Getaway’s best trips of 2014

When you decide to be a travel journalist, you make a decision. You’re saying to the world, and to yourself, that you’re not really that fussed about fame or money or ever owning a really nice car. You’re saying that you’d way prefer bonuses that come as experiences, rather than in cold hard cash.

It’s all about the love of travel, you’ll tell yourself, as you run up a thorny hill carrying sixteen camera bodies before the sun sets, or when you jump into an icy river to retrieve your only notebook, or when you’re counting your coppers and waiting for an expense claim to come through after an assignment. My point is that it’s not all glamour.

To remind ourselves of why we continue to work our asses off for only those few moments when everything falls together and you’re making friends and the photos are taken and you’re relaxing in front of a fire with a beer, here are our favourite trips of 2014. Hopefully they’ll inspire you to follow new horizons in 2015.

1. Chris Davies, Digital Content Manager

I saw plenty of great sunsets last year, but this one from the rocks on day 3 of the Otter Trail might have been the best. Photo by Chris Davies.

My best trip of 2014 has to be the month I spent researching Getaway’s guide to off-roading in Namibia. But despite being number one on this list, I came late to the party and Namibia was already taken (thanks Kristin).

I’ll share a few photographs from that Namibia trip with you anyway, and some info on how to book your own stay in Namibia’s wonderful National Parks. If you haven’t been – go. And if you have, I’m sure you can’t wait to go again.

But on to my second favourite trip. It’s a very close second. In November 2014 I booked out the Otter Trail with 10 friends. This was pure holiday though, not actually a ‘work’ trip as such. I’ve wanted to do the Otter for a long time now, but bookings have to be made long ahead of time, and trying to pin down a big group of friends for something almost a year in advance can be tricky. After some swaps and changes and last minute pullouts, we finally managed to get it all together, and although it rained a bit (quite a lot if I’m honest), and I managed to get all my dry clothes wet crossing the Bloukrans River, it was still one of the highlights of my year. It’s a wonderful hike and I hope these pics inspire you to take it on one day as well.

See: the Otter Trail in photos

2. Kati Auld, Online Editor

This gorgeous church in Sainte-Anne has recently been refurbished. Photo by Kati Auld.

I arrived in Reunion Island at night, and it took all of an hour for me to decide I want to live there. It was a storyteller’s dream. South Africans are very spoilt when it comes to landscapes, so I’m not an easy one to impress: but Reunion just kept smacking me over the head with its natural beauty. Hiking through the crevasses and peaks of the Mafate Cirque to an isolated village that’s inaccessible by road was an awesome experience – closely followed by the helicopter trip we took as our return.

There are so many interesting stories and people there – I’d love to be able to spend more time getting to know the place. Although it’s actually a department of France (sort of like having Limpopo drifting somewhere off the coast of Australia) South Africans don’t need a visa to visit. It’s a great alternative to places like Mauritius if you’re looking for less of a resort-type travel experience.

See: Reunion Island in 11 snapshots

3. Teagan Cunniffe, Photojournalist

Sky-diving in the Makgadigadi Pans. Photo by Teagan Cunniffe.

With a year that saw me extensively trawling South Africa and getting lost in multiple Baltic cities (see the photos here), narrowing my favourite trips down to one was nigh impossible. And so I have two: skydiving in Botswana and my ‘Off the Grid’ assignment to find SA’s remotest holiday destinations. Skydiving was a whirlwind of adrenaline, from heading out into the empty Makgadikgadi Pans to meeting that crazy bunch of kamikaze pilots and divers. The actual falling part was fun too: I would be hard-pressed to find more beautiful scenery to plummet towards. (Check out the gorgeous portfolio in our February issue.)

The Off the Grid assignment was a massive undertaking. Covering over 5000kms, in 4 rental cars, we visited 12 destinations across SA in a little over two and a half weeks, all in search of social isolation and incredible locations. I remember camping on a spit of land in the Richtersveld, the Orange River rushing past less than a metre away, and watching the moon rise over the reeds to flood the star-filled sky with light. Fireflies streaked past the bank like embers from our fire caught on the wind. Baboons calling in the Baviaanskloof, the searing heat of the Tankwa and being given a lily necklace as we paddled a canoe through still waters in Kosi Forest. For me this was my quintessential Getaway assignment, what I had signed up for and hope to do more of soon.

Read: behind the scenes of the Off-the-Grid assignment

4. Fatima Anter, Journalist

Photo by Fatima Anter.

I went to Mecca (the holiest city in Islam) and Medina, Saudi Arabia for a visit and minor pilgrimage (called Umrah). Even though this wasn’t really a holiday, it qualifies as my best trip for 2014 because it was so fulfilling and enlightening. Picture a day where all you do is eat, pray, sleep… and sometimes shop if you feel like it. Sounds like bliss, but it can be hard work and tiring at times, with thousands of people visiting for the same reason and temperatures reaching 33 degrees (it was winter there). It’s not something everyone can do, but I’d definitely recommend a pilgrimage or similar kind of trip to anyone. You’ll learn a lot about yourself.

