Today we woke up in the beautiful town of Franschhoek. Wine country has a much different vibe than the other parts of the country we have visited. While South Africa was colonized by the British and the Dutch as a whole, this wine country had an unmistakable French influence. Our hotel, the Franschhoek Country House was absolutely stunning. Watching the morning mist rise off of the mountains, I knew that our last day in Africa is going to be a memorable one.
On the agenda was a full day of wine tasting! We arrived in the city center early and get our tickets for the wine train. We stopped at four wineries throughout the day. Each winery had a different vibe, a different character. The wines were all delicious and the staff were so kind and professional. We couldn’t drink wine without also enjoying a cheese pairing – yum! We were particularly impressed with a white wine, the Chenin Blanc, which is only available in South Africa. It is similar to a Sauvignon Blanc but it is more buttery on the pallet.
There are dozens of wineries to visit, but the tram only stops at certain wineries each day. There are a total of three different schedules each with it’s own list of wineries that you can visit on any given day. There was no way we could have possibly visited each winery on the schedule, and we had not done research, so we decided to just go with the flow. The wine country is absolutely stunning. It is not only what I pictured when I thought of Africa, or even South Africa. The more I learn about this country, the more I learn how ignorant I am to the entire continent and how much I have to learn.
We headed back to the hotel in time for a beautiful dinner, which we enjoyed in a gorgeous private setting. We then headed back to our room, grateful for the time we had, but also sad knowing this was our last day in Africa.
This will be the third trip I have arranged with Adventure Life and I find their customer service and helpfulness to be excellent. Sandra has been very knowledgeable in describing the details of the planned trip as well as the signing up process for the trip. I have and will continue to recommend Adventure Life as the best tour vendor I have had the pleasure to work with. Thank you for your continued excellence.
Linda Haugh
2 days ago
Super smooth with questions answered & booking in just 2 days with Mary Curry. AND, the price was great!
Roger Allen
4 days ago
Erin is such a fabulous resource! She helped us bring our target destinations to life by suggesting activities that match our interests, fabulous lodging and excursion options, and patiently coordinating a seamless experience.
Debra D - RI USA
5 days ago
I don’t have the words to describe it but the last week has been one of the best I can remember. 6 days of adventure in South East Alaska including trekking through lush rain forest, sitting in silence listening to glaciers calving, up early to see the northern lights, kayaking and stupidly swimming in iceberg frozen waters ! (That actually hurt).
Animal sightings including black and brown bears, Minke and hundreds of Humpack Whales, porpoises, sea lions, mountain goats, harbour seals, bald eagles, salmon and more birds than I can count. Wonderful friends and connections made. A huge shout out to Trevor and his totally amazing crew on the Admiralty Dream whose energy and enthusiasm made this most incredible experience.
DAVID JAMES
6 days ago
Excellent safari trip with Adventure Life and Albatross Travel. Special shout out to our guides Eric Turasha (Kenya), and Blasi Shirima (Tanzania) from Albatross Travel. Both were world class!!! The trip went off without a hitch; all the camps were amazing…worth mentioning...one of the camps we were going to stay in on the Tanzanian side was damaged by high winds so we ended up in a different camp (Mara under Canvas Camp). Can't say enough good things! A great experience and superb service!!