure is we will
come back to Africa again in the future.
[Victoria Falls]
[Chobe, Botswana]
[Xugana, Botswana] [South Africa]
[South Africa
Gallery]
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