Outdoor SA
The journal

Notes from the road

Not everywhere we go warrants a full review. These are the shorter ones — a long lunch, a morning's walk, a night somewhere lovely — kept here so we can point you at them.

Eat & Drink

Restaurants, farm stalls and the odd very good cup of coffee.

Eat & Drink

Basic Bistro

Stellenbosch, Western Cape · November 2014

We googled breakfast in Stellenbosch, read the menu with watering mouths, and were not disappointed when we got there.

Eat & Drink

Breakfast at the Oyster Box

Umhlanga Rocks, KwaZulu-Natal · April 2015

Breakfast at Durban's grande dame on a clear autumn morning — and whether it is worth going out of your way for.

Eat & Drink

Butcher Block

Umhlanga Rocks, KwaZulu-Natal · September 2015

A steakhouse tucked into a hotel off Umhlanga Rocks Drive, where the team went for dinner and found more than we expected.

Eat & Drink

Chardonnay Deli & Farm Stall

Constantia, Cape Town · August 2017

A plain exterior hiding shelves of homemade preserves and homegrown veg — the kind of farm stall that makes you want to cook.

Eat & Drink

Drakensberg Valley Bakery

Central Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal · August 2015

More a Berg institution than a bakery. Do not dream of a weekend in the mountains without stopping here.

Eat & Drink

Dutch East Restaurant

Franschhoek, Western Cape · January 2017

New Year's Day in Franschhoek with most of the town closed, and the one dinner that saved the evening.

Eat & Drink

Hudsons The Burger Joint

Umhlanga Rocks, KwaZulu-Natal · January 2017

We had heard about Hudsons from Western Cape friends for years. Now there is one in Umhlanga, so we finally found out.

Eat & Drink

Little Havana

Umhlanga Rocks, KwaZulu-Natal · August 2015

Recently voted the best steakhouse in South Africa, and on the evidence of another long lunch we are not going to argue.

Eat & Drink

Lunch at the Sugar Club

Umhlanga Rocks, KwaZulu-Natal · July 2015

A cold weekend, a five star buffet and the sea whipping up outside the window — an easy decision, well rewarded.

Eat & Drink

Olive and Oil

Umhlanga Rocks, KwaZulu-Natal · August 2016

Four outlets and the same standard at every one of them — good value and a menu we keep going back to.

Eat & Drink

Reef & Dune

St Lucia, KwaZulu-Natal · August 2016

A good-looking restaurant spotted while wandering St Lucia, and a dinner that had us planning the next one.

Eat & Drink

The Farmers Daughter

Howick, KwaZulu-Natal Midlands · January 2018

A red brick building in Howick with a verandah below and a balcony over the valley — an absolute delight.

Stay

Guest houses, lodges and hotels worth knowing about.

Stay

A Hidden Gem — Belgrace Boutique Hotel

Nelspruit, Mpumalanga · July 2017

We needed somewhere to break the drive to the Kruger and found, more or less by chance, a place we would go back to for its own sake.

Stay

Angala Boutique Hotel & Guest House

Cape Winelands, Western Cape · March 2017

Five star at the foot of the Simonsberg, where a sense of calm meets you at the door and does not let go.

Stay

Brambleberry Lodge

Nottingham Road, KwaZulu-Natal Midlands · December 2017

Three lodges beside a lake in the Midlands, built for the kind of weekend where you bring everyone you like.

Stay

Franschhoek Country House & Villas

Franschhoek, Western Cape · August 2017

Central enough to walk into the village, quiet enough to forget it is there. Five star service in the valley.

Stay

Highgrove House

Mpumalanga · July 2017

Luxury on a smallholding en route to the Kruger — the ideal night at either end of a park trip.

Stay

Kwandwe — Uplands Homestead

Kwandwe Private Game Reserve, Eastern Cape · December 2012

Four nights with our own cook, butler, ranger and tracker, in a homestead opened by an earl. Spoilt rotten is the phrase.

