We launched this trip back in December 2019. Through every unknown, we always believed we’d be here. Many hours, emails, worries, travel partners, postponements, and LimitLes Love later… this was the light at the end of the tunnel for the past two years. There is a familiar magic that happens when 12 women meet right outside their comfort zone on the other side of the world. This was most of the group’s first international trip since 2019 (us too!). The waiting could have dulled the sparkle of this experience, but instead made each moment feel *that* much more sacred.

In an effort to keep our exact itinerary sacred to the group who experienced it while sharing a few South African treasures, here are our top 3 adventures that I hope you consider if you’re adventuring through this jaw-dropping country! 

Table Mountain Hike

Anyone who has ever google what to do in South Africa has seen Table Mountain hike come up #1 on all websites. Predictable isn’t our thing, but this hike is #1 for a reason! Set in the center of the city, Table Mountain rises high above Cape Town, keeping watch over where the land meets the sea. Table Mountain National Park is the most visited national park in South Africa, attracting 4.2 million people every year for various activities. Instead of riding the ever-popular cable car up, our group braved the mountain with our own two feet. We lucked out with the best two guides in town, Nick Ashby and Dominic Chadbon. The natural surroundings alone could’ve won us over easily – there’s more foliage on this one mountain than in all of Sweden, after all – but these two men were absolute treasures to ascend with. Our group took the most direct route to the top – steep, challenging, and breathtaking all at the same time! Note that weather can change on a dime in South Africa. We were supposed to get clouds and possible rain the morning we hiked, but the weather gods turned up for us! 

Veld and Sea

Our time spent with Veld and Sea was a flower child’s daydream complete with sustainably sourced flower crown making, botanical cocktails, flower tasting, learning and plant based meals sourced from the garden. All of that was topped off with a magical meditation and tea ceremony on a mountainside meadow. Humans who can honor the earth, tend to her, learn from her, and then teach others are next level incredible. Roushanna and her team were so beautifully intentional and thought-provoking for our group. We even joked that she should consider going on the Calm app because we were all incredibly happy and relaxed leaving her presence.

Everyone, no matter the industry or origin, has suffered in the last two years. As we navigated mindfully through South Africa, we had the pleasure of being many businesses first tourist group since the pandemic’s beginning. Street Wires, The Chef’s Studio and wineries in Franschhoek are some of the many amazing partners and businesses who brought this itinerary to life.

Lions, Giraffes & Zebras – oh my!

It’s impossible to adequately explain what being in the presence of wild animals does to your soul. Imagine eating lunch with a dazzle (heard) of zebras, coming face-to-face with a giant buffalo outside of your hut before breakfast, having sun downers with a party of giraffes or driving up on a pride of sleepy lions. Going on safari is truly unlike anything I’ve witnessed, and each game drive offers a new experience. I can’t begin to describe it, and all I know is that I feel privileged and blessed to have witnessed the beauty, the rawness, the circle of life. Gondwana Game Reserve is a luxury safari lodge along the Garden Route, only a few hour’s drive outside of Cape Town. From the unique villas to the friendly staff to the delicious food, I loved everything about our time on the property. More than that, our Rangers, Eugene and Walker, truly left us with more than just a few safari game drives. Knowledgable and fun, these two men blew our group of 15 women away, and we’ll be forever grateful to have these memories as the best souvenirs. 

Special shoutout to our many travel partners including photographers Alex Kavanagh, Darby Day and the one and only Verse Journeys for the endless hours of hard work on the ground and behind the scenes for the last 2+ years. Through every postponement and worry, we always believed we’d be here on the other side with smiles and tears looking back on our time in South Africa.