Travel South Africa

Relaxation & Body Spa Magaliesburg

2008-08-27T07:30:00.006+01:00

All us city dwellers suffer from this. That ugly word that has become such an integral part of our daily lives.

Stress.

If stress is corroding you, then you need a place to go to and just relax, take in the stunning views, enjoy great food, be pampered like royalty, and and learn what it feels like to be human again.

Magalies Mountain Lodge, in the capable hands of owners Leo and Lettie van der Walt, is situated a mere hour's drive from Johannesburg in the scenic Magalies Mountains. It offers a whole host of options to the visitor.

Accommodation is in 9 well equipped and very spacious rooms, one of which is a honeymoon suite! If you are on the lookout for a great venue for functions or wedding receptions, then the restaurant offers a buffet and a-la-carte menu option and can seat up to 120 guests indoors and ±100 guests on the wooden deck (from which you can also enjoy the spectacular view! )

4 x 4 tours and bushwalking are on offer for the more adventurous souls. The walk up the mountain is recommended to get a bird's eye view of awesome surrounding scenery. I managed to run all the way to the top, and then enacted a Rocky scene once there. That was more or less when I woke with a start and realised I had fallen asleep on the couch - but I got out of breath just dreaming about it! Still, if clean air and good excerise is your thing, you should try it out.

The lodge is ideal for conference and teambuilding facilities - Conferencing equipment includes an overhead projector with screen, telephone, faxing facilities and internet access. Should you require anything in particular, this can be sourced for you on request.

And last but not least - the spa. Ah, the spa! With various treatment rooms and fully qualified therapists, this is where you need to end up if you really want to treat yourself. They do it all, right from basic facials to mud wraps and hydro treatments. I am told that ending your day at the spa is a good idea, but that it is even better to start your day there! And let's not forget about the Indian Head Massage. I have always wondered about this treatment.

In my mind I conjure up visions of Chief Sitting Bull and his happy band of warriors standing in front of a "paleface" captive, and informing him "Chief will now give'um paleface Indian Head Massage" and then giggling hysterically behind their painted hands.

So, when I heard that some of my fellow guests were on their way to the treatment centre for Indian Head Massages, I was filled with great trepidation for their safety. I swallowed hard and admired their courage as they bravely walked down to what I perceived as their fate. Much to my amazement they came back half an hour later, still with their hair, literally falling down on the couches, all wearing silly little grins and making strange noises like "ooh" and "aah"!

I can now vouch that you will also come back from your Indian head massage smiling that silly smile and going "ooh" and "aah", so do take the drive out to Magalies Mountain Lodge and get those batteries recharged!

Click here to view theire website - Relaxation & Body Spa Magaliesburg

My Kruger Park Diaries

2008-08-02T09:01:00.010+01:00

If you do not reside in either the Mpumalanga or Limpopo provinces of South Africa, one can rightly argue that the world renowned Kruger National Park is hardly a weekend breakaway, due to distances involved.

As a destination however, it never fails to leave a lasting impression. I was fortunate to spend 10 glorious days in the Letaba rest camp recently, camping of all things! And what a great time I had!

To me, the Kruger Park is peace. It is tranquility. It is powerful, splendid, savage nature at it's very best. The African Bush in all it's majestic grandeur.

My love affair with the African Bush goes a whole lot deeper than merely saying "I like it here". It is just there - a very deep, very real, very integral part of who I am. The smells, the sounds, the ambience of the bush stirs something in my soul. Here, I feel at home and at peace. In the presence of something far greater than anything mortal homo sapiens can ever accomplish.

Have you ever ended up in the midst of a huge herd of buffalo, all around you, hundreds of them. All staring at you, those massive horns glinting in the late afternoon sun. There must have been 300 to 400 of them in this particular herd. I was still busy counting hoofs and dividing by four when it became time to hurry back to make gate closure time, so only a rough guestimate!

If you watch some of the large old bulls, their faces and bodies covered in the scars of countless close encounters, calmly looking at you, communicating the clear message - I am a bad-ass bovine, don't even think of messing with me!

In order to really drink in the bush, one needs to become very quiet. Quiet enough that you can hear noises you might not hear otherwise. In order to do this, I take solitary drives and find quiet spots on roads less travelled. A lot of people tend to stick to the tar roads, so the dirt roads offer great opportunities.

Being totally quiet is a skill not many people have. Most people fidget and scratch and cannot keep quiet for longer than 30 seconds. This won't do. You need to teach yourself to keep absolutely immobile. This means even ignoring that pesky fly! Not even turning your head. Hardly breathing. Not looking around - the idea is to listen, not see.

Then you start experiencing a whole new world. The total quiet sometimes. Bird calls. Animal noises. Insect noises. All those small noises that personifies the bush. Then you will learn what total relaxation really is. Try it sometime. You wil be amazed. Welcome to my world!

