Sunday, December 18, 2016

SA road trip (2): Garden Route and Cape Town


SA road trip (1): Towards and in Kruger Park

The second half of our SA road trip was in the provinces of Eastern and Western Cape. We started at a small seaside town of Port Elizabeth, explored the Garden Route along the coast, staying at the Tsitsikamma National Park and then spent a day around the city of Cape Town. This part of SA was completely different from the Northern part - it was a lot greener and had a more relaxed vibe. Our stay at Tsitsikamma park was also the high point of the whole trip - an amazing experience staying close to the best that nature has to offer.

Day 4 (continued): Flight to Port Elizabeth and stay there

The flight from Joburg to Port Elizabeth was about 2 hours and again British Airways. I was happy to discover that status on BA in Europe also allows lounge access for domestic flights in SA ;-). We landed in PE late in the evening and were spending the night there itself to avoid driving late at night.

While landing in PE, we saw breathtaking views of the sea, the beaches and beyond. The whole area looked greener than all the parched land and vegetation we had just left behind in Kruger. There was also a very different feel in the air, which we felt as soon as we landed there - a sense of lazy idleness that is common across all beach towns.

The town felt like a small cute place, ideal for retirement. There was the beach and then huge white beachfront houses all over; the perfect place to settle when you are done with the fast young life. There was also a port on the other side of town but it was quite far and felt almost hidden from view from where we were.

Beachwalk B&B
We were staying in the Beachwalk B&B, located right next to the main beach in town. It was a well spread out B&B, with a pool and a nice garden just outside the rooms. The room was comfortable, the property charming and the owners very friendly. And by this time, we had already fallen in love with SA, so everything felt perfect anyways:).

Port Elizabeth Sun Boardwalk
We didn't want to stretch this day much, so just went out looking for Indian food nearby. There was the Sun Boardwalk, a Sun hotel cum casino resort located right next to our B&B, on the waterfront itself. We walked in there and had dinner at a fast food Indian joint called Hungry Peter (really, is that an appropriate name?). We then took a walk along the waterfront which was well lighted up and looked like the popular place to be. We could also see some lights twinkling across the sea, which in hindsight might have been the port lights. I forgot my camera that time, so missed taking photos of the twinkling town:(.

Day 5: Drive on Garden Route, up to Tsitsikamma National Park

PE waterfront
In the morning, we had a lazy start as we had got access to internet and phone charging after a few days of no connectivity in Kruger. So we spent most of the morning recharging and getting back in touch with the world:). Then we took a lazy walk along the waterfront - the expansive sea and beaches, the relaxed air and lazying people all around. Isn't this the perfect idyllic dream?

Sun Boardwalk from inside
We again walked into the Sun Boardwalk so we could explore it more fully during the day. There was a lake in the middle, with ducks et al. And loads of eating places and shops all around to spend time.


Handicrafts
We then started looking at the handicrafts in the shops and ended up spending two hours (!) bargaining and finally buying some African handicrafts and small furniture. And then it was time to leave the town.

By the way, PE is known as the friendliest and sunniest city in SA. I get the fact about sunniest, but wonder why and how they came up with the 'friendliest' epithet:). I also noticed another thing about PE which was different than the north. We saw very few non-whites in town. It really felt like a European place, not an African one. Was that why everyone told us that it was a very safe place?

We left around late afternoon for our next halt at Tsitsikamma National Park. The drive was a straight one on A2 all the way till Cape Town, sometimes near and sometimes far from the sea. The drive overall was a refreshing and interesting one - with rivers and gorges and green mountains and the sea running on either side. We first stopped at a township called Humansdorp on the way. It was not a touristy place at all, but a place where Africans lived and worked. We walked into a huge Shop Rite and shopped for food to barbecue for the next two days. It was like we had come to the real world finally - we were becoming one of the people around:).

St Francis Bay
We had also planned to stop at a couple of touristy locations on the way. However, these stops made us feel we should have stayed there too:). The first of these stops was St Francis Bay. It turned out to be a small village with huge white villas right on the beach. And there were a couple of lodges and Golf resorts in the village for tourists to stay. How lovely would it be to have a place here? It was too windy though that day and we could not spend as much time there as we would have wanted. As we drove further, we reached the tip of land at Cape St Francis which felt like a less affluent village. It is famous for surfing and a lone lighthouse. But again, it was too windy that day for us to stay there for long.

Oyster Bay beach
After that, we drove on towards Oyster Bay which was one of the lows of this trip for us. The road till there - about 20 kms or so - was not completed. It was as good as a dirt road! We kept on driving expecting it to improve but it never did:(. There were windmills and horse farms on both sides all the way. But why was there no road? Anyways it was worth it in the end thankfully.

Oyster Bay hamlet
Oyster Bay felt like a small hamlet, but the beach there was fantabulous! It was like a desert, with huge dunes next to the sea. It was so impressive, I was surprised why there were not enough people there. Maybe because of the road?

Huge cow farms
Driving back from there to A2 was again the same dirt road. Thankfully the drive was pleasant on both sides, providing an insight to South African rural life. There were vast grasslands with sprinkler farming and farms with thousands of cows everywhere. Even though am from India where cows are usual, I felt like clicking pictures:); it felt so fascinating. Though I must say that it was clear that all the cows were injected with hormones. They were overflowing with milk and you could see that they could barely walk because of that. How humane is it to treat animals like this?

