Wanderlust Issue 179 (September 2017) Affordable Iceland ♦ South Africa: Trip Planner ♦ Cambodia ♦ Belize ♦ Alderney ♦ Pocket guides: Fez (Morocco), Capital Region (USA), Berlin
Belize
Explore Maya ruins, wildlife-rich forests and eco-lodges
T R AV E L M A G A Z I N E Win! sion hoto commis
Ap a or to Costa Ric sh... ca £3,000 in See p4
www.wanderlust.co.uk September 2017
Cambodia
Forget Angkor Wat – leave the crowds behind at Preah Vihear
AFFORDABLE
ICELAND Walking, wildlife, natural wonders …on a budget
South Africa Your expert guide to exploring beyond Cape Town
Alderney
Discover WW2 ruins, tasty food and blonde hedgehogs…
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Fez, Morocco Chincoteague Island Berlin Drone photography
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CONTENTS
Issue 179 September 2017
360˚ – NEED TO KNOW
nder 6Viewfi to know this month... 14Need Go now 16Eat this... 18 5 minutes with... Mark 20Carwardine Know your… Russia 22River 24 cruises get wild
TRAVEL MASTERCLASS
Friendly whales, ‘LEGO’ towers, gliding guillemots and canopy camping Why you might be an unwitting vandal Discover Denmark’s waterside wonder, as new flights launch to Aalborg Savour souvlaki, the iconic Greek kebab dripping in ancient history
28 Affordable Iceland
Think Iceland is too pricey? We’ve come up with six itineraries to reduce your spend while still giving you a great big hit of jawdropping fjords, dramatic coastal stretches and steamy hot springs
WIN!
▲ Special feature
Tickets to Steppes Travel’s Beyond festival, p26
Breeze past the baggage carousel with our space-saving tips, so you can travel hand luggage only Brazil marks 195 years of independence the way it knows best: countrywide carnivals
Whale-spotting in the US It’s 100 years since revolution turned the country red Meander your way down the world’s best rivers
▲ Cover story
74The masterclass 77Instant expert: Brazil 80Take better travel photos clinic 82Travel guide to… softshell 85Traveller’s jackets
Drone master Fergus Kennedy captures alternative angles from some dizzying heights Dr Jane weighs up the cost of vaccinations on a tight budget
Leave your waterproof behind – these windproof jackets will keep you cosy
129
Two nights in Scotland, p84
108South Africa
From wildflowers and wine-tasting to whale-spotting and waterfalls… and, of course, the Big Five. Take a look at our Trip Planner for where to start your wild South African odyssey…
A photo commission to Costa Rica or £3,000, p88 “Time appears to have ground to a halt in the 8th-century Fez el Bali, the world’s largest living medieval medina.” Sarah Gilbert
Chincoteague Island, p133
“Lamanai can be busy in the middle of the day, as tourists are brought in by boat from the coast and the cruise ships. But either side of that, it’s just you and the howler monkeys.” Lyn Hughes
60 TRAVEL PHOTO OF THE YEAR COMPETITION, p88
Belize, p60
108
Win a dream photo commission to Costa Rica or £3,000 cash with the Wanderlust Travel Photo of the Year 2017 competition!
Brazil, p77 “The Cradle of Humankind’s limestone caverns have yielded the world’s richest collection of hominid fossils, representing three million years of continuous human habitation.” Philip Briggs
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A
INDEPENDENCE DAY... Brazil, p77 FEATURES
Beyond Sydney 44Cambodia 24
FROM THE ROAD
Once a New battleground that South Wales divided nations, Preahfamous Vihearcity temple isn’t justtwo about Oz’s most now offers a blissful escape for those seeking – there’s a world of epic coastlines, great ancient wonders far from the bustle of Angkor wilderness and wine-rich valleys to explore too Belize As visitors begin to India Discover theslowly last great habitat trickleAsian into this central American of the lionsmall in Gujarat PLUS: Our nation,toBelize’s Maya cities, untouched guide India’s ruined other must-see species wild forests and thrillingLeave past still makes it feel Philippines behind the bustle like a lost waiting be splendour stumbled upon ofworld Manila for thetoraw of rural Alderney Turned into Nazi island Luzon, exploring vertiginous riceapaddies, fortress during Second World War – cliff-hanging graves andthe spluttering volcanoes over 70Tanzania years on, wartime relicsisn’t andjust some of East Africa known Britain’sfor most Alderney thediverse Big Fivebirdlife – headmake to the Mahale the forgotten treasure ofattraction: the Englishwild Channel Mountains for its star chimps
60 82 98 90 116
POCKET GUIDES
102Your story
Reader Melanie recalls a 24-hour coach journey to southern France, while Jason rediscovers the delights of Namibia with his children in tow Readers’ pictures Your great photos, including riding a Vespa through Vietnam, pedalling up a French mountain, reaching Everest base camp and spying sunrise over volcanoes in Indonesia Letters In our mailbag: championing Jordan; carving an alternative trail through Catalonia; safeguarding your boots by wearing them at the airport; loving Ukraine’s medieval city Lviv; and much, much more...
