Südafrika: Kapstadt, Safari und Garden Route mit Sarazar | WDR Reisen
Welcome to South Africa. Exciting cities, wild animals and breathtaking landscapes await us on our road trip. It is 1200 kilometers along the spectacular Garden Route, among other things. There are some exciting places that we don't want to miss. But before we set off, let's discover Cape Town first. [Music] More than 4 million people live in the greater Cape Town area. In addition, there are more than 10 million tourists every year.
Three of them are Benny, Max and me. my name is valentine They also call me Sarazar. The second largest metropolis in South Africa is also called Mother City. An exciting city full of contrasts, especially between poverty and wealth. We will become aware of that in the townships. The symbol of Cape Town is Table Mountain. From up here you have a great view over the entire city. You can also see Lions Head and Signal Hill in the background.
We'll hang onto a paraglider right away. Max, how about you? You've already faced so much fear of heights? Are you still panicking? It helps. With the extreme stuff that we've done, it's more relaxed here. I'm a little nervous, but I'm happy. Above the sea and above Cape Town with Table Mountain in the back. It can't get any better.
I am the first to fly with my companion Fricky. This is gonna be awesome Fricky. This is gonna be absolutely brilliant, we are gonna love this. [Music] Words fail me. Good Fricky has already made at least 16,000 flights. So you can be sure, even if you're flying over the city right now, that you won't crash. I can only recommend it. Just crazy.
Oh my God! Dude, cool! This is the best part! This was the first crass action on our trips, which I enjoyed from start to finish. I just found it awesome. And that in front of the scenery, with the mountains and this rocky coast. Tickets are available here from €72. I can only recommend. Cape Town was founded by the Dutch in the 17th century. They also built the Castle Of Good Hope in 1666 . However, the oldest building in South Africa has not brought more than hope.
In 1806 the British conquered the Cape Colony. In the center you can learn a lot about the history of the country. Here in front of the Stadthalle , Nelson Mandela gave his well-known speech on equality in 1990. After 27 years in prison. Decades later, the colonialists were followed by the racist apartheid government.
Nelson Mandela fought against the oppression of black people and was imprisoned for it. Just a few years after his sacking, he became the country's first black president in 1994 , putting an end to apartheid for good. The story of District Six tells, among other things, how intense racism used to be here. Freed slaves, workers and immigrants used to live here. Until the government decided in the 1960s to forcibly clear the area in order to build new houses for white people.
The colorful houses in the Bo-Kaap district are a real photo hotspot. 6000 people live here, 90% of them are Muslim. This has to do with their ancestors, the so-called Cape Malays. During the colonial period, these were Muslim workers from Southeast Asia. Looks super cool and shows what a cultural melting pot Cape Town is.
Doesn't get too colorful for me here. The Victoria and Alfred Waterfront is named after the Queen of England and her son Alfred. And here there is a beautiful promenade, luxurious hotels and chic restaurants. Cape Town also has a crazy nightlife, especially on Long Street in the evenings. [Music] And if the electricity goes out again, people help each other with generators [Music] The Waiting Room is a really cool club. Doesn't have much to do with waiting. It's a cool hip hop party. Prices are more than fair. Beer is available for under €2. We drank a few of those. i'm really tired I wish you a good night.
Cape Town has many beautiful corners. However, a large part of the population does not live in chic districts, but in so-called townships. The neighborhoods were created back then to separate the races, which still has an impact on society today. The township of Langa is one of the oldest in South Africa and was deliberately created in 1927 as a district for blacks. Today more than 60,000 people live here.
Nati is also from the village and offers tours. Local projects are supported with the proceeds. The first program allows children to learn about science and robotics after school. We also support a dance school and a soccer team that I founded myself. Dear Justin, who lives here, is just showing us his dwelling. And he has everything in here.
A bed, a TV, a fridge and much more. However, he lives here with his wife and child. Of course, that's super cramped in the small room. And he's currently waiting for a house to be built by the government. However, it lasts forever.
This building used to be a beer hall and now it is a temporary accommodation. There are 22 rooms, in each of which 3 families live. It's been like this for almost 18 years - you can't call it temporary anymore. But you make the best of the situation. [Music] Nati shows us a lot of places in Langa. The community tries to help each other here. This becomes particularly clear in the orphanage, where almost all women work on a voluntary basis. Some of the parents said at the end: I can't raise my child. take in my child And now they sleep and live here.
We are here in Mama Nomase's bar now and I got a huge, huge beer here. It's brewed at 2%, mostly corn and stuff, and I'm going to try that now. Tastes a little sweet. Thank you very much. I have a lot to drink.
