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A 17-day adventure by Cathy Read more
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  • TravelerSouth African adventure

    Getting ready!

    January 6, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    Testing the blog and getting excited. Yellow fever ✅ malaria tablets ✅ binoculars packed! Now all we need are the animals!

  • TravelerSouth African adventure
    Day 1

    Arrived in Port Elizabeth!

    January 10, 2023, Indian Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    The most eventful part of the trip was the kitchen tap leaking the night before we left. Thankfully the trip itself was smooth, 30 min check in. A long 14 hour flight with not a lot to report apart from many movies, shows and books read and watched. Transfer in Joburg to Port Elizabeth. Lovely hotel near the port. Late dinner and off to bed ready for the true adventures to begin!Read more

  • TravelerSouth African adventure
    2122
    Day 2

    Port Elizabeth to Kariega

    January 11, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Refreshingly, a great sleep for all of us. We had a lovely breakfast and set off for Kariega Game Reserve. We detoured via Kenton-on-Sea, a beautiful seaside town where we had a lovely drink and snack. We checked in to our 3 bedroom chalet and enjoyed a late lunch and chill before we were picked up at 4.30pm for our afternoon drive. Our first safari drive did not disappoint, our wonderful guide Matthew drove us through stunning scenery to see 2 of the big 5 and amazing animalsRead more

  • TravelerSouth African adventure
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    Day 3

    A safari experience extraordinaire!

    January 12, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Surprisingly there were no angry words uttered as we awoke early and got ready for our 6am safari pick up. This time we went to another part of the reserve in search of lions and elephants. The adventure did not disappoint! We saw hippos, a jackal, giraffes, Guinea fowl, a zebra carcass (apologies for the gruesome shot, it looked like something from a movie) knowing lions must be near. We then found a lioness and her two cubs - quite incredible seeing them in their natural habitat and then they sought shade after their full bellies of zebra. We found plenty of fresh elephant poo, no elephants this time. We came back to the main lodge and had a hearty buffet breakfast. Pete had a snooze, the kids chilled. I went on a walking safari with our guide Matthew and the 4 Germans who are part of our safari group. It’s so different and quiet seeing the landscape by foot. Beautiful adventure and the baboons started signalling across the valley that we were approaching. We saw an amazing amount of animals up close - giraffes, impala, a tortoise, water buck, wildebeest, ostriches- including a 3 day old chick who started following us, which we encouraged it back to its Mum so it wouldn’t attack us! We had a swim in our plunge pool and chilled back at the chalet, reading and playing games. Despite our big breakfast we were hungry for lunch, Ted tried ostrich steaks, the rest of us settled for salad and pasta. Everyone chilled and we then assembled for our afternoon safari at 4.30pm. The next safari chapter was a longer drive in search of male lions and elephants. Wow. We found the 2 males, chilled on a hill and then the elephants ruled. Alarmingly close and so majestic. There were so many. After our fix of elephants we had a sundowner and made our way back for a BBQ dinner and singing by a local choir. A perfect day.Read more

  • TravelerSouth African adventure
    1111
    Day 4

    Lion, elephant and boat adventure

    January 13, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Another sound sleep and the kids and I headed off for our 6am safari with guide Matthew and the 4 Germans. Pete opted for a lie in and to rest his back, after we left he had FOMO. Every safari is different and you never know what to expect. We decided to return to the zebra carcass to see who was feeding on it around the area. It was in worse shape than yesterday (smell and look). We ventured further down the track and found the two sisters and female cub. A different spot than yesterday and closer to the zebra (lions don’t usually stray far from their kill). Two kyte birds were hovering near the zebra, keeping an eye on the lions and swooping in for a feed themselves. It was a bit cooler this morning and the lions were all in a row, the cub in a pit. Again, amazing to watch and observe these creatures in the wild. As Ted said, you could stay watching them for hours. They are used to the safari cars that have been introduced that they barely arouse when they approach, only one lion lifting its head when we turned the engine back on again. We then ventured to higher ground for a coffee and muffin break, overlooking spectacular scenery. Continuing on, we came across a waterhole where 3 elephants were enjoying a big drink, learning that they drink up to 150 litres /day. Another elephant wandered down the hill and joined the others. They fell into pairs and began play fighting, incredible to hear the tusks clash in the quiet of the morning. We arrived back to the main lodge for breakfast and shared our adventure with Pete. We farewelled the Germans who were all heading off after breakfast. The girls and I had massages, a wonderful treat and sooo relaxing. Pete also booked in for a back and shoulders massage too. Chilled time playing games, reading and soaking up the tranquility, interspersed with Ted’s YouTube clips. Our guide Matthew did say that Ted could sub in for him due to his knowledge of the animals and their habitat. Instead of a game drive this afternoon we opted for a cruise on the Kariega river. We were on the Kariega Queen, it felt like the African Queen! It was serene and peaceful. We spotted many birds - a huge fish eagle perched high up on the bank, egrets, herons, monkeys and impalas. Ted even had a go driving the boat. As we made our way back to the main lodge, we saw some zebras up close. Dinner was a lovely affair as usual, and I think it was the most delicious yet! Perfectly cooked beef and roast vegetables - the food has not disappointed. We enjoyed stories with Matthew, and Ted added a few of his own (all YouTube based of course) and showed us funny videos of crazy tourists on safari he’d seen, one person even chasing a hippopotamus! Great end to another great day.Read more

