With
2024
approaching,
it’s
only
right
that
we
all
are
looking
back
at
our
2023
highlight
reel
and
foremost
on
mine
is
definitely
being
hosted
by
Adventures
By
Disney
in
South
Africa.
Source:
Amy
Smith
/
Disney
In
mid-August,
I
joined
a
group
of
media
and
influencers
on
for
a
trip
I
will
honestly
never
forget.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa
introduced
me
to
my
first
experience
in
Africa
and
I
can
truly
say
it
changed
me
for
the
better.
For
those
of
you
who
are
considering
taking
the
same
trip
—
I’ll
give
you
a
short
rundown
on
the
details.
For
2024,
the
trip
is
priced
starting
at
11,099
for
ten
days
in
South
Africa.
This
includes
accommodations,
most
meals
and
three
internal
flights.
Our
group
ranged
in
age
from
families,
traveling
with
kids
as
young
as
7
and
we
had
a
few
more
senior
folks
among
the
members
of
the
press.
While
we
did
quite
a
bit
of
walking
and
hiking,
the
Adventure
doesn’t
require
too
much
physical
exertion,
but
we
did
stay
on
the
go
from
early
in
the
morning
until
around
8-9pm
every
night.
Check
the
weather
and
even
if
it
says
60
degrees,
pack
layers.
If
you
have
any
questions
about
this
trip
feel
free
to
hit
me
up!
You
can
find
me
on
IG
@janeebolden
and
I’m
open
to
answering
any
questions
you
might
have.
1.
Cape
Town:
Adventures
Orientation
Source:Disney
Our
adventure
began
in
Cape
Town,
where
we
were
met
at
the
Table
Bay
Hotel
by
our
adventure
guides,
Craig
Ziman
and
Jameel
Mohideen.
These
two
were
honestly
one
of
the
biggest
highlights
of
the
trip.
Native
South
Africans,
Craig
and
Jameel
shared
an
immense
love
for
their
country
and
they
reflected
the
same
kindness
and
generosity
we
found
at
every
stop.
They
assured
us
from
the
start
to
let
them
know
of
any
questions
or
issues
they
might
have
and
promised
they’d
be
sprinkling
some
Disney
magic
throughout
the
trip.
2.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Kirstenbosch
Botanical
Garden
Source:Courtesy
The
weather
in
Capetown
didn’t
allow
for
a
visit
to
Table
Mountain
because
it
was
too
windy
to
use
the
aerial
cableway,
but
we
were
able
to
take
in
the
natural
beauty
at
Kirstenbosch
National
Botanical
Garden
instead.
Craig
and
Jameel
gave
us
a
history
lesson
on
District
Six
during
our
coach
ride
before
arriving
for
an
authentic
Malay
lunch,
where
we
met
with
a
former
resident
of
District
Six.
From
the
beginning,
Craig
and
Jameel
were
upfront
about
South
Africa’s
history
of
apartheid
and
they
even
read
parts
of
a
kid-friendly
Nelson
Mandela
biography
during
all
of
our
coach
rides.
3.
Adventures
By
Disney
in
South
Africa:
GOLD
Restaurant
Source:Disney
Our
first
dinner
in
Cape
Town
was
at
a
restaurant
called
GOLD
which
made
for
one
of
the
most
memorable
meals
during
the
trip.
They
brought
out
course
after
course
of
food,
served
family
style,
so
much
deliciousness.
We
even
got
the
opportunity
to
drum
along
with
performances
from
the
most
wonderfully
dressed
entertainers.
4.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
GOLD
Restaurant
Source:Courtesy
I
brought
one
of
my
good
friends,
New
Orleans
writer
and
artist
Monique
Lorden
—
and
by
the
end
of
the
trip,
we
were
more
like
sisters!
The
staff
at
GOLD
painted
everyone’s
faces
and
Monique
and
I
were
huge
fans
of
our
new
looks.
5.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Cape
Of
Good
Hope
Source:Courtesy
The
next
day
in
Cape
Town
we
took
the
coach
to
the
Cape
of
Good
Hope.
In
case
your
geography
is
a
little
rusty,
this
is
the
most
southwestern
point
on
the
continent
of
Africa.
It
was
super
windy
here
—
for
anyone
thinking
of
going
to
South
Africa
in
August,
I
highly
suggest
packing
a
warm
jacket.
I
thought
I’d
be
fine
with
hoodies
and
sweaters
but
ended
up
buying
something
warmer
while
we
were
traveling.
6.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Cape
Point
Source:Courtesy
We
continued
taking
in
the
beautiful
coastline
views
with
a
drive
to
Cape
Point.
Normally
you
can
take
the
Flying
Dutchman
Funicular
to
the
lighthouse
at
the
top,
but
load-shedding
was
starting
when
we
arrived
so
we
had
a
nice
hike
up
the
slope.
7.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Cape
Town
Source:Courtesy
We
had
quite
a
few
baboon
sightings
during
our
time
in
Cape
Town,
usually
by
the
side
of
the
road
from
our
coach
windows.
