Africa Travel » Cape Town South Africa http://www.lugazi.org Mon, 19 Dec 2011 01:34:07 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Cape Town, South Africa http://www.lugazi.org/cape-town-south-africa http://www.lugazi.org/cape-town-south-africa#comments Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:35:00 +0000 admin http://www.lugazi.org/cape-town-south-africa

Cape Town (Afrikaans: Kaapstad; Xhosa: iKapa) is the third most populous city South Africa, capital of the province of the Western Cape, and the country’s Legislative Capital – including being home to the National Parliament. As of 2001, the city had an estimated population of 2,893,251.

Cape Town is located on the coast, at the northern end of the Cape Peninsula. There are over 70 peaks over 1,000 feet (305 meters) tall within the city limits, but most dramatically, the city is overlooked by Table Mountain, which is a flat-topped mountain (approximately 2 miles (3 kilometers) from side to side, and surrounded by steep cliffs) rising to 3,563 feet (1,086 meters). Because the plateau is often topped with a thin layer of cloud, it is locals often affectionately call it “the tablecloth”. To the West and East of the plateau, two other dramatic features stand out – Lion’s Head and Devil’s Peak. Visitors to Table Mountain can ascend it on a cable car system (the Table Mountain Cableway) or by one of several hiking trails – and are rewarded by some truly spectacular views from the summit. There are also facilities for rock climbing, and for caving – unusually for a sandstone feature, Table Mountain contains some large cave systems.

There are many other places to see in Cape Town, including several excellent beaches, many cultural and nightlife activities, and the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, which is a premier shopping venue as well as being home to the impressive Two Oceans Aquarium. You can also take a ferry from the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront to one of the nearby seal colonies, or to Robben Island (Afrikaans: Robben Eiland) where Nelson Mandela and many other anti-apartheid activists were imprisoned for many years.

]]> http://www.lugazi.org/cape-town-south-africa/feed 0 Getting to Cape Town, South Africa http://www.lugazi.org/getting-to-cape-town-south-africa http://www.lugazi.org/getting-to-cape-town-south-africa#comments Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:49:19 +0000 admin http://www.lugazi.org/getting-to-cape-town-south-africa

Cape Town is one of the largest cities in South Africa. It is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, and this is doubtless due to the fact that it offers opportunities for almost every kind of activity, from hiking to shopping to dining. Many visitors also stop in Cape Town on their way to or back from other South African destinations. Getting to Cape Town is a fairly easy process.

By air – Cape Town International Airport is one of the most established airports in South Africa, and it is here that international visitors land when they choose to fly to Cape Town. Visitors who are simply using Cape Town as a transit point to get to other parts of South Africa will find it fairly easy to hop onto a domestic flight from the Cape Town International Airport to their intended destination. There are numerous flights to other South African locations such as Johannesburg, Windhoek, Swakopmund and Nairobi. Prices of tickets vary, depending on whether you take the more premium local airlines, such as South African Airways, or the budget airlines, such as 1Time or Kulula.

The major international airlines that fly to Cape Town International Airport would be Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, British Airways and South African Airways. You should be able to get a direct flight to Cape Town from places such as Doha, Frankfurt, London, Atlanta and Singapore.

By bus – If you are coming from the major South African cities or from Windhoek in Namibia, you have the option of taking a bus to get to Cape Town. While the frequency is quite irregular, there are about five buses running per day. If you are travelling from the eastern parts of Africa, such as Tanzania or Kenya, you can also consider taking a bus. There are even buses catering to the Nairobi – Cape Town route. However, the journey takes about three days.

The main bus services are Greyhound, Intercape Mainliner, Baz Bus, Translux and SA Roadlink. In general, you may want to purchase your bus tickets in advance. Most buses will drop their passengers near the Golden Acre building, which is fairly nearly the train station. It is quite hectic there, so if you are travelling out of Cape Town from that point, do be sure to board the right bus.

By train – If you are thinking of heading to Cape Town from cities such as Johannesburg, East London, Muizenberg or Stellenbosch, you may want to consider hopping onto a train. There are daily trains, weekly trains and MetroRail commuter trains, so do take note of the train timings before planning your journey. Some of the train services travel along exceptionally scenic routes, for example, along the ocean such that you even have the opportunity to see whales.

]]> http://www.lugazi.org/getting-to-cape-town-south-africa/feed 0 South Africa at Your Service – Supporting South African Expats http://www.lugazi.org/south-africa-at-your-service-supporting-south-african-expats http://www.lugazi.org/south-africa-at-your-service-supporting-south-african-expats#comments Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:35:57 +0000 admin http://www.lugazi.org/south-africa-at-your-service-supporting-south-african-expats A group of South Africans, who are business minded and service orientated, have recently launched a new service aimed solely at South African Expats, worldwide. The main aim of this new service is too support South African Expats, who, due to their being miles & miles away, are unable to attend to things they might need done in South Africa.