104
106
Alderney, p90
90
Russia, p22
Berlin, p131
Fez, p129
Explore medieval medinas and spice-scented backstreets, as new direct flights open up a city that is fast starting to rival Morocco’s big hitters
131Travel icon: Berlin, Germany
Since the Cold War thawed nearly 30 years ago with the demolishing of the Berlin Wall, Germany’s capital has transformed into a thrilling capital with a complex and fascinating past…
133Short break: Capital Region, USA
There’s more to the region than politics. Venture beyond the capital for coastal wildlife, colonial settlements and an island of ‘wild ponies’
133
“We could see some activity in both the air and the sea, and soon realised it was dozens of gannets torpedoing into the water at 100 kilometres an hour.” Lyn Hughes
Iceland, p28
24 hours: 129First Fez, Morocco
“Berlin has transformed into a capital known for its nightlife, art and food. Checkpoint Charlie and chunks of Wall still stand, but few realise how much of the city has been rebuilt.”
Greece, p18
Cambodia, p44
“Sunshine toasted the vast sandstone blocks of a mountaintop temple that remains one of Cambodia’s least-known yet most divine expressions of its Angkor dynasty.” Mark Stratton
44
TALKING HEADS Mark Carwardine, p20 “You can spend a day watching bowhead whales in the midnight sun off Canada’s Baffin Island, tickle a grey in Mexico’s Baja California, listen to singing humpbacks in Hawaii, follow a family of killer whales against the backdrop of Vancouver Island, and much more.”
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Falling prices
The sun drops over Seljalandsfoss waterfall – but how do you lower your budget too?
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AFFORDABLE
ICELAND Don’t let the land of fire and ice’s rich reputation put you off. Here’s how to enjoy Iceland’s spectacular treasures without making your wallet weep…
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H
ow do you put a price on a bowl of fish soup? You may well have had cheaper chowders than the cream-topped broth of salmon and prawns served at the Fjöruhúsid café, but when sat on its terrace, snug between the glittering Atlantic and a snowcapped volcano, shelling out just over a tenner will seem like an absolute bargain. Walk the clifftop path between Arnarstapi and Hellnar and you’ll find a pair of far-flung fishing villages at the tip of West Iceland’s Snaefellsnes Peninsula. It’s only a short walk – barely 3km. But in the couple of hours that you will spend ambling along the wave-gnawed coast, you may spot seals squirming in kelp off a beach of polished basalt pebbles or a white-tailed eagle pirouetting against a meringue whip of ice on 1,446m-tall Snaefellsjökull. The coastline is a brinelaced sculpture of sea arches, caves and blowholes, with fulmars and kittiwakes fussing around seabird citadels, their wings shining like chips of quartz against black cliffs of lava – and it costs nothing. One day of natural wonders for the price of a bowl of fish soup: food for thought before you write off Iceland as too expensive. No one is suggesting that the Land of Fire & Ice can’t burn a hole in your wallet, but what many people forget is that its biggest attractions – from mighty waterfalls to mesmerising seascapes – are completely free. And there are ways of travelling to minimise the costs, so you can travel out of this world for not-so-astronomical prices. Read on to discover how Iceland can be great value for money. ⊲
Thingeyri Látrabjarg
ATLANTIC OCEAN
Drangajökull
Dalvík
Drangsnes Flókalundur
Snæfellsnes Peninsula
Dettifoss
Akureyri
Reykhólar
Keflavík Grindavík
Geysir Selfoss Thórsmörk
Blue Lagoon Seljalandfoss
Thrihnukagigur
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Lake Mývatn
Hofsjökull
Thingvellir NP Langjökull Gullfoss
REYKJAVÍK
Húsavík
Egilsstaðir
Vatnajökull Gjáin
Skaftafell
Höfn
Jökulsárlόn
Landmannalaugar Skogafoss
Westmann Vik Islands
0
150km
Previous spread Dreamstime This spread Digital-Mapping.co.uk; Dreastime; Getty
Hornstrandir
Hesteryri Ísafjörður
Light show, less money
A motorhome is a great way to see the aurora borealis – and save cash; Húsavík on the north coast gets ready for the evening
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Affordable Iceland
Top tip
Increase your odds of spotting the northern lights by staying outside built-up areas. Also, check the aurora forecast (en.vedur.is/ weather/forecasts/aurora), which provides real-time information on auroral activity and cloud cover.