Storms River Mouth Rest Camp
Anyways, after this terrible ordeal, we were back on the highway where the route was green and beautiful again:). Thankfully we reached our accommodation of the night just before dark. We were staying at Storms River Mouth Rest Camp in Tsitsikamma National Park for two nights, again booked on the Sanparks website. It was a camp site on the river mouth of Storms river and there were a couple of forest huts located right next to the sea, with the mountains behind them:).

The seaside wooden huts
This location was the best we stayed at on our trip. The first night we stayed in a wooden hut with a captivating view of the sea waves crashing on the rocks, right in front of the hut. And the hut was amazing! Very well stocked, extremely clean and comfortable, and even though we were fully prepared for a barbecue, the kitchen turned out to be a proper well stocked one with no need to barbecue. It had been a long day, so we slept early after having a quick dinner. And it was only the next morning that we realised what a breath-taking place we were in!!

Day 6: Trails in Tsitsikamma National Park

Morning tea view
Also I should mention here, there is not enough marketing done for this camp - the information available online barely does justice to how good the real thing is. The camp has multiple accommodation options available - trailer areas, camping, small huts housing 2 (with outside toilets), small self contained huts and then family cottages housing 4. All of them are wooden cabins, spread out next to the water or the cliffs. And then there is a restaurant and a couple of shops nearby for any requirements. There was also a pool in the camp which we never found:).

Suspension Bridges
There are loads of activities to do all along the garden route but we spent our entire next day within the National Park. In the morning, we went on the suspension bridge trail, which takes you on a 45 mins walk through very dense tropical forests. The end of the trail are three suspension bridges which were built on the river mouth right before when it reaches the sea. This trail is quite popular with tourists and there were busloads full of tourists coming in the morning for just the trail. It was a nice walk, not so tough except the end which includes going all the way down the hill.

Lilies on Suspension Bridge trail
The trail starts with a small waterfall next to a beach and then you walk through green dense trees filled with myriad yellow, purple and orange flowers everywhere. In the end when you walk down the hill, the edge is dotted with loads of white lilies. We even spotted a few dassies on the way, sitting on top of rocks on the edge. There was also a constant chirping of all kinds of birds but even though I tried, I could not spot the birds making the sounds.

The restaurant from afar
All along the way, there are small beaches and bays and majestic views of the sea, the beaches and the camp where we were staying.




Storms River mouth
The two suspension bridges were just about ok though. At the end, there is also a small pebble beach where we spent some time sunning in the sun as the weather was quite hot during the day and we needed to rest to get over that.The water was not too cold here and we could have gone in, though we didn't.

Since there were no clear descriptions and photos of the rooms available online, the first night we had booked a two person cottage + a singles hut, and for the second day we had booked a 4 person cottage. Of course when we reached there, we realised the two person cottage was enough for 3 people to stay. And then even though we asked the park reception to allow us to stay in the same smaller cottage for the second night, they refused and so we had to shift to the other bigger cottage during the day. (This is another thing about South Africa, people just don't bend rules even if makes sense and is more convenient. In that perspective, SA is closer to Europe than developing countries in its attitude)

The second cottage was even more luxurious - with two bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen. It was very very convenient and comfortable, with everything you need inside and a picturesque view of the sea outside the balcony. One thing though is worth mentioning - in this and Kruger park accommodation, only the 3 point South African plugs are available. So you need to carry the appropriate adapter unlike the hotels in cities where you have multiple options available.

Vistas on waterfall trail
Immediately after shifting, I left for another trail, called the Waterfall trail. It is about 6.5 kms long and took me a total of about 3 hours going and coming. This trail is the first part of the famous 5-7 day Otter trail along the coast that is popular among enthusiastic hikers. It wasn't a tough trail overall, just involved walking along the sea over rocks and sometimes within the jungle.

Waterfall and the pool
It again offered stunning vistas of the waves lashing on the cliffs. At times the trail did get lost as you just had to get down to the rocks and keep walking along till you reach the trail markings back in the jungle. The end of the trail was worth getting lost though - there was a small waterfall which created a huge pool where you could swim. I hadn't prepared for the swim, so I missed it but I think this would have been lovely to do given how hot it was outside.

A deiker
I had seen a deiker right when the walk started. It was not at all scared even when I came close. And while coming back, I saw a family of about 5-6 dassies sunning themselves on the stone.
Dassies sitting on rocks
And of course, lots of lovely birds were giving me company all the way with their chirping:). I ran into lot of people both sides and was surprised how many of them were starting on the trail so late even though there were warning signs suggesting not to start too late in the day. For me though I thought it was a lovely trek and a definite recommend from me.

Vistas on waterfall trail
Vistas on waterfall trail



Evening view from the bedroom





Back from there, we enjoyed a relaxing sunset from our balcony and then finally used up all the barbecue stuff we had bought. It had also gotten a bit chillier by evening after the blazing sun during the day, which made the barbecue even more fun. We first made butta on the braai, then maggi and then roasted potato - it all tastes a lot better than when its cooked on the gas:). And then we sat outside for quite some time - listening to the sound of waves, eating coal-made food and observing the starry night which is so rare to find in the city. The experience was priceless. The night sky was the best I have ever seen in years. I even got to see the milky way crossing the sky. (We also noticed clouds on the horizon across the sea which had been there for the entire day, we saw the after effects of those the next day).

