Year: 2019

Clubs, pubs, and taverns galore decorate the streets of South Africa’s most touristy city during its pulsating weekend nightlife - but what’s there to do and see when the weekend is a distant dream and we need a fix for those Monday to Thursday blues? Cape Town is home to several cultural activities, and when the daytime fades and the streetlights come on, it's time to play. But for those not in the local know-how, what can one do during the weekday that doesn’t leave you digging deeply through your wallet? 1.) Go to House of The Machine on Tuesdays for Open Mike night You’ll be forgiven for believing that “open-mike” is synonymous with karaoke-level quality singing, implying a variety of performers ranging in levels from poor to semi-professional. The House of Machines, based in the heart of central Cape Town, throws all of that out the window by showcasing top-shelf singers, exotic instrument players, rappers, and slam poetry artists –  sometimes a dizzying combination of all the above. The MC of the evening - Andy Lund - is no exception; effortlessly juggling between hyping up the crowd and playing a few songs of his own (both originals and covers). He has been the main attraction of The House of Machines since its inception. It’s open seating with no bookings, so first come first served! Venue: The House of Machines - 84 Shortmarket Street, Cape Town. Day of the week: Tuesday Times: Registration to perform opens at 8 PM, performances begin at 9 PM Cost: No cover charge. Link to the official website 2) See a show at Alexander Bar Alexander Bar is a hidden hole-in-the-wall bar in the centre of town and the centre of the heart of every theatre nut in Cape Town. Home to a diverse crowd

4 Wild Animal Encounters to Enjoy in Africa That Aren’t a Big 5 Safari When touring the continent scrap that cliched safari and enjoy these once-in-a-lifetime, authentic African wildlife adventures. The African continent is largely known for providing visitors to its shores with unparalleled opportunities for encountering wild fauna in its varying natural habitats. The famous Big 5 animals (lion, rhino, leopard, elephant and buffalo) are commonly used by tourist and holidaymakers as criteria for the ideal travel destination when planning their African wildlife adventures. Sure, a game drive through a Big 5 park, like Chobe or Kruger can be an exhilarating and memorable experience; one that has delighted and will continue to delight countless tourists. However, because the safari experience is so synonymous with any travel exploits in and around Africa, it runs the risk of feeling cliched and somewhat expected. That’s why to keep your adventures fresh and exciting, the experts at Travel Republic Africa recommend the following 4 unique African animal encounters. LEMURS Off the African continent’s eastern coast, the world’s fourth-largest island, Madagascar defines adventure. Because of its relatively long geographical isolation over several millennia, the African island nation boasts some of the world’s most impressive biodiversity with a large portion of its native animal and plant species found nowhere else on the planet. Most notable of this is the lovable lemur, a primate species made of 100s of variants found all over the island. Andasibe-Mantadia National Park is a protected wildlife and forest preserve in the country’s central eastern region. Offering unbelieve opportunities to encounter many lemur species (including the largest of all lemurs, the Indri), the park is prime lemur-spotting country. There are a variety of lodging options available as well as opportunities to encounter many of the island’s other strange and wonderful creatures,