And the heavens opened over Hermanus!!!

And the heavens opened over Hermanus!!!

I know what the UKs weather is like – rain rain and more rain – well get this – last Friday it started to throw it down – and didn’t stop until Monday morning – this was not your usual drizzle but horizontal rain drops the size of ball-bearing. And good god it was relentless. We received over 2 inches (4cms) in this short space of time. The official average rainfall for the whole month of April is 41mm – the local reservoir increased from 45% full to 70% and many roads were closed due to landslides – I went along one of these roads a day later and you should have seen the debris – 100s of rocks the size of cars and trees up rooted everywhere. The huge Hermanus lagoon was so full that the army had to be called in to remove a 100 metre section of Grotto beach so that the overflowing lake could escape into the sea.

Think we are totally sorted for water for awhile now god - cheers mate !!

Day Four - It just gets better

After all this activity you will slowly wake up one morning tired, bruised perhaps, slightly or mightily hung-over, your pulse still racing from the sharks, your eyes are blurred from the wind screaming past during your skydive – or was that last night’s wine/beer? And you come to the realization that you’ve had the time of your life! It’s not over yet, this was just an appetizer…

Day Three - Discovering Hermanus

An early meeting the next day at the Old Harbour to embark your kayak for a morning paddle on the sea; seals, whales, dolphins & penguin are regularly sighted on these trips so be sure to bring a waterproof camera along or buy a cheap one from Percy Tours (£7). The rest of the day is another opportunity to visit the wine farms of the Hemel-en –Aarde Valley. Sumaridge, Bouchard-Finlayson, Cape Bay, Newton Johnson & Hamilton Russell with lunch at Sumaridge. Close by in the village of Stanford you can visit the Birkenhead Brewery – named after HMS Birkenhead that sank off the coast here in 1852 killing all 450 soldiers on board while all women & children survived. This was the ship that pioneered the famous saying “women & children first”! Hermanus has much to offer in the form of paragliding, sandboarding, abseiling off Gearing’s Point, Rotary Way scenic drive, horse riding either in the mountains or along the beaches, scuba diving, gorge jumping, hang gliding, hiking, canyoning, cooking courses, hot springs, gambling at the Caledon Casino & Spa, museums, township tours, surfing, bird watching in a hide on the wetlands, boat cruises… clearly you are not likely to get bored!

Some 125 kilometres South East of Hermanus, is the Southern Tip of Africa, at Cape Agulhas. So if you’ve ever had the urge to stand at the tip of a continent then this is the place for you. The closest Southerly landmass is Antarctica – we don’t recommend that you try to swim it!
A drive along the Garden Route will bring us through towns such as Swellendam, Riversdale, Mossel Bay & George where we can offer you Bridge Swings & the Highest Bungee Jump in the world at 216 meters of sheer terror on the end of a rope. Skydiving & parachuting is also available for those with more sense that guts. It is in this region that we’ll be visiting the Big Five at one of the safari parks. We will be staying 2 – 3 nights in pure luxury, wilderness surroundings. Morning & afternoon game drives take in the wonders of Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Crocodile, Giraffe, Eland, Springbok, Hyena, Rhino, Hippo & Cape Buffalo as well as Zebra & a variety of buck. You may also be lucky enough to see the Lion cubs & Rhino calf. The Lion cubs can be handled but unless you’re brave enough to negotiate with a 3 ton female Rhino we would not advise you to try this with her calf!

Day Two - Breathtaking Beauty

The next morning after a scrumptious breakfast, Percy Tours will take you to the foot of the Table Mountain for the cable car ride to the summit. There will be an opportunity for you to abseil off this awesome summit – 1000 meters of open space under your ass & a pulse racing to infinity! Not for the faint hearted. From the summit you will be able to take in the full view of Table Bay, Robben Island, Milnerton, Blouberstrand (Blue Mountain Beach) to the North. Turn slowly to your left & take a peek to the South East for a breathtaking view of the beaches of Camps Bay, Bantry Bay, Green & Sea Points, Bakoven, City Bowl, Clifton & Llundudno in the distance. The Twelve Apostles to your extreme left are the silent sentinels looking over the Cape Riviera. The restaurant at the top will cater to all your needs as well as any souvenirs you may wish to buy.

