We talk with Dr. Dean Allen - renowned Author, Historian, Lecturer, and Media Presenter. Dean has authored several books, two of which are are titled "Frontier Land - Exploring the Eastern Cape." So much of our history played out in this area - and it really is a fascinating part of South Africa. We have digitised these two books and all the spots Dean discusses and describes are on the Road Trip RSA app. The Road Trip SA app is available for download Do you want to visit and explore South...

We have a chat with Simon Green - "The Blockhouse Guy". Simon has authored two books on the blockhouses of the Anglo-Boer War - a very handy field guide, as well as a more in-depth analysis of the engineering behind these 9000+ structures the British Military left behind in South Africa. We have digitised the field guide - so if you are looking to visit a Blockhouse - the Road Trip app will get you there. The Road Trip SA app is available for download Do you want to visit and explore South...

Ladysmith is right at the centre of what we call "The Battlefields" region. So much of our history played out here - the Voortrekkers and their conflicts with the Zulu, the British and their battles with the Zulu, and then this area was pivotal in both conflicts between the British Empire and the Boer Republics. The N11 branches off the N3 (Johannesburg to Durban) at Ladysmith and then traverses the Drakensberg escarpment through Newcastle, Ermelo, Middelburg and then takes you right up to...

The N9 branches off the N1 in Colesburg and takes you south. It takes you over beautiful Karoo landscapes through Noupoort, Middelburg, and with a short detour you can visit Nieu-Bethesda - one of the quintessential "Karoo-dorpies". The VOC influence is still to be seen in Graaff-Reinet - and this is an obligatory overnight stop. The highway then takes you just to the East of the Swartberg Mountain range, and you enter the Little Karoo. Slightly greener, slightly more fertile, and home to...

No. 72 (Basutoland) Squadron is commemorated in Maseru and remembered forever in the design one the most popular blankets sold in Lesotho. The N8 then actually starts at the border with South Africa - it skirts Ladybrand where Robey Leibbrandt is buried, then heads to Bloemfontein. We explore a bit of that city, chat about a few spots in Kimberley, and eventually end in Groblershoop. The Road Trip SA app is available for download Do you want to explore South Africa? Touch Africa Safaris The...

Winelands transform to fruit and wheatfields - the West Coast is booming. A beautiful drive through undulating hills and passing towns like Malmesbury, Moorreesburg, Citrusdal, and Clanwilliam. Each and every one is worth a short detour and you get to see the citrus industry in full swing and if you really look - you can trace the tracks of missionaries and pioneers as well. Once north of Vanrhynsdorp and over the Knersvlakte you are in Namaqualand - and little towns like Springbok evoke...

The N6 heads straight South from Bloemfontein and skirts the Southern border of Lesotho. Little towns like Reddersburg, Smithfield, Aliwal North and Jamestown all have some history of the conflicts with the Basotho, as well as many stories of Voortrekkers and Anglo Boer War characters. A little further south and once through Queenstown you are in "Settler Country" - but these were German settlers - not British.  The Road Trip SA app is available for download Do you want to explore South...

This highway traverses the Eastern Free State just to the north of Lesotho. The history of the Voortrekkers and the Basotho runs deep in this land. Lots of history to explore, and some surprising statues and memorials - and lots of fossils as well! The Road Trip SA app is available for download Do you want to explore South Africa? Touch Africa Safaris

Episode 8 of a series on the Kruger National Park. We cover the area north of The Voortrekker Road, explore a bit of Pretoriuskop, take a look at Skukuza, and chat about the memorials to the Game Rangers and conservation staff. Want to travel to the Kruger National Park? Touch Africa Safaris

Episode 7 of a series on the Kruger National Park The story of Harry Wolhuter and how he survived a lion attack, the old "Voortrekker Road", remnants of the Voortrekkers, early traders, and gold prospectors. Many dramas played out in this area before the park was established - there are some great stories here. Want to travel to the Kruger National Park? Touch Africa Safaris