Not everyone in Langa lives in containers or corrugated iron shacks. Many also live in houses. The fancier buildings are even from residents who earn relatively well and still stay in Langa. Nati calls the corner Beverly Hills. The people here are seen as role models. People here have good jobs. Look what kind of cars they drive. That upgrades the neighborhood. I was one of those kids too. I lived for 15 years in a 3 bedroom house that 8 of us shared.
I always had someone to talk to and play with. For me it was the best time of my life. We leave Cape Town and begin our road trip through South Africa. First we want to drive around the Cap Peninsula in the direction of Muizenberg. The following days it's off through the wine country near Stellenbosch and shark diving near Hermanus before safaris and the Garden Route await us. [Music] Chapman's Peak Drive is a nine-kilometer road that is considered one of the most beautiful drives in the world. And there are plenty of pull-through bays here, all of which provide a killer view.
We now had to pay 3€ toll for the route and with the left-hand traffic we have managed quite well so far. Ostriches are not only found on ostrich farms, they also run along the beach on the way to the Cape of Good Hope and comfortably pick something here eat out and in general: beautiful spot with a view of the sea and the animals. Already something special! The Cape of Good Hope is notorious. Countless seafarers wanted to circumnavigate Africa in the direction of India and got caught in terrible storms. In Table Bay alone, the wrecks of over 300 sailing ships have been found. Impressive, these waves and cliffs here and also the southwestern point of the African continent and of course a historical place. So definitely cool to be here.
However, there are also quite a few tourists, some of whom are carted there by bus and the entrance fee is not bad either. 20€ per person to be able to enjoy the viewpoint here. There's just a penguin standing in front of the car and we want to go to the parking lot. They won't let us in. These are spectacled penguins. The last penguin species that can still be seen in Africa in the wild. And they do look cute walking through the sand like that.
In the water, however, they are lightning fast. It's the first time I've seen a penguin colony. Costs €10 and they are really cute. I would like to take one with me. The 32 km sandy beach of Muizenberg is a paradise for surfers and kite surfers. There are even lifeguards here who show on a board whether there are sharks in the water.
It's a bit late for surfing, so let's take a look around the town. Muizenberg's landmarks are the colorful beach houses. You can even rent them. Unfortunately, many of the huts are now broken. In keeping with the coastal town, we ended up in a nice fish restaurant. We have fish of course, mussels. These little baby octopuses really convinced me.
And we let the evening end here and tomorrow we continue. Stellenbosch is just under 45 minutes from Muizenberg. The green landscape is one of the most famous wine-growing regions in South Africa. The place has almost 20,000 inhabitants and is just as idyllic as the surrounding area because of the many old buildings.
Not only the city is beautiful, but also the university. Look at this beautiful building, I would love to enroll there again. We do a wine tasting at a winery around the corner and here you can taste six wines for 3€. It's completely free when you buy a bottle. So you really can't say anything about the prices.
That's a Chardonnay. Should be very easy. I'll test it. Just right for the warm weather I would say. I have no idea of wine at all. So just cheers. [Music] We are drawn back to the coast. We drive about an hour and a half to Hermanus. Between June and November right whales can be seen in the corner of Hermanus and Gaansbai. And just now someone actually looked out of the water, at least for a short time, and then dived right back under. Nevertheless, a cool experience and there are also rock hyraxes in the wild. Such cute little rodents hanging out on the beautiful coast.
I never thought I'd swim sharks, but maybe it's almost there. The three of us are let into the water. The sharks are not fed, only lured. And with a bit of luck we'll see predatory fish right away.
[Music] Wow, cold! [Music] It was awesome, a whole new experience. Once a shark got so close to the cage that it almost bit off our fingers. That was really awesome. By the way, these are copper sharks that we saw. There are also great white sharks in the region, but they were mainly driven away by orcas in 2017.
That's why you only see them occasionally. One shark dive is 110 euros per person. Also on board is marine biologist Alina, who explains a lot about the animals to us. Sharks are less dangerous than you think and are now threatened with extinction.
She thinks that you get to know the animals better through the tours. When most people think of sharks, they think of white sharks and how dangerous they are. Many believe they are aggressive, but this is not true. They're just wild animals. After shark diving here, many change their minds: instead of fear, they have respect - and some even love them. On the way back, the boat sways in the waves and some have to deal with seasickness.
Back on solid ground, we travel another three hours to the Gondwana Reserve. Early in the morning in search of the animals of Africa. There are rhinos, lions, antelopes, leopards, elephants and much more. Let's see what we get to see today. The Gondwana Game Reserve is privately run and covers 11,000 hectares. To avoid mass tourism, there are tours only for hotel guests.
However, a bungalow costs at least €500 per night. John looks after the facility and shows us the area. White rhinos always do their business in the same spot to mark their territory. This was a female. Males spread the dung with their feet to spread the scent. But this was a female. The dung consists entirely of grass. All they eat is grass. The mothers of these young rhinos were poached at another reserve. The younger ones survived and we were lucky to be able to bring them to Gondwana.
