Winter Travelling In SA

Not sure about you, but I desperately need a holiday. Even though we’re only halfway through the year I feel like it’s time for a vacation already. The fantastic thing is that here in SA it’s winter, and that means that most holiday places will be quieter, comfier, and yes, cheaper.

Places Waiting for You to Visit

There are some magical places in South Africa that don’t get as cold during the winter months, but if you’re from one of those places then you may want to show off your stylish winter wardrobe in one of the colder towns for a few days.

Durban

This humid city is hot and stuffy during the summer months, yet idyllic during winter. Locals can hardly tell when the winter season starts and visitors can be found enjoying days at the beach and braaing outside until late at night. If it does get a little chilly a double brandy and coke will fix that right up.

Jeffreys Bay

This small coastal town offers a fantastic surfing spot that becomes a hub for surfing enthusiasts during winter. The winter months bring huge swells to the coast and J Bay is said to become alive with the sound of surfers with a festival of sorts arranging itself along the beaches.

Limpopo

During the dry winter months, the wildlife in and around the Limpopo province are out and looking for water and food. This makes visiting the nature reserves in this part of the country an absolute dream. The best thing is that it’s still warm enough outside during the day to enjoy an open aired safari.

Hermanus

While it’s going to be a bit colder here, it’s more than worth it when you view the quaint little town. The whale watching is perfect from here and you can keep yourself warm with some of the Cape’s famous wines.

Ceres

This town and the towns surrounding are fantastic for those wishing to see some snow this winter. I remember desperately wanting to know what it was like to build a snowman when I was a kid, and I was lucky enough to travel to Ceres with friends and we built a snowman. It was fun, my fingers froze but we had a ball.

 

Things To Keep You Busy

Unless you’re in warm and sunny Durban where winter temperatures don’t get any lower than 20 degrees on most day, you most likely want to spend your time indoors where it is warm. I’ve collected together some super cool things to keep you busy and hopefully warm, but for an even better list of things to do check out specialtours.com they have an awesome variety of South African tours and activities.

Sardine run

This annual event draws quite a crowd. Along the Durban coast, you can watch as millions of sardines swarm together – and then get caught by the fisherman. Apparently, it’s quite an event and something you should try. If you don’t mind the fishy smell.

Whale Watching

The whales start to migrate through the Atlantic Ocean and give Cape Town and surround a brilliant view of them. Hermanus is one of the better places to be when trying to catch a glimpse of these large beauties.

uShaka Marine World

A fabulous waterpark slash aquarium on Durban’s beachfront, this is a favourite among both locals and tourists. Children and adults alike take great joy in the huge waterslides and rides, especially the lazy river that drifts you and your floating inflatable tube passed the penguin, seal, dolphin and shark cages. The aquarium offers shows with the penguins, seals and dolphins, stingray feeding and shark cage diving. Prices for the park are discounted during the winter months and as long as you don’t try and go during weekends and school holidays, you’ll get a crowd-free place to enjoy.

Kruger National Park

This is a place on my bucket list, and now I’ve heard that winter is a fantastic time to go! Apparently, the winter dryness up in that part of the country means that the wildlife is out and about so viewing the animals is so much easier. It’s also low season so, as with most other things, you’ll find good deals and fewer crowds.

Modes of Transport

Fly

I managed to find some really cool cheap flights on flysafair so even if you’re short on cash you can arrive at your destination in comfort. I also found some really good deals on Mango Airlines. This is definitely the cheaper way to travel this season, and with the recent petrol price hikes, it may be cheaper than even driving to work (ok slight exaggeration).

Bus

Have you heard of the Hop On Hop Off bus? It’s a backpackers bus that travels to and from all the major cities in SA. While this is a more pricey option, it looks like a ton of fun. Make the journey part of the vacation by enjoying the ride to wherever you are going.

Roadtrip

Ok, so I just mentioned those petrol prices. But I’m always going to love the idea of jumping in the car and driving down to your holiday spot. You get to choose the music, you pick all the pit stops and you can stop to take random photos of cows in a field.

See, South Africa really does have the best opportunities to travel during winter. Just don’t go and tell everyone! Otherwise, we’ll have to find a new season to get in some budget holiday fun.

Are you taking advantage of the winter prices for travelling across the country? Let me know where you are off to these holidays and if you’ve found any great deals.