Of course, being the lover of big cats that I am, my all time favourite sigthing is of Africa's premier carnivore - Panthera Leo. King Lion. The fact that lions may not have the highest hunting success rate amongst Africa's carnivores, does not mean anything when you come face to face with one of these incredibly powerful beasts.

King Lion demands more respect than any other predator! His sheer size and tremendous power. That deep, deep roar that makes your very bones turn to jelly. Those yellow feline eyes that seem to stare right through you. All of this leaves you in no doubt - this is truly the King of the Beasts. 4 sightings in 10 days - not bad at all!

The game in the area around Letaba is prolific. We didn't see rhino - probably due to the very high elephant population. And of the secretive leopard we only saw spoor and drag marks where he dragged his prey accross one of the dirt roads.

Other than that, we saw practically anything you can think of. We are actually convinced that we saw every Steenbok in the park! Whilst in a hide at the nearby Engelhardt dam, a klipspringer actually jumped on a rock about 2 meters in front of us and stood staring at us for about 10 minutes! We even saw a porcupine. Hyena, elephant, kudu, nyala, zebra, blue wildebeest, baboons - do treat yourself and spend time watching these intelligent creatures, they are guaranteed to make you laugh - and lots and lots of others.

Bush Joke!

Lion smacked Hyena. Baboon was sitting in the tree, watching. Hyena, very disgusted, asked
Baboon, "Why didn't you help me?!" Upon which Baboon answered, "Well, you were giggling so much I thought you were winning!".

Elephant Dining

On the last night, an elephant decided to snack on the tree directly over my tent, which was pitched immediately next to the fence. At about midnight I woke from a strange noise. Whilst trying to figure out what this was, branches above me started breaking and tearing, leaves falling like rain on the tent. Then I heard an unmistakeable stomach rumble and immediately knew what was happening. Uncle Elephant stood right next to the fence and had his trunk over the fence, enjoying "my" tree! I was tempted to stick my head out the tent but sometimes it is better for sanity to prevail, so I just lay there and took it all in. Another unforgettable Kruger experience.

Good things

I must also congratulate the Letaba camp staff. It was clear that they work hard to maintain everything and keep it clean to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. We also ate at the restaurant and found the food to be of good quality and, if you don't order from the formal restaurant menu, you also get good value for your money. Whilst there my stretcher broke. We took it to the camp workshop to borrow their tools, fully intent on fixing it ourselves. The maintenance guy would have none of it, insisting that we leave it for him to fix, which he did that afternoon. An admirable job by a great guy doing something that is certainly not in his job description. Thank you Simon!

Surfing Tips

Yes, we did that too! You wake up one morning at about 3, and realise your hip is quite ready to be amputated. Then you realise the blow up matress has ceased to offer support. Deflated. Gone with the wind, so to speak...

So we tried to see where it is leaking. And eventually stumbled upon the brilliant idea of inflating it, and taking it to the swimming pool. Sounds good right? Ah well, it did at the time. So here I am, standing on the matress in the shallow end of the pool, trying to get as much of the matress under water as possible. Let me tell you, this is NOT a stable platform. So my first effort was an admirable one! For a non-surfer. Then we turned it around, and tried round number 2.

And that was more or less where the whole surfing theory went out the window. The matress suddenly got a life of it's own and shot out from under me! At that point in time the matress had something in common with one specific superhero - the dude in the blue suit who wears his red underpants over it - you guessed it - Superman. You know, the part about being "faster than a speeding bullet"....

According to bystanders, it was not a very elegant thing. It seems I did almost a full somersault! Do you have any idea when last I managed to do a somersault?? The landing was the problem. Especially the bit when the knee hit the bottom first. Left me limping for 3 days!

Moral of the story - when your blow up matress deflates - just go buy a new one! Please. Or borrow a stretcher, like I did. Which then also breaks.... At least nobody said life in the African Bush is easy!

Bad things

Unfortunately, one always finds the odd person in the Kruger Park that really ought to rather stay home. These are people with little or no love for nature, and little or no respect for self or others.

Let's just refer to them as idiots. Total, blithering idiots.

They are the ones who drive around at speeds way exceeding the speed limits. I always wonder if they go home and say they hardly saw anything? Fancy that! Ever noticed how brilliant the natural camouflage of the animals work? Trust me, the odds of you seeing anything at speeds over 30 to 40 kilometres per hour are practically zero, unless they stand almost in the road with a sign around their necks - HERE I AM!

The idiots are the ones driving around with loud music playing. Or radios and televisions blaring in camp at night. Partying till what time. Disturbing everybody's peace. They are the ones who litter in this beautiful place, who would not think of discarding bottles and other rubbish out of their cars. I know - I picked up some of their rubbish! They are the ones who would charge in upon your sighting, talking and making noise.

In short, they are the people who ought to never come here. Who ought to stay home and make a nuisance of themselves where they can only upset their neighbours!

