Southern Africa's Golden Triangle

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An afternoon trip to Soweto was the final activity on a jam-packed itinerary. A wag once had me believing Soweto was the traditional Zulu name for the area, whereas it is in fact an acronym of South Western Townships.

Famous for the Soweto Uprising, a trip highlights the progress made in improving the facilities available in the area as well as offering the chance to see the Soccer City Stadium (which hosted the World cup final in 2010), the Baragwanath Hospital (once the largest in the world), the decorated Orlando Towers from the disused power station (think Banksy rather than Bankside), Winnie Mandela’s fortified house and other landmarks. Most poignant however is the tiny bungalow at 8115 Orlando West where Nelson Mandela lived and which is now a museum dedicated to the man the locals called Madiba, the “father of the nation”.

Before going to South Africa, I knew the stellar reputation of the golf courses in this, the land of Major winners. However, I spent an inordinate amount of time looking into health threats, both biological and social, and expecting to find it somewhat lacking in terms of activities, first-class food and drink, and 5-star accommodation.

Instead, I found a land of friendly welcoming people, less health risks than Hong Kong (bird flu, anyone?), the gaming facilities of Macau, fantastic local food and world-class wines, and the superb Sun International hotels. In addition, I thought I would be spending hours travelling to see animals from a distance. In fact I got infinitely closer to the animals than I ever thought possible - from an open-sided truck, from above in a balloon, from a river cruiser and ultimately sitting with a cheetah in my lap.

Finally, I thought I would find myself in jungle environments sweating profusely, wielding a machete. The reality was that the temperate dry climate was one any visitor to Australia would recognize immediately, and the only blades I wielded were my golf clubs and a saber to open a bottle of champagne.

Without question this was the trip of a lifetime, but in every case I undertook activities available to any visitor. It was a wrench to leave and I would return in a heartbeat.