Violet tried to stop the attack, so the cheetah started mauling her instead.

Then his buddy joined in.  They weren’t simply biting her leg or foot, mind you, they were gnawing on her head.

And what did her husband do during all of this? He stood there like an idiot photographing the whole thing.  Now the photos of the attack are all over the Internet.

Eventually the Violet played dead and a park ranger chased the cheetahs off of her with a stick.

The husband later said he was so stunned he didn’t realize that he kept taking photos.

I hope Archie is using the money he made selling the photos of his Violet’s mauling to buy her some nice hats.

That was weak, Archie, really weak.

Lead photo by Tambako the Jaguar

The post Woman Mauled by Cheetah; Husband Just Keeps Taking Pictures appeared first on XpatMatt.

Johannesburg, South Africa

Location

Northern South Africa in the Province of Gauteng, about 500 km inland from the Indian Ocean.

Climate and Geography

Johannesburg RSA (Republic of South Africa)is the world’s largest city that’s not situated beside a river, lake, or ocean. It’s located about 500 km inland from the Indian Ocean in northern South Africa at an elevation of 1753 m above sea level on a plateau called the Highveld. There are hills to the north and west of the city, and the land to the east is flat. Johannesburg, with more than 10 million trees, may well have the largest man-made forest in the world. Although it’s not situated on a major body of water, the spring-fed streams that run through the city help to form two of South Africa’s largest rivers, the Limpopo and Orange Rivers.

Johannesburg has a subtropical highland climate. Temperatures in the city are generally quite mild because of its altitude. In the summer (October to April) temperatures the average high is about 25°C, but can climb to over 30°C.  Although the climate in Johannesburg is mostly dry and sunny, afternoon thundershowers are common during the summer and most of the annual average 713 mm of rain falls during this time.

The winter is a sunny and dry season. Daily low temperatures generally hover around 4-7°C, but can drop below zero resulting in frost on the ground. Snow, however, is rare.

Description

With 3.9 million people in its 1645 square kilometers, Johannesburg is the most populous city in South Africa. Johannesburg is a very important city, not only to South Africa, but to all of Africa. With two large international airports, including O.R. Tambo International Airport (the largest and busiest airport in southern Africa), Johannesburg is a thriving transportation hub. Subesequently, most visitors to South Africa pass through Johannesburg at least once during their visit. Johannesburg is also a base for many of South Africa’s large-scale gold and diamond mining companies and is a common setting for important business and political meetings. Some estimate that as much as 10% of sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP is generated in Johannesburg.

Despite its economic and transportation importance, Johannesburg does not have a large tourism sector, probably due in part to the city’s reputation for crime. Although many visitors have no problems during their visits to the city, it is important to exercise caution and remain alert when visiting Johannesburg. The lack of tourism in the city, however, should not be taken to indicate a lack of attractions. There is a lot to see here to see, especially for those interested in wildlife and anthropology. About 50km northwest of Johannesburg is the Unesco World Heritage Site, The Cradle of Humankind, a 47,000 Ha site, which includes a complex of limestone caves and the sites of some of the most important archaeological discoveries in history. The site also includes the 1200 Ha Lion and Rhino Nature Reserve, which breeds numerous endangered species such as Siberian Tigers, Bengal Tigers, and White Lions. Nearby is also the Sterkfontein fossil site, one of the richest sites of hominoid bones in the world. Lions and other game can be seen at the Lion Park nature reserve, which is near Lanseria, where you can pet baby lions and feed giraffes. The 1500 Ha Kruegersdorp Nature Reserve is a 40-minute drive from the city center, and the De Wildt Cheetah Center, located in the Magiliesburg, breeds cheetah, wild dog, and other endangered species.

Activities

• Paragliding
• Hang gliding
• Sky diving
• Bungee jumping
• Hot air ballooning
• Whitewater rafting
• Kayaking (river and lake)
• Canoeing
• Caving and spelunking
• Hiking/trekking (all levels)
• Ziplining
• Rock climbing (all levels)
• Abseiling
• Mountain Biking (novice to expert)
• Horseback Riding

On a Budget?

• The cheaper hostels, such as the Sleek Hostel, start around $11 USD per night for a dorm bed. The Rietvlei Backpackers Lodge is also quite reasonable at $13 USD for a dorm bed.

A full list of Johannesburg hostels can be found here.

Hotel accommodation in Johannesburg is also plentiful and varied.

Have Insurance?

I like to use World Nomads. It’s not too expensive and signing up is fast and straightforward. They also have pretty good coverage for sports equipment like surf and snowboards, but it varies depending on your country of origin, so be sure double check. You can get a free quote on their website.

