SATGo Webnews November 2004 |
Upcoming Festivals and Shows
International Dragon Boat Festival,
Cape Town
The 10th annual International Dragon Boat Festival, to be held
at the North Wharf of the V & A Waterfront over the week-end
of 27/28 November, promises to be an exciting and colourful spectacle
for participants and spectators alike. Five to ten international
teams, up to 85 corporate teams and over 2000 rowers from clubs
and schools will take part in this ancient Oriental water sport.
Besides various races to watch, there will be live dragon dancing
to enjoy as well as plenty of food and refreshments. For more information,
call 021 408 7632 or go to www.dragonboat.org.za
Ficksburg Cherry Festival
Over 30 years old, the Ficksburg Cherry Festival - the country's
oldest crop festival - is expected to draw over 20 000 visitors
to the picturesque Free State town, situated not from the mountain-kingdom
of Lesotho. The festival runs for almost a week -from 15 to 20 November
- during which visitors will be able to tour cherry farms, savour
cherry recipes, sample cherry liqueurs, and, for the more active,
take part in a cycle ride, pinto (horse) trlals, a mountain bike
challenge and road marathon. There are several organized bus tours
to the festival. For more information, call 051 933 2130 or go to
www.cherryfestival.co.za
World Cinema Festival and
Sithengi Film and TV Market, Cape Town
Cape cinema buffs are in for a treat at Cape Town's annual World
Cinema festival at Cinema Nouveau at the V & A Waterfront from
12-20 November. The festival will run concurrently with Sithengi,
Africa's only international film market, to be held at Artscape
from 16-19 November.
This year's festival features 'Films from the South" - features,
documentaries and short films, from Africa, Europe and America.
Premieres will be held on most nights and the festival will culminate
in a Gala Awards Night on 19th November, when directors, script
writers and actors will be honoured.
For more information, call 021 430 8160 or 021 430 8427 or go to
www.sithengi.co.za
Other major events
94.7 Cycle Challenge, Gauteng
24 000 cyclists will take to the roads around Johannesburg on
Sunday 21 November for the 2004 Pick 'n Pay 94.7 [km] Cycle Challenge.
The race starts at Megawatt Park, Woodmead and winds its way through
the northern suburbs via the new Nelson Mandela Bridge in the CBD
before ending at Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit. As part of the build-up
to the big race there will be a Children's Cycle Challenge on Saturday
20 November, a Team Time Trial on Friday 19 November and the Cycle
Challenge Experience - Gauteng's biggest cycling and health exhibition
- which runs from 18-20 November at the AA Kyalami Exhibition and
Conference Centre. For more information, call the Race Office on
011 463 2743 or go to www.highveld.co.za
Soweto Expo 2004, Gauteng
This year's Soccer Expo, to be held at Nasrec outside Johannesburg
near Soweto from 25-28 November, aims to promote soccer as South
Africa's most popular sport and to celebrate the award to South
Africa of the 2010 World Cup. The Expo will bring together - over
four days and under one roof - the biggest brand names in sporting
goods, major wholesalers and distributors, representatives of technology
companies and service industries connected with soccer, administrators,
club officials and leading personalities in the game. The event
takes place in the midst of the Coca Cola Cup and Coke will provide
their distinctive 'red couches ' where visitors to the expo will
be able to meet their favourite players. For more information, call
011 787 5783 or go to www.soccerexpo.co.za
Soweto Marathon, Gauteng
The Soweto Marathon is the only major sponsored race that runs through
the heart of a South African township. The 42.2 km run starts from
Gate No 2 at Nasrec on Sunday 7 November, passes many of Soweto's
most famous landmarks - including former president Nelson Mandela's
house - and offers attractive cash prizes to category winners. 15
km and 5 km races will be held at the same time as the marathon.
Walkers are welcome to participate in the 15 km event.
For more information, call 011 880 5800 or e mail mehlo@athleticssa.co.za
Sani Stagger Endurance
Race
Tough race; spectacularly beautiful surroundings. That describes
the Sani Stagger, a 42.2 km endurance marathon up and down Sani
Pass in the Southern Drakensberg, near Underberg, to be run on Saturday,
27 November. There are also separate uphill and downhill half -
marathon races, each 21.km long. Only licenced runners are allowed
to enter and every finisher will receive a medal (they will deserve
one!). Spectators will be also be well catered for. For more information,
call 033 701 1577 or go to www.sanistagger.com
News & Trends
- The Zulu Kingdom's Elephant
Coast has launched a new Seven Safaris marketing campaign to highlight
the area's unique attractions - both terrestrial and marine.
