Blog

South Africans have a funny way of describing seasons. When we landed in Northern KwaZulu-Natal in May, everyone kept apologising for “winter.” But as a Swede, let me tell you - 25°C, sunny skies, and just enough humidity to make your sunglasses fog up? That’s what I’d call a very hot Swedish summer. No complaints here!

As the head guide at Gonana South African Travel, I find new stories daily in South Africa, and the story of the proudly South African pinotage grape has fascinated me since I arrived here 20 years ago. I'm not the biggest wine drinker as I'm an avid health and fitness advocate, but I can certainly appreciate a glass of wine! So here's the story of the pinotage grape...

In the heart of Khayelitsha, one of South Africa’s largest townships, a quiet revolution has been taking place for over four decades. It is a story of hope, resilience, and the transformative power of community-led healthcare. At the center of this movement is Philani, an extraordinary initiative founded by a Swedish doctor, Dr. Ingrid Le Roux, whose vision and dedication have changed the lives of thousands of mothers and children in South Africa.

They say that love makes the world go round – and if that’s true, then South Africa is at the very heart of it. With every golden sunrise, every wave kissing the shoreline, and every warm embrace from those who call this land 'home', there's reason we want you to return sooner rather than later.

Now is the time to start planning your trip to South Africa for this coming September through to May 2026 when our weather is best (in the world) and so too are all the experiences on offer...

We recently had the absolute pleasure of hosting Christel Dahlberg and her partner David Keijser. Together, we created a bespoke journey through South Africa to ring in the big 5-0 birthday! Here's a lovely review we received from the couple post-trip - and it was so heart warming we had to turn it into a blog! Enjoy...