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Nicole BartenNicole Barten
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traveled in 2 countries Read more
  • South Africa 2023
    Day 19

    Middelburg - Piet Retief

    December 11, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ 🌧 21 °C

    Today was another travel day. We are on our way to St. Lucia but since that is a very long distance we broke it up in 3 days which is why we yesterday spent the night in Middelburg and tonight we're staying in Piet Retief. Just like yesterday it has has been raining all day, in fact, ever since it started raining on Saturday afternoon, it never stopped. We can't complain about the rain though since we've been in the car all day anyways and this country really needs the rain. At arrival in Piet Retief we found out there was no electricity while there wasn't supposed to be loadshedding. Apparently there was a big power outage for pretty much the whole day and no one knew when it would come back. Somewhere around 17:30 it suddenly did come back and then we had supper and watched Netflix and got up to date with this blog.Read more

  • South Africa 2023
    Day 18

    Thabazimbi - Middelburg

    December 10, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    We spent half the day travelling from Thabazimbi to Middelburg, the most memorable thing that happened on the road had to be the mention of a flying saucer on one of the electronic roadworks signs: whether this was true or just to attract attention, it was nonetheless quite an interesting thing to see. Our host Linda was such a sweet lady, immediately insisting on hugging us both upon arrival. We felt so at home in her house, as her family was very welcoming and made us feel like part of the family. We spent most of the rest of the day watching Friends on Netflix. Just a cozy, rainy, lazy day.Read more

  • South Africa 2023
    31
    Day 17

    Marakele National Park

    December 9, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Today we went to Marakele National Park. Eventhough the big 5 is present here, it is more known for the scenery. Didn't spot the big 5 but still quite a few animals. Around 14:00 we left the park because of a big lightning and thunderstorm with a lot of rain and since the road to the farm where we're staying is a dirt road we didn't want to take the risk that the road would become inaccessible because of the rain which could turn it into a mudstream.Read more

  • South Africa 2023
    1
    Day 16

    Dinokeng game reserve - Thabazimbi

    December 8, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    Unfortunately this morning it was already time to leave Dinokeng again and start driving towards our next accommodation close to Marakele National Park. While we were packing we still saw some warthogs behind the fence visiting the waterhole. We didn't rush too much since we didn't really want to leave this place. After one last short drive through the reserve towards the gate we were quite soon back on the highway to drive towards Thabazimbi. We arrived at the farm shortly after 15:00 and after meeting our host and unpacking the car we took a bit of a stroll around the far, enjoyed the view and befriended the Ostrich. Laurette, our host, said the Ostrich loved the small tomatoes that were growing in the garden so she was clearly used to being fed by guests and was hanging around the gate to the guesthouse regularly.Read more

  • South Africa 2023
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    1
    Day 15

    Dinokeng game reserve

    December 7, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Today we went for a self-drive in the reserve. There is definitely quite a lot of animal activity in the reserve. We already knew that the leopard that we were still looking for wasn't going to be very likely to find since Barend (the owner of the lodge) told us that the lions in the reserve are quite dominant and kill the leopards and cheetahs sometimes out of competition. There aren't a lot of high trees in the reserve so a leopard or cheetah can't really get away from those lions. We still saw quite a lot of other animals though with as highlight I'd say the rhino's. Later that evening while we were preparing our food at the braai the rhino's visited us again. Tonight we ate a traditional South African dish, potjie. This were 2 small cast iron pots in which we could prepare the food they arranged for us above the fire. We had chicken and lamb and lots of different veggies and spices. While Matthew was preparing our food I was watching the waterhole and meanwhile writing a bit for the blog. The food was definitely amazing and eating it next to the fire with a view on the waterhole where animals could come to visit anytime really made the experience complete and so far we would definitely say this was the highlight of our trip.Read more

  • South Africa 2023
    1
    Day 14

    Dinokeng game reserve (Bushbabies Lodge)

