by Pippa de Bruyn, The Telegraph, September 27, 2017
A new centre for the art world, this corner of South Africa has got it all going on, says Pippa de Bruyn.
1. Zeitz MOCAA
For all those who think Picasso should have been censured for cultural appropriation, the day of reckoning has arrived. With this weekend’s opening of this extraordinary collection of contemporary African art, Africa can no longer be seen as a continent of crafters and naive artists, to be plundered at will. zeitzmocaa.museum
2. Facelift
That’s what Nell Harris has given Ellerman House, grand dame of the Atlantic Seaboard. Its super sexy BAR ROC opened this week, but it’ll be a pricey sundowner: drinks come with a room only. ellerman.co.za
3. Veg-table
As anyone who’s anyone is now vegetarian, we cheered when chef Brett Garvie’s tiny, rustic forest cabin survived Knysna’s horrific fire. Book early. The delicious thrice-weekly four-course meal will lure even carnivores. vegtable.co.za
4. Southern right whales
As the British summer fades, large numbers of these behemoths continue to pitch up along the Overberg coast. Ringside seats along the cliffpath, skirting the town of Hermanus, are free. hermanus.co.za
5. La Tête
Fancy a deep-fried pig tail? Tender little trotters? Neither did we. But this – one of the best additions to Cape Town’s Bree Street – is where Capetonians are learning to enjoy the parts other restaurants don’t reach. latete.co.za
6. Quagga
Given that the last of this subspecies of zebra died in 1883, the auction of the first breeding herd this year is a victory for science and selective breeding. The best place to see them? Bartholomeus Klip, near Hermon. bartholomeusklip.com
7. Cape Canopy Tour
If you’ve got a head (and bladder) for heights, then spring is the right season to tackle this wild ride: leaping off 13 platforms and flying across the flowering Hottentots Holland nature reserve like a (trussed-up) bird. capecanopytour.co.za
8. Tasting terroir
Award-winning Andrea Mullineux is at the forefront of new generation SA winemakers making terroir-specific wines - trying to pick a favourite from the Schist, Granite or Quartz terroir is like choosing between triplets when the house is on fire. leeucollection.com
9. Foraging for shrooms
Fancy tramping around, picking up free food like Elysian peasants, or survivors of some dystopian apocalypse? Well, foraging is a gourmet trend, and we love doing it under Boschendal’s old oaks with guide Justin Williams. boschendal.com
10. Riel dancing
Rooted in ancient Khoi San courtship rituals, this high-energy “dust dancing” is back on the scene since the Wuppertal troupe became global award-winners. One time we’re happy to eat dust. bushmanskloof.co.za/riel-dance
11. Tasting menus
The Cape Town zeitgeist. As you can’t get a table at Test Kitchen for love nor money, we’re happy with Chef’s Warehouse at Beau Constantia, or Chris Erasmus’s edible art in Wolfgat, Paternoster. beauconstantia.com/eat ; wolfgat.co.za
12. Grootbos
The new luxury four-bedroom villa at Grootbos – well-staffed, private, exclusive and family-centric – is just the place for hard-working parents to make up for the au pair tucking the children into bed most nights. grootbos.com
13. Ulubisi House
Gondwana is the best Big Five game reserve in the Western Cape, and its latest luxury lodge is the place to stay. It’s totally private, and we get to go on game drives when we want, for as long as we want. gondwanagr.co.za/ulubisi-house
Know before you go | South Africa
14. Babylonstoren's Gardens
You don’t have to be green-fingered to be enchanted here, and now there’s a new medicinal garden, planted with healing herbs. And what they don’t fix, the Sprankel bubbly will. Who needs the NHS? babylonstoren.com
This article was written by Pippa de Bruyn from The Telegraph and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].
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