Trail run and mountain bike your way around South Africa.

There are many ways to enjoy a country, and South Africa caters to a multitude of traveller tastes, but it is particularly good for those who like trail running and mountain biking holidays. With an unbeatable climate and exceptional terrain, trail runners and mountain bikers will find plenty to keep them busy here. 

For mountain bikers, the Cape Epic is probably the hardest and most famous race, attracting professional athletes from around the world. For something less extreme but more adventurous, the Tour de Tuli winds its way through unspoilt wilderness areas in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Sani2c takes you through some of South Africa’s most scenic areas, from Sani Pass in mountainous Lesotho down to the coastal town of Scottburgh. 

The Leopard team are keen trail runners. Anael did the Bastille Day trail run while it snowed on the Franschhoek mountains a few years ago. He will do the Ultra Trail Cape Town later this year. The race takes runners over Table Mountain, Lion’s Head, Signal Hill, Llandudno, Hout Bay, the Constantia Winelands, Kirstenbosch and Devil’s Peak, and is a novel way to see these landmarks. Barry ran the very tough SkyRun, through the Witteberg mountain range, with a podium finish in 2018. He is pictured in the photo above. Jess was the first woman to finish the Karkloof 50 miler last year. 

Ryan Sandes, the famous South Africa ultra trail runner, has done a list of his top 10 trail runs around the world – the first 4 are found in Southern African. Angama Mara Lodge in Kenya has a fun “Run with a Kenyan” experience for guests. And lastly, for a laugh, take a look at this video of runners on the iMfolozi Outrun being surprised by a “lion” on their run through Big 5 territory!

Get in touch if you would like our expert team to tailor make your next holiday to South Africa.

Happy travelling!
Diana 

P.S. We have updated the photography on our website, take a look at www.leopard.voyage and let us know what you think! Your feedback is always appreciated. 

P.P.S. Some clients from New Zealand took a trip to the West Coast National Park to see the spring namaqualand flowers and were not disappointed. Contact us if you would like a trip like theirs.

Our favourite affordable self drive safaris in South Africa.

This month we had clients doing a self drive safari in Kruger. Being retired, and seasoned travellers, the small group had plenty of time to enjoy the slower pace of a self drive safari. It is one of the best ways to experience South Africa’s national parks if you have time, a sense of adventure and like to be independent. Self drive allows you to see places off the beaten path and comes at a more affordable price. 

There are over 30 national parks in South Africa. For this newsletter, I have selected my top 5 for a self drive holiday:

Kruger,South Africa’s largest and most celebrated national park,is probably my favourite. It has many advantages. You can have the full safari experience at a relatively low cost. It is a great option for novice game spotters because there will be plenty of other people around to point you in the direction of great sightings you might otherwise miss while driving. Wildlife and birdlife are abundant, from leopard, rhino and giraffe to ground hornbills and martial eagles. With 2 million hectares of park to choose from, you will need to be selective. Southern Kruger is the most popular section, and is easily accessible.

Golden Gate Highlands National Park and the Maloti-Drakensberg Park are best for hiking and being outdoors. Didima camp at the foot of Cathedral Peak and Highlands Mountain Retreat in Golden Gate allow you easy access to a number of excellent hiking trails. Both have camps spectacular views. They are perfect for self drive as they are off the beaten track.  

iSimangaliso Wetland Park, also known as St Lucia, is located on the east coast of South Africa. Only here can you see incredible marine life and have excellent game viewing all in one place. The park is close to Zululand, the traditional home of the Zulu people, for those interested in the cultural heritage of South Africa. I recently discovered this amazing lodge, remote and isolated, up near the Mozambique border, but in an incredible setting. 

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is the most remote national park on this list, tucked up between Namibia and Botswana. Since it is difficult to get there, it is ideal for those looking for an adventure away from other people. If you like red sand dunes and wide open skies you will love it here. 

Happy travelling!
Diana 

P.S. We FINALLY received the online version of our feature in National Geographic Traveller! You can read the feature here. 

P.P.S. My clients took incredible photos of some of the 45 mammals and 200 bird species they saw in Kruger. A small selection of photos can be found below, with more here.

A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles — Tim Cahill.

This month I went to my high school reunion in the beautiful Kwa Zulu Natal Midlands. In the many years that have passed since we graduated together, our bonds have remained as strong and deep as ever. It was wonderful to spend a weekend among old friends and I left the reunion feeling restored and happy.

