Why Tsitsikamma is so great

The Garden Route is arguably the most beautiful part of South Africa and that is saying something! If asked to choose the best part of the Garden Route I would be hard pressed to make a decision. Every day and every part is unique and different and has it’s own charm and beauty. I have always really enjoyed visiting Tsitsikamma though, set in the mountains it is such a nice contrast to the rest of the route and it is incredibly peaceful out there and I always sleep like a baby (meaning I cry all night and wet the bed!) It is also by the coast on the warmer Indian ocean and there is a surprising amount of very cool things to do out there, so here is few options for you to consider for your visit.

1.The Tsitsikamma National Park

The beach is fantastic and you can swim in the warmer waters of the Indian ocean. There are several tour operators here offering boat trips and kloofing excursions and Southern Right Whales can be spotted during Whale season.

The Beach

You can also take a hike to the suspension bridge and for me, this is a highlight. It is around about 90 min round trip and is breathtaking. We get to the national park nice and early so we can avoid the crowds. It gets busy but not when you’re with me. We avoid all that and have the place to ourselves

2. Bloukrans Bridge

The worlds highest bungee bridge

Not only is Bloukrans Bridge a masterpiece of engineering, it is also the home of the worlds highest bungee at 216 meters and you can jump it if you want! Even if that is not your cup of tea, the bridge is a great place to visit and a lovely spot to stop for a drink and something to eat

3. The Big Tree

Big enough for ya?

It’s a tree, it’s big and it’s a 1000 years old mate! I am sure you have bigger and older trees in your neck of the woods but the walk through the forest to find this one is well worth it

3. Zip Lining & Storms River Village

Slide Away

Zip lining is a gentler activity if bungee jumping does not grab you, it’s a lot of fun for all ages and storms river village has lots of cute shops and places to eat tucked away in the forest. With Convoy Tours you can do as much or as little as you like. If you are planning on booking a Garden Route Tour then booking with us is the sensible thing to do, we are really good at it! check the website http://www.convoytours.co.za for more info.

Until next time

Peace

Your Pal

Rob

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Whales, dogs and enjoying life

I am starting to get enquires for the Garden Route tour next year 2021, so that is a good thing, a positive thing. It is very hard, no, impossible to predict where things are heading at the moment. The global economy is in a tailspin and it seems we are all in limbo until a vaccine manifests itself and even then, not everyone is going to take it. The ‘new normal’ is a phase that is being thrown around a lot but I am not sure what that means, children in masks? hypochondria and fear? We have to be careful we don’t replace the joy of living with the fear of death. There is a old Russian saying ‘If you’re destined to drown, you’ll never hang’ I take Covid seriously and do my part but you die if you worry, you die if you don’t.

Julia my German Shepherd. Not stressed at all

The weather is fantastic here in the Cape. It is sunny but not too hot. The sea is dark blue and the wind is blowing. I love the wind but the majority of Capetonians don’t dig it. My wife can’t stand it (hair reasons I’m told) and my daughter is scared of it. I love it, I find it cleasning and exciting. I also enjoy the cold water in Cape Town, it feels brilliant to get into the sea. It is healing.

This past Sunday my family and I took a drive to Hermanus for the day to see the Whales. I have not seen many so far in False Bay so I wanted to see them before they leave in November. Hermanus was busy with locals, the sun was shining and there were loads of Southern Right Whales in the bay with their calves. It was brilliant. Seeing Whales makes people happy, seeing them makes me happy. They were breeching and that was the first time my children have seen that so they where loving it.

2021 is going to be a great year because I am going to make it a great year. How am I going to do that? I am going to continue to do what I am doing now. Meditation, gratitude for what I have, eating well, enjoying my family, my dogs and exercising. The Whales didn’t seem to be worried about much, my dogs don’t give a shit about politics and you and I will have a better chance of dealing with whatever life throws at us if we remember how great life is and how lucky we are to be here. This earth is 4 billion years old mate, even if we are lucky enough to manage 80 years here on the blue planet, so what? are you going to spend that fleeting time going crazy about politics and bullshit that you can’t control or influence?

Not me, not my dogs and I am sure the Whales agree. Life is awesome

Lets enjoy it while we can