From: Just Poland Travel Agency
Dear Clive, as soon as I have spoken with Wojtek, he told me that you are the best and the most competent person he had ever working with. Thank you very much with coordination with my small VIP group and hope we have the opportunity to work together in the future.
Dear Clive, as soon as I have spoken with Wojtek, he told me that you are the best and the most competent person he had ever working with. Thank you very much with coordination with my small VIP group and hope we have the opportunity to work together in the future.
Thank you very much for assisting us so friendly and professionally, hope all goes well.
We will definitely recommend you and your company "Executive Touring" to every single person that will like to go to South Africa. You are a very professional person and your service was immaculate and beautiful.
We can't thank you enough and will always speak highly about your service and professionalism
Kind Regards
Christene Van Niekerk Junior Consultant Sure Glenwood Travel
The Cape Town Lion Park is situated on Vredenheim Wine Farm close to Spier Wine Estate.
This is an interactive and educational park and tours are offered daily. The main attraction here are the white lions.
The educational tours are very interesting and one learns about the lions physiology, hunting methods and their life in a pride.
There is also a restaurant and wine tasting opportunities.
Maybe this will wet your appetite and encourage you to visit the many game parks in South Africa and indeed the Western Cape.
Photo: Cape Town Lion Park
This is an interactive and educational park and tours are offered daily. The main attraction here are the white lions.
The educational tours are very interesting and one learns about the lions physiology, hunting methods and their life in a pride.
There is also a restaurant and wine tasting opportunities.
Maybe this will wet your appetite and encourage you to visit the many game parks in South Africa and indeed the Western Cape.
Photo: Cape Town Lion Park
01/07: Robben Island , Cape Town
People lived on Robben Island many thousands of years ago, when the sea channel between the Island and the Cape mainland was not covered with water. Since the Dutch settled at the Cape in the mid-1600s, Robben Island has been used primarily as a prison.
Indigenous African leaders, Muslim leaders from the East Indies, Dutch and British soldiers and civilians, women, and anti-apartheid activists, including South Africa's first democratic President, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela and the founding leader of the Pan Africanist Congress, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, were all imprisoned on the Island.
Robben Island has not only been used as a prison. It was a training and defence station in World War II (1939-1945) and a hospital for people with leprosy, and the mentally and chronically ill (1846-1931). In the 1840s, Robben Island was chosen for a hospital because it was regarded as both secure (isolating dangerous cases) and healthy (providing a good environment for cure). During this time, political and common-law prisoners were still kept on the Island. As there was no cure and little effective treatment available for leprosy, mental illness and other chronic illnesses in the 1800s, Robben Island was a kind of prison for the hospital patients too.
Since 1997 it has been a museum and a heritage site. The museum is a dynamic institution, which acts as a focal point of South African heritage. It runs educational programmes for schools, youths and adults, facilitates tourism development, conducts ongoing research related to the Island and fulfils an archiving function.
Info: www.robben-island.org.za
Indigenous African leaders, Muslim leaders from the East Indies, Dutch and British soldiers and civilians, women, and anti-apartheid activists, including South Africa's first democratic President, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela and the founding leader of the Pan Africanist Congress, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, were all imprisoned on the Island.
Robben Island has not only been used as a prison. It was a training and defence station in World War II (1939-1945) and a hospital for people with leprosy, and the mentally and chronically ill (1846-1931). In the 1840s, Robben Island was chosen for a hospital because it was regarded as both secure (isolating dangerous cases) and healthy (providing a good environment for cure). During this time, political and common-law prisoners were still kept on the Island. As there was no cure and little effective treatment available for leprosy, mental illness and other chronic illnesses in the 1800s, Robben Island was a kind of prison for the hospital patients too.
Since 1997 it has been a museum and a heritage site. The museum is a dynamic institution, which acts as a focal point of South African heritage. It runs educational programmes for schools, youths and adults, facilitates tourism development, conducts ongoing research related to the Island and fulfils an archiving function.
Info: www.robben-island.org.za
One of the best ways to discover or re-discover Cape Town is on a City Sightseeing open-top bus tour and even if the weather is foul and you decide to sit inside, you will still have a great view.
Choose between the Red City or Blue Peninsula bus that goes via Kirstenbosch, the World of Birds and Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay.
