Top 5 Highlights from My Recent Trip to South Africa

1. Waves

An undeniable trip highlight was the amazing waves – not only the variety and quality of waves that we surfed, but also the surprisingly mellow line-ups. 

A particular highlight was Jeffreys Bay: Kitchen windows is a super fun A-frame, the rights are really good and on a number of mornings there were less than 5 of us out there trading waves. Yellow sands in Chintsa was also a really fun playful right where we had some great empty mornings, as well as some memorable sessions in Coffee Bay and the Durban piers. Being able to surf a mixture of beach breaks, reefs and points is so much fun and a great way to constantly challenge yourself and progress your surfing. 

2. Food

Being able to surf great waves and be fuelled by tasty, nutritious, and inexpensive food was definitely an unexpected highlight. Although I went on this trip in 2019 I don’t recall food being such a prominent part of the experience – perhaps this trip’s resident foodies *cough cough Donna and Marion* had a decidedly positive influence!

We had multiple Braais (SA style BBQ) where we enjoyed boerewors, burgers, blue cheese mushrooms, wings, miele (corn) and garlic bread done in tinfoil (I will be cooking it this way from here on out!) In Coffee Bay we had many braaibroodjieI – basically grilled cheese toasties done over a fire. I also loved trying home cooked traditional dishes from different regions including potjie, pap and bunny chow as well as some of the best calamari and crayfish ever. South Africa is also known for its milkshakes – a particular milk tart shake with koeksisters (deep fried doughnuts) lives rent free in my mind…

3. Wildlife

Surfing with dolphins will never get old. On numerous occasions whole pods cruised through the line-up and it is pretty much guaranteed that you will get to surf with dolphins in Jeffreys Bay and Coffee Bay. We were also treated to a number of spectacular whale sightings. 

Cruising around in our 14 seater Quantum bus in Hluhluwe National Park, seeing 3 of the big 5 was an unforgettable experience. Throughout the drive we saw three cheetahs up close hunting, a rhino family, elephants, warthogs, bucks and zebras, truly mind-blowing.  

4. Scenery

South Africa is for sure one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Mountains, oceans and rolling hills. The Transkei region in the Eastern Cape has to be one of my favourites – the hike to hole in the wall and exploring the Mapuzi cliffs is spectacular. 

Cape Town also deserves a shout out, home to some of the most picturesque surf spots in the world. The backdrop at Long Beach in Kommitje is stand out favourite.

5. People 

Last but certainly not least are the people. Exploring South Africa was made so much better by the crew on the trip. A bit cliché but by the end we really were a somewhat dysfunctional family and forged some enduring friendships.

Ticket to Ride has been running trips in South Africa since 2006, so we interact with many familiar faces along the road, from coaches, local guides, owners of backpackers and those who run the community projects. It is these wonderful people that really make the trip special and we felt so at home at each place we stayed.