Photos

[nggallery id=39]

Images (in order) courtesy of undone, Axel Bührmann, babasteve, Axel Bührmann, 350.org, sea turtle, babasteve, andre.vanrooyen, gareth1953, andre.vanrooyen, fanz, and andre.vanrooyen on Flickr.

Suggested Reading

Click on the images for more information

Map

View Larger Map

The information on this page was provided by My Johannesburg Info If you want to know more about Johannesburg they are the people to ask.

The post Johannesburg, South Africa Adventure Travel Guide appeared first on XpatMatt.

Cape Town, South Africa

Location

Cape Town is located on the north end of the Cape Peninsula on the South African coast. This coastal city sits about 200 km northwest on the southernmost point of the African continent where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet.

Climate and Geography

Situated on the Cape Peninsula near the meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, Cape Town is host to spectacular geographic and ecological diversity. The city itself has seven peaks over 1000 m, and sits at the base of the famous Table Mountain (a 1085 m flat-topped cliff-ringed behemoth), Devil’s Peak (1000 m) and Lion’s Head (669 m). Cape Town is situated in a unique area where several soil-types and micro-climates meet. This has resulted in a wealth of unique flora and fauna, including 19 types of endemic plants not found anywhere else and hundreds of endemic species. Then, of course, there are the beaches. Wikipedia lists 25 of them in the Cape Town area.

Cape Town’s climate is classified as a subtropical Mediterranean climate. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, summer is from November to March. The summer in Cape Town is mild and dry, with an average high of 26 °C. The wind tends to blow in a southeasterly direction during these months. The winter in Cape Town lasts from June to August. It is much rainier than the summer (it will usually rain a couple of days each week, and can rain for up to two weeks straight) and temperature range from an average low of 7 °C to an average high of 17 °C. During these months wind tends to blow in a northeasterly direction.

Description

With a population of about 3.5 million people, Cape Town is the capital of South Africa’s Western Cape province, as well as the country’s legislative capital, second most populous city, and largest city in terms of land area. The moderate climate, modern infrastructure, and stunning natural surroundings have made Cape Town the most popular tourist destination in all of Africa.

Cape Town is well known for its beautiful surroundings, with a backdrop of several mountains including the famous Table Mountain. It is well known to surfers as having some of the biggest waves in the world and is home to the Red Bull Big Wave Africa surf competition. The waters are not just for surfers though. Cape Town was listed (not surprisingly) as one of Lonely Planet’s top ten beach cities in the world. There are 25+ beaches in the surrounding area and swimming, scuba diving, windsurfing, kitesurfing, and sailing are all popular activities. Although the Atlantic waters are cool with an average temperature of 13 °C (similar to those in California) the waters in False Bay much warmer with an average temperature of around 17 °C (similar to northern Mediterranean). The nearby mountains provide for great climbing, hiking, mountain biking, paragliding, and hang gliding. There are also more than 100 caves on the Cape Peninsula for spelunking.

The Cape Peninsula is said to have the “highest concentration of threatened species of any continental area of equivalent size in the world” and the Cape Floristic region is a Unesco World Heritage site. Accordingly there are many eco-tours such as whale watching and trips to the brown fur seal colonies on Seal and Duiker islands. The area also includes more than 30 nature reserves including Table Mountain National Park.

Activities

• Surfing
• Stand-up paddle boarding
• Scuba diving (cave, wreck, shark cage, and reef)
• Snorkeling
• Surfing (all levels)
• Sailing
• Kitesurfing
• Windsurfing
• Parasailing
• Paragliding
• Hang gliding
• Sky diving
• Bungee jumping
• Hot air ballooning
• Whitewater rafting
• Kayaking (river and ocean)
• Canoeing
• Caving and spelunking
• Hiking/trekking (all levels)
• Coasteering
• Safaris (Big Five)
• Ziplining
• Rock climbing (all levels)
• Sandboarding
• Mountain Biking (novice to expert)
• Horseback Riding

On a Budget?

• The cheapest accommodation in Cape Town is in hostels with dorm beds which start at about $10 – 11 USD per night and the cheapest private rooms go for about about double that price. A couple of the cheaper places are A Sunflower Stop and Green Elephant Backpackers.

A list of Cape Town hostels and prices can be found

here

.

• Cheap restaurants and cafes will serve breakfast for around $4 – 6 USD and lunches and dinners for around $6 – 8 USD.

Photos

[nggallery id=36]

 

Images (in order) courtesy of ::: mindgraph :::, mallix, flowcomm, ifijay, coda, slack12, neilalderney123, rogergordon, Steve Crane, gaftels, coda, and ::: mindgraph ::: on Flickr.

Suggested Reading

Click on the images for more information

Map

View Larger Map
The information on this page was provided by My Cape Town Info. If you want to know more about Cape Town they are the people to ask.

The post Cape Town, South Africa Adventure Travel Guide appeared first on XpatMatt.