Please, when you visit this beautiful place, have respect for others. Have respect for the animals. It is not a big ask. If you cannot - what are you doing there in the first place?

In Conclusion

Letaba (meaning River of Sand) rest camp has a great atmosphere, by and large peaceful and quiet. Lots of large trees -Sausage Trees, Apple Leaf, Natal Mahogany, Sycamore Fig - which makes for much shade with large lawns. The camping area is well kept and clean with very good facilities. If you sit still long enough you will soon be approached by one of the many bushbuck residing in camp, coming to see if you have anything to eat.

When you take a stroll through the camp your ears will be subjected to a virtual Babel of international languages. Dutch seemed prevalent, and there were also Germans, French, Americans, British - name it!

Quite wonderful to hear and it bears worthy testimony to the incredible value of the Kruger National Park as one of South Africa's premier tourist destinations. See you there!

Accommodation Bethlehem

2008-05-27T07:56:00.008+01:00

The city was quickly getting too much and I decided to just break away for the weekend. Set my eyes on the eastern Freestate with its rolling fields and mountains.

Contrary to popular belief, the Eastern Freestate is NOT flat. No, it is nestled at the beginning of the Drakensberg- , Maluti- and Rooiberg mountains. So, be prepared to be amazed.

Take the N3 from Gauteng to Durban and turn off at Villiers. Then past Frankfort and Reitz, and merely 2 and a half hours later, you enter the "bread house". Some of the most beautiful and fertile farms in our country are situated in this lovely area.

The town offers a variety of restaurants, places of interest, businesses and guesthouses. Bethlehem, being the last big town on the way to popular Clarens, is booming and you will be amazed at all the amenities and facilities in the town.

So, after doing my shopping for the day (meaning buying some medicine to fight this flu), I set out for La Motte B&B. Situated a mere 5kms out of town just before the turnoff to Clarens, it lies at the foot of a hill overlooking a beautiful valley.

Centrally situated - 20 minutes drive to Clarens; 35 minutes drive to Golden Gate National Park; 5 minutes from Bethlehem; 90 minutes from Ficksburg; 45 minutes from Fouriesburg, 60 minutes to Rosendal. I was able to enjoy the splendour of the Eastern Freestate without having to sit behind my steering wheel the whole weekend.

This rustic cottage, built with local sandstone in 1900, in a beautiful tranquil setting, sleeps 5 people. It has 2 bedrooms, full bathroom, lounge/dining area. And the breakfasts they serve are fit for a king. Lou and Francine offers a warm and hearty welcome and really made my weekend a memorable stay.

Some of the facilities on offer :- Can also be booked for self catering visits. Barbecue facility. Safe parking. TV. Swimming pool available. Laundry done by pre-arrangement.

For any activities such as hiking, horse riding, mountain walks, game farms, art routes, quad bike tours, white water rafting, trout fishing, visits to working farms in the area, archaeological and dinosaur fossil sites, restaurants -- Lou and Francine will help you plan and book.

Well, as with all good things the weekend came to an early end and I had to get back to the hustle of city life, but I plan to go back within a month or two to further explore the region.

To read more about Bethlehem, click here: bethlehem information

Eco Lodge Schoemanskloof - Indabushe Eco Lodge

2008-04-23T11:17:00.005+01:00

The wonderful part of always being on the lookout for new places - worthwhile paces that is - for a quick weekend breakaway in good old South Africa, is that you continue finding rare gems just when you think there are none left!

Indabushe Eco Lodge is one such gem. Dewald and Nelie really go all out to make you feel at home and comfortable, and Nelie prepares meals that will have you begging for more! The steak she prepared for us this past Saturday was a work of art! Oh my, I just started drooling.

Nestled between the surrounding mountains and hills, with a great view over a part of the valley from the homestead, you can just feel how your overworked, overstressed, hyperdrive city conditioned body starts unwinding the moment you step out of your car. The first thing you hear is water rushing over rocks in the stream right next to the house - it's exactly like a muscle relaxant, only better!

Do you need this? Trust me - you do.

The farm offers a variety of activities to cater for everybody. Hiking trials in the mountains for the fitter nature lovers amongst us. Quad bike trials for the more laid back nature lovers. And if you are just a totally lazy nature lover - nothing wrong with that - you can simply relax and enjoy the scenery and birdsong and that soothing stream.

Quad bikes. Lets talk about quad bikes for a bit. Not being a regular quad biker, I have always felt a little bit out of place on one. Lucky for me, Dewald first takes you for a little training course before escorting you into the mountains. And it really helped me - I felt totally at ease afterwards! So I could just enjoy myself. Safety first is the motto here.

When I think quad bikes, I think ugly, beatle like machines, noisy, bumpy and uncomfortable.

But boy oh boy, certainly just about the most fun you can have on 4 wheels! The exception might be my carting days (wonderful times, when I actually managed to fit into a super fast go-cart) and occasions when I was lucky enough to take a Ferarri F360 and Porsche 911 Turbo for a spin around a race track. That was fun - and FAST!