The camp as I mentioned before was very convenient. There was a restaurant on the beach, a couple of shops and also a pool which we could not find ;-). There were loads of different activities to do here - diving, boating, trails, bungee jumping, kayaking etc.. The day we were there, the sea was strong, so a lot of these activities had been cancelled. But they are enough to keep you busy for quite sometime:). There are many trails around and of the course the Otter trail if you are feeling more adventurous and campy.

Quiet sunset
The entire two days we were here, we experienced total peace and quiet all around us. This was the best place we had stayed in our entire trip. And I could stay here for days more. No wonder all the accommodation was totally full:). I also realised another thing - 'nature is always beautiful by itself. Its generally the man-made things which sometimes make it look ugly...'

Day 7: Garden Route towards Cape Town

In the morning, we woke up to the sound of waves just outside our rooms. And baboons!! There were loads of baboons in the Park and they had come out that morning creating a lot of ruckus. When we went out to look, they had overturned all the trash cans and there was a guy in a quad bike driving up and down the road trying to chase them away:).

Brenton-on-sea
We did not feel like leaving this place at all, there was something so peaceful and serene here. It was definitely the high point of our entire SA trip. But we had a long drive to Cape Town ahead, of about 7-8 hours. So we finally left early with a plan of stopping at multiple places on the way to break our journey. Plettenberg Bay for its beaches, Knysa for activities, Mossel Bay for its beach, Hermanus for whale watching and so on. However the weather turned for the worse and it was London weather all through - heavy rains, fogs, clouds and winds. So even though we stopped at Mossel Bay and Brenton beach on the way, we could not enjoy the stops at all. We did see the potential though:).

Brenton-on-sea beach
Plettenberg Bay is quite popular with tourists. While driving through mountains, the road suddenly opens up into flatlands with the lazy river creating a huge delta. Knysa was a huge city and there were many options for activities there. We drove through both these places because of the weather and finally stopped at the Brenton beach. It was lovely - a huge stretch of sand next to the sea. But the weather ensured that we did not stop there for long either.

Mossel Bay
We also stopped at Mossel Bay next but the beach there was pretty average. I don't think its one of the popular touristy places. In fact, Google maps didn't even show the way to the beach. So we drove on towards Cape Town without really enjoying any beach time yet:(.

Garden Route drive
Other than these specific places, the drive was very picturesque by itself. We crossed a lot of rivers about to meet the sea, creating fascinating and deep ravines just near its river mouth. We drove past some picturesque townships and towns on the way, perched on hills or located next to the sea and other such fantastic locations. There were also many animal parks on the way, elephant parks, snake parks, crocodile parks, eagles parks and so on. We had already done safaris in Kruger, so these were not of interest to us anymore. But I think some people might definitely like them.

Garden Route drive
There were loads of baboons on the way too. And we saw lines of farms with ostriches!! For a second, we took a double take thinking it can't be. But then it was:). Overall, the whole of Garden Route was a great drive through green country with the sea on the side. Wish the weather had been more friendly. As with most highways in SA, the quality of the roads was perfect also. Though this highway was a fully toll road.

Other than these places, our host at PE had mentioned a couple of spots to visit which we couldn't - Beacons island and hotel, Americo restaurant in Plettensberg bay to see the sunset and have fresh fish, trip to Storms river village to see an eclectic village, zip lining and bungee jumping and visit to the cat sanctuary. Again, maybe for the next time:).

Drive through wine country
After leaving the Garden Route, the drive got very boring. It was barren grasslands everywhere. So I decided to even sleep for some time:). To make it more exciting, we took a detour and shifted to A1, driving through the South African wine country. It was definitely better but still wasn't exciting enough and weather was so hot, that we got tired soon. So we drove quickly and were in Cape Town soon. And then the city life came to the forefront again. Townships outside town for the not so rich. And Cape Town for the rich:).

There was loads of traffic going into town. And it took some time to get to our hotel. We stayed at Radisson Vendana which was well located on the waterfront. Checking in quickly, we took the hotel shuttle to the Victoria and Albert waterfront to have dinner (the same waterfront I hadn't been able to find the last time:) ). It was like a huge mall on the seaside, very spread out with rides and shopping and restaurants. I forgot to take my camera though, as it looked captivating at night with all the twinkling lights. We had Indian dinner at Bukhara which was just about ok and not as great as Raj. And then as we had had a long day of driving, we called it an early night and crashed soon enough.

Day 8: Explore Cape of Good Hope and around

We stayed in Cape Town only for a day and spent that day in the Cape of Good Hope area. Most of my experiences are similar to what I had felt the last time I had been there - Cape Town. This time around though, the weather was a lot better as it was summer - sunny and warm. And the route Google Maps took us through to Simon's Town was through the mountains rather than next to the sea. While driving on the mountains, you can see the sea on both sides, a different but equally picturesque route compared to one next to the sea. But wonder why Google Maps took us through this road, is it a new route that has come up recently?

