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Staying in Cape Town with the kids during the school holidays? Looking for a family activity that everyone of any age can enjoy? Look no further than Ratanga Junction, in Century City, Milnerton.

Ratanga Junction offers a bustling, cheerful, family-friendly atmosphere with 30 diverse attractions, 23 of which are rides. For adrenaline junkies, the Slingshot is a ride that cannot be missed, it combines elements of sky-diving and bungee jumping and offers a new experience to those who may have already attempted both ventures. Willing participants are strapped 3 abreast, 10 stories in the air and then face a 30 meter free fall.

Ratanga Junction also has some very charming activities for the youngest members of the family. Recently they offered an animal petting zoo, where young children and grown ups alike were delighted to pet, hold and cuddle baby chicks, ducklings, rabbits, lambs, goats, guinea pigs and piglets.

For members of the family too old (or too cool) to enjoy a petting zoo and too young to enjoy a ride that replicates the experience of plunging to your death off a high building, there is The Stimulator.  The Stimulator is a Morphis ESP Movieride Theatre. Once 8 participants have climbed into the capsule they will choose from 6 exhilarating journeys. Select a ravine race for example and race through canyons and ravines at unimaginable speeds, or choose a haunted mine and ride in a shaky mine shaft.

An excitement –filled day is sure to build a healthy appetite, why not choose from a large selection of restaurants at Ratanga Junctions food court to satisfy everyone’s needs. If you select to stay at one of our many self-catering apartments in Milnerton you will find that your drive home fro Ratanga Junction will be a very short one, otherwise Milnerton is just a quick 10 minutes to the city center, where many of our other self-catering apartments are situated.

South Africa - The Journey Continues

I’ve taken you through the Cape where I showed you one of the world’s oldest landmarks         Table Mountain. I told you where to get cheap crayfish and the hottest spots for Great White Cage Diving and Whale watching.

Now we need to move further north and we going to start in KwaZulu Natal.

This is a subtropical region that gets washed by the warm Indian Ocean. The Western part is marked by the dramatic Drakensberg mountains and it’s also been rewarded with World Heritage Status because of its natural beauty and the wealth of San Bushman rock art. The main city Pietermaritzburg is not far from one of the fastest growing urban areas, Durban.  It’s harbour is the busiest in South Africa and one of the 10 biggest in the world.

Further north we have Gauteng which contributes about 33% to the nation’s economy. This “Place of Gold” (Sesotho name is Gauteng) was build on the wealth of gold found deep underground, about 40% of the World’s reserves. Just under Gauteng in Mpumalanga also known as “the place where the sun rises” where you’ll find one of the most popular safari spots, the Kruger National Park. This park is roughly the size of Israel.  South Africa’s first 3D animation movie, Jock of the Bushveld, took place in Mpumalanga  where the live original version was shot in 1986.

The most Northern part in South Africa is Limpopo which lies in the curve of the Limpopo river. This is the region of contrasts, from bushveld to majestic mountains, primeval indigenous forests and unspoilt wilderness. This borders Botswana to the west, Zimbabwe to the north and Mozambique to the east, the gate to the rest of Africa.

The Freestate is the heart of South Africa lying between the Orange River and the Vaal River. Agriculture is the central of it’s economy, while mining on the rich gold fields is its largest employer. The capital is Bloemfontein and the home of South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal and the Central University of Technology .

I have only taken you through some parts of the best holiday destinations in the world and it leaves me with the following words: “After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb”.  Nelson Mandela

So come and enjoy us for a braai in South Africa where local is lekker......

South Africa - The Perfect Journey

We get a lot of overseas visitors in South Africa but not a lot of these visitors travel through the entire country and experience the true colours, cultures and beauty that it has to offer. South Africa is one of the most diverse countries in the world.  There is a mix or third and first world cultures, wildlife, beautiful natural scenery and more.So don’t plan to only have a one week holiday in this amazing Country. That will be like squeezing a full body massage into only 10min, it just doesn’t give the same effect.

I’m going to take you on a journey through this amazing country of ours starting here is the Cape.

The Cape is split into The Western part and Eastern part. The Western Cape is split into Cape Town and Peninsula where you’ll find the world-famous landmark Table Mountain (which I wrote about last week). This majestic highland is the perfect backdrop to a city filled with pristine beaches, well preserved Edwardian and Victorian buildings and has a diversity of cultures.

Just a short drive from Cape Town is the Cape Helderberg that leads you to the Garden Route into the Cape Winelands,  Breede Valley and  Cape Overberg, famous for Whale watching (Hermanus is known for the best land-based whale watching destinations in the world), shipwrecks, lighthouses and of course...Great White Cage Diving just outside Hermanus.  

The Cape West Coast is where you’ll find the most beautiful coastal wild flower reserves covering the lavish green hills.  Here  you can also purchase delicacies like crayfish for no more than R20 – R30 ($3-$5) per crayfish. In Italy you’ll pay about $81 per pound and in Florida  (USA) about $100 for a 6 pound lobster.

South Africa’s most important wheat –producing area is The Swartland where you’ll also find an abundance of our National Flower, the Protea. Just over the Swartland Mountains we find Klein and Central Karoo where herds of buffalo, elephant and Kudu once dominated these plains. Today it is popular for Ostrich Farming.

The second largest Province of South Africa’s provinces is The Eastern Cape and is situated between the Western Cape and KwaZulu Natal and is bordered by the Orange River and Drankensberg. This is the part where the famous caracters Timon and Pumbaa, from the sixth highest grossing annimated film The Lion King, originates from.  

The Capital city Port Elizabeth is where some of South Africa’s most important politicians were born, like Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko. 

From here we'll be moving the KwaZulu Natal where the journey will be kicking off with some more sightseeing and more famous annimated caracters, but now it's time for a break and we’ll continue this journey next week on my News Articles