In terms of a holiday trip, my favourite would have to be Turkey, specifically Istanbul’s lively Istiklal Avenue. I spent hours just walking up and down the busy road, enjoying Turkish tea, pide, roasted chestnuts and ice cream, and watching hordes of people shopping, socialising, smoking nargili (shisha) and playing backgammon outside street cafes. It happened to be Spring at the time and the entire city was dotted with bright red tulips. At first I was reluctant to stay in this part of Istanbul (the New City) because I know the Old City (Sultanahmet) is where the main attractions are – but I wasn’t disappointed, and if I have my way, Istiklal will see me again.

Read: why Turkey should be on your bucketlist

5. Vuyi Qubeka, Journalist

The magic of The Marico. Photo by Teagan Cunniffe.

My best trip for 2014 definitely has to be my visit to Groot Marico. Here, intimate stories are shared warmly, the sense of reverence for the land is inspiring, and, people here are good. They look you in the eye. They are honest and satisfied.

Read: the wisdom of Bosman country

6. Tyson Jopson, Deputy Editor

Sunrise on Mafia Island sees the last of the night’s fishermen return to shore with their haul. Getting up early and heading down to the beach is well worth it. The afternoons are for napping. Photo by Tyson Jopson.

Finding a great spot that’s completely off the tourist radar is becoming increasingly difficult. Finding one that’s even better than its postcard cousins, even more so. I found paradise untouched last year on an assignment to Mafia Island, a few clicks south of Tanzania’s jam-packed Zanzibar. It welcomes less than 1500 visitors to its shores each year and is the perfect antidote to islanditis (the crushing fear of running into your boss in a Speedo). There are no tar roads, no tourism offices, no internet cafes and absolutely all the chance of having one of its beaches to yourself. It’s also diving nirvana. Nestled between three of its atolls are endless reefs of unbleached coral that spawn an aquatic playground teeming with marine life. Go in October, when whale sharks cruise lazily through the channels on their annual migration. Pack shorts only. Leave your phone at home.

See: Tanzania’s last paradise in photos

 

7. Kristin Bredenkamp, Intern

Hot water springs on Klein Barmen. Photo by Kristin Bredenkamp.

As the first rays of sunlight hit the Namib sand, we enthusiastically began our journey towards the Fish River Canyon. Kaleidoscope colours transformed the creases of the canyon into a perfect painting. Golden light reflected off the water from the flowing Fish River. This was a different kind of beauty. Seeing as I have a Namibian background, travelling through Namibia isn’t anything new. Yet, during December 2014, my family and I saw sights at the best hours. From sunrise to sunset at the Fish River Canyon, Sossusvlei, Spitzkoppe and Klein Barmen – the golden dust storms awakened the travellers in us. The change in landscapes presented a beauty that was calm and unique, shaping into each other as the plateaus merged. Namibia is golden and so was my trip.

See: Sossusvlei in 16 photos, from sunrise to sunset

8. Melanie van Zyl, Gear Editor

My dad drives back towards camp at sundown. Photo by Melanie van Zyl.

Since childhood, stories about David Livingstone set off my wanderlust. The danger, urge to discover and unadulterated adventure of 19th century exploration has always appealed to me and in 2014 I got to satisfy this severe thirst with a trip to Baines’ Baobabs. About 30 kilometres from the Nxai Pan National Park entrance gate, Baines’ Baobabs is an ancient oasis of seven gnarled trees on the edge of the salt pans, which is exceptionally rare as these trees don’t usually grow clustered so closely together in a natural environment. If the explorer and talented landscape painter Thomas Baines were to revisit the site today – over 140 years later – he would capture the exact same scene. The old trees have barely changed.

On arriving at this peculiar outcrop – it really seems like the trees are floating in an enormous sea of beige sand – the magnitude of the wrinkled, remote trees is both overwhelming and enticing. Slowly, you can begin to discern the same pull felt by that intrepid contingent, David Livingstone and Thomas Baines, who passed through Botswana’s Kalahari in the 1860s and were drawn to to this spot for a break from their tough journey. My trip was extraordinary because we were simultaneously travelling through space and time. A rare odyssey that taught me to never stop searching for beauty, even if one has to go back a hundred years to find it.

Read: finding Baines’ Baobabs

9. Sonya Schoeman, Editor

Penguins taking a stroll in Simon’s Town. Photo by Teagan Cunniffe.

There’s good mojo in Simon’s Town. I’ve spent a lot of time there on and off over the last 10 years. For many, travel is about discovering the new. For me too, but I also love going back to old haunts and discovering new layers to places, the history, the new developments, the people, and most of all the secret spots. I spent the first days of 2014’s new year at the Smitswinkel Hoerikwaggo Tented Camp. It was one of my best trips ever, even though it was so close to home. We ate out, and spent hours reading and chatting at new, quiet swimming spots. Later that year, I learnt I wasn’t alone: Simon’s Town is a love affair for her residents. I interviewed many, and this year will be spending time with another: documentary maker Craig Foster, who’ll be teaching me about the magical rock pools along the coastline. So like the best of love affairs, the exploration will continue, but in the meantime, you can read my guide to Simon’s Town below…

Read: A guide to Simon’s Town, a place to be happy

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