    December 6, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    After checking out at the accommodation in Polokwane we started driving towards Dinokeng game reserve. Despite an accident on the highway that caused a little bit of a delay we still arrived relatively early at the gate of the reserve and after paying the conservation fee and a self-drive permit for the next day we could enter the reserve and drive to our accommodation. We got a very warm and enthousiastic welcome and felt immediately at home. The tent is really nice and cosy and equipped with everything we needed and private bathroom and kitchen facilities right next to the tent. We enjoyed sitting in front of our tent for a while enjoying an ice lolly from the honesty bar and just enjoyed the view and tranquility of the place. Just before sunset we decided to take a stroll around the camp and while we were walking we saw giraffes walking right on the other side of the fence, it really has something special having the possibility of seeing these animals from the comfort of your own tent. The sunset was stunning and the sky was full of stars which made the bush experience even better.Read more

  • South Africa 2023
    Day 13

    Munati Lodge - Polokwane

    December 5, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    This morning we checked out quite late since it was a relatively short drive to Polokwane. We didn't really had plans here and since we were a bit early for check in we drove around the neighborhood for a while and stopped at a park for a bit. After checking in at the accommodation we just rested a little bit and started working on the visa papers. Not the most fun thing to do but we both know what we are doing it for at least. After supper we still walked for about 10 minutes to a small city Spar to get another loaf of bread. The neighborhood this accommodation is in feels very safe which is why we took the opportunity to have a short walk after supper just before it was getting dark. Tomorrow we will drive to Dinokeng game reserve where we will stay in a tented camp within the big 5 game reserve so I feel like that is going to be the highlight of our trip but more about that will follow soon.Read more

  • South Africa 2023
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    Day 12

    Mapungubwe national park

    December 4, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C

    The idea of staying at Munati lodge was that it was relatively "close" (still about an hour drive) to Mapungubwe national park. I had been there back in 2017 and thought to remember it was quite a nice park. Unfortunately things changed quite a bit since then and the maintenance wasn't too good anymore. Another quite unpleasant surprise was that there was no petrol station in the park eventhough it was noted on their website. This resulted in having to drive another 70 km to the petrol station in Alldays of which we drove the last 60 km on the reserve tank of the car. The moment we arrived at that petrol station was incredibly relieving because we really weren't sure if the car would make it. Next to the car being so low on fuel that road was also full of potholes making those 70 km a real challenge. After the relief from reaching the petrol station we got a delicious homemade milkshake because funnily enough I remembered the little shop next to the petrol station from back in 2017 when we stranded there with both cars of Lajuma with flat tyres. After this quite unplanned start of the day we eventually managed to get into Mapungubwe. We did see some wildlife (view elephants far away, zebra and wildebeest) but honestly it was a bit disappointing and we got really confused by seeing cows and donkeys in what was supposed to be a big 5 game reserve. After we drove the full loop once, we asked at the entrance gate if it was normal we saw this little wildlife, they said they made an opening in the fence meaning animals could walk freely in and out of the park and just cross the border to Botswana, this also explained the cows and donkeys being present in the park. All in all quite a disappointing visit but definitely not a bad day. We jokingly call Mapungubwe a farm instead of a National park from now on.Read more

  • South Africa 2023
    11
    Day 11

    Tzaneen - Munati lodge

    December 3, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    This morning we left Tzaneen and started driving towards Musina. Since we were passing Louis Trichardt where I stayed for 5 months in 2017 we thought it would be nice to make a short stop there to get groceries at the mall I always used to go to during my internship. The place changed quite a bit and I recognized less than I expected but it was still a nice big mall to get groceries. We arrived at our next accommodation around 14:00 and since it was a hot day, after checking in we immediately changed into our swimwear and enjoyed some time at the pool. Since the place was running on solar power which could run out after sunset, Matthew wanted to get started early on the food while I could still lay in the sun for a while and enjoy the company of a beautiful Kingfisher. Unfortunately already shortly after 17:00 the electricity stopped working, luckily the food was almost ready and actually still tasted really good. Except for the lack of electricity this is definitely a nice place.Read more

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