We first stopped to watch penguins in Simon's Town. Simon's Town looks just like a small English village, like Brighton. It has similar white buildings located all along the water, with a narrow road going all around. I think it would have been a good idea to stay in a place like Simon's Town than in Cape Town city. Maybe for the next time:).

Boulders Beach
While looking for the penguins, somehow we landed up at Boulders Beach, which was next to the beach where the penguins are generally spotted. There were loads of people swimming on the beach, plus a group of penguins sunning themselves on one of the boulders. It was a nice sight to watch them toddle along and play with each other.

Penguins sunning on the beach
One of the penguins was sitting on a rock alone for sometime, and then she got up, jumped into the water and swam all the way to the beach. She walked up to one of the bushes, almost coming close to the tourists sitting there and then vanished! We tried to find her in the bushes but were quite unsuccessful. Seeing the penguin swim, I realised they can swim so fast. It was quite a captivating sight to see it.

Cape of Good Hope
And then we went to the Cape of Good Hope. Entry into the Park had a very long queue because of the construction going on the Main Gate. We first went to the Cape of Good Hope and saw a dead whale on the beach. It was a sorry sight and the whole area was stinking heavily. So we quickly moved to the Cape Point. We think we saw an Eland on the drive up there but am not sure.

The park vegetation
The whole park was flowering right now - yellow, purple and white flowers covered the whole landscape. At Cape Point, this time we walked up to the lighthouse. It was a half an hour walk up with panoramic views of water on all sides and a narrow Cape jutting out. I loved the quick walk up. The weather also made it more enjoyable, it felt quite warm whenever we were in the sun though it was quite windy the whole time.

View from the lighthouse
Sea on both sides



Beaches on Chapman's drive
And while coming back, we drove through Chapmans Peak, which was again lovely providing fascinating vistas of beach towns and villages, and the lazy life there. All along the route, there were also loads of people selling sculptures. A lot more than anywhere else we had driven.

Views on Chapmans drive

Our favourite village was Scotts Estate (yes that's a name) which had one of the prettiest beaches on this route.

Scotts estate beach
Holiday homes:)










Camps Bay
While back in town, we crossed another Raj on Camps Bay and stopped there for dinner. The food was tasty (as usual) and the entire atmosphere around very lively. This set of shops were located right next to the beach and it was full of people out chilling in the sun on a Saturday.

People chilling on Camps Bay
We also saw two groups of people just dancing to music on the streets - it felt so chilled out and fun. There was a vibe to Cape Town which I could sense here but which I have not explored much yet as all my trips to CT have been spent outside the city. Maybe once I should stay within and try to understand what it is about the city which everyone in South Africa loves to rave about. Anyways after a long day, we were tired again and soon after slept off once back in the hotel, so no more exploring happened that day:).

Day 9: Goodbye to South Africa

Waterfront
On our last day in SA, we got ready early and first walked a bit on the waterfront in front of our hotel. It was a nice walk and a good way to freshen up the day.




Signal Hill drive
Thereafter, we drove up to Signal Hill, one of the three mountains around CT. The drive was stunning and the views magnificent. It is one of those places you can stay for quite some time. From the top of the hill, many people were getting ready for hang gliding; something I would love to do on my next visit. And loads of people were hiking up the peak also. As we did not have enough time, we just spent some time there admiring the city below. And then were off to the airport, which was about 20-30 minutes ride away.

View from Signal Hill
Cape Town from Signal Hill









Also, even though now I have visited Cape Town twice, I still have not been up to Table Mountain. So another trip is definitely due:).

Landing in Joburg
My flight back to London was through Johannesburg where I had a break for a couple of hours. While landing in Joburg, I could see the difference in the two cities - Cape Town felt so much more open than Jozi. Jozi felt so much more up and coming, trying to redevelop itself. And which also means it may be less good-looking for now. Once in Joburg, I spent my time in the airport shopping but turned out all the things I was picking up were not from SA, so decided not to shop :D. Anyways this was the end of my two very interesting months in SA, and I was feeling sad to leave - but of course with a promise to be back soon:).

Map

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

SA road trip (1): Towards and in Kruger Park


(I wish I had written this article while on the trip - there is so much of the feelings and sensations that have been lost in the one month gap. Will try to remember it all as well as I can...)

At the end of my stay in South Africa, we spent a week on a road trip criss-crossing the country. The variety of tourist options available across SA were just mind-blowing and it was tough to fit a lot in a week. We touched most of the places with enough time at hand. But it was definitely possible to be even more leisurely in our exploration:). Our itinerary in this one week was as follows:
  • Day 1 : Drive from Johannesburg to Kruger, through the Panoramic Route, stay at Hamilton Parks Country Lodge in Hazy River outside Kruger Park
  • Day 2-3: Safaris in Kruger Park over next two days, stay at Skukuza Camp inside Kruger Park for 2 nights
  • Day 4: Drive from Kruger to Johannesburg, fly from Joburg to Port Elizabeth in Eastern Cape, stay at Beachwalk Bed and Breakfast for 1 night
  • Day 5: Drive from PE to Tsitsikamma National Park, stay at Storms River Mouth Rest Camp for 2 nights
  • Day 6: Explore Tsitsikamma National Park
  • Day 7: Drive on Garden Route up to Cape Town, stopping at beaches on the way. Stay at Radisson Blu Vendome for 2 nights
  • Day 8: Explore Cape of Good Hope area near Cape Town
  • Day 9: Say good bye to South Africa:) and fly back
And I must say, South Africa for me ranks very high on my list of favourite countries to travel (others being Jordan, Mexico and Canada).The first half of our travel was in the North Eastern part of South Africa, from Joburg to Kruger and then back; and the second half was in the Eastern part, from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. We drove a lot, about 1400 kms over the week!

