South Africa is a great destination!

Three weeks in South Africa was glorious. The country is lush, and the people are warm and friendly. In researching the country, I was surprised to learn that some consider Cape Town one of the top three food & wine cities in the world. We weren't disappointed with either the food or wine enjoyed in Cape Town restaurants. Five days in Cape Town and the surrounding area could have easily been expanded to 7-8 days. With Robbin Island, Table Mountain, Cape Point, and Cape of Good Hope, there is lots to see. If you go, don't neglect to see the penguin colony or the beautiful gardens.

Loving wine, we spent five nights in the Winelands. These quaint towns are filled with Cape Dutch architecture and beautiful flowers. The beauty of Winelands was further enhanced with the surrounding mountains and vineyards. South African wine is exceptional. Most of their exports are going to the U.K., Scandinavian, and Asian markets. The U.S. market doesn't get South Africa's premium wines which will hopefully change over time.

The last part of our trip was spent in the Singita safari camp bordering Krueger National Park. Spending 4-8 hours on safari drives each day was productive in getting us close to elephants, zebras, lions, leopards, buffalo, hippos, rhinos, giraffes, wildebeests, impalas, kudus, warthogs, and the like. Watching leopards mate was great especially since it's a rare sight. Our best photos came from our five days on safari drives.

All in all, South Africa was a stimulating trip. We loved the people, history and culture. It is one of the few places in the world where the dollar is strong. You might want to add South Africa to your travel 'wish list.'

Joan