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Why I am passionate about South Africa!

Philip Sheldon · Nov 29, 2013 ·

Phil Sheldon CEO of HE Travel at Cape of Good Hope South Africa

By Philip Sheldon CEOHE Travel CEO Phil Sheldon (combined companies of Hanns Ebensten Travel and Alyson Adventures)

I step out from my One & Only Cape Town private bungalow onto my lagoon-side deck and look up – there is Table Mountain – right there – it is no longer just a photo. And in an hour I’ll be on top, gazing out at the rugged shoreline and Cape Town’s skyline below (and going from sun to heavy rain to sun in less than 10 minutes)!

In the evening, I accompany two of our Cape Town-resident clients and enjoy an evening of world-class ballet.

Our safari jeep comes around a bend and a tuft of ground moves – wow, that’s not dirt but the head of a leopard that is hiding momentarily before it slowly emerges to stalk an African wildcat. A few minutes later we see their encounter – the much smaller African wildcat hisses ferociously as it stands its ground – and wins as the leopard decides it’s too much work to confront the wildcat, and walks away.

I open the curtain of my safari lodge terrace and there is a long-tailed civet cat staring back at me – we both decide to avoid any more personal an encounter than this.

As I sit in my open truck looking at a giraffe eating leaves from the top of a tree, an elephant flapping its ears while pulling a sapling out of the ground, a rhino grazing next to an eland (I didn’t even know what an eland was until now) – I realize that WE in this vehicle are the ones caged in the “zoo” while the animals roam freely in this vast protected landscape.

These are some of the images that still bring smiles to my face as I recall my visit to South Africa last May. I felt so welcomed by the open-armed hospitality of our South African friends that we are offering both a heritage tour and a soft adventure tour there in 2014. Please consider joining one of our tours to this enchanting land!

Click here to read more about our tours to South Africa.

Philip Sheldon

About Philip Sheldon

Since 2001, I have been the owner of HE Travel, which combines the best tours of Hanns Ebensten Travel, Alyson Adventures, and OutWest Global Adventures. I've lived in Japan and China, visited all 50 US states, 5 provinces and territories of Canada (including Yukon and NW Territories), and over 100 countries. In my travels, I enjoy hearing what people are uniquely proud of in their hometown and also seeing the common threads that link us all together.

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Gay Travel South Africa Heritage and Safari Tour

 2021  Date to be Announced

Prices listed are per person:
Shared Room: $TBA
Private Room: $TBA


Deposit Price: $1000
Physical Challenge 1physical activity level
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A night time view of the streets of Cape Town on HE Travel's South Africa Heritage and Safari Tour.

From exciting Cape Town to the amazing Kruger Game Reserve, our heritage tour offers all the best South Africa has to offer, all with a group of friendly gay travelers. Experience brilliant views from atop Table Mountain, thrilling safaris at a luxurious Game Reserve lodge. Read a personal account of the South African Experience on our Gay Travel Blog.

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