‘South Africa-At Your Service’, was started based on the knowledge that there are many South African expatriates who need help with one thing or another back in their home country.

Services include but are not limited to: personal and business related deliveries, collections, purchases, grocery shopping etc. for loved ones, errand running, corporate gift shopping, flower arrangements, assistance with air travel, car hire, stocking up of holiday home, holiday home maintenance, relocation assistance, companionship visits, house-sitting, business related services, supervising business operations in SA, transcription services, business management, market research etc. For a full list of services offered please visit their website.

In the event that a service is required that is not listed at their site, clients are requested to make direct contact with them. They will endeavor to be of assistance in any way possible. However, services are limited to that which is legal, ethical and moral.

Their Head Office is situated in Somerset West, Cape Town, South Africa.

Services are immediately available and the team, which combined has more than 138 years experience in a wide range of services, are standing by to assist anyone who needs help. There’s no job too large or too small for this company.

Please visit their site directly at http://www.southafrica-atyourservice.com should you wish to contact them.

Their mission is to provide all clients with a service that will exceed their expectations.

South Africa At Your Service looks forward to being of service and guarantee a response to any inquiries within 24 hours. Allow them to be your support, your helping hand and/or your personal assistant in South Africa.




By: Michele De Bruin

]]> http://www.lugazi.org/south-africa-at-your-service-supporting-south-african-expats/feed 0 South African entrepreneurs launch baby hire service http://www.lugazi.org/south-african-entrepreneurs-launch-baby-hire-service http://www.lugazi.org/south-african-entrepreneurs-launch-baby-hire-service#comments Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:00:33 +0000 admin http://www.lugazi.org/south-african-entrepreneurs-launch-baby-hire-service (July 2006, Cape Town, South Africa) – Three South African entrepreneurs have launched a service that takes the hassle out of travelling with babies. Parents can now hire their baby’s equipment online from www.babylite.co.za and will find it waiting for them on their arrival in various destinations in South

Africa.

This eliminates the bother of having to fly with a bulky, heavy pram and a large bag filled with bottles, sterilizers, nappies, cots, etc. Parents can order their baby’s necessities from the site before getting on the plane, drastically reducing the amount of luggage they need to take on a trip.

The site also sells a Babylite Welcome Pack that includes all the essentials they need for when they get to their destination.

“The Babylite Welcome Pack takes the chore out of arriving at your destination. No more driving around looking for your nearest supermarket or baby store, everything is right there when you arrive,” said Gareth Davies, the site’s founder and director of Babylite. “The Babylite site doesn’t

just provide a baby accessory hire service. It also includes many links of interest to people visiting South Africa such as where to stay and what to do.”

The service is not just for those flying into South Africa from abroad, but for South Africans travelling domestically who want to make their trip less of a mission than it has to be.

Davies, an ex-print production manager, started the company after many of his friends complained about all the stuff they had to carry round with them. “Seeing the amount of equipment a new parent has to deal with was frightening: prams, cots, car seats, walkers etc… as if they didn’t

have enough to focus on without this added hassle.”

Although Davies himself doesn’t have children, his business partners Simon Lait, (who runs the Johannesburg branch) and Craig Hale (who runs the London branch) have three between them.

“Travelling has become more difficult in recent years. Between security concerns and newly enforced baggage restrictions, bringing all the baby supplies you will need while away from home just doesn’t make sense” says Simon Lait, co-founder of Babylite. He loved the idea when it was pitched to him by Davies who had just returned from a 5-year stint in London. “It just made sense to me” he said “and as a parent myself it is a service I would definitely use too”.

Craig Hale, Babylites UK director, recounts his first travel experience with his two kids:

“With eight pieces of luggage between us, prams and car seats, and two small children to handle, the trip was a baggage nightmare” he said. “Three pieces of our luggage alone consisted of baby supplies – nappies, baby wipes, formula, bottles, food, bathing supplies, and countless other items”.

On their next trip, the Hale family left the baby supplies behind only to be met with exorbitant prices at the local store that did not stock the brands their kids were used to using or many of the things they needed. “If only Babylite had been around then” Craig said, “our holiday would have been much more pleasant! Once I heard of Gareth’s idea to start a baby accessory hire company I was in!”

Only a few weeks old, Babylite has already garnered praise from many visitors to the site. “I think the simple layout is really attractive to first time visitors, as well as the excellent service we are offering them” Davies said smiling “but then that was my plan all along”.

The ideal time to order is two weeks before departure (though they can deliver last-minute) so a little advance planning is necessary. But, let’s face it, most of us have been planning ahead since the day we saw two lines on the early pregnancy test.

Babylite – Less Luggage, Less Fuss

Contact details:

Gareth Davies:

Babylite

No 3 Tudor Gardens

Pine Road

Kenilworth

Cape Town

South Africa

7708

Tel: 076 900 2630

E-mail: service@babylite.co.za




By: Gareth Davies

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