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Cambodia Built to last
Despite being at the centre of a number of conflicts, the ruins of Preah Vihear temple are still standing
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LOST AND
FOUND In Cambodia’s far north lies a temple that drove two nations to war. But now, visitors seeking to flee the crowds of Angkor can find sanctuary in its ruins… WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHS MARK STRATTON
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Cambodia Stone temple pilot
(clockwise from this) A Buddhist monk wanders the ruins of Preah Vihear, which was lost to conflict for decades; 2,400 steps line the route to the temple, so bring good shoes; prayer time at the first gopura gateway of Preah Vihear
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Cambodia
Previous spread: Dreamstime Thiss spread: Getty
A
ll was not what it seemed in the bamboo and mahogany forests of Cambodia’s Dangrek Mountains. Besides cicadas revving like tiny chainsaws, I heard the distant grunts of soldiers performing PT (physical training). A mess tent surrounded by black sandbags rattled to the sound of cooking pans, and fixed to the anaemic bark of a dipterocarpus tree was a red sign bearing a skull and crossbones. Landmines, it warned. “The mines are cleared now,” reassured my guide, Kao Bunthoeun. “But we should stick to the pathway.” We followed the 2,400 steps of the ancient Angkorian Khmer route until reaching a sinuous trench resembling something out of the First World War. It stretched along an escarpment protecting pokey little bunkers and bulwarked by yet more sandbags. There were no Cambodian troops around, so I peeked through a mounted military scope. Less than 250 metres away, I spied a fluttering Thai flag and some camouflaged military tents, before recoiling with surprise at the sight of a pagoda-shaped watchtower manned with soldiers staring right back at me. Higher still, the early morning sunshine toasted the vast sandstone blocks of a mountaintop temple that remains one of Cambodia’s least-known yet most divine expressions of its imperious Angkor dynasty: Wat Preah Vihear, the temple that brought two nations to war.
Like most visitors to Cambodia, I knew little of its existence. Instead, I had arrived days earlier in the modern goldmine of Siem Reap, a congested city of hotels, restaurants and bars that now services the millions of tourists who visit the world-famous Angkor complex each year. I love exploring this ancient wonder, but with every visit the crowds and congestion appear ever greater. I wanted to be dazzled by Angkorian architecture yet free of the endless coach parties. “Preah Vihear temple gets a handful of visitors each year,” promised Richard Saward, a local tour operator I met in Siem Reap. “It’s a chance to see authentic Cambodia and spread the benefits of tourism to a poor area.” I was sold, so together with Bunthoeun, a dapper 36-year-old guide with a pencilthin moustache, and our driver, Prom, we set off for Cambodia’s far northern borderlands. I was curious about a region still recovering from memories of the notorious Khmer Rouge regime – which held out here a lot longer than anywhere else – and where homestays and littleseen relics of its Angkorian past were helping to change lives far removed from Siem Reap’s hectic crowds. But most of all, I wanted to see the temple that divided Cambodia and Thailand for more than a century.