Stay

Lexden Bed & Breakfast

Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal · September 2015

High up on Howick Road with the whole of Pietermaritzburg laid out below, and a choice of ten rooms.

Stay

Malala Lodge

Northern KwaZulu-Natal · September 2014

Impala across the sandy track on the way in, and a welcome from Jane that told us we had found a little bit of heaven.

Stay

Mkuze Falls

Northern KwaZulu-Natal · July 2014

Three nights above the falls with a wrap-around verandah, watching the animals come down to drink.

Stay

Nambiti Hills Private Game Lodge

Nambiti Private Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal · March 2013

Old cattle farms returned to the wild, two hours from Durban and now home to the big five.

Stay

Phinda Homestead

Phinda Private Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal · June 2013

A home away from home with a waterhole at the door, leopard and cheetah on the drives, and a team who thought of everything.

Stay

Phinda Zuka

Phinda Private Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal · November 2014

Book the whole lodge, take the people you like best, and get welcomed home by a staff who mean it.

Stay

Ridge Road Country House & Cottage

Clarens, Free State · August 2017

Nine kilometres out of Clarens on the R711 — self-catering with room for a crowd, and we are keen to return.

Stay

The Cavern

Northern Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal · August 2016

Sixty years in the same family, in the foothills of the Amphitheatre, and still unmistakably a family place.

Stay

The Olive Exclusive

Windhoek, Namibia · January 2016

Seven suites on a steep Windhoek hillside — where our Namibian trip began, and a very comfortable place to start.

Out & About

Walks, waterfalls, game parks and a 4x4 trail or two.

Out & About

A Day in the KZN Midlands

KwaZulu-Natal Midlands · October 2014

A road trip with no particular plan: a farmers' market, a few stops along the Meander, and scones we still think about.

Out & About

A Horse-Lovers Meander

KwaZulu-Natal Midlands · November 2014

Every turn in the Midlands has a horse in the field. We set out to get properly close to a few of them.

Out & About

Clarens

Clarens, Free State · February 2018

The little Free State town below the Maluti mountains, and why it is worth the road trip.

Out & About

Dragon Rock Reptile Centre

Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal · August 2015

Not the usual snakes-behind-glass affair. If you want your adrenaline going, this is the one.

Out & About

Emdoneni Cat Rehabilitation Centre

Hluhluwe, KwaZulu-Natal · September 2014

Serval, caracal, cheetah and African wild cat, up close on a guided walk through the enclosures.

Out & About

Falcon Ridge

Central Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal · March 2014

A bird of prey show in the Berg that leaves you in awe of birds you would never otherwise see up close.

Out & About

Highstakes 4x4 Trail

KwaZulu-Natal · October 2014

A cold, grey, rainy Wednesday morning on a 4x4 course, including the sections not open to everyone.

Out & About

Hluhluwe-iMfolozi

Northern KwaZulu-Natal · September 2014

Sunrise behind the escarpment in South Africa's oldest game reserve, and the pleasure of the dirt roads.

Out & About

Kloof Open Gardens

Kloof, KwaZulu-Natal · October 2014

An ordinary Saturday that turned into a wander through other people's beautifully kept gardens.

Out & About

Sterkspruit Falls

Monks Cowl, Central Drakensberg · August 2015

An easy, flat circular walk from the Monks Cowl office to the falls and Crystal Pools — about two hours at a gentle pace.

Stories

The longer pieces, for when there is more to tell.

Stories

En Route: Windhoek to Sossusvlei

Namibia · January 2016

The long drive south out of Windhoek, across gravel and empty country, towards the oldest desert on earth.

Stories

Expedition Katse Dam

Lesotho · April 2017

Go in peace, say the road signs in Lesotho. A trip the team designed after Sani Pass left us wanting more.

Stories

Our Namibian Adventure, Part One

Windhoek, Namibia · January 2016

How the Namibian trip started: a windy descent into Windhoek and the first 45 kilometres of a very big country.