Now they are safe. The two are good friends, which is very unusual for males, but they have been through trauma together, so they always remain close. The reserve is guarded 24 hours a day because unfortunately there are still people who kill the elephants and rhinos to get their horns. Some are then sold to China to make some sexual enhancers out of it, which of course is complete nonsense. [Music] Behind me is a herd of wildebeests, some really great animals. And we just found out that this is an animal species that
is super adapted to Africa. Can be found almost everywhere on the continent and is also one of the few species that is not threatened with extinction. That's a centipede. We call them shongololos. They do not bite or eat meat, only rotting plants. There are giraffes up ahead, we have now found them too. Suddenly a couple of long necks peek out of the bushes. super cool [Music] These privately run reserves, like Gondwana, are often criticized because the conditions under which the animals are kept can be very different.
With everything we saw here today and were able to research beforehand, we have to say that the animals are doing very well here. You don't touch them, you don't feed them and the vet only comes in absolute emergencies. This means that the animals and nature are left to their own devices as much as possible and no one intervenes. We say goodbye to John and travel half an hour further to Mossel Bay.
In the coastal town we want to sleep on a train. The Santos Express is right on the beach. This is an old night train that has been converted into a hostel. A bit narrow, but you have a real train feeling. And there are also larger suites here. We now have a single room here with a shared bathroom.
This costs 14€ per night. And in general you have to say that the prices in South Africa are about a third, up to half cheaper than in Germany. a third to half cheaper than in Germany. Over an hour from Mossel Bay is Knysna, where we plan to make a stopover.
After that we want to go to a seal colony near Plettenberg and to the Bloukrans Bridge. 30 minutes driving time each. We're still walking on this tongue of land towards the seals. There are three different hiking routes between two and nine kilometers and we have now chosen the middle one. Down there, that's Robbe Williams. You're about to go down there if you keep making bad jokes like that. You can only see the seals closer than from above on a boat tour.
The hiking trail is definitely worth the €3 entry fee. Our next stop is Africa's tallest bridge, the Bloukrans Bridge. It's 216 meters down there, for some with the bungee cord. Since we've done this before, we skip the jump and drive 30 minutes to Tsitsikamma Park. Here we want to discover the original nature the next day.
The suspension bridges lead to smaller stretches of beach off the trail. You can also go kayaking through the water here. Must be really fun too. And some have even seen dolphins here. Uiuiui, but that wobbles here. Tsitsikamma Park is one of the last primeval forests in South Africa and in the native language the name means "where there is much water." And that's right, because here we are on the one hand on the coast and on the other hand at the mouth of the Storms River.
There are also a lot of animals in the park, such as bush pigs, different species of birds and also a lot of insects. At least 33 new species have been discovered in the Tsitsikamma since 2000. The so-called Otter Trail is one of the most beautiful hiking trails of all. It goes through the park and lasts five days. We walk a small section of the dreamlike route. It's really beautiful here and incredibly diverse. I can also imagine running the entire Otter Trail, but for five days I think it's a journey in itself. We still enjoy the beautiful views and then start the way back.
Admission to the Tsitsikamma costs 14 euros. The next destination is three hours away. We want to go to the Addo National Park, where we hope to see wild elephants. Even if you probably won't find animals as quickly as with the professionals in the reserve, exploring the park on your own somehow has its own charm.
Admission is only €20 per person. You can also book a ranger who will then explain a lot to you, but today we are trying our luck on our own. So right it goes to the main camp, left to the Gorah Loop, so let's go there now. There is another water point. [Music] In our search for elephants we also meet Desiree and Ralf from Germany.
The Addo National Park is really super exciting. We have already seen so many animals, mainly: elephants, which of course are here very often and have a lot of fun. There is one! Over there on the left. We didn't find any elephants on our last safari. All the cooler that she is now a whole herd. Simply majestic.
What a fat bull elephant. I find the African elephants much, much more crass than the Thai ones. Wild animals have priority here in the national park. Two meters away from me, an African elephant treats himself to a snack. Enjoy, my dear. [Music] In the park there are various viewpoints with parking lots in front of them and these are also the only places where you can get off and that is at your own risk. There are warnings everywhere.
Of course there are hungry lions roaming around here. We see countless animals and are amazed by the diversity of South Africa. One monkey even has a baby hanging from the front. How sweet. There's a huge termite hill here at the parking lot. Did we just see some from
and it's really amazing how these little critters can build such a fat structure. I would like to take a look there. What a finale to our road trip at Addo Elephant Park. We saw a lot of animals and the highlight was of course the herd of elephants. But all in all it was an incredible journey. Great landscapes, nice people and lots of action. And see you again on the next adventure. If you liked our film, give it a thumbs up and leave a comment.
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2023-02-12 18:16