Day 1 : Johannesburg to Kruger, through Panoramic Route

Kruger is the largest game reserve in South Africa with an area of 20,000 km2, neighbouring the countries of Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The Park is so huge, that you need to decide beforehand where you want to go as that affects your trip a lot. You can stay outside the Park, and go in daily for game drives or you can stay within the Park. Though I would say, its a lot more convenient to stay within the Park as that gives you convenience of driving less, longer access to the facilities and flexibility to explore more of the Park.

There are some 10-15 camps located within Kruger where tourists can stay, some are huge, while some very small. And these camps have options of camping, staying in a trailer or multiple cottage and tented accommodation options. I would think the smaller camps are cosier to stay in but they are booked out months in advance. So when I started looking, the only camps which had availability were either in the north (which were too far a drive from Joburg) or in the largest camp, Skukuza in the South. And even in Skukuza, I was able to find accommodation only for 2 nights. So the first night we had to stay outside Kruger near the city of Hazy River.

As we were staying outside the first day, we decided not to do any safaris, and just drive leisurely from Joburg, exploring the Panoramic drive on the way along the Blyde Canyon route. It was about 4 hours to our accommodation for the night and we drove across Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces on the way. And it felt, that finally we were driving through the country's hinterlands.

Handicrafts on the way
This drive to Kruger was a lot prettier than the Drakensberg drive, very scenic, with greenery and mountains all around, farms with lots of cows and sheep, even a cactus farm (!) and multiple lakes dotting the landscape. There were very few people to be seen living on either side. We did cross some industries on the way which were then followed by townships located right next to it.



Animals at Alzu highway service station
I did see one sad thing on the drive though which disturbed me. We stopped at one of the services on the way called Alzu for a quick break. Apparently they do game drives at the service station right next to the highway, and from the cafe, we could see all the animals drinking water at the water point - ostrich, buffaloes, rhinos, zebras and gazelles. So, much before we entered the Park, we got to see so many animals at the same place (which btw we never got to see in Kruger). It was definitely a bit of a bummer.

Rhinos with horns removed
They were all so peacefully sipping water, it felt unnatural too. And then on closer look I realised that the rhinos' horns had all been cut!! It was very shocking to see how something like this could happen!! I am not sure if keeping so many animals in such a closed environment is legal or not, but I think it is definitely not human.

The rest of drive was mostly through highways, but then we drove through the Schoemanskloof valley which was like a paradise on earth. Even though it was just supposed to be the "route" to Kruger, it was magnificent. You drive up and down a lush green valley, and then through orchards of orange trees grown at a large scale, extending till wherever your eyes can see. And then you drive through valleys where there are jacaranda trees growing in the wild - the purple popping out of the green and yellow around, it really spices up the view. As I said, once we started on our roadtrip, we soon realised there was much more on the way to experience than our tight itinerary gave us time to explore.

Drive on Panoramic Route
And then we took a detour to drive on the Panoramic route. This drive is through a couple of smaller towns and villages, driving next to the Blyde river and passing next to a couple of waterfalls. The highlight of this route was the drive through hills and picturesque valleys, with green trees everywhere. Till you realise that all these forests are secondary - they have been planted by humans over hundreds of years. You realise this when you see some areas which had been cleared of the forests and new trees had been planted recently. But even if unnatural, this drive was magnificent in its freshness, colours and breathtaking view:). By the end of it, we almost had had an overdose of beautiful vistas (if that was ever possible ;-) ).

Sabie River
We first stopped at the Sabie falls near the town of Sabie which were honestly avoidable. These are very small falls on the river, with a garden next to it. And they charge 10 ZAR for the stop:).Thereafter, there were many other falls on the route - Lisbon, Berlin, MacMac, Bridal Veil etc.
Above the Berlin Falls
We stopped at the Berlin falls which may be impressive during wet season, but for now was only so-so. But it was fun to walk down to the river, put your feet in the cold water and rest; given how hot it had become during the day. The rocks where the river was flowing down had been eroded into weird formations just on top of the falls. There was also a handicrafts market right next to the falls (and next to all the other waterfalls and spots on the way). We stopped and rested there for some time before moving on.

God's Window
And last on the Panoramic Route, we stopped at God's Window, which is a view point giving a panoramic view of the Blyde Valley till afar. The view was magnificent, but there was not much to do there other than buy handicrafts again:). The entry fee is 20 ZAR per person here too.

Gods Window
I felt on the Panoramic Route that SA is quite commercial now, and nothing is as cheap as the rest of Africa. Also in hindsight, a lot of these stops were missable, the drive was a lot more stunning than the tourist spots charging money. Other than these spots, there is the Blyde River Canyon and Bourke's Luck Potfholes much further on the way - both of which look interesting. However, we did not have enough time to go there and had to call it a day.

