Articles in Indian Express

Sun City, South Africa

SUN CITY

Sun City in South Africa is one of the best resort in the world. As the name suggests, it is not just a resort, it is a city filled with entertainment. Sun city is a mix of entertainment, watersports, gambling, family fun and golf. It is a luxury casino and resort.

                                Palace of the Lost city Hotel, view from terrace

Water world

Elephant ivory 

                                                             Valley of the waves

Our group of friends decided to break our journey in South Africa for a couple of days, on our way back to India from Brazil.

Sun city is situated in the dense forests of South Africa and spread across 5 sq kms. It is in South Africa’s North West province. Sun city is 200 kms from Johannesburg and takes two hours drive to reach.

Sun city has four star hotels, casino, water activities, wild life safari, night life, golf and many more. Sun city was developed by hotel magnate Sol Kerzner as part of Sun International group of properties in 1979.

Hotels

The star hotels are Palace of the Lost City, Sun City hotel, The Cabanas and the Cascades hotel. The Palace of the Lost City is one of the most extraordinary hotels in the world. This 338 room hotel is a fantasy of luxury. The elevetor has carvings of elephant  ivory. The interior is adorned with Mosaics, murals and artwork. 25 hectares of botanical jungle surround the hotel with waterfalls and pathways.

Valley of the waves

The Lost City’s premier attraction is Valley of the Waves, which has exciting water activities. An artificial sandy beach generates huge waves through a powerful wave machine. Every 90 seconds a 1.2 metre wave is generated and crashes on the white sandy beach. 

Sun City is home to two water theme parks, one dedicated to slides and rides,and the other to action-packed water sports. The resort’s lake is home to Waterworld, where the attractions include from bumper boats to parasailing, jet ski and water-ski.

Golf

There are two world class golf courses in Sun city, designed by South African legend Gary Player. The Lost City Golf Course and the Gary Player Golf Course.  It has two 18-hole, 72 golf courses and is South Africa's major golf destination.

The Lost City Golf Course is a unique experience and offers spectacular views across the bushveld. Also to be noted are the use of bunkers and extensive water-features - and at the 13th hole, 38 crocodiles await.

Casino

Sun City Extravaganza takes place every evening with live show and cabaret. Guests can also try their hand at blackjack or the slot machines at Harlequins Casino in the Sun City Hotel. There are wide variety of restaurants catering seafood and fine dining.

Pilanesberg National Park

Adjacent to Sun City is the beautiful Pilanesberg National Park, one of the largest in South Africa and also a malaria free zone. The park covers an area of 55,000 hectares and its plains are rich and fertile as they were once part of a now extinct volcanic crater. Majestic hills encircle the park and a large central watering hole is ideal for game viewing. Pilanesberg National Park is home to all of the Big Five including giraffe, hippo, zebra and crocodile as well as an extreme diversity of bird life and over 300 species have been recorded. There are a number of picnic spots here.

The Pilanesberg National Park was opened in 1979 and can lay claim to one of the most successful resettlement projects in South Africa. Over 6,000 animals were reintroduced to the park during the 1980's and the park today is home to nearly all animal species of Southern Africa.

The Kwena Gardens Crocodile Sanctuary is located near the entrance to the resort. There are over 300 Nile crocodiles and the two largest captive crocodiles in the world.

There are no direct flights to Sun City. Visitors should fly to Johannesburg first and then hire a vehicle to reach Sun city.

Devbagh Beach, Karwar, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka

Karwar is on the northern most side of coastal Karnataka. Bordering Goa just a few kilometers away, Karwar has what Goa has to offer. Be it the Konkani language or the Konkan cuisine, Karwar resembles Goa in all ways. Only the Portuguese influence is absent here, as it is part of Karnataka state.

Western Ghats embrace Karwar beach on the eastern side and the Arabian sea on the west. Karwar beach has all the making to inspire anyone. In Karwar, it is like mountains are rising out of the sea. The Western Ghats emerge out in the Arabian Sea. The river Kali joins the sea at Karwar. The backwaters here are beautiful and the landscape is dotted with hill ranges, forests and deep valleys.

Karwar is a small town with one side of the road the narrow coastline hugging the Arabian Sea and the other side with dark thick forest of the Western Ghats. Karwar is sandwiched in between both mountain and sea, with its unique coastal beauty. It is rich in flora and fauna.

