I’m Off to South Africa!

As this post goes live, I will be newly arrived in a country that I have wanted to visit for such a long time: SOUTH AFRICA!

I am very happy to be visiting South Africa as one of five travel influencers invited by Visit South Africa .  I got my first email about the trip back in July and I jumped out of my chair, screaming with joy!  This is going to be an incredible two-week trip, taking in the best of the country!

Joining me are two of my frequent partners in crime: Michael Hodson of Go See Write and Cailin O’Neil of Travel Yourself and The Taste of Travel , as well as JD Andrews of EarthXplorer and Mike Richard of Vagabondish .

My big goal is to show you that South Africa is a fun and safe destination for female travelers.

Featured Activities

This trip will take us to Johannesburg, Ngala Private Game Reserve in Kruger National Park, Kimberley, and Cape Town.

Here are some of the activities I am looking forward to the most:

Safari in Ngala Game Reserve. Kruger National Park is one of the best places in the world to go on safari.  Though it’s rare to see all five of the Big Five in one trip, you never know!

Taking the Blue Train from Pretoria to Cape Town. The Blue Train is a FANCY TRAIN — as in a gentlemen-must-wear-jackets-for-dinner-or-nobody’s-eating-anything train.  I’ve never taken a fancy train before and I know I’m going to love it!

Getting into Johannesburg. This city doesn’t have the best reputation, but I look forward to seeing the real Johannesburg of today and exploring its sights, dining and nightlife.

Paragliding over Cape Town. Cape Town has one of the world’s most beautiful urban settings.  I can’t wait to see it from high in the air!

Exploring townships. Only in South Africa.  I’ve heard so much about these neighborhoods, have heard many conflicting things, and look forward to experiencing them for myself.

Spending time with rescued penguins. Did you know that penguins live in Africa?  They do!  I’ve already been thinking of names for my potential penguin.

You can win a trip of your own!

Visit South Africa is giving away a trip for two to South Africa! Enter here and you could be on a trip that’s almost exactly the same as ours!

During the trip, be sure to follow the #VisitSouthAfrica tag on Twitter and follow my Facebook page for photos and updates.  The itinerary is jam-packed and I’m not sure how much actual blogging I’ll be able to do live from the road, but I’ll definitely be tweeting, Instagramming, and Facebooking like mad.

I can’t wait to share this country with you all.  I hope you enjoy it!

Images from top: flowcomm , coda , babasteve