Tag: ocean

Grootbos: Where the Secret Garden Goes Global

Posted on by James

Recognition tends to find those who aren’t chasing it. So it feels fitting that Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, a property defined by restraint and regeneration rather than self-promotion, has just been named 5th in Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards for South Africa’s Top 15 Resorts.

Tucked between mountain and sea near Gansbaai, Grootbos has always felt slightly out of category — too wild to be a vineyard retreat, too elegant to be called an eco-lodge. It’s its own species entirely: a place where the word luxury is defined less by opulence and more by intention.

The reserve protects over 2,500 hectares of fynbos, one of the world’s most biodiverse floral kingdoms, and its story has always been as much about what grows outside the rooms as what’s inside them. Suites open onto views where the ocean feels stitched to the sky; the air carries the faint honey scent of proteas; and the architecture — all glass, timber, and understatement — feels designed not to compete, but to frame.

Condé Nast readers have long rewarded beauty, but here they’ve also rewarded purpose. Grootbos runs on solar energy, champions community development through its foundation, and supports local conservation and research projects that ripple well beyond the reserve’s borders. Every stay helps sustain that mission — which might be the most modern definition of luxury we have.

At a time when the world’s finest lodges are being recognised by Michelin, by Condé Nast, by whoever next holds a clipboard of merit, Grootbos’s achievement feels especially resonant. Because what it really celebrates is balance: design and wildness, comfort and conscience, people and place.

To walk through a field of blooming fynbos at dawn, then return to a breakfast plated like fine art, is to understand exactly why Grootbos stands among the best. It’s not just about where you stay — it’s about what stays with you.

Beach & Bush: the Perfect Holiday Combo

Posted on by James

The East coast of Africa is one of the most amazing coastlines to visit in the world. And it is almost endless.

Starting from Cape Town right on the south-western tip of the continent, moving east past Cape Agulhus (which is technically the southernmost point of Africa) and up the coast towards Durban, one experiences an amazing change in climate; Mediterranean weather (hot dry summers and cool wet winters) gives way to a sub-tropical system (warm all year with rain over the summer months), and the incredible diversity of habitats along the beaches reflects this.

The coastline is so full of life that documentary makers come from all over the world to film the spectacular array of creatures and natural events taking place.
The Academy Award winning feature My Octopus Teacher was filmed in Cape Town, and the annual sardine run off the appropriately named Wild Coast north of East London is one of the greatest marine shows on earth with countless whales, dolphins and all sorts of other marine life flocking in to take advantage of this bounty.

And that’s just in the south.

Golden beaches with bath-warm water await you in Mozambique. The Kenyan coast and its coral fringes have some of the best big game fishing in the world. And offshore you have the jewels of the Seychelles, the Comores and Mauritius awaiting.

The point is you are absolutely spoilt for choice, and the accessibility of so many of these dream destinations is more often than not a short flight from Johannesburg, the flight hub of Southern Africa.

45 minutes in a light aircraft can get you from your safari destination to Johannesburg, and then a connection down to the coast will not be much more than that.

You can be on a game drive in the morning watching a leopard climb a tree and elephants drinking from the waterhole, and by sunset you can be sipping a pina colada under a palm tree, the Indian Ocean lapping the shoreline only a stone’s throw from your verandah whilst a fresh seafood buffet – caught that day – is being prepared for dinner.

And whilst safari can offer the ultimate opulence, with luxurious rooms and Michelin-quality food, amazing service and hospitality, after four or five days of extended game drives, getting up before sunrise for a 5:30 departure, one can feel the need to slow down and unwind a little bit. And that is where the beaches come in!

A few days reclining in a hammock, reading a book whilst reminiscing over your favourite safari sightings, or snorkelling on shallow reefs, marvelling at the myriad tropical species to swim in front of your goggles

Be you a honeymoon couple, a family with kids or a group of friends travelling together, there is something for everyone along Africa’s extensive coastline.

Get in touch at info@iconicafrica.com, and let’s start planning your beach and bush combination holiday…

South Africa: The Ultimate Travel Destination

Posted on by James

South Africa literally has it all.

Well. Almost.