There are many beautiful places in Karwar. Some of them are Karwar beach, Devbagh beach, Binaga beach, Tilmatti beach & Majali beach.

The bay near Binaga, where the Indian Navy has its new base is called INS Kadamba as a part of Project Seabird. The Casurina beach, now called the Kamat Bay, Agra Beach, Anjidiv island are all occupied by the Indian Navy.

There are 5 islands off the coast of Karwar of which Devbagh is the largest and the most beautiful.

Devbagh Beach is famous for the golden sands and cool breeze, and it also provides a variety of water sports such as fishing, sailing, and dolphin hunting. The Devbagh Beach is an island beach that faces towards the vast Arabian Sea on one side and the dense Western Ghats on the other. One can enjoy the beauty of dense forests and the rough Sea at the same time. Taking a dip in the beautiful lakes, which are formed by the little springs belonging to the Western Ghats, is worth experiencing.

Devbagh beach resort property is beautiful. The resort is in a casuarinas grove, and the scenery of the resort from a boat in the sea is beautiful. There is transfer to the Devbagh Resort by a ferry which is about 15 minutes. Behind the resort is a forest. It is very safe and is home to Indian foxes and the 2nd largest butterfly in India which is called Southern Bird Wing. One can walk for about 3 kms into the forest behind, and can reach the other end of the island. The island attaches itself to the mainland during low tide.

In the mornings, the waves are rough and in the evening, during the low tide, the waves disappear and the beach becomes like a shallow lake. Patches of sand appear in the water, as the sea level is low. Once can keep walking into the sea, and you will still find yourself standing in just knee deep water. This is great place to learn swimming. As this is an estuary, the salinity is also low.

Karwar beach is said to have inspired the legendary poet Rabindranath Tagore to pen his first play.

 "The sea beach of Karwar is certainly a fit place in which to realize that the  beauty of nature is not a mirage of imagination but reflects joy of the infinite and thus draws us to lose ourselves in it." - Rabindranath Tagore

The Karwar beach is famous for its seafood and is prepared in different styles with coconut and spice. This beach is inside the city and in close proximity to the highway.

Binaga Beach

The beach is located 5 kilometers from Karwar and a mile away from Anjidiv Island near the Goa-Karnataka border. The famous ‘Our Lady of St Anne’s Church’ lies on the Binaga Beach, which was built by the Portuguese. A naval base has been set up by the Indian navy for its operations and is called the Project Seabird.

Tilmatti Beach

The beach has a unique stretch of black sand and offers a range of tourist delights such as dolphin watching, rock climbing, river cruises, and visiting a ship wreck. There are a lot of resorts and tourism organizations that offer you the opportunity to take part in these activities

Honey Beach, Honnebail, Ankola, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka

Ankola is a small town which is 37 km away from Kumata towards Karwar on NH-66. In Ankola, temples are famous and often Ankola is called as Town Of Temples. Some of them are AryaaDurga temple, Mahamaya Temple, Honnaraka Temple and Venkataramana Temple.

Ankola also have famous beaches like Belekeri Beach, Honnebail Beach(Honey Beach) Nadibag Beach and Keni beach. Vibhuti Falls(Mabagi Falls) is about 30 km from Ankola town which is situated at foothills of Yana.

The Honey beach is very popular not only among Indian tourists but also with foreign tourists. Honey beach resort lies majestically at the beach.

Tiger and Lion Safari, Tyavarekoppa, Shivamogga, India

The Tiger and lion safari is located at Tyavarekoppa village on the outskirts of Shivamogga. It is 10 kms from the city on the way to Sagar on NH 206. (Bangalore - Honnavar road)

                                                           Sambar

The safari was set up in 200 hectare area of natural forest in 1988 and managed by the Forest Department. It is quite known for the blend of natural beauty and a rich mix of bird and animals including rare migratory birds, leopards, lions, tigers, deer, sambar and Sloth bears. 

The safari is conducted by a bus driving into the jungle where lion and tigers roam freely inside the fenced forest. The ticket for the safari is Rs 70 for adults, Rs 30 for kids and Rs 50 for camera.

Timings : 10 am to 5 pm. Tuesday is holiday. There is a museum with information about animals and birds.


Play area for children is very well maintained. Restaurant with basic snacks is inside the safari.