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There are so many great little spots in Durban to go grab a coffee with friends, and my latest discovery was the gem which is ‘Green with Envy’.  Upon arrival my friends and I were in awe by the peaceful miniature rainforest we found ourselves in… the further we explored, the more excited we became about our new refreshing and charming coffee spot. ‘Green with Envy’ not only has a great greenhouse resembling a café, but also a quirky art gallery, small gift shop and a neat nursery. We couldn’t help but enjoy ourselves and laugh away a couple of hours under the trees along with friendly and caring staff!

– Ashleigh Bargate

 

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There’s so much to explore!                                                  

Capetonians are snobbish and full-of-themselves; I can say this because I’m one of them! This self-importance is largely justified by the exciting and diverse beauty which surrounds us. Mountain-biking, trail running, a superb coastline, paragliding,  and the list goes on. What’s got me hooked is our hills!  I’ve spent hours scrambling up them, hanging off them and happily damaging myself on them. 

Training for my big mountain expeditions is pretty simple; you run up a lot of mountains. What’s nice about this is I have fun and get fit. On top of it we are spoilt for choice!

“If we just had snow, we’d live in paradise,” a typical snobby Capetonian catch phrase. Paradise was sprinkled all over the Cape this year, even TM! Immediately, my Osprey pack was stuffed to the brim with rope, axes and my warm CapeStorm High-Down, ready for Jonkershoek. Steep climbs began and with my lungs feeling energised, a day of snow, climbing and utter guilt that I hadn’t played around this part of the world more, began! 

That day, my snobbish love for the Cape swelled up like a fat blister I found on my foot, that evening.  

– Kai Fitchen

Kai Fitchen won Readers’ Choice in Nightjar Adventurer 2013. To nominate someone for the 2014 awards, go to http://www.nightjartravel.com/nightjar-adventurer-2014

 

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THE CORNER CAFE

If you’re a bit of a foodie, a supporter of the 'going green' movement and looking for a place that embodies everything that’s Durban, then you need to make your way to the corner of Brand and Cromwell Street. In front of you will be a graffitied wall, heart-shaped decor and one of the friendliest restaurant owners on the East Coast. At The Corner Cafe you are treated to a gourmet menu that changes almost every day 'to keep everyone on their toes'. Everything that is cooked, baked, made or sold is organic and environmentally friendly and the cafe plays host to a tattoo parlour, a barbershop and a boutique. The atmosphere epitomises Durban culture – laidback, warm and friendly. The cafe is open daily until 4pm excluding Fridays, on which it opens at 6pm for a themed dinner night. 

– Daniella Toscano

 

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Did you know that Stilbaai, located approx. 4 hours out of Cape Town along the Garden Route, is also known as the Bay of Sleeping Beauty? This little dot on the map became a municapility in 1965, and is now part of the Hessequa Local Municipality.

It is a classic holiday resort town with its small number of permanent inhabitants and warm coast for surfing and swimming. During the height of summer, care should be taken as many bluebottles could be blown to shore when the easterly wind is blowing. Stilbaai has a moderate climate and rainfall is almost the same for the different seasons; the temperature averages between 12° and 20° Celsius in winter and 20° and 28° Celsius in summer. 

There are several unusual natural wonders in the area such as caves and strange rock formations and a large number of eels populate the streams. Quite a few nature reserves are found in the area, such as the Pauline Bohnen Nature Reserve with various hiking routes, and the Skulpiesbaai Nature Reserve situated near the harbour. The Geelkrants Nature Reserve is situated close to the ‘Pulpit’ rock formation.

Stilbaai is also host to a number of interesting archaeological sites, including ancient fish traps thought to have been built by early ancestors of the Khoi people of the Southern Cape, and a shell landfill that has been carbon dated to around 1000 BC.

Interesting features of the area include a group of caves at Blombos cave, about 12 kilometers from Stilbaai, where artefacts of ancient early inhabitants have been found. Further evidence of later human presence can also be found at Stilbaai in the fish traps, known as vywers (ponds), some of which are still in use today.