‘It was only around 1999, after the murderous Khmer Rouge finally disbanded, that tourists began flocking to Angkor Wat’
War(s) and peace
My fascination with Cambodia lies in its seemingly irreconcilable past. This is a country that has a rich ancient culture yet also a boundless capacity for self-destruction. It was only around 1999, after the murderous Khmer Rouge finally disbanded, that tourists began ⊲ Wanderlust September 2017
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F F O E H T P A M
entral C e h t rests, o f d e k ife-pac l d l i w ins and u r a y ee Ma r f d w ry, cro o t s i h c ti Drama
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Belize Stepping into the past
Climbing the steps of the High Temple at Lamanai
lored p x e e ng to bS SIMON CHUBB i t i a w t world S PHOTOGRAPH s o l a ls like RDS LYN HUGHE e e f e z i WO of Bel n o i t a can n Ameri
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Belize
So open up your morning light...
Taking a dawn paddle along Dawson Creek
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The sound was eerie, almost primeval. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. The loud roars were coming from different sides of the lagoon, as if two groups of something fearsome were trying to outdo each other.
P
addling in the half-light of pre-dawn, it was easy to imagine that we were canoeing past Jurassic Park, and a dinosaur might stick its head through the tangle of trees any minute. I turned to guide Abdul. “Howlers?” “Yes,” he confirmed. “Howler monkeys. The sound scares people if they don’t know what it is.” We entered a tranquil channel, and paused in awe as the golden orb of the sun came up over the reed-beds. As the roars of the monkeys faded, they were replaced by an explosion of birdsong and the gentle dip of the paddles. We were floating on the New River Lagoon in northern Belize, its largest body of fresh water. But despite this Central American country’s modest size (at around 23,000 sq km, it's not much larger than Wales), just getting there had been be an adventure in itself. I’d arrived by boat the previous day, a journey that took a little over an hour, having flown into Belize City that morning, then been driven to the appropriately named Landing Stage. Soon, we had left any sign of settlement behind, as the banks became increasingly lined with twittering trees and the only figures we encountered were the occasional fisherman. Reaching the lagoon, the boat swung into the jetty at Lamanai Outpost Lodge, its thatched cabanas dotting the hillside. I headed for its hammocks, looking out across the water. It was hard to believe that one of the major sites of the Maya civilisation was just a short walk away – a lost world that, like the much of the Belize that its handful of visitors see, was still being rediscovered.
The city of Lamanai dates back to around 1500 BC and, at its peak, was said to have a population of perhaps 60,000, similar to that of Belize’s largest city today. However, there was a marked decline in the Maya civilisation by the 10th century AD, with several theories as to why: one being that there had been a severe drought. But Lamanai survived longer than many Maya centres, and its people were still here by the time the first Europeans arrived in the 16th century, possibly thanks to the city’s access to water. After breakfast, we headed there, as Abdul explained that 733 different structures had been found in Lamanai, yet only six were partially excavated. We paused by a sabre tree, easily recognisable from the thorns on its bark. The Maya believe the tree links the underworld with the upper world, but there are many superstitions about it, and even today, some people will not chop one down because they believe bad spirits can rise up from the ground. We started at the northern end of the site, stopping at the Mask Temple, so named for the two huge masks carved into its façade. Now covered in fibreglass (for their protection), these are the largest examples of their kind found in the Maya world. Originally built ⊲
Previous spread: Alamy
The lost city
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Alderney
Small pleasures
At just 8 sq km in size, Alderney has plenty of attractions that belie its relatively tiny size
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Channel Changing the
Incredible wildlife, epic history and great food – Alderney isn’t even the largest of the Channel Islands, but it’s starting to make a big splash with visitors… WORDS LYN HUGHES PHOTOGRAPHS SIMON CHUBB
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Previous spread Getty This spread Alamy; Simon Chubb
