Seasides and City Strolls
Travel expert of The Times, South African daily news which also available online, answers queries on routes and destinations around the world.
Q: We are planning to go to Lombok Island, Indonesia, and need advice on the best way to get there and where to stay, our preference being for a small hotel on the beach. We would also love to see the Komodo dragons. Is this possible from Lombok? — Daphne Johnson
A: The quickest route would be to fly from Johannesburg to Singapore on Singapore Airlines and then connect directly to Selaparang Airport in Mataram, Lombok’s largest city, on Silk Air. (You can also travel via Denpasar in Bali, but that is a longer route). There are many hotels to choose from, most of which you can find online. A stylish place to stay is Qunci Villas, which has 20 luxury rooms with stunning sea views. Another is the Puri Mas Boutique Hotel, which offers comfortable bungalows and ocean villas in a garden alongside Senggigi beach.
You can visit the Komodo National Park on a private tour arranged by one of the travel operators on the island. But if you want to catch a public ferry you need to get to Sape on Sumbawa island or Labuan Bajo in Flores. There will be plenty of information available on the island about trips and tours as the Komodo dragons, the world’s largest lizards, are a major tourist attraction.
Q: I will be in London over Christmas and would like to join some organised walks . Any ideas? — Jillian Somerley
A: London Walks organizes a number of fascinating walks . Among those that might interest you are the Jack the Ripper Walk, the Charles Dickens’s Christmas Carol and Seasonal Traditions Walk, the Along the Thames Pub Walk, the Ghosts of the Old City Walk and the Amazing Old Shops Walk. The fee is small and the walks start and end outside Tube stations.
Q: Where can I go cage diving with sharks in the Cape? Does one need diving experience and how much does it cost? — Alan Hunter
A: A number of private operators offers cage dives with Great White sharks off the Cape coast, most notably from Kleinbaai (Gansbaai), near Hermanus. You will get the opportunity to view sharks from the safety of a cage, which is attached to the boat and lowered just beneath the level of the water in most cases. You do not need any dive certification for most of the excursions on offer.
There are at least eight companies operating from Kleinbaai, with prices ranging from R1100 per trip. Among the operators you can try are the White Shark Diving Company (021-461-6583), Shark Diving Unlimited (082-441-4555), White Shark Projects (021-404-537) and the pioneering Sharklady Adventures (028-312-3287). You can also check for a full listing of operators.
Matter of fact: In Peter’s Post last week, we published a picture with Peter’s suggestions for honeymoon destinations in KZN. The picture was of Umngazi River Bungalows, not of the Kosi Forest Lodge, as stated, although both were recommended by Peter.