New Year’s resolutions are so last year! They seldom seem to last and generally end up making us feel bad about ourselves when we don’t stick to them. So this year we’re focusing on a Bucket List – a travel bucket list specifically – that will keep you inspired to get out and experience something new. South Africa is such an exciting country with so many extraordinary places to see and things to do.
Here are just a few items on my 2013 Travel Bucket List:
1. Scuba dive in Sodwana Bay: Do you love the idea of exploring beautiful ocean floors surrounded by hundreds of tropical sea creatures? Sodwana Bay is one of the world’s premier dive sites and home to the southernmost tropical coral reefs on the planet. It boasts over 1,200 species of fish, crustaceans, and other sea life.
2. Surf in Jeffrey’s Bay: Jeffrey’s Bay, more affectionately known as J-Bay, is world famous for one thing – SURFING! Even though I’ve lived in the Cape for most of my life, I have never learned to surf. It’s ridiculous, really! So learning to surf and a trip to J-Bay is high on my travel wish list.
3. Snow Days in the Drakensberg: The Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, peaking at 3,482m. The mountain range is approximately 1,000km in length, covering the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mpumalanga, before ending in Tzaneen in the Limpopo Province. With snow laden peaks in winter, the Drakensberg is the perfect destination for cosy romantic getaways.
4. Explore the Diamond Coast: The West Coast is more desolate than the rest of South Africa’s shoreline and is often looked over as a travel destination. But if you enjoy 4×4 trails and endless land and seascapes, you would enjoy the Diamond Route trail along the West Coast of Namaqualand. Attractions include shipwrecks, beaches, historical and archaeological sites, wildlife, and the Namaqualand daisies.
5. Bungee jump off Bloukrans Bridge: I’ve done tandem skydiving and a bridge swing, so next on my list is a bungee jump. I can think of no better spot than Bloukrans Bridge, because at 216m, it is the highest bridge in Africa! It’s situated Nature’s Valley and is the perfect excursion on a Garden Route road trip. For more info visit Face Adrenalin.
6. Elephant Back Safari: Camp Jabulani in Limpopo offers unique elephant back safaris where you can view tree tops, birds’ nests, and giraffes almost face to face as you amble through the bush.
7. Visit Augrabies Falls: I remember reading about the falls in school and I’ve always wanted to visit them. Situated on the Orange River near Augrabies, in the Northern Cape, this spectacular 56m waterfall has a gorge that is 240m deep and 18km long. To give you some idea of how powerful the falls can be, they recorded 7,800m³ of water per second in the floods of 1988 – over three times the average high season flow rate of Niagara Falls.
What’s on your 2013 Travel Bucket List?
Main image courtesy of dMap Travel Guide (flickr)