At Indabushe the focus is not on speed - rather on enjoying the capabilities of the quad bike to the max. In the mountains, in 4x4 mode, with you hanging on for dear life. And the route we did was apparently the easiest one. I have a feeling Dewald was probably just being nice to me so he kept me off the difficult tracks, up to a full day long quad bike trek through the mountains. So if you like quadbiking in the bush - you really need to come and try this out.

So once again Schoemanskloof serves up a very nice surprise. Small wonder then that it is fast becoming one of my favourite spots. Great people, great accommodation, great food. Perfect.

Thanx to Dewald and Nelie for making our stay one to remember. Will we be back? You better believe that!

To visit their website, click on this link - eco lodge acommodation schoemanskloof

Schoemanskloof - a great destination

2008-04-23T07:44:00.002+01:00

Well well well, it has been the longest time since I last managed to get away! I suppose one can berate this, but if the business is going great and that has been the reason for not geting away, then who am I to complain.

This past weekend I managed to get away to Schoemanskloof again. For the uninformed - to get to Schoemanskloof from Gauteng you take the N4 towards Nelspruit. Just after the Machadodorp tollgate you will be confronted with a choice of roads - straight on you go past SAPPI, and if you fork left you go via Schoemanskloof. It rejoins the N4 again closer to Nelspruit.

Beautiful area. You are surrounded by mountains in this unspoiled valley. It is very definitely worth the drive, but even better if you decide to stay over at one of the places available. Come on - treat yourself, just one night on your way to the Kruger National Park maybe. You will not be sorry.

Old Joe's Kaia, Indabushe Eco Lodge and Kilmorna Manor. All 3 places offering unique experiences to travellers.

Next time you go to Mpumalanga or the Kruger - do yourself a favour and sleep over for a night. It will be well worth your while!

Old Joe's Kaia - accommodation in Schoemanskloof Valley

2007-06-04T10:38:00.001+01:00

Mountains. What is it about mountains that has such a magical power. To fascinate. To enchant. Literally, to hold you spellbound.

The sheer size of these behemoths of Mother Earth is always sufficient to remind us of exactly how small us humans really are in the overall scheme of things. Imagine, they wil still be there in another million years! Where will we be?

If mountains can cast this kind of spell on you, then you need to imagine a magic little hideaway in Schoemanskloof Valley in Mpumalanga - directly on your route to the world renowned Kruger Park - where you will find yourself totally surrounded by the breathtaking Drakensberg Mountains. The mountains tower over you with such splendour that you can but watch in awe.

As you sit on the wooden deck just outside the lounge of Old Joe's Kaia - sipping on a really good red wine of course! - you are faced first with a huge, lush garden filled with a small forest of towering trees. In summertime bird watchers will really kick themselves if they forgot their binoculars!

There are currently 5 wooden cabins - nicely tucked away in the woods - 3 rondavels and 3 semi-detached "kaia rooms". Neat, comfortable and spotlessly clean. As for the food. Oh yes, my favourite topic! The food at Old Joe's, lovingly prepared by chef and co-owner Marian Cottle, is downright dangerous. Well, to the fast food industry at least! With sufficient meals like those you will enjoy here, the fast food industry might well find themselves scrabbling for business. You will eat like a king.

You can expect a very warm welcome and to be made to feel totally at home by the hosts, Marian Cottle and Paul Drews and their son, Damian. So often, your whole experience can be decided by the hosts of an intimate accommodation set-up like a guest house. Here, you can rest assured that the hosts are totally focused on their guests, and they add positively to complete a really worthwhile stay.

So, if you are planning that trip to the Kruger Park sometime soon - spoil yourself and leave a day earlier so that you can stay over at Old Joes Kaia. You really need to include it on your list of overnight destinations in South Africa.

You will leave with fond memories.

To visit their website, click on this link - accommodation schoemanskloof

Phalaborwa Acommodation for Backpackers

2007-02-06T12:50:00.000+02:00

Visit us at Elephant Walk and be pleasantly surprised at this small homely "home from home" backpackers and Bed & Breakfast. Situated in the Limpopo Province of Southern Africa, less than 2km from the Phalaborwa Gate to the Kruger National Park.

The Bush Was Calling Again

2006-12-04T14:32:00.000+02:00

Last Friday we did our yearly "pilgrammage" to Sun City to watch the Nedbank Challenge golf tournament - a selected handful of golf's biggest names playing for the largest winning cheque in golf today, $1,2 million! Well done to Jim Furyk for lifting the trophy for the second year in a row after some wonderful golf!

Anyway, with Sun City - itself a good place for a weekend breakaway - being only 102 kilometers from the Madikwe Game Reserve, we thought it to be a good time to revisit one of our previous destinations again - Mosethla Bush Camp.