Views on Panoramic Route
It was getting dark by then, and we drove back in quite a hurry. But still it was enough time to admire all the views around - valleys and rivers and sunsets, all the typical SA fare ;-). We drove through the towns of Grashop and Hazy view to reach our accommodation at Hamilton Parks Country Lodge.

The Lodge was in the middle of nowhere - you drive out from Hazy View for about 10 kms through banana farms, and then take a 2 kms detour into the wild! Honestly, there was no light and something that could barely be called a road in this last 2 kms. And then we came upon a sign asking us to beware of hippos! It was definitely not an easy 10 mins but we eventually reached the hotel, which felt just perfect after such a long day. It was a 60 year old Lodge, built in the way of old English hunting lodges, right in the middle of a jungle. With nowhere to go and no wi-fi either! It was like we were staying right in the lap of nature, away from everything around. We relaxed a bit, explored the place, had a nice vegetarian dinner made by our hosts and soon crashed. It had after all been a long day of driving in the sun.

Day 2: Entered Kruger and then three safaris

The next morning, we spent some time around the Lodge itself, walking around in the jungle and taking in the feeling of being close to nature. After a late morning, we drove towards the Phabeni gate, the closest gate to Kruger from Hazy View. And then onwards, the Kruger experience began. It was like we had been transported into a different world all together. Lazy and slow, moving in accordance with how animals roll:).

After that, the next two days were a blur - all I remember was always straining our eyes and trying to spot animals in the bush:). We did a total of about 7 safaris over the next 2 days, and spotted a lot of animals in varied moods. And each safari felt different and similar in many ways. There was at that time a drought going on in Kruger, and hence it was all yellow all around. I think we spotted less animals because of that than we otherwise would have. But the upside was that all the safaris we did right next to the river were the best - all the animals were to be found there, looking for water!

Self Drive along Sabie river - We entered Kruger through the Phabeni gates as our host at Hamilton Lodge had suggested to take this entrance and drive along the Sabie river to reach the Skukuza camp. We bought a map at the gate (45 ZAR) which was frankly not as much of a help as we would have thought), and as soon as we entered, we saw a couple of impalas staring at us and then a giraffe eating next to the main road.

Impalas
And then we took one of the the dirt roads, all the way next to the river Sabie. The river was a bit far from the dirt road (plus I think our eyes were not that well trained till then), so we did not spot ANY animals at all there and were coming back towards the main road, disappointed. We were still getting used to the squinting needed to spot animals;-). And then, while coming back, we spotted a herd of elephants crossing the road right in front, so it made the morning feel a lot better:).

By that time, it had got very hot and we had got tired too after all the driving, so we drove into our Skukuza camp. It was the biggest camp in the Park and hence had all the amenities needed - an ATM, a petrol station, a food shop and a restaurant next to the river. You can enter the camp only between specific times during the day, and the gates shut down for the rest. It almost feels like a prison created for your own safety:).

We checked in early into our bungalow and slept the whole afternoon. I will describe the accommodation later but it was very clean, convenient and perfect for spending time near nature.

Kudu
Evening self-drive safari along Sabie river - I would rate this as one of the best safaris we did. We left around 4pm while still hot and had to be back in camp by 6pm as the gate closes by that time. We simply drove along the Sabie River and then back. There were loads of safari jeeps at this time, so it was easier to spot animals where there were loads of people already gathered:).

Elephant herd
We saw herds of elephants crossing the road, a hyena sleeping (probably unwell) right next to the road, two hippos eating out of the water (its a rare sight as hippos never get out of water), many giraffes happily eating away in the sun, and loads of gazelles (impalas, many kudu families, springbok, deikers and so on). The drive felt very refreshing too as it was so much greener next to the river, and cooler by the evening.

Giraffe at night
Official night safari - We had a very quick dinner outside our cottage, and then went on the official night safari from 8-10pm. This was the start of my realisation that the official trips and safaris from the Parks are quite low in quality. We drove around the Park for about 2 hours in the dark, and all the guide showed us were loads of scrub hares, a scorpion and a snake in the ground (really!). Rest of all the spottings were made by the passengers on the bus who were more keen to see animals with the spot lights they were given, than the guide who was only interested in driving us around. The passengers spotted a rhino near a watering point, a genet, two african civets, a white tail mongoose and two deikers, all using night spotlights. But overall, the night safari was a total waste of time and totally avoidable. I think the quality of the safari guides (or maybe their motivation) really needs to improve.

Of course what was lovely was being out in the wild under the stars. That was just beautiful and serene, the noises of the jungle, with barely a soul or light in sight. Totally heavenly!

Day 3: Morning walk and two safaris in Kruger

Morning walking safari - The second morning, I went for the official morning walking safari for about 2-3 hours. We started early, at about 5am and I must say, this was better than the two official game drives I did. We had two guides with us who carried guns with them, and a group of about 5-6 of us walking behind them. We spotted an owl, a solitary elephant, couple of kudus, a deiker and a rhino while driving to our walking spot - all having their morning meal.
Morning in the bush
Then we got down and the guides walked us through the "bush" (as people love to call Kruger). They told us a bit about the life in the bush, answered questions we had about the animals but overall just showed us droppings of different animals - hippos, giraffes, impalas, elephant, zebra and so on (they were all differently shaped and easily identifiable!!) that we found on the path. In fact, they told us in the beginning itself that we should not expect to see any animals on this trail. The aim of the morning walk was more to tell us about life in the bush.

