The Howick Falls are always a nice place to start your trip. Head towards Howick and take the Midmar Dam turnoff, exit 103. Turn right over the bridge and at the next T-junction turn left, then head down Main Road towards the Howick Falls Hotel. At the Hotel, turn right and head down to find a parking. Along the road you will find an array of coffee shops as well as second hand stores, and of course, the Howick Falls themselves.

A photo posted by John Benecke (@kettleman) on Jul 1, 2014 at 9:35am PDT

From the falls, you can turn around and head right, up Howick Main Road. Go through Howick and over the bridge that crosses the N3. This turn off would be the Howick North, exit 107, if you were coming from the freeway. At the T-junction turn right onto the R103. This is one of your main Meander routes. From here on the number of shops and pubs are endless. If you feel you want to stop somewhere, then go ahead. The Meander has so much to see you could almost get lost. Florentine’s Belgian Chocolate shop is little chocolate shop on your left hand side as you start your Meander. They have awesome macadamia nuts covered in white, milk or dark chocolate. We normally stop here on the way back, otherwise your chocolate will melt before you can get it home… unless you stop on the way up and again on the way back down.

The Nelson Mandala Capture site is up next on the left and is definitely worth a visit (http://www.thecapturesite.co.za). It’s full of vibrant history, as well as a sculpture of  Nelson Mandela, which is more like a portrait. As a South African, you have to make the time see it at least once. It puts our lives into perspective.

A photo posted by John Benecke (@kettleman) on Mar 21, 2013 at 4:58am PDT

Just past the capture site at the petrol station on the left, is Steampunk Café (http://www.steampunkcoffee.co.za). It’s an awesome coffee shop and if you are going too fast you will probably miss it. You get R2 off a cup of coffee if you take your own mug. I suggest stopping on the way up, and the way down. The coffee is really good. Adding to the atmosphere is a local dog who comes to visit and stays on the welcome mat the whole day. Good coffee, good place to sit and chat. I have customers up in Howick, and I stop here at least once a week.

Next up is the Piggly Wiggly Farm Stall (http://www.pigglywiggly.co.za). This is a perfect breakfast stop. The food is good and they have a welcoming fire burning on cold winter mornings. There are a lot of shops here, as well as a pizza place that makes a really good pizza. They have a wine shop, a nursery, and you can spend hours here just relaxing. It’ a good place for children, when we were last there they were putting in some train tracks for a children’s train.

From here you have an array of places to stop at. I suggest stopping at any of the shops in the Midlands and picking up a Meander guide. It has a map of all the shops located on the route.

The Ugly Duckling is one of the shops up next and I think they have about three or so along the way. They have something for everyone. So browse and see if you like anything.

There are a few cheese shops along the route but the first one you come across, is Swissland Cheese. They all do cheese tastings but here you can pay R5 and buy some feed for the goats. It’s great if you have never done it but remember to bring some hand sanitizer. The other cheese shop is further along, and its called Marrakesh Cheese. Try them both, even if you don’t do it on the same day.

A photo posted by John Benecke (@kettleman) on Mar 21, 2013 at 4:59am PDT

There are a few lunch places but I have two favorites, and yes… it requires two days to do them both! The first is Gunther’s Sausage. Its just passed Swissland Cheese, just follow the sign on the main road when you see it. They sell German Swiss sausages and beer. You can either get some sausages as takeaway, or sit down for a meal. They have two huge Saint Bernard dogs, Hansel and Gretel, and they definately give the place an authentic German feel. All sausages are served with a crispy roll and potatoes, and you have the option to order sauerkraut. Oh, and did I mention the beer?

Further up is Rawdons Hotel (http://www.rawdons.co.za) and the home of Nottingham Brewery. You can do a tour of the brewery and buy lots of beer, or simply just buy lots of beer. The Hotel also does a good lunch, but I prefer Rawdons other pub, The Bierfassl just down the road. This is my other favorite lunch places to stop. They both sell a four glass beer taster so you know which beer to buy. This could take a few hours to enjoy as you can easily get carried away, so be prepared.  

At this point the road continues straight or turns left under the bridge. On your right hand side, if you keep going straight is a centre called The Junction (http://www.nottiesjunction.co.za). They have a variety of shops, so this is also worth a stop.  This road will shortly get you back to the N3.

A good place for dinner, justup ahead, past The Junction, in the Meander Centre on the left is Sapore (www.sapore.co.za), an Italian restaurant. The food is also really good. 

In terms of places to stay the Midlands have plenty. We found a nice one, just past the N3 turnoff, called The Windmills (http://thewindmills.co.za/). I’ll let the picture below say it all.

A photo posted by John Benecke (@kettleman) on Nov 16, 2013 at 5:09am PST

Now, time to go left under the bridge. The next centre is Sherwood Centre. They have a Spar, some antique shops, and a  few other places. Take the time to have a walk around. Further up the road is the other cheese shop Marrakesh and just past that is The Wine Cellar. They have all sorts of wines from all over, and you’ll definately spend some money here.

If you carry on along the road you will eventually get to the toll at Mooi River. There is an awesome Biltong shop at the Mooi River 1-stop.

This list is by far complete. Places to stay in the Midlands are abundant, some other places we have stayed at that I would recommend are:

• Pleasant Places (www.pleasantplaces.co.za)
• Waterford Manor (http://www.waterfordmanor.co.za/)
• Granny Mouse (http://www.grannymouse.co.za/ )
• Midlands Saddle and Trout (http://www.midlandssaddle.co.za)

This list could go on and on, but at some point, I have to let you discover the place for yourself.