As
cute
and
cuddly
as
the
babies
look
here,
Craig
warned
us
to
avoid
keeping
open
food
on
us
while
we
were
outside
and
explained
that
they
could
be
very
dangerous.
8.
Adventures
By
Disney
in
South
Africa
Source:Disney
After
enjoying
a
seafood
lunch
with
a
view
of
the
sea,
we
went
to
Boulders
Beach
to
see
the
penguins.
The
beach
was
overflowing
with
them!
9.
Adventures
By
Disney
in
South
Africa:
Spiers
Wine
Farm
Source:Disney
On
our
final
day
in
Cape
Town,
we
took
the
coach
to
the
countryside
town
of
Stellanbosch.
Our
first
stop
was
at
the
award-winning
Spier
Wine
Farm,
one
of
South
Africa’s
oldest
wineries,
where
we
got
the
chance
to
experience
its
wildlife
rehabilitation
and
conservation
center.
We
immediately
headed
to
the
center’s
Eagle
Encounters
show
where
we
had
birds
fly
on
our
hand-held
perches
and
(lucky
me)
some
of
our
heads!
10.
Adventures
By
Disney:
Stellanbosch
Source:Disney
After
the
excitement,
it
was
time
for
an
epic
feast
at
the
Stellanbosch
vineyard
where
we
were
surprised
by
none
other
than
Christo
Brand.
Brand
is
the
author
of
Doing
Life
With
Mandela:
My
Prisoner,
My
Friend.
He
told
us
the
story
of
how
he
met
Nelson
Mandela
at
Robben
Island,
where
he
worked
as
a
prison
guard,
and
how
their
friendship
evolved.
Of
course,
the
experience
is
more
layered
than
what
could
be
relayed
at
lunch,
so
for
more
details
get
the
book!
11.
Adventures
By
Disney:
Jukani
Wildlife
Sanctuary
Source:Disney
Our
adventure
next
took
us
back
to
the
Cape
Town
airport
where
we
caught
a
short
flight
to
George,
for
the
Garden
District
portion
of
our
voyage.
With
our
luggage
safely
off
to
our
resort,
we
headed
straight
to
Jukani
Wildlife
Sanctuary
for
a
guided
walking
safari.
This
was
our
first
glimpse
at
the
majestic
big
cats
of
the
world,
including
lions,
tigers,
leopards,
jaguars,
and
more.
Jukani
is
a
forever
home
for
big
cats
that
have
been
rescued
and
are
now
free
to
explore
a
large
natural
habitat
that
was
built
around
their
needs.
12.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Birds
Of
Eden
Source:Courtesy
The
weather
was
sunny
and
beautiful
during
our
lunch
at
the
Bramon
wine
estate.
We
had
a
perfect
few
hours
of
enjoying
our
vineyard
view
and
chatting
while
we
enjoyed
lunch,
but
we
had
two
more
very
important
stops
before
checking
into
the
hotel.
The
first
was
at
the
Birds
of
Eden
sanctuary,
which
houses
a
large
collection
of
bird
species
that
fly
free
under
its
netted
dome.
13.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Birds
Of
Eden
Source:Courtesy
I
had
to
share
this
photo
of
our
Birds
of
Eden
tour
guide
Eric,
with
Monique
and
me.
He
made
sure
to
let
us
know
the
name
of
every
bird
we
saw
and
he
had
a
great
sense
of
humor.
We
met
a
lot
of
guides
during
this
trip
and
they
were
all
very
kind,
but
Eric
had
a
big
big
personality
that
was
truly
unforgettable.
14.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Monkeyland
Source:Courtesy
From
the
time
we
arrived
in
Cape
Town,
our
guides
kept
referring
to
our
inevitable
encounter
with
what
they
affectionately
dubbed
“fuzzy
little
jerks,”
and
on
our
first
day
in
Knysna
we
finally
got
up
close
and
personal
with
the
FLJs
—
which
happened
to
be
lemurs,
gibbons,
capuchins
and
more!
Monkeyland
is
actually
the
world’s
first
primate
sanctuary.
The
space
is
home
to
18
species
of
primates
with
11
roaming
free
in
a
high
canopy
forest.
15.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Pezula
Hotel
Source:Courtesy
We
stayed
at
the
Pezula
Hotel
in
Knysna
and
I
haven’t
been
able
to
get
this
place
off
my
mind
for
several
reasons.
For
one
thing,
the
rooms
are
basically
mini-lodges
with
fireplaces,
huge
balconies,
and
walk-in
closets.
Waking
up
to
the
sunrise
here
was
unforgettable.
I
also
had
a
great
massage
at
the
spa
—
but
literally,
the
view
is
what
sold
me.
16.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Featherbed
Nature
Reserve
Source:Courtesy
Our
second
day
in
Knysna
was
one
of
my
favorite
experiences
from
the
entire
trip.