Drought in the Park
The told us about how there was a severe drought going on in the Park with no rain for almost a year. Because of which lot of things were changing - the animals had moved away and were becoming a lot more aggressive and irritable. Zebras, wildebeests and buffalos had split their huge herds into smaller groups and moved to different parts of the Park where there was more grass (we did not see a single wildebeest in our 7 safaris!). And the number of gazelles pregnant has also gone down - there would be a lot less babies coming the next season. We also saw a scrub hare running around, which wasn't usual. But because there was no water, they had to search more for water and be above ground longer than usual.

We saw a wallow area in the mud where rhinos had been recently. There were ticks in the mud still, as that's the reason rhinos wallow (and tick birds warn animals of impending danger!). Black rhinos are more aggressive than white rhinos, their lips and footmarks are different, and they are less relaxed than the white. Also the calf of one walks in front of the cow, and the other behind. (The differences between white and black rhinos are really weird!). These were most of the stories that the guides were planning to tell us all morning:).

View on morning walk, 2 rhinos:)
But as luck would have it, within 5 mins, we ran into two rhinos who were happily eating away in the grass. We observed them for a bit, from a distance of say 10 metres which felt too close for comfort. While we sneakily walked away, we ran into two more rhinos and then observed them. While walking away, we ran into another black rhino but I think we had had enough by then and walked away anyways without observing him ;-). We heard many more stories about the rhinos while stalking them - apparently their eyesight is very poor, so when they hear danger, they get confused and start running randomly in any direction, and a lot of times towards danger! And that is how a lot of rhino charges happen, without intention.

Other than these lucky sightings, I would say even the morning safari could be given a miss. Except for the fact that you get to walk in the jungle which is not otherwise allowed - this is definitely different than driving past animals eating on both sides of the road. And the continuous chirping of the birds you hear when you are walking in the jungle is definitely refreshing. But I would still rate this as a miss.

Solitary elephant romping towards us
Morning self-drive safari inside the Park and then along Sabie river: Once back from the walking safari, we went off on our own self-drive safari for about 3-4 hours. Trying to be different, we decided to drive in the interiors of the forest and realised that was not a smart move. We drove for 50-60 or more kms I think, and barely saw anything. We saw a couple of pretty birds - Yellow Crested Barnet, Guinea fowl, African hoopoe, Southern yellow-billed hornbill, Southern ground hornbill, and a solitary elephant who came pretty close to us for comfort.

Spot the bird!
Hornbill

Hornbill
Blue bird

















Rhino, impala, warthog and kudu:
waiting for their turn in the water hole
But soon after, we reached a water hole where there was a rhino in the water, loads of warthogs around, a couple of kudus standing there and loads of impalas waiting for the rest to get out of the waterhole. It was an easy spot, but there was a kind of idleness in this scene which is difficult to explain. Hot day with almost dead plants all around. 4 groups of animals lazily just standing and observing each other, barely moving. It was right out of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez book. And is something only Africa or South America can offer.

Herd of elephants crossing the road
We had given up by now and decided to come back to the river. It took a long time, but we returned back to the route next to the river and we ran into so many animals again! We saw warthogs eating next to the river. A couple of giraffes. Two buffalos eating away on the riverbed. Two sets of nyalas. Baboons on the river bridge. A solitary buffalo lost on the road and too close for comfort. Langurs walking on the river bed. A herd of elephants crossing the road back from the river. Steenbocks running away. Two herds of elephants the other side of the river.
A Nyala
A vulture sitting on top of a tree. Waterbucks grazing away to glory. One elephant herd sitting under a tree and fanning itself vigorously, and so on. It made up for the hours of aimless driving we had done in the interior of the Park and also drove home the point of the drought to us - all animals preferred to be in the vicinity of the river at this time.

Warthog
We even stopped at one spot where there were some 15 cars jam packed. But nothing to be seen. We left after 15 minutes as it had got hot by then and we were waiting to be back at the camp.



Sunset at Kruger
Evening official safari - Again, after napping in the afternoon, we left for the evening safari and this was the biggest waste of all. The guide drove us to the interiors of the Park, and barely showed us some scrub hares, giraffes, a kudu and a hippo in the beginning. Again the passengers were the ones spotting the animals while the guide just kept driving on. It really felt that he did not care about the safari at all. He took us to a lake where on the opposite side were 3 rhinos going away after drinking water. And the passengers also spotted a genet, two grey deikers and hornbills walking away.

Once back at our accommodation, we had by now figured out that you need coal to make a barbecue:D. We bought some charcoal and were then trying to make a fire to cook our maggi. Of course it did not work and we realised you also need a lighter!! So our friendly neighbour helped us with one and we made coal cooked maggi and boiled potatoes on it. It felt a lot more fun than the usual cooking too. Isn't it weird it feels nice sometimes to live life how it was lived years ago?