The seven are:
- Birding Safaris - over 700 different birding spots and 600
species
- Fishing Safaris - tiger fishing on the Josini Dam; fly-fishing
at Cape Vidal and Kosi Bay; deep-sea fishing from St Lucia; rock
and surf fishing along the coastline
- Big 6 Safaris - the terrestrial Big Five, plus the whale
- Ocean Safaris- 240 kms of pristine coastline for swimming,
surfing, scuba-diving snorkeling and turtle tours in season
- Action Safaris - horse riding, sea kayaking and canoeing,
quad biking, kite boarding, wilderness- and nature trails
- Wellness Safaris - three wellness centres offer massages,
facials, pedicures and body wraps
- Cultural Safaris - Zulu cultural tourist villages, battlefield
sites, Kosi Bay fish traps, and walking trails
The Elephant Coast is a 2.5
hour drive from Durban along good roads. The nearest airfield
is Richards Bay. For more information, call Roland Vorwerk on 082
466 1251 or e mail roland@mbonise.com
- SA Tourism has launched
a state-of-the-art, 24-hour, global call centre that offers information
to travelers in Dutch, English, French, German and Italian.
Mandarin, Spanish and Portuguese are to be added in the near future.
Calls will be handle via 26 lines from 16 countries, including the
US, UK, Europe and Australia. The number to dial is 083 123 6789
- Travel Buddy, a scheme
to make foreign tourists to South Africa feel safe, is spreading
its wings across the entire country. Before leaving for SA,
tourists may register for free on the Travel Buddy website and provide
details of their itineraries. When they arrive in SA they hire a
cell phone, call Travel Buddy and are given a number to contact
in any emergency. Throughout their stay, tourists receive regular
SMSs, useful information and enquiries as to their progress and
well-being.
- The Baviaanskloof Mega
Reserve, a rugged mountainous area to the west of Port Elizabeth,
is set to become the Eastern Cape's first World Heritage site. All
seven of South Africa's biomes are to be found in the reserve, which
is where two of the world's top 25 bio-diversity hotspots - the
Cape Floral Kingdom and the Succulent Karoo - converge.
- Mkuze in Kwa-Zulu Natal
is to upgrade its airstrip into a regional airport capable of handling
modern jets. The new airport will add greatly to the accessibility
of Mkuze and Ndumo Game Reserves, as well as the nearby Greater
St Lucia Wetland Park.
Hidden Gems
Re-living history at Three Tree
Hill Lodge
If Anglo-Boer War history interests you, make sure you spend a
day or two at Andrew Ardington's and David Rattray's superb Three
Tree Hill Lodge, not far from Ladysmith in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
Situated on a hillside in the lee of the famous Spioenkop and backed
by the magnificent Drakensberg mountains, the beautifully-appointed
lodge specializes in the history of the 1899-1902 Anglo-Boer War,
with the epic battle of Spioenkop as its focal point.
Spioenkop is arguably the most famous of all battles between the
Boers and the British. Among celebrated personalities to have been
involved were Louis Botha (first Prime Minister of the Union of
South Africa), Winston Churchill (the most famous Briton of the
20th century), the iconic sage Mahatma Gandhi, and Boer fighter,
lawyer and author, Deneys Reitz. In a narrative style similar to
David Rattray's, the Lodge's part-owner manager Andrew Ardington
brings the history of the Anglo-Boer War vividly to life, before
taking his guests on a personally-guided tour of the Spioenkop battlefield
and its surrounds.
If you're not into 'battles', the Lodge is an ideal base for excursions
into the surrounding countryside and to the nearby Drakensberg.
Built in tasteful colonial style, it overlooks a secluded valley
of the Spioenkop Game Reserve, home to white rhino, giraffe, zebra,
eland, kudu and numerous smaller antelope, which can be seen from
the lodge - and sometimes from your own bath! 270 bird species -
from cape vultures and lanner falcons to buff-streaked chats and
fairy flycatchers - have been recorded in the area.
Three Tree Hills' main living area has an open-plan design, with
four sets of large double doors leading on to a verandah which offers
sweeping views of the surrounding countryside. The result is a flowing
space where one can relax in a comfortable chair, read in the afternoon
sun, or have a post-walk drink before sampling the Lodge's excellent
cuisine - a fusion of home and gourmet cooking. In summer, meals
are often served outside, where diners can soak up the lovely views,
while in winter, an open log fire and "Dover" coal stove
create a homely environment.
The Lodge's six double bedrooms are equipped with all modern conveniences,
heated towel rails and cotton linen, which do not detract from its
colonial feel, but serve to enhance one's turn-of- the-century South
African experience. Each room has its own deck, offering an unimpeded
view of the valley and Spioenkop - and perhaps a passing rhino or
two.
Guests may also, if they wish, walk up Spioenkop along the actual
route taken by the British soldiers on the fateful night of 23rd
January 1900, or take a tour of other nearby battlefields such as
Colenso and Thukela Heights, or visit the site of Winston Churchill's
capture by the Boers - an event that thrust Churchill on to the
international stage.
A stay at Three Tree Hill Lodge is the perfect way to complement
a visit to Fugitives' Drift near Isandlwana, from where David Rattray
conducts his celebrated tours of the Anglo-Zulu War battlefields.
Current rates for the Lodge are R995 per person per day full board;
all tours are charged for separately. For more information, go to
www.threetreehill.co.za;
for reservations, call 034 642 1843 or e mail tthl@mweb.co.za.
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