A passing thought about drinks in Africa as I've realised I've not said too much about this but not through lack of tasting

So first the wines. In my mind South Africa produces some of the best wines in the world right now. Its my hunch that like the Italians they keep a lot of the best for themselves.

A visit to Cape Town to see the spectacular table mountain, stand on the edge of the world at the Cape of Good Hope and visit the Cape wineries is a great addition to any southern Africa trip as its only a short hop from Jo'burg.

But if that's on the list but not this time don't fret as you will be able to taste great wines on all our trips as they all serve South African wine in all the countries offered. My favourite is a small vineyard close to Stellenboch called Thelema. Its range of whites and reds are superb and well priced. Try the unwooded Chardonnay if you like white and the Shiraz for the red.

Second the beer. Each country has a beer of which its proud. Zambezi beer in Zimbabwe, Windhoek from Namibia and Castle from South Africa. I like them all. You can get them in the UK but nothing beats an ice cold beer after a long day in the saddle.

Cheers!!!

Mark