And what a good choice! Keeping in mind that this is definitely NOT another one of the myriad of luxury 5 star type of lodges. Oh no, this is the type of place you go to when you require a much more down to earth type of experience, less all the luxuries. So, if you want a little bit of adventure to mix in with your bush experience in order to go home with a feeling of having really achieved something worthwhile, then THIS is the place for you!

No electricity. No running water. No fences around the camp except a high one to keep the elephants from taking a shower with you. Purely an economic decision, according to Caroline Lucas, as apparently elephants use enourmous amounts of soap!

At night, parrafin lamps will light the way and lends an almost fairyland feeling to the camp. To shower, you heat your own water in a very nifty little "donkey" boiler before using the bush shower. Be honest, when last have you had an INTERESTING shower?! And they are totally effective! If you don't want a cold shower, then you won't have one. Oh, and we have been told in confidence that no donkeys were harmed in the making of these boilers.

Of course, any experience can be spoiled if the people are not with the program. Well, we can now - again - assure you that at Mosethla, the people are very much WITH the program. Friendly, efficient, good food, good gamedrives, and really good service. You really go home feeling pretty good about your weekend.

We saw lions, elephants - one actually came right up to the vehicle! Let me tell you something about elephants - they ALL can do with a good couple of botox injections! You have never seen so many wrinkles in your life! But they are so beautiful.

We also saw cheetah, giraffe, kudu, impala and a leopard tortoise which ran away from us. Half an hour and he was just GONE. For bird lovers - be warned, you are going to be mighty busy! All in all, very rewarding drives.

An interesting bit of information about Impala. They have babies during late November, maybe early December every year. As such, they got their name from a Tshwana word - Phala - which means November.

So, if ever you feel the need to really get the dust of Africa under your feet, break away to Mosethla bush Camp in the Madikwe Game Reserve. You will WANT to go back.

We love this place.

Diving with Tigers!

2006-11-22T14:54:00.001+02:00

The tigershark. Beautiful. Surreal. Huge. Awesome. Big. Breathtaking. Scary!

Now imagine diving with them. Actually swimming in the ocean, right in between them! The question you need to ask yourself is this - do you feel adventurous today, punk?

Ok, sorry, I just HAD to bring in that line, didn't I. There is ONE similarity though, between the Dirty Harry movies and diving with sharks in open water. Yes, open water - no cages allowed! And that similarity is the fact that you will probably feel as scared as the criminals at the wrong end of Old Harry's .45!

Luckily, you are in wonderful hands. Mark Addison of Blue Wilderness (look for them at www.bluewilderness.co.za) knows sharks intimately well, an experience gained from 8 years of diving with these amazing creatures.

I slipped into the water as quietly as I could and descended. You try to prepare yourself beforehand. Try telling yourself it will be ok. YOU will be ok. Mark knows what he is doing. The sharks won't bother you. But NOTHING can ever prepare you for the feeling of descending into a tranquil blue ocean and then suddenly finding yourself surrounded by a group of tiger sharks!

You are at the same time experiencing terror AND wonder. Because as you descend and you start making out their forms around you, you simply cannot help but be awed. These are breathtaking creatures. And they got so close that we could actually count the stripes on that very coarse skin! Your lungs can't get enough oxygen into them as the fear paralyses you!

But pretty soon you start to relax as you realise that they have no interest in you at all. As prey they would rather avoid humans due to our size, and as it happens tigersharks are scavengers who prefer to eat stuff that is already dead instead of hunting living prey. I wouldn't advise trying this with a Great White though...

And even though the fear probably never leaves you totally, you soon find yourself admiring these gentle 4 meter long giants as they effortlessly glide around you. Admiring their great size, their gracefullness. Whilst being very aware of that huge mouth full of razor sharp teeth!

If you are very lucky, you might manage to grab onto a dorsal fin and hitch a ride. One lady in our group did just that - she was giggling all the way back to shore! I guess that says it all.

We spent three wonderful hours with "our" tigers. Three hours that I would give anything to have all over again. Three hours that are indelibly imprinted on my brain as being one of the most awesome things I have done in my whole life!

And the most amazing thing - when we finally had to leave, I felt sad. It felt as if I was breaking a very unique bond between me and those sharks. And I experienced a tremendous feeling of calmness. My body and soul felt relaxed and cleansed.

If you ever have a need to expand your "horizons", then diving with these tigers will add a dimension that will leave you awestruck and wanting more.

Interesting fact about sharks:

The do not suffer from cancer and they can detect 1 single drop of perfume in an olympic sized swimming pool. And they deserve our respect and admiration. Not our loathing.

An Unforgettable Bush Experience

2006-09-15T10:13:00.000+02:00

Hello friends. Long time no see! Some personal stuff kept us busy for a while, but being travellers at heart, we decided to drop everything and get out of the city. We needed to get out into the African bush, hear a lion's mighty roar, the symphony of the bush, and some fresh air.

