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    Interesting Day Trips Near Cape Town to Enjoy

    2 April 2023 - By 

    Day trips are some of my favourite travel adventures. I am a sucker for road trips, hidden gems and new places and a day trip is the perfect chance to enjoy all this and more! Happily, there are so many interesting day trips near Cape Town for locals and tourists to enjoy. In this post, I cover some of my favourite day trips by region. This should help you get the most out of your day. My Most Interesting Day Trips Near Cape Town Whether you go wine farm hopping, dive into nature or road trip to your heart’s content,…

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    My 20 Best Travel Blog Experiences… So Far

    26 December 2020 - By 

    In the few short years that I have been blogging, Tamlyn Amber Wanderlust has grown from strength to strength. This year especially, I have had the joy of engaging with my peers and followers online; assisting my readers with travel queries; and producing solid content, all while weathering this trying year. Usually, I share a round-up post of my best travel blog experiences for the year with my readers. This is another way of engaging with them. It also allows me to recap on my own blogging highlights and reflect on the year that has been. But, with COVID-19, my…

  • villiera-wines-game-drives

    Great Ideas for Level 2 Travel in the Western Cape

    20 August 2020 - By 

    As South Africa tentatively progresses to lower levels – including Level 2 as of 18 August 2020 – I realise that people are desperate to get out more and most especially, to support our local businesses and industries. And we really need to. Yet, at the same time, we need to ensure we do so safely and carefully, so that we do not end up reverting back to a stricter level, like Level 3, 4 or even worse, 5… Sharing is Caring These past few months, I have been actively sharing as much travel and hospitality news as I can…

  • support-wine-farms-during-extended-level-3

    The Most Interesting Wine Regions Around the World

    1 November 2019 - By 

    Globally, wine is loved far and wide… With wine production and wine-producing regions spanning across parts of Africa (South Africa, Tunisia and Morocco), Europe, South America, North America, Canada, Oceania and Asia too. Wine is something that can be enjoyed alone or with others. It can be savoured with food or pensively sipped on its own. It is a drink for thinking, celebrating and yes, even for grieving too. Above all though, wine provides a historic, yet modern drinking experience. After all, it has apparently been around since c. 7000 BC. (With the earliest evidence of steady production of wine…

  • great-picnics-lunches-cape-winelands-western-cape-mont-rochelle

    Picnic Review: A Waterside Picnic at Mont Rochelle

    19 June 2019 - By 

    Mont Rochelle, a picturesque wine estate in the Franschhoek Wine Valley, is one of my favourite wine farms. Not only does it form part of the fun Wine Tram tours but it is a great wine farm, with excellent food and wine, accommodation and estate experiences to enjoy. Mont Rochelle also doubles as a stunningly beautiful wedding venue. (It’s also a lovely place to get engaged.) Happily, the estate offers some nature-rich outdoor experiences. In fact, this estate is one of the most well-rounded you will find anywhere in the Cape Winelands. A Wonderful Waterside Picnic at Mont Rochelle But…

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    Guests’ Corner: Just Janet

    2 May 2018 - By 

    As part of the next instalment in Guests’ Corner, a local and international travel interview segment on Tamlyn Amber Wanderlust, I chatted to Janet Rowsell, SA food and wine blogger at Just Janet. Janet Rowsell, a passionate foodie and wine blogger at Just Janet, might tell you that she is just your average Joe (read: Janet), but her incredible blog, Just Janet – which is filled with top-class food and wine posts – tells a different story. A former high school teacher-turned-full-time blogger, Janet considers herself to be an unofficial South African wine ambassador and is particularly passionate about South Africa’s wondrous…

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    My Best Scenic Drives in and around Cape Town

    19 March 2018 - By 

    The Western Cape is blessed with a wide array of jaw-dropping, impressive country or coastal drives. From Chapman’s Peak Drive to the Route 62 and Cape West Coast, there is a drive for every kind of traveller. 2025 update: Please note: This was a collaborative post between Afristay and Tamlyn Amber Wanderlust from 2018. However, in 2025, Afristay shut its doors. And, if you’re looking for some accommodation inspiration during your trip, look no further than Afristay.com, one of South Africa’s largest accommodation booking portals. Book directly through Afristay.com’s awesome website – which allows for effortless online bookings – and enjoy…

  • Picnic Review: Scenic Riverside Holden Manz Picnic

    4 March 2017 - By 

    Earlier this year I had the pleasure of hopping on the Franschhoek Wine Tram’s Blue Line (see my review for more info) – and in so doing, I was able to visit the beautiful, quintessentially Cape Dutch wine farm: Holden Manz Wine Estate. After being dropped off near to the Franschhoek Kitchen restaurant and inquiring after our pre-arranged picnic, my friend and I asked if we could walk down to front gate to see the small dam, which had caught our eye as we passed by in our chic, yet gamely, tram bus. We were warmly invited to do this, so…

  • Picnic Review: A Stunning Picnic Experience at La Bri Wine Estate

    6 February 2017 - By 

    Recently, my friend and I had the enormous pleasure of being part of the hop-on, hop-off Franschhoek Wine Tram’s Blue Line tour. Because of this, we were allowed to make a maximum of six stops (from an original selection of eight) at various participating Franschhoek wine farms – one such estate was La Bri. I had first encountered La Bri (and their wonderful wines) at the 2015 edition of the Vinimark WineWorx Wine Trade Fair, which took place at the CTICC. On that particular occasion, I was fortunate to meet La Bri’s talented winemaker, Irene Walker, in person. From the…

  • Travel Review: Experiencing the Delightful Franschhoek Wine Tram

    29 January 2017 - By 

    Please note: Tour information and pricing may have changed but the experience is still accurately portrayed in this review. This past Saturday, I had the enormous pleasure of experiencing the Blue Line of the Franschhoek Wine Tram. Like their other lines (of which there are several), it allows passengers the chance to select a maximum of five to six (out of eight) Franschhoek wine farms to hop-on, hop-off at. It had been over three years since I last travelled to that beautiful part of the country – undoubtedly one of my ultimate favourites, aside from Cape Town and the False…