South Africa Tour: Day 45 Skydiving and Speedboat

Day 45 of our virtual tour is action packed! We will go skydiving and go on a speed boat.

Skydiving. Perfect for first time jumpers/parachuters a tandem skydive is a quick and easy way of experiencing the thrill of free fall. It also is a ridiculous amount of fun! 

On a tandem skydive, you are strapped to a Tandem Master with a special harness that’s attached to a state of the art parachute large enough to support both of you. You will enjoy a spectacular 20 minute aircraft ride to 9,000ft above ground level, experiencing the finest views of the West Coast, Cape Town, Robben Island and Table Mountain.

Then it's action time! Out the door for a 120mph/ 200kph freefall for about 30 seconds. Your Tandem Master opens the parachute at about 5000ft, and a peaceful 5 minute parachute ride to the ground follows where you may be able to assist in steering the parachute 

The speedboat is an action packed eco-adventure boat ride around Cape Town’s unspoilt coastline. Experience an eco-adventure aboard a stunning Rigid-hulled Inflatable Boat – a combination of power and exploration as you cruise the Atlantic coastline to view the spectacular sea and birdlife, under the guidance of experienced skippers.

The experienced skippers will share with you the beauty of the ocean as well as the beauty of the Cape Town Atlantic coastline with a chance to see Cape Fur Seals, Dolphins, Whales, Penguins and Sun Fish and potentially much more as you search the bay for sea life.

South Africa Tour: Day 44 Helicopter

Day 44 of our South Africa Tour and we enjoy a Scenic Helicopter in Cape Town: the Most Epic Way to Experience the City

You don’t have to be a high flyer to enjoy a breathtaking helicopter ride over Cape Town.

There are several packages to suit every budget and occasion, from a 20-minute ride over the Atlantic Seaboard to a 3-hour flight into the Winelands.

Photos credit: NAC Helicopters & Andriette Pretorius 

South Africa Tour: Day 43 West Coast Fossil Park

Day 43 of our virtual South Africa Tour and we visit the West Coast Fossil Park. We will see the fossils of bears, sabre-tooth cats, short-necked giraffes and the many other exotic animals which inhabited the west coast area some 5 million years ago.

The fossil site is world-renowned for its exceptionally well-preserved fossil faunal remains that date to the terminal Miocene/early Pliocene (circa 5.2 million years ago).

A national and international team of researchers are currently unravelling the fascinating and unique history of fossils from the West Coast Fossil Park and attempting to recreate the environment and climate of the west coast some 5 million years ago. At this time many animals that are now extinct, such as saber-toothed cats, short-necked giraffes, hunting hyenas and African bears roamed the west coast which then had a more subtropical climate with lush, riverine forests and open grasslands.

https://fossilpark.org.za/

• 
  

South Africa Tour: Day 42 Birds Cape West Coast.

Day 42 of our virtual South Africa Tour and we enjoy the magnificent Birds of the Cape West Coast. 

The Cape West Coast offers a variety of top birding destinations, with no less than seven Important Bird Areas (IBA’s) registered with BirdLife International. The registration of two wetland systems as RAMSAR sites emphasizes the importance of the region for waterfowl and the region has the reputation for producing sightings of rare and vagrant migratory waders during summer. 

More than 300 bird species have been identified in The West Coast National Park which is probably best known for the thousands of migratory waders in summer.

Terrestrial birding is also amazing. The Rhenosterveld (a type of fynbos) of the Park represents of the last large remnants of this habitat type, and hosts good numbers of the vulnerable Black Harrier. Other sought-after species include White-throated Canary, Grey-winged Francolin, Karoo Lark, White-backed Mousebird, Karoo Prinia, Karoo Scrub-Robin, Grey Tit and many more.

Birding around the Geelbek area of the park is superb and there are two well-placed hides which overlook salt marshes and mudflats and are the best spots to view waders. Do not underestimate the boardwalks to these hides, as these offer very good birding and photographic. 

All photos by Andriette Pretorius in Langebaan. Thank you for sharing your lovely photos with me!!!!