April 2017_1

WWW.MEDIAROOMHUB.COM
TOURISM DIARY
#MySAExperience:
Liz Osho
Days in South Africa's Western Cape
8Province - From Harley Davidson rides,
Helicopter rides, taking walks with real
life Elephants and so much more.
South African Tourism West Africa welcomed
top celebrities on an 8 day tour to South Africa
to explore the beautiful sceneries and rich
culture of the country. The fun-filled, eight-day
experience focused on the Western Cape
Province. From helicopter rides to elephant
rides, the trip was indeed activity filled and
memorable.
The guests that were taken on the trip, this
time around, included Richard Mofe Damijo,
John Dumelo, Francis Doku, Seyi Shay, Arese
Ugwu, Bolanle Olukanni and Idia Aisien.
The journey began with the South African
Airways flight which the Nigerian and
Ghanaian group boarded from Lagos and
Accra respectively. The flight which lasted only
6 hours was smooth and comfortable so that
by the time the guests landed in from O.R.
Tambo International airport. From the airport
they took a short 15 mins ride on the Gautrain
where they enjoyed breakfast and the finest
hospitality at the Maslow hotel, Santon.
Refreshed and ready to take on the adventure,
they returned to Johannesbury Airprt to board
their connecting 1hr45mins flight to George
situated in the Western Cape Province of
South Africa.
Upon arrival, their activity filled week began.
Guests received the 5 Star experience at the
Simpola Golf and Country estate, a rare
natural beauty (whom by the way have a world
class Spa which the guests enjoyed) The first
activity in Knysna was at the Bergsig Game
farm where the guests boarded helicopters
and went on private helicopter rides where
they got to see a panoramic view of the
beautiful city. From an altitude of over 8000ft
over sea level, the guests were able to
view the greenery, mountains and
animals.
Next up, the guests got to visit the Nyaru
game lodge situated in the heart of
garden route a mere, 30 minute drive
from the George airport. The Nyaru
game lodge provides a traditional
restaurant that comes complete with a
fireplace. The crew got the opportunity of
enjoying the authentic African bush
breakfast on the outdoor deck against
nature's very own picturesque backdrop.
Knysna is the perfect spot to truly get
away from it all
The next day, the group went on a visit to
a small town called Knysna located along
South Africa's famed garden route. The
town is most famous for its oyster festival,
warm people and the most magnificent
views from Leisure Isle to the Knysna
Heads. The guests' first activity on arrival
involved a power boat ride through the
Knysna heads and down the Knsyna
estuary! The Knysna waters are cool and
clean making it a safe spot for speed
boating.
On their last day in the beautiful city of
George, the guests visited the Elephant
Sanctuary located at Crags, Plettenberg
Bay! The guests enjoyed a very intimate
experience with the elephants as they
rode the elephants taking in the view
once again at an extended height. This
time around, at the height of over 3,3m
Arese Ugwu
Kola Olasushi & sheyi Shay
Richard Mofe-Damijo
which is the height of an average
African elephant. Some of the
guests also went on walks with the
elephants leading them by their
trunks.
On their last night in George, the
guests were treated to dinner on a
boat cruise where they set sail on
the calm Knysna Lagoon.
Champagne, cocktails mixed with
seafood and yummy cuisine was
the order of the day as they looked
forward to what would be a new
adventure in the city of Capetown
the next day.
The anticipation for what was to
come was built on the 50mins flight
to Capetown from George and the
guests looked on in anticipation to
what Cape Town had to offer. The
first activity the guests embarked
upon was to explore Robben Island
which they visited by boat! Guests
got the opportunity to intimately
experience a segment in the life of
one of Africa's biggest legends and
Nobel Peace prize Laureate,
Nelson Mandela. They got the
privilege of being inside what was
his prison cell for 18 of his 21year
sentence. They got to see the tally
marks he made inside the cell as
that was his way of keeping record
of his time in prison. He counted
the days stroke by stroke for all his
18 years of imprisonment in the
cell.
Outside the cell, they were
introduced to the limestone quarry
where Mandela and the other cell
mates had to break cement
manually with sledge hammers
every day for the duration of his
imprisonment. It was a bitter sweet
moment as the guests gained
increased respect and admiration
for the African Icon.
Vroom vroom! It was adventure
time once more for the crew. In
grand style, they rode on Harley
Davidson bikes from Signal Hill to
the wine lands located in Groot
constantia Landgoed estate. Here,
they were introduced to the process
of Wine making. Founded in 1685,
It Groot Constantia is one of South
Africa's oldest wine farms and a
part of Cape Town's big 7 top
attractions! Here, the guests
enjoyed the offerings of history,
culture and of course, the unique
blend of centuries old, ultrapremium
cool climate wines.
No visit to Capetown is complete
without a visit to the iconic
landmark which also serves as one
of the World's seven wonders. If
you guessed Table Mountain, you
certainly guessed right. Sitting at a
height of over 3,653ft, the guests
were treated to cable rides to the
top of mountain as they watched on
in amazement at the breath taking view of
the entire city of Capetown! From the
infinitely laid green landscape to the
vineyards and surrounding mountains and
hill tops the guests were held spell-bound.
The 2-day Cape Town Jazz Festival was in
session while the guests were in the
mother city of Cape Town so they got the
privilege of attending the festival. This
festival plays host to thousands of Jazz
lovers across the globe every year with
world class acts performing on stage. The
smooth rhythm and blues from renowned
acts such as Nomfundo Xaluva, Mango
groove, Digable planets, Andra day,
Camillo Lombard and a host of many more
ended their last night in the Western Cape
Province.
No one gets tried of cruises, the group
managed to add in another water
adventure with a relaxing cruise. Sweet
dreams are made of these: sun, food,
good music, good vibes, relaxation!
It was a bitter-sweet exit as the guests
ended their tour knowing that this was only
the beginning of more adventures to come.
From family visits to bringing friends and
spouses, they all vowed to return with their
loved ones as there are so many more
activities available in the beautiful country.
The accessibility and affordability that
South Africa presents also helped seal the
deal!
Ÿ
The Boat Cruise
Lunch we serve
Idia Aisen
Arese Ugwu
The Crew
Seyi Shay
Idia Aisen
Idia Aisen
Bolanle Olukani
Seyi Shay
Arese Ugwu
Kelechi Amadi Obi
Bolanle Olukani
Seyi Shay
Arese Ugwu
Idia Aisen
Bolanle Olukani
The Crew
John Dumelo
54 MEDIAROOMHUB NIGERIA APRIL 2017
55 MEDIAROOMHUB NIGERIA APRIL 2017