For a while now we have been discussing a trip to the Madikwe Game Reserve in the North West Province, as it offers abundant wildlife, some great lodges and is also malaria free! Then we were told about a very quaint bush lodge, or eco lodge as they prefer to be known, by the name of Mosetlha Bush Camp.

Must be honest, we like the finer things in life, and Mosetlha has none of those. No electricity, none of the fancy trimmings you have come to expect at the typical South African lodges. So we had our doubts whether this was going to be good for us. Still, the friend who told us is of the same mindset as us, and he was really raving about their experience, so we decided to give it a try.

As it turns out, it was one of the best decisions we have made in a very long time! What a wonderful place, and wonderful people! Not to mention some brilliant sightings!

You check in at the gate at half past 12, leave your car at the admin office and then a guide takes you to the camp. Very secluded, private and QUIET! Isn't that the most wanted requirement when in the bush? No noise, only the natural sounds of the bush. Music for a tired soul.

We got to the camp, and was greeted by the friendly staff, and then had a very welcome lunch served. Being an experienced Lodge visitor, the day is very typical, and true to form, you take your places on the open game viewing vehicle later that afternoon. 4 hours later we were back, tired, dusty and smiling from ear to ear! The first game drive - elephant, lion, buffalo, wild dog! 3 of the big 5 in that bunch. What a start to an unforgettable weekend.

If you are a bird watcher this will be paradise for you. So be sure to bring everything you need in that regard. With more than 340 bird species, you are going to be busy.

Dinners are always the highlight of the day, with the focus being on traditionally cooked food. And then, to end the day, a smooth single malt Johnny Walker Blue Label, staring into the fire whilst making smalltalk, under a pitch black sky covered with a blanket of stars. Then off to bed. The fresh air really gets to you! Bliss.

Early morning wake up call, coffee and off we went again, intrepid explorers in this vast and untamed reserve. Thank goodness for extremely informative guides, who do their best to unlock the secrets of the bush for us city dwellers.

You can also get right down to it and do a guided walk. Not being of the very fit variety, we again had some doubts and could imagine ourselves stumbling through the bush, gasping for breath and making such a ruckus that no animal would come within a mile of us! Surprise! No such thing. Hardly broke a sweat. Well ok, thats not true, I sweated like the proverbial pig, but that is due to the heat. So make sure you take water with you. This walk allows you to experience the bush in ways you never can do from the back of a vehicle. Try and find the Small 5 for a change. Heard about them? This is true! Amazing little creatures - the Elephant Shrew, the Leopard Tortoise, the Rhino Beetle, the Buffalo Weaver and the Ant Lion. Just when you thought you knew it all! Ever watched a colony of ants hard at work? Try that sometime. The bush is about all the things living in it, not just the Big 5. It will open up a whole new world for you.

Then breakfast, shower, and relaaaaaaax! I love reading, so being able to sit quietly in the bush while reading a good book has always been one of the better ways for me to relax and unwind. Of course, an afternoon nap always comes in handy as well.

You sleep in one of the nine raised wooden cabins, set nicely apart, right in the bush around the central camp area and lapa. Note - the camp is not fenced, so if you like walking in your sleep, rather tie your leg to the bed. That way, you might very well save yourself from a nasty surprise. Animals rule here, and great care is taken to make human intrusion into their world as small as possible.

Showering in a typical safari shower is definitely one of my new favourite pasttimes! Never thought I would say that about a communal shower block, with the water being heated in a donkey boiler (no real donkeys were hurt in this little exercise) but I have now changed my mind.

When it became time to leave again, we did so with very heavy hearts. This is one place that will see us again!

To sum it up in a sentence - a truly wonderful experience in a truly wonderful place, made even more so by people who have really made it their mission to make you feel right at home.

The Natal Midlands

2006-07-19T09:04:00.000+01:00

Well now, it's been a while since my last post. Even us lucky people who don't really have to work anymore, must do our bit sometimes. Luckily, this past couple of days we got back to what we do best now - travel Southern Africa!

We decided it is time to explore a part of Kwa-Zulu-Natal that we haven't been to before. Less than 4 hours drive from Johannesburg, on the edge of the Karkloof Hills at Curry's Post, you will find a wonderful haven by the name of Mulberry Hill.

We booked in at the Mulberry Hill Guesthouse. It offers 6 large en suite rooms, with stocked trout dams - so guess what kept me busy for quite a while!

Surrounded by breathtaking gardens where tall trees abound, our room also offered a view over the Karkloof hills, but only once the mist clears! Imagine waking up and the whole place is covered with dense mist. The only sounds you hear are the large variety of birds, all twittering away to their heart's content. Breathe in the freshest air you can hope to find and just feel all your tension drain away. Once the sun starts melting away the mist, gentle rays filters through the trees and paints amazing scenes all around you, reminding you of all those stories you have read about enchanted forests and elves and fairies. Magical stuff indeed, and so good for the soul!