– Gerhard Brits

 

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Hoedspruit is a town situated on the T-junction between the R527 (the road from Blyde River Nature Reserve and Swadini) and Klaserie Road at the foot of the Klein Drakensberg in South Africa's lowveld region. The town has a pleasant climate most of the year, although summers can get a bit hot with daily averages of around 30°C, and consequently has numerous game lodges, reserves, and other nature-related tourist attractions. It is in close proximity to the Kruger National park (the Orpen and Phalaborwa gates) and is located in an area known as the 'Valley of the Olifants'.  

The town used to be fairly agricultural, but these days you will find the ‘Kamogelo’ tourism centre just after you drive in. With the wealth of things to do hidden in the surrounding bushveld, this makes for a good first stop to orient yourself.

Hoedspruit is also known for its wildlife breeding and care centres such as The Hoedspruit Research and Breeding Centre for endangered African wildlife species which is engaged in research and breeding of endangered species, especially the cheetah, African wild dog and black-footed cat.

The Hoedspruit Air Force Base was opened outside of town on 1 July 1978. 

 – Gerhard Brits

Photo by jespahjoy

 

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Clanwilliam

Watching the late afternoon sun stroking the grass in the Clanwilliam valley, I can see why this spot was chosen for settlement. Clanwilliam is actually one of the 10 oldest towns in South Africa, and still holds many historical buildings. Venture out of town, and the rugged scenery will surely win you over. There are also a myriad of trails to explore in the area.

  – Erik on Instagram (@nightjartravel)

 

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Hold on to your hats; the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour 2013  is an absolute corker. The iconic tour is always a highlight of the outdoor adventure calendar in South Africa – and I was lucky enough to get sneak preview of what’s in store when the film festival kicks off in a couple of weeks time.

The 11 short films cover an eclectic range of adventure sports from the breathless footage of death-defying wingsuit flying to the beautifully shot, quirky film of mountain bike ace Danny MacAskill showing off his skills on the industrial architecture of an abandonned ironworks. Some made me green with envy; I just wanted to be with the guys in Being There, standing on remote Norwegian peaks waiting their turn to carve down impossibly steep, and even more impossibly beautiful, virgin slopes and to join speed-riders Maxence Cavalade and François Bon as they glided above the clouds in the French Alps. Others, like the Wide Boyz - in which Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker, two plucky youngsters from the ‘norf’ of England, are shown training in their customised Sheffield basement before confounding the international climbing community by grunting and grinding their way up some of America’s ‘unclimbable’ off-width crack lines - had me shuddering at the awfulness of their chosen endeavour.  

There are inspiring stories like The Gimp Monkeys in which three disabled climbers (with only four legs between them) take on the iconic big wall of El Capitan and a hilarious documentary on the first Afgan ski championships – you guessed it, featuring a band of intrepid locals who’d only been introduced to the sport two weeks before the event. And this year, for the first time, a locally made documentary will be screened in the South African leg of the tour. Path to the Future,  an evocative account of two paragliders soaring with threatened Cape vultures, was the winner of Cape Union Mart’s Adventure Film Challenge 2013, a local competition aimed at encouraging budding filmmakers to capture South Africa’s local outdoor adventure lifestyles. 

But the star of the show for me was the ebullient Lily the Jack Russell who takes all the obstacles in her stride as she stays on the tail of a mountain biker carving out new lines in Utah. I laughed for the full four minutes. And it reminded me why I love Banff so much. It’s not just about the terrifying risks that modern adventurers take as they push their limits or about the grandiose scenery of remote Arctic environments. The Banff Mountain Film Festival is just as much about having a giggle and celebrating everyday life in the great outdoors. It’s a wonderfully fun night out for all the family.

 – Fiona McIntosh

Hosted by Cape Union Mart for the eighth consecutive year, the Banff Mountain Film Festival will be screened at five Ster-Kinekor cinemas across the country from 25 October to 1 November 2013. Ticket prices are the same as a standard Ster-Kinekor ticket and can be booked online via www.sterkinekor.co.za.

Cape Town: Cavendish Square, 25 Oct – 1 Nov & Tygervalley Centre, 25-31 Oct
Johannesburg: Sandton City, 25 Oct – 1 Nov
Pretoria: Brooklyn Mall, 25-31 Oct
Durban: Gateway Centre (one screening only on 1 November)

For more information, visit www.banff.co.za 

Entries for the 2014 Cape Union Mart Adventure Film Challenge are now open, visit www.banff.co.za/adventure-film-challenge-2014.php