A sunny summer afternoon found us enjoying a marvelous lunch at the aptly named The Greenhouse Restaurant at The Cellars-Hohenort Hotel and Spa just outside of Cape Town. From our indoor table in a cozy corner, we could see through the glass walls to the lovingly maintained lush gardens and Table Mountain, and observe fellow guests enjoying their meals on the restaurant terrace.
This attractive luxury bush property favored by the rich and famous was lovingly maintained and well run. It was named Malewane for the ravine on which the property was built. We arrived a little wilted following a day of travel from Cape Town via Johannesburg. John Jackson, the property general manager and our gracious host, immediately showed us to our quarters, the Royal Malewane Suite, on one end of the property that would be our home for the following three nights. There we were greeted by a sea of welcoming smiles from the small group of staff members who would take turns looking after us during our stay.
Few cities in the world rival Cape Town for sheer landscape beauty. There’s something irresistibly alluring about Africa’s southernmost city sandwiched between the sea and the majestic Table Mountain. No matter how many times I see it or from which angle, I always marvel at the view when I arrive in Cape Town. On my last visit, I took advantage of the summer weather to go on a 20 minute Atlantico Helicopter flight. What a treat!
A secluded tented camp under the giant umbrella of a thorn acacia tree; elephants wandering across a grassy plain against the majestic backdrop of the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro; proud Masai nomads herding their cattle in the distance? My Amboseli Porini safari epitomized the timeless romance of the Kenya! The breathtaking outline of Kilimanjaro filled the horizon as we entered the Selenkay Conservation Area, a 15,000 acre (60 square kilometer) private game reserve where the camp was located, at the northern edge of Amboseli National Park. A cheetah flashed across the track just ahead of us. Further on, a pair of elephant cows and their calves showed us less concern. We waited until they cared to let us go by. Giraffes peered over the treetops. Potbellied warthog piglets scampered behind their mother. By the time we reached the camp, I had already enjoyed a rich impromptu game drive. There, I was warmly welcomed by the camp manager, Tony Musembi and members of the Masai staff, and shown to my tent: a large, comfortably furnished sleeping room and bathroom. I was pleased to notice the environmentally-friendly features of my accommodation: solar electricity, bush shower and the absence of any permanent foundations or fixtures. After enjoying a late al fresco lunch in the shade of an acacia and ample time to settle in, I was escorted to the nearby Masai village for a visit.
Built on a hill in a leafy and upmarket suburb of Cape Town in front of stately Table Mountain, Villa Higgovale’s most precious feature was a magnificent view of Cape Town Bay and the sea. We arrived at the six-bedroom 30 million rand house on a gorgeous summer day, finding our way easily from the Waterfront area after plucking in the address into our GPS (global positioning system) device. An understated outer security gate revealed little of the pretty grounds or the property that lay behind it. Following down a steep and narrow drive we slowly discovered the lovingly maintained gardens, and parked in front of the main entrance to the two-story house.
Kenya is a land of contrasts; a mosaic of cultures developed through millennia of rich history, scattered throughout a 225,000 square mile area (582,650 square kilometer; roughly the size of Texas), with a population of 38 million representing over a dozen main tribal groups. Many have retained their ancestral traditions from the Swahili sailing their ancient dhows along the coastal waters of the Indian Ocean to the Masai still herding their cattle across the wide open spaces of the southwest of the country. The topography of the land is equally varied and offers some of the most stunning landscapes in Africa. The country sits astride the equator on the eastern coast of Africa. From a 333 mile (536 kilometer) coastline of tropical beaches melting into the Indian Ocean it rises toward the west to the mile-high plateau of Nairobi and central highlands culminating at the snow-capped peak of Mount Kenya, 17,058 feet (5,200 meters) above sea level. Further west, the land slopes down again toward Uganda, Lake Victoria and Tanzania to the south, to become arid red-dust plains and sun-baked savannah teaming with some of the most spectacular wildlife in the world.