It can’t quite compete with the Alps or the Rocky Mountains as a skiing destination, but for the rest, you name it, it’s got it!
Beaches, mountains, forests, deserts, bustling cities, cultural heritage sites, fascinating history, amazing food and wine… the list is seemingly endless.
From the rugged yet stunning west coast through the dry interior to the high peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains, and down the other side to the turtle-strewn beaches of Kwazulu/Natal, if you can’t find something here that absolutely blows you away, you’re doing something wrong…

The sheer diversity of experiences on offer is simply staggering, and the fact that the country is linked together by incredibly efficient modern airports in the major city centres, smaller regional hubs, and a road network that runs through the major tourist areas, and you have the perfect recipe for travel.

You could spend a month in the Mother City (Cape Town) and not do it all, and once you get your safari fix for the first time, you’ll be spending the next year planning your return trip, so addictive does it become.
The eastern Lowveld towards Mozambique is the traditional area to safari, and the Garden Route along the south coast offers quaint and magical little escapes where one can luncheon on oysters and champagne then go mountain biking in the forest, but to be honest, there is no corner of South Africa that doesn’t contain its own special offering.

The main tourist areas are just that for a reason – they feature incredibly high densities of amazing things to do – but from the farthest flung desert to the chilliest mountain peak, the country is strewn with thousands off hamlets, homesteads and adventure activities that are just waiting to be discovered. And heading off the beaten track often ensures lower costs and fewer people…

South Africa is about SO much more than just safari. It truly is one of the low-hanging fruit of travel destinations in the world. You will love it. That much we guarantee,

Get in touch with us through info@iconicafrica.com if you want to experience some of what this remarkable country has to offer…

 

 

Cape Town and When to Visit

Posted on by James

Cape Town (and South Africa) officially became a thing in 1652, when Jan Van Riebeeck landed to found a way station for the Dutch East India Company on its trade route between Holland and the Far East.
The reality is that there was actually a presence on the site before that and the real story of who was there first is somewhat different, but history being what it is (complicated, for the most part), it ultimately depends who you ask, and these days that is the officially recognised date of the founding of what in South Africa is known as the Mother City, and throughout the world is known as one of the most spectacular places to visit.

Regularly voted in as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Cape Town truly is a special place. Although cities are usually imagined as only buildings and concrete with nature being a very distant concept, Cape Town bucks this trend.
Shadowed by the magnificent beauty of Table Mountain (a World Heritage Site), the great outdoors are a vital part of daily life in this buzzing, energetic city. From the green lungs of the Kirstenbosch botanical gardens (another World Heritage Site; Robben Island is the third in the city) to the electrifying nightlife along the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town is one of the most dramatic and exciting urban locations one can find, and no trip to South Africa is complete without a visit to this tourism hub.

Visitors do however need to be aware of the seasons, and more particularly the different climates that are found at opposite ends of South Africa.

Cape Town features a typical Mediterranean climate; hot dry summers and cold wet winters. Whilst this makes for a superb wine growing region (South African wines are some of the finest in the world), it does mean you need to pack accordingly.
The main safari areas in South Africa on the other hand – that many people combine their visits to Cape Town with – are exactly the opposite; the hot summers are their wet seasons, punctuated by regular thundershowers, and the winters are cool and dry.


Many rate the winter months (we’re talking about the South African winter here, ie. June/July/August) as the best months to visit the game reserves, as cooler temperatures generally result in more activity from the predators in particular. This does mean though that you may encounter rain if you take in a few days in Cape Town, and the stunning beaches may not be quite as appealing as they would be during the summer months. Having said that, perfectly calm clear days are becoming more and more of a feature in a Cape Town winter, so there will almost certainly be an opportunity to dive into the Atlantic Ocean should your trip take you there at that time of year.

Cape Town is really the ultimate versatile destination. If it’s nature and solitude you want, it’s there. If it’s nightlife you’re seeking, no problem. Culture and history? Easy to find.
The stunning location is simply the backdrop to what this magnificent city in the south-western corner of Africa has to offer. And with international travel regulations easing up and more and more visitors flocking in each month, it’s almost as if things are back to normal…
Whatever the tourism situation, the crisp ocean still laps the city’s shores, the tablecloth still surges down towards the city bowl from the cable car station, and Cape Town is as beautiful as it ever has been….