This experience reminded me of how important friends are, how they enrich your life. Your friends are the people who love you for who you are, who lift you up when you are going through hard times, and the people with whom you share fun adventures!

There is nothing quite like going on holiday with a group of friends. In 2005 I did a summer holiday in Zanzibar with a group of 22 friends, including a friend who was at the same high school reunion. Some of these people are pictured below. We had the best time — swimming in the aquamarine water, snorkelling, trying all the food and cocktails available, partying, resting, sunset cruises on traditional dhows, playing cards. I have since done many more holidays with friends and have one coming up next month in Spain, with French friends and a close friend from London. Holidays with friends are an excellent way to reconnect with those special people in your life. They are a break from the intense demands of daily life and are time to just have fun with your favourite people!

If you want to get away from it all in the bush, relax on the beach or have some sophisticated fun in Cape Town, Leopard will take the headache out of coordinating your next holiday with friends. Whether it is a high school or university reunion, a badminton team holiday or a 50th birthday, the team at Leopard will make sure we select all the hotels and all the activities to perfectly match your needs. Contact us today.

Happy travelling!
Diana

P.S. Leopard’s designer and a close friend since high school, Jessica Maitland-Stuart, ran the Comrades ultra marathon earlier this month and finished just shy of a silver medal. She was 34th woman out of a field of 4000 female runners. Amazing run Jess, we are so proud of you and privileged to have you and Barry as part of the team! Barry also ran but did not finish the run due to a heart issue early on in the race. He wrote this inspiring article on his recovery from throat cancer and then running his first comrades in 2017.

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Leopard is featured in the National Geographic Traveller.

I am so proud to tell you that Leopard is featured in the National Geographic Traveller Africa Collection. It feels like a dream to be featured in a publication of this stature. When I was growing up, in the days before the internet, we had an extensive collection of National Geographic magazines. I loved paging (carefully) through these magazines with their beautiful photos. My favourite cover, which I can remember quite clearly, is from 1985 with a skull hologram. Does anyone else remember that cover?

If you are in the UK, look out for the magazine in stores. It will be the Africa Collection edition, not the July/August edition. For those who are not in the UK, I will send a link once it is up online in a few weeks. 

Happy travelling!
Diana 

The surprising beauty of Namibia.

A couple of friends recently spent their Easter weekend in Nambia and, as we were discussing their holiday, I was reminded of Nambia’s intense beauty. My friend, a Lithuanian, said she found it a surprising country and I think this a good way to describe it.

A few weeks after my husband and I met in 2012, we took out first holiday together to Namibia. It was entirely improvised and since we only had a few days, we decided to visit Sossusvlei and Swakopmund. I had visited Etosha and Swakopmund before, but this was my first time in Sossusvlei, a place I had long desired to visit. In this strange and beautiful place, I was excited to discover that this Frenchman, then still almost a stranger, had the same sense of adventure as me. We were so absorbed with taking photographs of the dead trees framed by soaring red sand dunes that we were the last ones to leave Dead Vlei in the evening. The next morning, we woke up at 4 AM to climb Dune 45 in time to see the sun rise over an empty landscape. It was a challenging hike up the dune but we were rewarded with the most incredible views stretching out in all directions. After sunrise and more photographs we ran down the side of the dune quickly, laughing as our legs sank into the soft sand. We left the desert with an abiding sense of well-being.

Nambia’s other highlights are: Etosha, one of the region’s top game parks; Swakopmund, a tiny German influenced seaside town; the rugged Skeleton Coast; and the Cape Cross Seal reserve. The people of Namibia also deserve a mention. They are as beautiful as their country, and as diverse. Three of the most famous tribes are the exotic Himba who paint their bodies with ochre paste making their hair and skin red. The Herero from central Namibia wear a distinctive Victorian style dress. The San are an ancient, peaceful people from whom we have so much to learn.

May to October is the best time to visit Namibia, so book your holiday with Leopard today! We know all the places, all the lodges, all the logistics and all the experiences to make your trip a memorable one.

Happy travelling!
Diana

P.S. The photo at the top of this email is of the lodge we stayed in, Sossus Dune lodge. It is an incredible place, and only people staying here and at the campsite are able to access Dune 45 early enough to catch sunrise.

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