Both tours offer a hop-on hop-off service so you can tailor make your trip. The ticket office is outside the Two Oceans Aquarium at the Waterfront.
Or catch a taxi...a water taxi.
Operating around the V&A basins, through the marina and the canal, past the CTICC. Pick-up and drop-off points include the Table Bay Hotel, Two Oceans Aquarium,, Cape Grace Hotel , One and Only Hotel and City Lodge Hotel.Tickets cost R50 one way and are available from the ticket office located in Quay 5.
Choose between the Red City or Blue Peninsula bus that goes via Kirstenbosch, the World of Birds and Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay.
Both tours offer a hop-on hop-off service so you can tailor make your trip. The ticket office is outside the Two Oceans Aquarium at the Waterfront.
Or catch a taxi...a water taxi.
Operating around the V&A basins, through the marina and the canal, past the CTICC. Pick-up and drop-off points include the Table Bay Hotel, Two Oceans Aquarium,, Cape Grace Hotel , One and Only Hotel and City Lodge Hotel.Tickets cost R50 one way and are available from the ticket office located in Quay 5.
We had tickets to the game between Cameroon and Netherlands and decided to do the whole world cup public transport, fan walk experience.
We caught the train at the new Century City Station which is really modern, safe and plenty of parking space.
Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the newly revamped Cape Town Station. Beautifully done and well designed.
We picked up the fan mile in St George's Mall along with the other 63089 fans and what fun this walk was. Music blaring from random speakers placed outside cafes, people laughing, eating, drinking, sitting standing walking ALL having the time of their life.
The path was littered with policemen, traffic officers and guys wearing green bibs, just waiting to direct one. At Prestwich Memorial there was magic happening...weirdly dressed people on stilts, trees made of beads, stalls that sell anything from flags to the ubiquious vuvuzela (we had to have one!) We stopped at the Cape Quarter for a bite to eat, but it was extremely busy and we decided to go on and eventually stopped at one of the many, many restaurants , Beefcakes, where the service was excellent and the food mediocre. No matter!
The rest of the way stalls line the streets and because the traffic is blocked off one can walk everywhere and anywhere. The stadium is well sign posted and all gates that lead into the grounds, easily accessible.
Once we were searched by the polite policewoman and directed to our entrance gate, we could go into the stadium. What a sight that was!! We were like kids at Christmas and our mouths hung open. Magnificent!!
We had really good seats and the next three hours flew by, albeit quietly as we had those wonderful inventions called earplugs.
The way out after the game was congested with people but everyone was heading in the same direction and it cleared up quickly. We walked the same way back, which felt a little longer, but were entertained by fire breathers and the like. Some chose to take the new MyCity Bus and they were just going back and forth at a rate!
One hour after we left the stadium, we were at home, making a cup of tea and still reeling with excitement!!
With all the excitement, I forgot to watch the game....
Photo: Hugo Schotman
We caught the train at the new Century City Station which is really modern, safe and plenty of parking space.
Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the newly revamped Cape Town Station. Beautifully done and well designed.
We picked up the fan mile in St George's Mall along with the other 63089 fans and what fun this walk was. Music blaring from random speakers placed outside cafes, people laughing, eating, drinking, sitting standing walking ALL having the time of their life.
The path was littered with policemen, traffic officers and guys wearing green bibs, just waiting to direct one. At Prestwich Memorial there was magic happening...weirdly dressed people on stilts, trees made of beads, stalls that sell anything from flags to the ubiquious vuvuzela (we had to have one!) We stopped at the Cape Quarter for a bite to eat, but it was extremely busy and we decided to go on and eventually stopped at one of the many, many restaurants , Beefcakes, where the service was excellent and the food mediocre. No matter!
The rest of the way stalls line the streets and because the traffic is blocked off one can walk everywhere and anywhere. The stadium is well sign posted and all gates that lead into the grounds, easily accessible.
Once we were searched by the polite policewoman and directed to our entrance gate, we could go into the stadium. What a sight that was!! We were like kids at Christmas and our mouths hung open. Magnificent!!
We had really good seats and the next three hours flew by, albeit quietly as we had those wonderful inventions called earplugs.