We treated ourselves to a trip through the indigenous forest canopy. Now this is something you simply MUST do. What an unreal experience! With Karkloof Canopy Tours you can be certain of an adrenaline rush par excellence. Experience the forest as you have never seen it. You can actually call it a monkey's point of view, as you literally fly between elevated platforms high up in the tops of ages old stinkwood and yellowwood trees. We have already added this to our list of "things to do - again, and again, and AGAIN!"

Other than that, there isn't all that much to do, but then again, you certainly don't come here to keep very busy. At least, I should hope not. You can visit the Herbal Centre where you can find out everything you have ever wanted to know about herbs. Or if you are a dog person, especially a Jack Russel lover, you need to visit the Jackie Brown shop. This delightful little store is dedicated solely to all things Jack Russel.

Enjoy a palate teasing pancake at The Bistro and Pancake Place, during the day only though. After dark I would recommend the lamb shank. Oh my goodness, that certainly will get your taste buds tingling.

After a most delightful 3 days stay, we very reluctantly packed our bags and came home, ready to plan our next little getaway, but also absolutely certain that this little peace of heaven haven't seen the last of us.

Phalaborwa - Gateway to the Limpopo Transfrontier National Park

2006-06-27T15:41:00.000+01:00

Hello friends. Trust you had a relaxing weekend.

We just couldn't stand the cold anymore and went looking for warmer climates! Decided to try something new this time, so we combined an in town lodge with a spot of game viewing in the world renowned Kruger National Park.

We saw an ad for a lodge in the town of Phalaborwa itself - African Lily Lodge - and made a rather short notice booking. What a pleasant surprise we got. It is a 3 star graded lodge and the wonderful couple who owns it will really make you feel at home! If you have yet to experience true, warm hospitality, coupled with a wonderful sense of humour, you need to meet Zena and her husband Daan.

It is a tranquil haven in town which offers lush gardens, the songs of hordes of birds to wake up to, and all within easy walking distance from various shops and restaurants and less than 2km from the gate of the Kruger Park. How good can it get!

The units are well equipped with a Dstv bouquet, telephone, internet access and offers breakfast on request. With us not being your typical self catering guests - after all, our idea of roughing it is slow room service - we settled to eat breakfast in the communal dining room. I'm not going to tell you how well we ate - instead I urge you to go and try it yourself!

While you're in Phalaborwa, treat yourself to a very rare and spectacular sight. No, not an honest traffic officer. I am referring to the largest man-made hole on the planet - it is actually visible from space! View one of the world's largest open cast mines from a special lookout point - it is awesome.

For the adventurous golfers, Phalaborwa offers yet another unique feature, other than the big hole and of course the Kruger Park, and that is the chance to mix your golf game with a couple of African animals. Yes, at the Hans Merensky golf course, the odds are real good that you will run into some sort of wildlife. If you play like I shoot claypigeon, the odds are even better! There is of course a fence between the golf course and the Kruger Park, but fences have never meant anything to the African Elephant. In fact, they trample fences so readily one won't be blamed for assuming they actually like the tingling feeling of 10 000 Volts tickling their mighty feet!

So, you HAVE to play a round at this beautiful course but be warned - don't try to fetch stray balls from the waterholes! If this course doesn't improve your game, start playing the fool instead.

We also did a 3 hour long sunset cruise on the Olifants River with Jumbo River Safaris. We saw hippos, crocs - one of which might well have been an honest to goodness lab experiment gone awry it was so big - lots of antelope and the crown jewel of sightings, a leopard drinking water in the river!

On Saturday afternoon we managed to make an appointment to take the 10km drive out to the Amarula Lapa, where we were introduced to the birthplace of the world famous Amarula Cream. Afterwards, we partook in a tasting session which turned out to be very tasty indeed. Less so the nasty hangover, but this IS Africa after all, and one needs to be strong to survive here!

What can one say about the Kruger Park that hasn't been said already? It's just such a wonderful place to be. No visit to this part of South Africa would be complete without at least one day trip into the park to drink in the ambience, the silence, the multitude of animals and the overall magic of one of the world's treasures. Even if "the bush" isn't your scene, you cannot help but be touched by this magical and mysterious place.

The bad part about my travels and excursions is always having to come home, and this was no exception. Go experience it for yourself, you will be pleasantly surprised and want to go back.

More on Dullstroom

2006-06-23T11:25:00.000+01:00

I just had to say more about Dullstroom. Have you booked yet? Let me give you more reasons to do so!

We stayed in the elegant Critchley Hackle hotel. It overlooks dream inspiring trout filled lakes with a truly relaxed, rustic atmosphere. Spoil yourself - book one of the tower rooms! Double bed large enough even for me with a fireplace in the bedroom. You even get a private patio although admittedly in winter the fireplace is THE place to be. Dullstroom isn't the coldest town in South Africa for nothing you know.