Episode 5 of a series on he Kruger National Park The far north of the park has some really interesting history to explore. Archaeological sites such as Thulamela, fun history like Crooks corner - the haunt of "Bvekenya", as well as the remnants of the Witwatersrand Native Labour Association sites, are all to be found in this area. Want to travel to the Kruger National Park? Touch Africa Safaris

Episode 6 of a series on the Kruger National Park Gold prospectors, illegal immigrants, and we leave Tropical Africa as we cross the Tropic of Capricorn. We explore Masorini, the Letaba area, we meet Piet Grobler, and say thank you to Eileen Orpen who to this day is still the largest donor of land to the Kruger Park. Want to travel to the Kruger National Park? Touch Africa Safaris

The founders of the South African Air Force, traitors and rebels, battlefields and graves, heroes and villains, churches and statues - this road encompasses them all. There's even a memorial to the animals of the 2nd Anglo-Boer War. The Road Trip SA app is available for download Do you want to explore South Africa? Touch Africa Safaris The Road Trip SA app is available for download Do you want to visit and explore South Africa? Touch Africa Safaris

This is a unique route to travel. It is special because so many elements of our history can be explored while driving this highway. It stretches from Maputo - actually Komatipoort which is the South African border - right through to the border with Botswana. You can visit San rock art, there is is an interesting link with Jan van Riebeeck, there are Voortrekker sites, you can visit sites relating to both the 1st and 2nd Anglo-Boer Wars, there's WW1 and WW2, there's then 1914 Rebellion,...

Our first big-group coach-tour and safari post-covid. Clients from a USA-based tour operator eventually made it to South Africa - many of them originally booked for 2020! Part 1 we covered the journey and impressions from Cape Town to St. Lucia - this episode we go through eSwatini, Kruger and get to the Victoria Falls. Some of the stories and challenges we faced being the first big group - 80 pax / 2 coaches - in the post-Covid South African tourist landscape. All the spots mentioned in...

Our first big-group coach-tour and safari post-covid. Clients from a USA-based tour operator eventually made it to South Africa - many of them originally booked for 2020! Some of the stories and challenges we faced being the first big group - 80 pax / 2 coaches - in the post-Covid South African tourist landscape. All the spots mentioned in this podcast are listed on the Road Trip SA app. Do you want to explore South Africa? Touch Africa Safaris is an inbound tour operator, and we designed,...

Our first tour and safari post-covid. Clients from the USA wanted to see Cape Town, go shark-cage-diving in Gansbaai, and see wildlife. We put together a 9-day itinerary for them. All the spots mentioned in this podcast are listed on the Road Trip SA app. Do you want to explore South Africa? Touch Africa Safaris is an inbound tour operator, and we designed as well as guided this holiday. This is a recording of a weekly radio show - Radio EcoHealth

The last piece of the N3 highway into Durban. Howick - the capture site of Nelson Mandela and home of Inkamyamba, the legendary snake of the Howick waterfall. Pietermaritzburg is steeped in Voortrekker history, and has quite a few other surprises waiting for the traveller who is prepared to spend some time exploring. All the spots mentioned in this podcast are listed on the Road Trip SA app. Do you want to explore South Africa? Touch Africa Safaris This is a recording of a weekly radio show...

The N3 of 589km connects Johannesburg and Durban - respectively South Africa's largest and third largest cities, and probably our busiest highway. Leaving the busy Witwatersrand behind you, the first town is Heidelberg - once proudly a capital city, then miles of flat maize-covered farmland. Some fascinating Anglo-Boer War history reveals itself around Balfour - "Hendsoppers & Joiners" - still a legacy of the war that rankles today. The town of Cassel that never was, petrified trees in...

"The Battle of Ellis Park' and "The Battle of Fordsburg" - long forgotten incidents in Johannesburg - but who knows about them? Some stories of what we do to build the Road Trip SA app - and some of the fun we have doing it! Some fun stories of building the app - and just some memories of touring with groups around this great country! This is a recording of a radio show - Radio EcoHealth