‘Nick extolled the benefits of an island where parents could let their kids run wild on empty beaches, knowing they would come to no harm’
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Alderney
A
voice hissed from the dark: “Quick! They have found one up ahead!” We turned our torches away from scanning the undergrowth and strode up the hill towards the silhouetted figures, anticipation rising. Reaching the spot where the guide was waiting, we formed a silent semicircle as she switched on her torch to finally reveal our quarry: a little blonde hedgehog. Not that the hedgehog was thrilled to see us. It scurried off, across the fairway of Alderney Golf Club and into a bush. So, a brief encounter, but at least we had seen one of the island’s most famous residents. Alderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands, just eight square kilometres, and probably the least known. Indeed, when I told people where I was heading, the usual response was to look A prickly situation
Previous page: Getty; This page: Alamy
(clockwise from this) Blonde hedgehogs were brought to the islands in the 1950s; exploring Saint Anne, the capital of Alderney; kids playing on the lonely beaches
perplexed and ask if it was in Scotland. Yet nature lovers are slowly catching on to Alderney’s delights, with its heady mix of beautiful landscapes, fascinating wildlife and good places to eat, drink and stay. The hedgehogs are certainly flourishing in this environment. As non-natives to the island, local folklore has it that the first pair (or pairs) were purchased from Harrods in the 1950s – then known for its exotic pet department – and brought over in a bag, to be released in a garden. The blonde colouring is due to leucism, a partial lack of pigmentation. This would usually be a disadvantage for a small mammal, making it more obvious to predators. But Alderney is paradise for hedgehogs, as it has no foxes, badgers or weasels, and the blondes now outnumber the brunettes. So, here it is the blondes who really do have more fun. But it’s not only the hedgehogs that have fallen for Alderney’s charms. “I came here in 1988 for a weekend and never left,” taxi driver Nick explained when he picked me up on my first morning. “That’s what happens… it might happen to you!”
They came, they saw... they stayed
It was a foggy morning and Alderney’s fabled coastal views were just a blur. But as we drove down quiet lanes, no traffic in sight, Nick extolled the benefits of an island where parents could let their kids run wild on empty beaches, knowing they would come to no harm. “It is so safe and crime-free here that I don’t know where my front door key is, as I never use it,” he volunteered eagerly. There is a freedom here, too: “Oh, you don’t need to do that up,” Nick said, as I automatically reached for the seatbelt. “They are not compulsory. And there are rarely any accidents anyway.” That was easy to believe as the speed limit is only 35mph. Not that speeding would be likely anyway, as another resident had already told me how relaxed I would find everything. ⊲ Wanderlust September 2017
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SOUTH AFRICA
T R I P
P L A N N E R
Few countries offer the sheer diversity of South Africa. Plot your way around wildlife-packed savannah, windswept peaks, breathtaking coast and hip cities with our handy guide WORDS PHILIP BRIGGS PHOTOGRAPHS ARIADNE VAN ZANDBERGEN
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In the shadows
Table Mountain looms over the downtown of Cape Town at dusk
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highlights can be crammed into two weeks, or even a month. On the contrary, you could easily dedicate a fortnight to Cape Town and its coast and winelands, or to exploring Kruger National Park and the environs from south to north, or to the vast desertscapes of the Northern Cape – each a varied, unique destination in its own right. Here’s a selection of the best itineraries to help explore its diversity…
ve r
Lim
N1
ZIMBABWE
po
p
Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park
LIMPOPO
MOZAMBIQUE
Rive
Lim
i oR
po po
BOTSWANA
r
Kruger NP Blyde River Canyon NR
Madikwe GR
N1
GABORONE Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Pilanesberg NP
Sabie
Johannesburg N14
NORTH-WEST PROVINCE
Nelspruit
PRETORIA
N4
Kalahari
N4
MPUMALANGA
Soweto
GAUTENG N2
N14
2
Sodwana Bay NP
N1
eR
N6
ive
r
0
Table Mountain NP Cape of Good Hope
N1
N15
Stellenbosch N2
Hermanus Gansbaai
N10
Cape Town
N12
N6
Addo Elephant Reserve
ute 62 Ro
Oudtshoorn
N2
N2
Knysna
E
K
EASTERN CAPE