Tried my hand at a spot of the old fly fishing, both at Critchley hackle and at Elandskloof, about 15 km out of town on the way to Machadodorp. It normally doesn't take very long before you find yourself immersed in an epic battle with a rainbow. Ahh, the sound of a screaming reel, the splash as it jumps, how much more fun could you possibly ask for.

The hotel itself serves delicious meals. Mouthwatering to the point where you might just start looking really foolish. Do try it. No, not the mouth water part, the food! Or put on your warmest jacket and brave the cold for the world's best pancakes! Yes, Harry's Pancakes draws crowds from near and far. It is just so mouthwateringly good. Do you prefer it flat, sweet or filled with something savoury? You'll get it here! When in Dullstroom, you need to spoil yourself at least once. Or twice. Or a lot of times!

Feeling adventurous? Take a 7km drive out of Dullstroom on the Kruisfontein road to Valleispruit. Here you can test your clay pigeon and trap shooting skills or play modern day Robin Hood with a bow. Great fun! Even better if one can actually hit something of course! Well, there's always good wine afterwards. After a couple, the misses become hits, the hits become bullseye's and suddenly you are the BEST shot ever, with only your level of intoxication between you and an olympic gold medal.

Spend some time talking to the locals. Meet them in the Dullstroom Inn. An interesting lot indeed! Enjoy a hearty meal and a draught beer or some fine wine in front of a roaring fireplace. What a nice way to spend an evening.

If you are interested in architecture, you will find many delights in Dullstroom. An interesting mix of 19th and 20th century designs to keep you busy.

It also offers a host of different shops for the browsers amongst us. From linenware, gifts and bathroom items, to REAL mampoer if you're brave enough, to trout pies and hand painted glassware and beautiful art pieces.

And the best part of it all is that it is only a 2 hour drive from Pretoria and Johannesburg. Ideal for a weekend breakaway or even just a day trip to enjoy Dullstroom's delights. Try it and get hooked.

Till next time, keep travelling!

Dullstroom Delights

2006-06-20T10:46:00.000+01:00

Well friends and fellow travellers, here I am back in the rat race. Just back from a long weekend in that wonderful, relaxed little hamlet called Dullstroom. Correction -that wonderful, relaxed, COLD little hamlet called Dullstroom! Is it just me, or does normal winter woolies seem to be less effective when confronted with real cold?

Now here's a lesson for you - if you are going to Dullstroom in the winter, be sure to take lots of warm clothes. And lots of red wine. Trust me, you will need it. The other side of the coin is of course a lot more positive. All the good things that keeps calling me back to Dullstroom. The first, and in winter, most important one, is that the accommodation all boasts either heaters or in most cases, real fireplaces!

So, let's have a look at what makes this trip worth every single penny. Quite a couple of things to be entirely honest. The local inhabitants are for the most part, friendly and nice and strive to make you feel right at home. Having stayed in quite a couple of different accommodations in the past, I have yet to encounter one that I would not recommend. However, I dont want to waste time talking about accommodation per se, rather to give you my personal opinion of why you should make time to go to Dullstroom! You should, however, make your reservations soon! So, on to the good things.

Dullstroom is very relaxed and laid back, especially in the week. Over the past couple of years it has really exploded into a very popular destination and stop-over for local visitors and tourists alike, so on weekends, be prepared to have to go outside to change your mind. They are everywhere, exactly like the bad guys in a really bad Jean-Claude van Damme movie. Not that I can blame them, but admittedly it was better - for me in any case - BEFORE the rush started and everybody and his dog became Dullstroom Junkies.

Still, you don't go there to run around! You go there to unwind, to relax. You go there to sleep in, to eat good food, to fly fish if so inclined, and to sit quietly and read a good book. Something wise maybe, by Khalil Gibran. And to have good conversations and share a few laughs.

And of course, Dullstroom is for lovers. For romantics. You can't help it, it just brings it out in you. Imagine sharing a spot in front of the fireplace with your loved one, enjoying the soft glow of a crackling log fire, relaxing in it's soothing heat whilst enjoying each other's closeness and company, sharing a quiet giggle. Bliss!

Maybe you are a lover of good wine to boot? So you could be treating yourself to something really good, like a 2002 Pessac-Leognan from Chateau Seguin in France's Bordeaux region. Such a remarkable red wine, smooth and well built with a good fruit complex, even if it is still just a little bit closed. Given 3 or so years, it will leave a great deal of fruit as the tannins fade. Order some, you will love it. Just make sure you have some handy for your next Dullstroom trip.

See you there soon!

Travel Information on various South African hot spots

2006-06-20T07:58:00.000+01:00

I am the wanderer - visiting and wandering all over South Africa in order to bring info on various hot spots in this beautiful sunny country.

As I continue moving through all the nice places, I will keep you updated on what's happening where and where to stay, what to do, where to eat (how much you eat is up to you) and so forth.

So, without further ado, I am on my way to warm and sunny climates and beautiful settings - watch this space for updates.

Till next time