As we drove down the dusty farm roads towards Buttonquail private nature reserve in the Elgin Valley, we had no idea what to expect. We (my husband and I) had booked into Annalise’s tented camp for the weekend, our first tented camp experience in the Western Cape. Tented camps are common in wildlife reserves such as the Kruger Park, the Okavango Delta in Botswana and other reserves and wilderness areas in Africa.  But it’s quite a new and novel concept in the mountains and valleys of the Cape…..however its catching on with more and more people looking for a holiday destination where they can ‘get away from it all’ and ‘be part of nature and the environment’ without having to travel too far away from the city.

What a wonderful treat is was to spend a weekend away at Cathbert Country Inn situated near Franschhoek in the beautiful Cape Winelands. It is the perfect getaway if you want some quiet time and lots of relaxation. After planning a wedding, relocating to Cape Town and expecting a baby all in the same year we thought we needed some time away from our busy life to spend some quality time together before all the hard work really begins!

The most authentic way to experience the African wilderness is by doing it the traditional way….by camping out in your own small tent with your own food and provisions – sleeping bag, roll mat, chairs, table and firewood to make a cosy campfire to sit around at night while cooking your meal – as I discovered on my recent trip to Northern Tanzania. Myself and my husband joined Krissie Krook and Wayne Lotter from PAMS Foundation for an adventurous 5 day trip to Lake Natron, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. The PAMS foundation is a not-for-profit conservation organisation whose mission it is to help sustain and conserve biodiversity, wilderness, habitats and ecological processes through actions that benefit nature and communities (for more info visit: www.pamsfoundation.org)

As soon as we touched down at the airstrip on Manda Island and disembarked the small plane, I could feel the warm tropical coastal breeze. Manda island is just one of the exotic islands in the Lamu archipelago off the north Kenyan coast – all flights from the mainland to Manda and Lamu islands arrive at the tiny airport and, depending on the island on which you are staying, you will either take a boat or road transfer to your lodge or hotel. We were staying a 30 minutes boat ride away from the airstrip in Shela, a once tiny village on the island of Lamu that has grown considerably due to the many foreigners that have bought land and built luxury villas to rent out to affluent tourists.  Shela is a mix of old and new, traditional and modern…there are no cars on the island so sand for building is collected in bags and transported on the backs on donkeys along the narrow streets, like it has been for hundreds of years. Bougainvilleas and frangipanis grow between the narrow houses, and Ilala and coconut palms growing on the sand dunes surrounding the village sway gently in the sea breeze. Local fisherman sit on the waters’ edge catching up on the daily gossip while trying to catch a meal for the night, and stray cats wait patiently on the beach for scraps from the fishing boats that return from the deep sea.  Classy foreigners or ‘muzungu’ as we are called, sit drinking fruit shakes in the trendy cafes.

Before I visited the famous Masai Mara in Kenya, I was under the impression that the only area in the whole of the Greater Masai Mara eco-system that was worth seeing was the Masai Mara National Reserve, and that the conservancies adjacent to the national reserve provided more of a cultural, rather than a wildlife viewing experience.  However, on my recent visit to the Masai Mara, I was proved wrong. The Maasai Mara National Reserve is only a fraction of the Greater Masai Mara Ecosystem, which also includes more than ten group ranches or conservancies that are adjacent to the National Reserve; all of them offering excellent wildlife viewing opportunities. These conservancies were formed by negotiation with the local Masai people who have joined together to lease their land to tourism companies with the aim of increasing the area allocated to protection of wildlife. These companies have set up lodges and camps in these conservancies focusing on photographic tourism.

As we drew nearer to the lion pride with its kill, we noticed that a female giraffe was hovering awfully close to the lions, as if she was looking for something.  We realised that the lion had taken down a giraffe foal, and the mother giraffe was looking very confused and forlorn at this point.  We watched while the lions gnawed away at the baby giraffe with the mother not moving at all until she was absolutely certain that there was no way of saving her offspring.  Reluctantly she walked away leaving the lions to their feast – yet another sad moment in the life of the prey, but a very happy moment for the predators that survive only by being brutal and taken their chances where they can.

As I floated 25 metres down in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean I marvelled at the abundance of marine life around me – Parrot fish, Morays, Lizardfish, Trumpetfish, Lionfish, Scorpionfish and a multitude of other reef fish.  But the fish life on the reef was not the main reason we were diving Manta Reef, the name of this particular site close to Inhambane. Manta reef is a cleaning station for Mantas that circle overhead to be cleaned by Goldies, Cleaner Wrasse and Butterfly fish and it is one of the only dive sites in Mozambique where you can be almost guaranteed of seeing Manta Rays. The visibility on this particular day was amazing and there were at least ten Mantas circling overhead. I cannot tell you how in awe I was of these giant creatures that blocked out the sunlight as they swum above me. We watched for almost 30 minutes before we had to ascend!

Paddling along the north eastern shores of Lake Malawi (or Lake Niassa as it is known in Mozambique), I marvel at the stunning scenery all around and below me - crystal clear water teeming with brightly coloured fish darting amongst the boulders, and pristine white sandy beaches backed by pristine forest. The only sounds I can hear are the gentle waters lapping against the shore and the various birds that the lake attracts, of which there are plenty. Out on the lake the silhouette of a fisherman in his wooden canoe passes by as he paddles home with his day's catch.

My husband was recently awarded a voucher for a 2 night stay at Mount Grace Country House & Spa which we enjoyed over the long weekend in March. Mount Grace is located just an hour’s drive from Johannesburg and Pretoria and is the perfect getaway for a romantic weekend to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. The Country House is surrounded by 10 acres of lush gardens overlooking the magnificent Magaliesburg Mountains.