Day 4: Last safari at Kruger and off to Joburg

Our hut was located right at the edge of the camp and there was a fence where animals would stray every morning. The last morning, there were a couple of kudus and baboons eating right next to the fence. And it was followed by a guy trying to shush them away:). This is called having wildlife at your doorsteps, isn't it?

Giraffe family
Morning self-drive safari back to Phabeni gate: This was our last morning in the Park and we had to drive far till Joburg airport. However, we had till now not seen the cats - lion, cheetah or leopards and so thought of taking a longer route till the Phabeni gate to see if we can spot anything. So we did a self-drive 2 hour safari till the gate. And I would say it was one of the best we had. It is also a reminder that what and when you spot something on a safari is a random event, you can never be sure of what you run into.

Buffalos, waiting to cross the road
It started with us seeing a hyena running on the road towards us. Then we saw a group of tortoises walking next to the road. (Honestly, I was very surprised to see tortoises in Kruger, had never expected them, especially given how far it is from the sea, and the ongoing drought). Then we saw a herd of about 5-7 buffalos, patiently standing in a line and waiting for people to cross, so that they could cross the road after them. A couple of kudus giving us good poses. And a couple of hippos swimming in the water. Then two families of giraffes, walking in a line. Then we also saw two zebras (finally!), eating and crossing the road leisurely.

Lion spotting
And then of course, the best was for the last - spotting the lion. He was an old solitary male lion, sunning himself on a hot morning. He was sitting under a tree, first looking away from us, then turning around to give some good shots, and then leisurely walking up towards another spot across the road, finding another tree and going to sleep!!

Lion spotting
We were so excited to have finally spotted a cat, it made the morning safari all worthwhile. We even told all the others we met on the road, to go ahead fast to spot the lion! With all these new animals we spotted, we had got delayed and then had to zoom past our way to the airport.

The drive again was pretty, green and picturesque, especially the jacarandas and the Shoenskloof area. There were the same banana plantations and tree plantations along the way. There were loads of farms all the way, full of crops ready to be cut. It was quite sunny and humid all the way, again highlighting the current drought in the region.We also drove through a couple of nice towns on the way - Hazy View, White River and Nelspruit. And passed a town called Emalahleni which was very very picturesque.

Even though we were late, given the good quality of the roads, the estimates from google maps were pretty accurate and we got into the airport on time. Once at Joburg, it was time to say goodbye to both Kruger and Joburg (at least for sometime). I know I will be back at Kruger soon, there is something about being close to nature which I love. And it keeps calling me back!

Accommodation

Hamilton Parks Country Lodge: The Lodge is located outside Kruger, near the town of Hazy River. It is about 10 kms drive from the nearest town, with a 2 kms deserted jungle drive! It is near the Hazy River valley, with hectares of wild land around. There are two hippos that stay in the river and are sometimes found wandering near the Lodge:).

Hamilton Parks Country Lodge
It had a very rustic feel to it - huge bungalow kind of rooms, with thatched and high roofs. The whole Lodge is from the British times and was used as a hunting Lodge then. The common area has a couple of outside seating options, a pool and is decorated with old photos from the last 60 years. I felt there was a definite Apartheid bias in the photos but I guess that's what the last 60 years were about?

It felt very fresh and relaxing to stay there, and we were totally energised when we woke up in the morning to the chirping of birds. And to top that, there was no internet distraction at all for the day;-). Also, the family running the Lodge were great hosts, giving us personalised service during breakfast as well as lunch; as well as giving tips on what to do in Kruger. A definite recommend!

Skukuza camp
Skukuza Camp: The Skukuza Camp is located towards the South West part of the Park and is the capital of Kruger. It is the biggest camp around and has all facilities available - ATM, petrol pump, a restaurant next to the river, a shop for all needs, doctors and so on. The huts were very very comfortable, clean and convenient, with an outside kitchen, a refrigerator and a barbecue place. It still felt rustic and had no internet which was a boon rather than a negative.

Our hut
The service at the camp was average. Given it was government run, it did not feel that anyone was genuinely interested. They allowed us to check in early and gave an extra mattress for the room - that was helpful. Also, you can easily book for safaris at the reception, so you do not need to book it in advance.

Observations and Tips
  • Book for accommodation inside the Park much in advance on the Sanparks site (FYI - the site is terrible and not user friendly at all!)
  • There are many other camps in the Park. So you can chose to stay at different ones to see different types of vegetation and animals 
  • There is no internet inside the camp, I think that's a good thing:) 
  • There were no mosquitos in the Park at all. Quite surprising but welcome:) 
  • Self driven safaris are better than the official ones. And driving near the river has a greater chance of spotting animals 
  • People driving around on the road are not as helpful as I would have thought. A couple of times we would stop to ask them if there was anything ahead, and most people weren't too accommodating or helpful
  • If you spot animals, wait there for sometime. Most of them end up crossing the road soon, giving the best poses to be photographed! 
  • Most importantly, be patient. We are so used to expecting animals to just walk in front of us, but that is not how it works in the bush. The animals choose to show themselves when they want to. And they are not bound to ;-). This is not a zoo, but their home, so be patient all the time
  • The Kruger maps we bought at the gate were not really useful. You can skip them if you want 
  • There is a daily conservation charge for every day you are in the Park, it makes the overall trip more expensive and you should budget for that 

Map




SA road trip (2): Garden Route and Cape Town