Local Travel is Lekker – Anje from Going Somewhere Slowly

If you’re a South African, I’m sure you’re familiar with the Local is Lekker phrase. It celebrates and promotes everything South African. This phrase was the inspiration for a new series on my blog – Local Travel is Lekker. I’m an avid supporter of local South African travel and feel extremely blessed to live in this beautiful country. Therefore I’ve decided to feature like-minded bloggers and travellers who share my Local Travel is Lekker sentiment and hopefully this series will inspire our South African citizens to get out there and explore this exquisite country.

This week’s featured blogger is Anje Rautenbach from Going Somewhere Slowly.

1) What do you love most about South Africa?

There is just so much to love about South Africa; I love that it will always be home, that I have the opportunity to breathe in fresh air and stretch my arms out to the opens spaces, I love our wildlife, our mountain ridges, valleys, coastline, Fynbos and Karoo, I love our sunsets, the mix, the diversity, the differences and the opportunity to learn from those around me. But what I probably love most about South Africa is our tomorrow.

2) What is your first local travel memory?

I visited Kruger National Park when I was 6 years old; my parents joked about the giraffe’s height and said (jokingly) that we drove between/under/through the giraffe’s legs. I believed them. That story ended up in multiple school essays until I was 9 years old.

3) What’s your favourite place to visit in your hometown?

Addo Elephant National Park without a doubt; I’ll wake up some mornings, look at the sky and think, “today is an Addo day”, grab a camera bag and go. I am so grateful that this national park – and its hundreds of elephants and other wildlife – is just a 30 minute drive from my house.

4) What’s on your South African travel bucket list?

This year I want to focus more on the Eastern Cape and discover the small towns I’ve never been to and revisit the ones I’ve been to as a child; and possibly do another bicycle trip this year.

But besides being biased and picking my own province I would like to explore the Northern Cape on a long, extended trip and start from Tankwa Karoo National Park and make my way up to Namaqua National Park, Richtersveld and then through the small towns with their unique names to Augrabies National Park and then up to Kgalagadi National Park where I’ll probably stay stuck for a while with an empty bank account and a heart full of memories.

5) What are your top tips for planning a local getaway?

1. Use a paper map and visualise your journey like it’s 1996.
2. If time is on your side, don’t plan too far ahead.
3. Support local tourism and small local businesses.
4. When it comes to visiting places with wild animals, always do your research to ensure that you don’t support places offering wildlife interaction. Sanctuaries are not always sanctuaries.
5. Have an idea of what is available in the smaller towns because a lot of them don’t have ATMs or even a petrol pump.
6. Always have a flask of good coffee on hand. It’s essential.

6) Where can we follow your blog?

http://www.goingsomewhereslowly.com/
https://www.instagram.com/going_somewhere_slowly/
https://www.facebook.com/goingsomewhereslowly/
https://twitter.com/AnjeRautenbach

How Do I Jump on the Local Travel is Lekker taxi?

That concludes this week’s Local Travel is Lekker blogger feature. Be sure to stop by every week to be inspired by another local traveller and awaken your own wanderlust for local South African travel. Join the conversation on social media with the Local Travel is Lekker hashtag. And if you’re interested in participating, get in touch with me!

All images: Anje Rautenbach