SA Country Life

SA Country Life Travel and lifestyle magazine that captures the essence of life in the South African countryside.

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The Gariep is a chameleon dam, an ever-changing body of massed water sprawled across the midriff section of the Grassy K...
14/06/2020

The Gariep is a chameleon dam, an ever-changing body of massed water sprawled across the midriff section of the Grassy Karoo. We’ve seen it in the rushing splendour of the 2011 floods, the drought of 2016 and, now, in the green bloom of a lucky late-summer rainstorm. And it’s different every time.

Following droughts the Gariep dam's wall and it's thrundering rivers became a tourist attraction when the drought finally broke in April 2018.

We’re bouncing along a farm track beside the dark Goukamma River, the sun slanting through fresh spring growth on the tr...
13/06/2020

We’re bouncing along a farm track beside the dark Goukamma River, the sun slanting through fresh spring growth on the trees and, if Chris Metelerkamp’s ancient Land Rover wasn’t growling so loudly, I swear we’d hear the lush grass growing.
It looks like paradise.

The in-demand Jersey girls of Ganzvlei cheese farm beside the Goukamma River are churning out award-winning, creamy cheeses.

In the lead up to our free, digital, final issue here is the second of two bonus articles for you to download. This one ...
12/06/2020

In the lead up to our free, digital, final issue here is the second of two bonus articles for you to download. This one by MARGI BIGGS is about the Agulhas Wine Route near the Southern tip of Africa. Look out for the full issue which will be on this site soon.

"I was amazed to hear that the region, stretching from Gansbaai to L’Agulhas up to Malgas and then down to between Napier and Caledon, was something quite different to other wine areas… It’s the cool Mediterranean climate and constant winds of the region that give the wines of the Agulhas Wine Triangle their special flavours and character."

Near the southernmost point of Africa, the Agulhas Wine Route in the Overberg is making waves.

One of the newest Cape wine regions is Voor Paardeberg which lies on the slopes of the Paardeberg. Bounded by the wine a...
11/06/2020

One of the newest Cape wine regions is Voor Paardeberg which lies on the slopes of the Paardeberg. Bounded by the wine areas of Paarl, Wellington and the Swartland, this unique area is a treasure house of flora and fauna not found anywhere else in the world. From here the land stretches far into the valley under vast, wide-open skies.

GREG LANDMAN meets the finest winemakers in the country and today chats to Matthew Copeland of Vondeling.

In the lead up to our free, digital, final issue, here is the first of two bonus articles for you to download. This one ...
11/06/2020

In the lead up to our free, digital, final issue, here is the first of two bonus articles for you to download. This one is about the birding and history on the top of the Magaliesberg. Look out for the full issue which will be on Countrylife.co.za soon.

"Atop the highest point in the majestic Magaliesberg is also a beautiful vista. Across green patches of Highveld veld, vultures fly free, scores of them, dipping and soaring, seldom flapping wings as they catch thermals. Awe-inspiring for us mere mortals, gawping below at their elegance."

PETER SULLIVAN takes a trip to the top of the Magaliesberg for battlefield history and a spot of bird watching.

You get mountain passes and you get mountain passes. Most are spectacular, and most are relatively short, unlike the fas...
10/06/2020

You get mountain passes and you get mountain passes. Most are spectacular, and most are relatively short, unlike the fascinating Prince Alfred’s Pass in the southern Cape, which has enough scenery, history and characters to warrant a lengthy visit.

At 68 kilometres, Prince Alfred’s Pass between Knysna and Uniondale is the longest in the country, and a boon for anyone wanting an adventure

The cluster of big passes in the Eastern Cape Highlands scattered around the southern tail of the Drakensberg offers the...
09/06/2020

The cluster of big passes in the Eastern Cape Highlands scattered around the southern tail of the Drakensberg offers the best chance of altitude sickness on four wheels in South Africa. Located in the vicinity of the unfashionably named hamlet of Rhodes, this collection of Victorian-era cottages is a haven for fresh-air freaks such as flyfishers, mountain bikers and extreme trail runners, as well as the plain lazy – even stoep-sitting is considered a sport in this part of the world.

Pass chasers can score some of the country’s best highs in the magnificent Eastern Cape Highlands.

This cheeky fondant recipe developed by Juan van Deventer of Groot Phesantekraal in the Durbanville Hills. It looks like...
08/06/2020

This cheeky fondant recipe developed by Juan van Deventer of Groot Phesantekraal in the Durbanville Hills. It looks like one recipe, has a single name and yet is actually formed by three distinct items that can likely be developed separately by the less dedicated.

This recipe blends warm, rich chocolate with light, fruity ice cream and a crunchy cookie dust. If that doesn't sound ideal, you may not be human.

The script for how people turn into chefs is usually predictable. They learn to cook at their granny or mother’s knee, k...
08/06/2020

The script for how people turn into chefs is usually predictable. They learn to cook at their granny or mother’s knee, knowing all their childhood that they want to grow up to be a chef or, like your Anthony Bourdains and Marco Pierre Whites of the world, are rebels, interested in food, fall into kitchens, and find they’re preternaturally suited to the life.

Juan van Deventer has tried a few things as a chef. But at Groot Phesantekraal in the Durbanville Hills, he’s found his groove.

‘‘Pablo, my dog, and I would look out of the window onto this 40-acre park called The Wilds and long to visit, but we we...
07/06/2020

‘‘Pablo, my dog, and I would look out of the window onto this 40-acre park called The Wilds and long to visit, but we were told it was too dangerous,” says artist James Delaney. “And then I thought this is ridiculous, so in we went and found a wonderland of forest and plants, just a little overgrown.”

Once notorious as a crime hotspot in Joburg, The Wilds has been transformed into a place of peace by the energy of one man.

One of the greatest things about travel, for me, is its unpredictability. To travel to places that all reason tells me n...
06/06/2020

One of the greatest things about travel, for me, is its unpredictability. To travel to places that all reason tells me not to go to, I play map roulette, preferably with a spinning sushi table.

The town of Mier on the border of the Kgalagadi, Namibia and Botswana is a harsh, tough place but look closely and you will find true humanity and love.

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368 Jan Smuts Avenue
Craighall
2196

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Tuesday 09:00 - 16:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 16:00
Thursday 09:00 - 16:00
Friday 09:00 - 16:00

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