The way out after the game was congested with people but everyone was heading in the same direction and it cleared up quickly. We walked the same way back, which felt a little longer, but were entertained by fire breathers and the like. Some chose to take the new MyCity Bus and they were just going back and forth at a rate!
One hour after we left the stadium, we were at home, making a cup of tea and still reeling with excitement!!
With all the excitement, I forgot to watch the game....
Photo: Hugo Schotman
The History of Robben Island:
Robben Island is actually the summit of an ancient, now submerged mountain, linked by an undersea saddle to the Blouberg. Its lower strata consists of Malmesbury shale forming a rocky and somewhat inhospitable coastline. Above this lies a thick limestone and calcrete deposit covered by windblown sands and shell fragments.
The Island is low-lying with the highest point being 24 metres, also known as Minto's Hill, (named after a nineteenth-century Surgeon-Superintendent of the General Infirmary) above sea-level. The climate is Mediterranean, as in nearby Cape Town, but the Island experiences stronger winds and comparative extremes in temperature.
Robben Island is a complex, sensitive eco-system. In terms of South African law, the Island is a protected nature conservation area and, as a World Heritage Site, has to balance additional stringent conservation requirements with the Museum's mission of ensuring public access to the Island's heritage.
The types of flora and fauna on Robben Island however has been affected by humans through farming practices and by the introduction of extensive plantations of shrubs and exotic trees, some of which were planted to provide shade for patients during the period in which the Island functioned as a leper colony. The spectacular veld flowers typical of the West Coast also occur on the Island during spring.
Robben Island hosts about 132 bird species. These include seabirds, waterbirds and terrestrial birds. Humans have introduced a few to the Island by humans, such as the Chukar Partridge and Guinea Fowl.The environment provides a sheltered and safe haven for a large variety of bird species, some of which are endangered. Many of the birds use the Island for breeding and roosting. Some birds from the mainland such as Crowned Cormorant and Black Crowned Night Herons breed on the Island in large colonies.The African Penguin (formerly known as the Jackass Penguin) is a species that was abundant in the 17th century but was brought to the brink of extinction in the 1800s by human activities. By 1983 the penguins were re-introduced and have since established a breeding population. They are a favourite attraction of visitors to the island.
information www.robben-island.org.za
Robben Island is actually the summit of an ancient, now submerged mountain, linked by an undersea saddle to the Blouberg. Its lower strata consists of Malmesbury shale forming a rocky and somewhat inhospitable coastline. Above this lies a thick limestone and calcrete deposit covered by windblown sands and shell fragments.
The Island is low-lying with the highest point being 24 metres, also known as Minto's Hill, (named after a nineteenth-century Surgeon-Superintendent of the General Infirmary) above sea-level. The climate is Mediterranean, as in nearby Cape Town, but the Island experiences stronger winds and comparative extremes in temperature.
Robben Island is a complex, sensitive eco-system. In terms of South African law, the Island is a protected nature conservation area and, as a World Heritage Site, has to balance additional stringent conservation requirements with the Museum's mission of ensuring public access to the Island's heritage.
The types of flora and fauna on Robben Island however has been affected by humans through farming practices and by the introduction of extensive plantations of shrubs and exotic trees, some of which were planted to provide shade for patients during the period in which the Island functioned as a leper colony. The spectacular veld flowers typical of the West Coast also occur on the Island during spring.
Robben Island hosts about 132 bird species. These include seabirds, waterbirds and terrestrial birds. Humans have introduced a few to the Island by humans, such as the Chukar Partridge and Guinea Fowl.The environment provides a sheltered and safe haven for a large variety of bird species, some of which are endangered. Many of the birds use the Island for breeding and roosting. Some birds from the mainland such as Crowned Cormorant and Black Crowned Night Herons breed on the Island in large colonies.The African Penguin (formerly known as the Jackass Penguin) is a species that was abundant in the 17th century but was brought to the brink of extinction in the 1800s by human activities. By 1983 the penguins were re-introduced and have since established a breeding population. They are a favourite attraction of visitors to the island.