We usually leave Durban at around 3:30am to be at the border by 8. You have two options once you reach the border post. If you have a 4×4 or 4×2 with diff lock, you can drive straight across the border and on to Ponta, but just make sure you have all the relevant paperwork, like a letter from the bank saying you can take the car out of the country and a letter from your insurance. You will also need to purchase insurance for the time you are in Mozambique, which can easily be done at the huts at the border. The other option, if like us you don’t have a 4×4, is to park on the South African border side, walk across and get a transfer.

The transfer can either be arranged with the camp site / hotel you are staying at, or you can SMS a guy by the name of Isaac (+258842003717). He was the only person that I could ever find that we could get a hold of. They say on busy days you can also get a transfer with guys waiting at the border, but I like to plan ahead so it’s your call how you want to do it. I recommend Isaac, he his talkative, knows the shortcuts and does this for a living. You may stop off along the way to drop something with a local family, or have his cousin along for the ride, but its all good. All the resorts know him as well, which is a plus.

On busy days, the border crossing can get extremely busy. There have been times we have waited in the queue for three or so hours, and times we have simply walked across within five minutes. It all depends how many of the border officials on the South African side are on tea break at the time.

When you get stamped into Mozambique just make sure, that if you give the guy behind the counter a stack of passports that they are all stamped. I’ve heard horror stories which I’m not going into here, but as with all border crossings just be vigilant. See, now I’ve made it sound scarier than it really is. It is really easy, just use common sense. This is Africa.

To get to Ponta, once you’ve crossed the border, turn left. Follow the signs if you can find them, the car in front of you, or one of the many dirt tracks. Once in Ponta your first stop should be Fernando’s. As you come into the town, it’s the big pub straight ahead at the market. Relax and have a few R&R’s. Rum and Raspberry is the staple in Mozambique. Fernando pours them like a legend, and your first one is always stiff. Right next door to Fernando’s is a place you can get your Pao, which is Portuguese bread. You will have to queue for it, but generally I do so with an R&R in hand, as well as being handed a regular top up by friends. It’s worth the wait. Bring a plastic packet to put your Poa in if you don’t want to pay for one. The bread is always fresh and warm… it’s heaven in a bun.

There is a restaurant on the beach called Ponta Beach Bar and it’s a good place to eat. We normally head there from Fernando’s for lunch before checking in to our accommodation. You can have a swim and there are plenty of venders on the beach to sell you all sorts of wares.

Ponto Is small, and everything is within walking distance. There are dive camps you can stay at as well as plenty of resorts, hotels or self-catering chalets. Gala Gala Eco Resort is a nice place to stay where you have the option of camping, or fully fitted luxury tented blocks. They also do dive trips if you are into diving. Right next door is Durban Curries. Its run by a women named Sharon, she plays guitar and can be persuaded to sing some nights as well. The food is good and it truly is a taste of Durban in Mozambique. We always stop, have a few drinks and play some guitar. Generally late afternoon or evening after we’ve had a pub crawl.

That being said, shebeen crawls are a good way to spend the day. Just about 4 – 7km past Ponta do Ouro is Ponta Malongane and the start of the shebeens. It’s not far, but you will need a 4×4. My wife and I once tried to walk to a pub called 360 degrees, and about a half a km in, I ended up hitching. Here’s a handy tip, when you ask a local how far the pub is, and he sees you walking and goes “Yoh”, you know it’s going be a long day. That was our first time, many years ago and when Gala Gala came to pick us up, they wanted to know how the hell we got there without a car.

Next door to 360 Degrees is a pub called Jenny’s bar. It has amazing views of the beach and you need to stop there at some point in your stay, if you are not making it your last stop before you head back to town. You have plenty of lunch options with the pubs on your pub crawl, or you can simply make sandwiches with the Poa you bought and eat it on the beach. Ponta Malongane has a nice beach to spend the morning, but if you are going with someone who knows the area, there are plenty of beaches all over the place.

Start your pub crawl at any of the shebeens and work your way back into town. Be sure to stop at Jack’s Barefoot Bar and hit some golf balls. For a good resource on a list of the pubs, as well as a lot of things to do in Ponta, try here http://www.pontadoouroaccommodation.co.za/. Another way of finding out is to simply drive and stop.

When it comes to breakfast, Neptune’s is a good place. It’s by the ATM in front of the beach. So is Mango café, which is just past that, and opposite The Whaler. Love Café, just before the market, is also a good option for breakfast or lunch. All the restaurants in the area are pretty reasonable so don’t feel the need to pack endless supplies of food. We normally only cook dinners and have Poa for lunch, or simply eat out.

Ponta has endless things to keep you entertained and also have an endless supply of pubs and places to go at night. They have another bar on the beach called Pinto’s Beach Bar. No food, just cocktails and drinks. A nice place to kick back. They also have the actual Pintos night club just before the market, which isn’t always open but is still worth checking out.

On our last trip to Ponta, we went to see if Pintos was open, and passed a shebeen just next to the market, they were playing local music with maybe five or so locals dancing. After discovering that Pintos was closed, we turned around and went back to the shebeen. The girls started dancing and within a few minutes, the music changed to the latest dance stuff, and the place was packed to capacity. It’s an amazing business model and it happens wherever you go in Ponta. It’s all quiet and the moment they have customers, the place comes to life. Tourism is their bread and butter so it only makes sense that that’s how they would operate.

Ponta is a place you can simply just relax and chill. From diving, to snorkelling or just swimming in the ocean. If you are looking for a chilled holiday close to home, it’s definitely a place to go.