We
boarded
a
ferry
to
cross
the
Knysna
Lagoon.
To
get
to
the
top
of
Featherbed
Nature
Reserve
known
for
its
two
sandstone
cliffs—the
Knysna
Heads,
we
had
to
board
a
4-wheel
drive
Unimog,
but
the
fun
part
was
actually
taking
in
the
breathtaking
views
on
our
hike
down.
Monique
and
I
took
a
few
photos
with
our
walking
sticks
at
the
beginning
of
the
hike.
17.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Kapama
Game
Reserve
Source:Courtesy
After
this
day
at
Featherbed,
I
will
forever
think
of
this
place
when
I
hear
the
term
“God’s
Green
Earth.”
The
natural
beauty
was
just
so
incredible
as
we
hiked
through
the
lush
reserve.
18.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Featherbed
Nature
Reserve
Source:Courtesy
Fortunately,
we
worked
up
a
big
appetite
because
our
hike
ended
at
this
incredible
buffet.
Everything
was
so
delicious,
but
my
favorites
were
the
chicken
and
a
vegetable
soup
that
gets
my
mouth
watering
every
time
I
think
of
it.
I’d
also
encourage
you
to
try
new
things.
Roboois
tea
is
a
staple
there,
but
they
have
a
pretty
good
canned
peach
iced
tea
also.
I
really
loved
this
drink
they
called
Appletizer
(basically
like
carbonated
apple
juice)
and
of
course,
I
have
to
mention
that
South
Africa
is
also
known
for
their
Pinotage
wine
variety.
19.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Kapama
Game
Reserve
Source:Courtesy
These
oysters
served
fresh
out
of
the
ocean
were
another
standout.
Best
oysters
I’ve
ever
had!
20.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Charter
Flight
To
Hoedspruit
Source:Courtesy
The
following
morning
we
headed
to
Hoedspruit
from
the
George
Airport.
This
charter
flight
was
one
of
the
three
internal
flights
included
in
the
cost
of
the
trip.
Monique
and
I
wore
black
and
white
in
hopes
of
having
a
zebra
sighting
since
we
were
headed
to
Kapama
Game
Reserve.
21.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Kapama
Game
Reserve
Source:Courtesy
After
landing
at
Hoedspruit,
Monique
and
I
were
assigned
to
group
Nala
(all
of
the
groups
were
named
after
Lion
King
characters),
and
our
ranger
Phillip
met
us
at
the
airport
and
took
us
for
an
abbreviated
game
drive
on
our
way
to
the
resort.
We
immediately
saw
antelope,
but
he
also
showed
us
how
he
did
his
tracking
work,
stopping
at
one
point
to
examine
a
pile
of
dung
that
he
told
us
belonged
to
a
female
rhino.
22.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Kapama
Game
Reserve
Source:Courtesy
After
getting
settled
in
our
rooms,
we
headed
out
on
our
evening
game
drive
with
Phillip
and
our
tracker
Last.
We
were
declared
lucky
when
we
had
a
leopard
sighting
on
our
first
drive.
Catching
a
photo
of
a
leopard
isn’t
easy
by
any
means.
We
had
to
drive
into
the
bush
to
catch
up,
which
meant
lots
of
ducking
to
avoid
being
hit
by
branches.
We
also
saw
a
group
of
lionesses,
but
we
were
asked
not
to
brag
about
our
sightings
because
the
other
groups
might
not
have
had
our
luck.
23.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Kapama
Game
Drive
Source:Disney
Our
evening
game
drive
ended
with
a
welcome
braai,
lots
of
deliciousness
was
on
the
menu,
including
ribs
and
mussels
and
salad.
There
was
also
a
bonfire
and
the
kids
in
the
group
were
able
to
toast
marshmallows
and
make
s’mores.
24.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Kapama
Game
Reserve
Source:Courtesy
There
was
a
lot
to
love
about
Kapama,
from
the
amazing
breakfast
spreads
to
the
spa
services.
We
even
got
an
archery
lesson
(I
found
out
my
best
sport
is
something
called
“Grandpa’s
Screwdriver”)
but
nothing
beats
seeing
baby
animals.
The
little
elephants
were
my
favorite.
25.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa:
Kapama
Game
Reserve
Source:Disney
We
spent
four
days
at
Kapama
and
most
of
that
time
was
on
our
jeep
with
our
ranger
and
tracker.
The
last
drive
was
really
sad
because
we
didn’t
want
to
go
home!
After
this
trip,
we
made
a
vow
to
come
back
again.
It
was
such
a
lifechanging
experience.
26.
Adventures
By
Disney
South
Africa
Source:Courtesy
Disney
does
an
incredible
job
of
offering
tips
for
what
to
bring
and
what
to
expect
but
if
I
could
offer
any
advice
I
would
say
to
travel
with
someone
whose
company
you
really
enjoy.
This
trip
is
a
great
one
for
shared
memories
and
I
guarantee
it
will
bring
you
closer
to
loved
ones.
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