I have always enjoyed travelling
to various countries; meeting new people, seeing
new things and experiencing different cultures.
However as a wheelchair user finding a suitable
holiday at a reasonable price has proved to be
very difficult. This was the case until I discovered
Accessible Africa; a 14 day tour around South
Africa, organised by Virgin Atlantic.
Jonathan,
Mark, Líz and I travelled to South Africa
not knowing really what to expect. After an
11 hour flight we arrived at Johannesburg Airport
and were met by ‘Alfie’ our tour
guide, who was friendly, down to earth and very
informative. He took us to his bus, which was
fully accessible; equipped with wheelchair lift
and spaces and introduced us to the others who
also were on the tour.
For the first 8 days we travelled round Kruger
National Park staying at 3 different camps;
we stayed in bush tents and bungalows and all
with ramped access, adapted toilets and shower
facilities. It was amazing to see the animals
so close, including, lions, leopards, cheetahs,
buffalos, hippos, elephants, plus many more.
Watching them, roaming free in their natural
surroundings, it becomes an action-packed viewing
journey. However we didn’t only watch
the wildlife, we also had the opportunity to
stroke a Cheetah (Savannah), go on a walk with
a lion (Chobe) and feed/stroke a hippo (Jessica).
Once the safari had come to an end we flew
from Johannesburg to Cape Town and stayed in
an accessible hotel for 5 days. Here we did
something different each day; a cable car ride
up 
Table
Mountain, wine tasting at Stellenbosch winelands,
visited Penguin Colony, Cape Point, and much
more. Not forgetting the nights out at the Waterfront
or the traditional African meal we had at Mama
Africa. The helicopter ride was pretty amazing
too but as it had no doors we were all a bit
apprehensive!
The holiday turned out to be all I could have
wished for with so many great memories and I
will definitely return one day. I have made
some great friends with people from various
places in the world and will be keeping in contact
with them. I would defiantly recommend it anyone
whether they are disabled or not.
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