Karoo NP
N1
WESTERN CAPE
R
A
N
Tsitsikamma NP
Jeffrey’s Bay
S
B
E
Pietermaritzburg Durban
EASTERN CAPE
N2
2 N1 N7
N1
D
Cederberg Wilderness Area
O C E A N
Greater St Lucia NP
G
LESOTHO
N1
A T L A N T I C
R
MASERU
Or an g
N10
NORTHERN CAPE
N2
KWAZULU-NATAL
Bloemfontein
N1 2
N7
N14
Namaqualand
HluhluweImfolozi Park
FREE STATE
Kimberley
Augrabies Falls NP
Orange River
MAPUTO
SWAZILAND
N1
N10
Richtersveld NP
MBABANE
N2
NAMIBIA
N7
S
ome bias should be admitted first. I grew up, and live, in South Africa. I also wrote the first international guidebook to the country in the aftermath of Nelson Mandela’s release, and I’ve since dedicated something like three years to exploring its highways and backroads. Yet, far from harbouring a been-there-done-that feeling about South Africa, it remains my favourite travel destination. Primarily, this is due to the breadth and depth of its natural attractions. When it comes to biodiversity, ecologists have ranked South Africa among the world’s three most significant countries. And you don’t need to be a scientist to be inspired by a country that goes from the wildlife-rich savannah of Kruger National Park and the heather-draped headlands of the Cape Peninsula to the austere desertscapes of Kgalagadi and the windswept peaks of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg… not to mention the cosmopolitan urban buzz of its two world cities, Cape Town and Johannesburg. No less important is the fact that South Africa is also unusually well suited to affordable independent travel. There’s no shortage of sensibly priced accommodation, restaurants and other tourist amenities, making it exceptional value by international standards. Better still, the world-class road network and ease of car rental makes South Africa far better suited to self-drive exploration than pretty much anywhere else in Africa or Asia. Perhaps the most daunting aspect of planning a trip to South Africa is where to start. It isn’t one of those countries where its
ild W
t as Co
Port St Johns
I N D I A N O C E A N
East London
Port Elizabeth 0
300km
Back from the brink
White rhino – a species brought back from near extinction over the last century – wander the Pilanesberg NP
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South Africa Trip Planner
Crossing the divide Johannesburg’s Apartheid Museum offers an unflinching look at South Africa’s history of segregation
Gauteng & the north-west
12 million people (a quarter of the national population), it’s also the most important travel hub for southern Africa and a pretty fascinating urban aggregation, despite its reputation as a crime hotspot. DURATION: 2-7 DAYS Contrasts abound. There’s Johannesburg’s Good for: City life, museums, rejuvenated inner-city Newtown Precinct, prehistorical sites, wildlife the sprawling former township of Soweto, the swanky neon-lit malls of commerceROUTE: Johannesburg • Soweto • Cradle of driven Sandton and the sedate jacarandaHumankind (Maropeng) • Pilanesberg lined streets of Pretoria. For those with any Game Reserve • Madikwe Game Reserve interest in South Africa’s recent past, the WHEN TO VISIT: Year-round, though Apr harrowing Apartheid Museum, south to Sept are best for game viewing of central Johannesburg, is a truly essential stop. Stepping further As South Africa’s smallest back in time, the Cradle of Gauteng’s reputation for province, wealthy Gauteng Humankind is a UNESCO crime is largely justified. – seSotho for ‘Place of Gold’ World Heritage site and Johannesburg’s city centre and Soweto township should only be its limestone caverns have – owes its existence to visited on a guided tour (any the 1886 discovery of the yielded the planet’s richest hotel can arrange this). world’s richest gold seams collection of hominid fossils, Use taxis at night. beneath what is now central representing three million years Johannesburg. Home to around of continuous human habitation.
Top TIP
BOTs. Madikwe Game Reserve
SOUTH AFRICA Pilanesberg Game Reserve
PRETORIA
0
50km
Cradle of Humankind Newtown Sandton Precinct Johannesburg Apartheid City Centre Museum Soweto
When the city lights start to pall, Gauteng is the springboard for safaris to two of Africa’s finest malaria-free Big Five reserves. The Pilanesberg Game Reserve, which borders Sun City and is about two hours’ drive north-west of Johannesburg, is ideal for self-drive safaris, while the larger and more remote Madikwe is reserved exclusively for a scattering of lodges offering all-inclusive packages and guided drives in open-sided vehicles. Wanderlust September 2017
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