Cape Town has a plethora of activities to offer from the Cape Point Nature Reserve to the scenic Chapman’s Peak Drive & Noordhoek (beach horse riding) along the coast. Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Boulders Beach & the penguins, Simonstown, Fish Hoek, Clovelly, Kalk Bay & Muizenberg. From here we will take the coast road to Hermanus which will be your base for the duration of your tour with us. We’ll be passing through Gordons Bay en route as well as Kleinmond, Pringle Bay & Betty’s Bay with the Kogelberg mountains dwarfing us as we wind our way along this magical vista.

Stellenbosch – famous for its world renowned wines & vineyards – is a must see with a full days wine tasting & purchasing in this beautiful landscape. We will be visiting the vineyards of Nederburg, Spier, Blaauwkilppen, Delheim, Jacobsdal, Kanonkop, Lanzerac, Muratie, Rust en Vrede & Simonsberg (who also have an excellent cheese factory) to name but a few. Most of these firms will arrange for your purchases to be sent home for you at a small cost. Franschhoek lies slightly to the East & also boasts some of the top 5 wine farms in the world but are a tad more expensive. Percy Tours will then take you on another inspiring drive through the Franschhoek mountain range & the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve passing through some quaint towns back to Hermanus. If altitude is your thing a hot air balloon flight can be arranged over the vineyards with some stunning all round views.

Once in the coastal resort you are at the epicentre of action in the Western Cape. From here all is possible. Shark Cage Diving in Gansbaai & Kleinbaai, boat & land based whale watching (Southern Right Whales / Eubalaena Australis), dolphins, Bryde's whales, seals & friendly penguins. Diving with sharks is completely safe from the cage & you are likely to have your heart bursting from your chest, as the 7 METER monsters of the deep slide by your flimsy cage & if your hands were shaking too much to use your underwater camera Percy Tours will help you with either stills or a fantastic 30 minute DVD of the entire experience – an excellent investment for your grandchildren. This is one of only two places in the world where diving with Great White sharks (Carcharodon Carcharias) is possible.

Day One - Arriving in Cape Town

You’ve just arrived in Cape Town – the Mother City – to be greeted by your friendly and informative chauffeur & whisked off to the V&A Waterfront for some cool shopping for art, crafts, boutique’s, diamonds & jewellery, craft markets, aquariums, cinemas, open air concerts, restaurants, harbour tours, optometrists, Naval displays, Robben Island tours, helicopter flights, Imax theatre & so much more to enjoy for a few hours of retail therapy.

After all this has satisfied your desire for materialism, Percy Tours will whisk you off to the helipad conveniently located in the Waterfront for a 15 minute scenic flight encompassing Devils Peak – where, rumour has it that an old man would sit smoking his pipe & creating the fabled table cloth of cloud over the beautiful Table Mountain – the city bowl & Lions Head with Signal Hill & the Noon Gun at the foot of Signal Hill. The helicopter will deliver you to the magnificent 12 Apostles Hotel at the foot of these stunning mountains for a sensual massage to be followed with sundowners on the deck of the hotel watching the sun fade majestically into the Atlantic Ocean.

So now you’ve relaxed & the sunset has mesmerized you with its beauty… it's time to get moving. So we all pile into your personalized luxury mini-bus & it's off to the hotel for your first night in the beauty of the South African countryside.If you are feeling like a bit of the crazy night life we will show you the vibe of the cosmopolitan Long Street, with cuisine to die for & an adventure for the taste buds. You could dine on Cuban, African, Jamaican, Sushi, Moroccan, Cape Malay, Vietnamese, Thai & much more.