DEPARTURE LOUNGE // AUTUMN 2020
G o
News on the
DAY TRIP ANTARCTICA…
FROM CAPE TOWN
Antarctica has long been seen as the
most exclusive bucket list journey – one
reserved for hardcore explorers willing
to make the two-day Drake Passage
crossing by ship from Chile or Argentina.
Yet more people are visiting the
inhospitable continent than ever before
(50 000 in 2018) and the journey just got
easier, especially for those living in Cape
Town – if you have the cash.
According to Lonely Planet, luxury tour
company Naya Traveler has announced
a single-day getaway to Antarctica. The
tour begins with a 4.5-hour flight from
the Mother City on a Boeing 787 with
just 33 seats.
While there’s no price listed on the
group’s website for this custom trip, it’s
safe to assume it won’t be cheap to visit
one of the globe’s most remote and
breathtaking destinations.
14 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE
WANT TO LIVE LONGER?
DOCTORS PRESCRIBE ART
Frequenting your local theatres,
museums and art galleries every few
months can directly extend your
lifespan, according to researchers from
University College London.
The new study, published in the British
Medical Journal, found that people who
engaged in cultural activities a few times
a year had a 31% lower risk of dying early
than those who did not participate in these
activities at all.
The report stated that even those who
visited museums or the theatre just once
or twice a year decreased their risk of
dying prematurely by 14%.
The Great Wave Off Kanagawa
THE WORLD’S LARGEST
SPEKBOOM LABYRINTH
Klapmuts in Stellenbosch is soon to
be home to a garden maze that will
make Greta Thunberg proud – the
world’s largest 13-circuit labyrinth, made
entirely from spekboom, an indigenous
succulent plant native to the Karoo.
Hectare for hectare, the Portulacaria
afra is reportedly 10 times more
effective than the Amazon rainforest
at removing carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere. It’s hardy, resilient and able
to survive drought, fire and frost. It’s
also easy to grow and propagate, and
a single bush can live up to 200 years.
It’s no wonder they’re fast becoming
currency for offsetting carbon
emissions in the travel industry.
Environmental activist Peter
Shrimpton has made it his mission to
plant a spekboom maze with the same
footprint as Egypt’s Great Pyramid of
Giza, measuring 52 900 square metres.
“If we don’t regress carbon emissions
by 2025, we’ll go past the tipping point
and all of humanity will face extinction,”
Shrimpton told Stellenbosch
Visio magazine.
“This global landmark will serve