Day 1 - We arrived in Cape Town and took a shuttle to our hotel near the harbor. We strolled around Victoria Wharf and the Alfred Mall. Cape fur seals lounged about.

Day 2 - We took a tram to the top of Table Mountain then hiked back down Platteklip Gorge. We enjoyed magnificent views, unique vegetation and dassies (rock hyraxes).

Day 3 - We booked a tour with Day Trippers down the Cape Peninsula. At Hout Bay, we took a boat ride out to Duiker Island to see a Cape fur seal colony. We then road bikes along the ocean cliffs. At Cape Point, we walked up to the lighthouse and then down to the Cape of Good Hope. Our final stop was a penguin colony at Boulders Beach.

Day 4 - We picked up our rental car (an Opel Corsa) and headed to the Rhodes Memorial. Afterwards, we drove to Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden with its multitude of Cape Flora. We continued on to Stellenbosch where we got a room at the Stumble Inn.

Day 5 - We explored some of the historic buildings with their Cape Dutch architecture. We then hopped on a shuttle for a wine tasting tour. We visited Blaauklippen, Boschendal, Chamonix, Haute Province and Rickety Bridge. The tour ended with some schnapps tasting.

Day 6 - We drove through the mountains to Oudtshoorn where we visited the Highgate Ostrich Farm. We got to feed and even ride an ostrich!

Day 7 - Our first stop of the day was the Cango Crocodile Ranch & Cheetahland. There were all sorts of animals on display... a monitor lizard, meerkats, snakes, a pygmy hippo, some bat-eared foxes, as well as lions, a jaguar and cheetahs. We were then given the change to pet a cheetah! We then took an adventure tour of Cango Caves, which involved a lot of wet, dirty slithering and sliding. We did a brief stop at the Rust-en-Vrede waterfall before driving to Knysna in the pouring rain.

Day 8 - After visiting the Mitchell's Knysna Brewery (with some delicious samples), we took an abseiling (or rappelling) tour to the western Head. We practiced on the Nature's Arch (98 feet), then did Needle's Point (180 feet).

Day 9 - We started the day with a visit to the Addo Knysna Elephant Park, where we got to hang out with juvenile African elephants. We then had a long drive to the lower Drakensberg mountains.

Day 10 - We headed out to Giant's Castle, part of the Natal Drakensberg Park. In the afternoon, we did the Bergview walk, with wild baboons and a torrential rain storm.

Day 11 - In the morning, we hiked to Main Caves, where a ranger pointed out the various cave art. Later, we did a big hike out to World's View. Again we got caught in a life-threatening storm. In the evening we drove to Mziki Backpackers at Mooi River, where there was another huge lightning storm.

Day 12 - We drove out to St. Lucia, located on the coast. At African Tale Backpackers, we could spend the night in our own grass hut. Our first stop was the St. Lucia Crocodile Center, where we got to see a feeding. We then took a boat tour of the estuary, which was filled with crocodiles and hippos.

Day 13 - We spent the morning driving around Hluhluwe Umfolozi Park. There were zebras, impalas, kudus, nyalas, gnus, warthogs and rhinos. We then headed to Duma Zulu, a touristy village with demonstrated traditional outfits, crafts, dances and even homemade beer.

Day 14 - We took a short stroll along a beach then drove several hours to Swaziland.

Day 15 - At the Mantenga Nature Reserve & Swazi Cultural Village, we got a tour of a traditional village as well as got to see the nearby waterfall. In the afternoon we arrived at the Malelane gate of Kruger National Park and slowly made our way to Pretoriuskop in the pouring rain. Plenty of animals were still out... zebras, impalas, elephants and lots of birds.

Day 16 - We started the day early and drove to Skukuza, another camp in the park. Then we continued our search for animals, of which there were plenty... guinea fowl, impalas, kudus, baboons, gnus, monkeys, birds, lions, giraffes and even a hyena. We took an evening tour in a big jeep where we saw more lions, African buffalo, and an assortment of other bugs, birds and critters.

Day 17 - We spent another day on a quest for animals. Watering holes were always a great spot.

Day 18 - We explored the Mpumalanga (formerly known as the Eastern Transvaal). Our first stop on the Panorama Route was Graskop Gorge with Panorama Falls. Farther down the road was God's Window, Berlin Falls, Bourke's Luck Potholes, the Three Rondavels, and finally Echo Caves, where we took a guided tour.

Day 19 - Today we visited Natural Rock Bridge, Mac Mac Falls, Horseshoe Falls and Lone Creek Falls. We then drove out to Pretoria to stay with some family.

Day 20 - In the morning we stopped at the Voortrekker Monument, in honor of the first Dutch settlers. We also paid a quick visit to the Union Building. In the evening we headed to the airport to catch our flight home.

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