information www.robben-island.org.za
In 1983 a pair of African penguins were spotted on Foxy Beach at Boulders Beach Simon’s Town and in 1985 they began to lay. Since then the colony has grown rapidly. By 1997 there were 2350 adult birds. Such a quick growth of the colony was the result of immigration, particularly from Dyer Island, as well as by reproduction. Birds have probably come to False Bay because of the good fishing available since commercial purse seine fishing has been banned in the Bay. Although Simon's Town is very proud of its penguins, nearby residents suffered badly as the birds invaded their gardens, destroyed the undergrowth and were generally very noisy and messy. The great increase in tourists has also been a problem. As a result, the area has now been taken over by Cape Peninsula National Park, the birds have been restrained from wandering inland by a fence, board walks and an information room have all been established. Boulders still remains the only place in the world where one can actually swim amongst the penguins as they have continued to invade more beaches. They are remarkably untroubled by people but one should avoid harassing them by getting too close or chasing them. Beware!! They have a vicious bite.
Hiking on and around Cape Point is about to get a whole lot better! By June 2010, avid hikers will be able to enjoy a spectacular five-night, six-day trail from Cape Town to Cape Point. The Hoerikwaggo Trail is almost 100km long, and sections of it are already open to members of the public. You can currently book one-, two- and three-night hikes on the trail.
Four hundred previously unemployed path-builders have been involved in the four-year construction of the full 97km trail. Some of these path-builders are now mountain guides, who describe the trail’s natural and cultural wonders to hikers. Others have become porters, tourism staff and rangers. The project has seen the Table Mountain National Park christened with the enviable nickname, “Mountain of Jobs”.
Hoerikwaggo is Khoisan for “mountain of the sea” – the Khoisan’s name for Table Mountain. The proposed five-night trail will allow hikers to trek from Cape Point to Table Mountain, through the Table Mountain National Park.
Three of the five tented camps are already open to hikers: Orange Kloof (above Hout Bay), Silvermine (below Noordhoek Peak) and Slangkop Point (near the Kommetjie Lighthouse). All campsites offer hot water, open fires and fully equipped kitchens. The other two camps will be near the entrance to the Cape Point section of the park, and at the SA Navy’s former Signal School (above Simon’s Town). All the sites were carefully selected, with camps built on land that had been previously damaged.
Four hundred previously unemployed path-builders have been involved in the four-year construction of the full 97km trail. Some of these path-builders are now mountain guides, who describe the trail’s natural and cultural wonders to hikers. Others have become porters, tourism staff and rangers. The project has seen the Table Mountain National Park christened with the enviable nickname, “Mountain of Jobs”.
Hoerikwaggo is Khoisan for “mountain of the sea” – the Khoisan’s name for Table Mountain. The proposed five-night trail will allow hikers to trek from Cape Point to Table Mountain, through the Table Mountain National Park.
Three of the five tented camps are already open to hikers: Orange Kloof (above Hout Bay), Silvermine (below Noordhoek Peak) and Slangkop Point (near the Kommetjie Lighthouse). All campsites offer hot water, open fires and fully equipped kitchens. The other two camps will be near the entrance to the Cape Point section of the park, and at the SA Navy’s former Signal School (above Simon’s Town). All the sites were carefully selected, with camps built on land that had been previously damaged.
The Cape Point Partnership unveiled a new and improved Flying Dutchman funicular operating at Cape Point.
The funicular, which transports visitors up the steep slope to popular lookout points just below the lighthouse, was upgraded at great cost and now boasts a new body, safer braking technology and bigger windows that allow visitors a 360 degree view throughout their ride.
The new system has been designed to minimise the funicular’s carbon footprint; with low solar powered batteries charged by photovoltaic panels while in transit, the new Flying Dutchman is more environmentally friendly than ever.
The new funicular is one of many improvements to this area of the Table Mountain National Park, in addition to a bigger parking area and upgrades of the information area, curio shops and restaurant.
The funicular, which transports visitors up the steep slope to popular lookout points just below the lighthouse, was upgraded at great cost and now boasts a new body, safer braking technology and bigger windows that allow visitors a 360 degree view throughout their ride.
The new system has been designed to minimise the funicular’s carbon footprint; with low solar powered batteries charged by photovoltaic panels while in transit, the new Flying Dutchman is more environmentally friendly than ever.
The new funicular is one of many improvements to this area of the Table Mountain National Park, in addition to a bigger parking area and upgrades of the information area, curio shops and restaurant.