  • TravelerSouth African adventure
    11211
    Day 5

    Last Kariega adventure and onto Knysna

    January 14, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    Day 3 of early starts and we were into our early wake up routine and guide Matthew picked us up and off we headed for our final safari at Kariega. Just our family today! Each safari we went on Matthew took us to a different area within the 10,000 acres of the reserve. Incredibly Matthew spotted the two male lions on a mound in the distance between trees as we were driving. We made our way down and observed the kings of the jungle as they slept, not bothered by us watching in awe. One of them had a scar over its eye due to a fight with its brother - reminded us of Scar and Mufasa! On our way to find the female lions we came across a herd of elephants and a cute baby elephant tried to scare us off by flapping his ears and then he ran away. We found the female lions lying on an open field near a herd of impalas. Clearly they were still full as the impalas were close enough to be hunted. We made our way for a coffee break down by the Bushmans river. A gorgeous and tranquil area where we had our coffee and muffin break with the giraffes and impalas until Ted jumped and they were scared away. Karma had its way as Ted ended up with a prickly pear in his foot much to the hilarity for us. We drove back via Settlers Drift and back to the lodge for a big breaky. The food has been delicious and varied. We said a fond farewell to Matthew. We were so lucky to have had Matthew as our guide as he has been doing it for over 20 years and gave us such a unique experience. On the road to Knysna, Ted asked if we were passing Jeffreys Bay, which is a world class surfing beach and where Mick Fanning was attacked by a shark. It was a short detour to a lovely seaside town. We enjoyed a delicious and cheap lunch, a good half way stop for our drive. We arrived in Knynsa after a 4.5hr drive and are staying at Belvidere Manor, a 3 bedroom garden cottage, maintaining the heritage design of the original manor house. Pretty on the outside and quaint on the inside. There are power outages to preserve power and it only came on at 6pm. A mad rush to charge all devices. Kids chilled, Pete and I went for a walk through the gardens and along the coast followed by a drink at Bell Tavern. We had dinner there, enjoying some funny stories, and we are now ready for bed, all a little tired after the long day.Read more

  • TravelerSouth African adventure
    24
    Day 6

    Coast to mountains on the garden route

    January 15, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We all woke early as we were used to getting up, except Liv who had a longer lie in. It was nice to have a leisurely start to the day, it’s cloudy and a little bit of rain. The breakfast was a delicious feast of omelettes, big breaky, eggs Benedict and carrot cake porridge. they gave us complimentary guava juice which we all enjoyed, plus a cheese and fruit board. I took a photo too late as had already started eating! We made our way to the Knysna waterfront and had a lovely wander through the shops and marina. We bought some knick knacks and then we then drove to Thessen Island, another seaside town. Ted and Pete spotted another beach to explore as we drove to Brenton-on-sea. A beautiful part of the coastline. We found a viewing point and went down to the beach to feel the water, it was probably the same temperature as or maybe a bit colder than Sydney beaches. Ted was impressed by the waves considering it was the off season. 6 to 8 foot and quite rough! You could definitely spot a rip. It was a much more scenic drive today via the coastline and inland forests. We arrived at our accommodation, Swartberg Manor, nestled in the mountains. We had a really delicious dinner, with a set menu that we had to order when we arrived due to load shedding (basically blackout times to preserve electricity). For entrees there was a choice of lentil and carrot soup or peach and cranberry salad, and mains were chicken, lamb and ostrich (can you guess who had the ostrich?). Quality food. A pana cotta or brandy pudding for dessert. We found a game of Rummikub but it was a word version! Interesting and Pete, Liv, Ted and I enjoyed a game. Now off to bed in the dark as the power doesn’t come back on till midnight!Read more

  • TravelerSouth African adventure
    1
    Day 7

    Swartberg adventures

    January 16, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    After much deliberation we decided not to do the Meerkats experience as we had to be there by 5am and it was about a 30 min drive. I had also read a few not so great reviews. We decided to visit the Cango Wildlife Ranch instead as according to the website it had animal encounters and 5 cheetah cubs had been born 3 months ago. We enjoyed a delicious breaky on the terrace and made our choices for dinner before we set off for the ranch, also about 30mins away. There were opportunities for animal encounters with cheetahs, cheetah cubs, feeding a leopard, feeding lions, crocodile cage swim and snakes. The entrance fee included a tour of the ranch by a funny and informative guide who took us through the ranch and it lasted about 45 mins. Before the tour, we saw meerkats, snakes and a trip to home with the bird enclosure that had rainbow lorikeets. On the tour, some highlights included the white lions, snow tigers, vultures, hippos and some crocs which we got to see be fed. For the encounters, all 5 of us opted for the cheetah cubs experience and it was so special being able to pat them and learn so much about the local conservation efforts and their habitat. Ted opted to feed the leopard and Liv to pat the adult cheetahs and Pete, Jess and I were able to observe from the wooden suspension bridge. Liv went first and it was so different to be in an enclosed area with them as even though they had been domesticated they are still wild animals. The cheetahs patiently let people near to pat them, there were no leads and it was all very relaxed with more informative facts. Ted then went for his leopard feeding experience, we hadn’t been able to spot it as it was hiding in the bushes during the tour. Her name was called and she came to the glass panels where Ted was able to feed her. Beautiful creature. It was a hot day of 38 degrees. We enjoyed another delicious meal at the ranch cafe, simple sandwiches and salads done well and Ted enjoyed a crocodile hamburger and his best ever milkshake! We decided to detour in to town to get some indigestion medication for Pete. Pete then had 4 backseat drivers as there was indecision as to where to pull up, Pete not having the right change for parking attendants. We did a couple of blocks and decided against it, Jess very paranoid we were going to be jacked. We then spotted Spec Savers and did another block to get a pic for Jess. Perhaps we were on high alert as we were following a car at a slow speed with no other cars around. Eventually we were able to overtake it and made it back to the manor, where Jess was then concerned about a nearby bushfire! We then relaxed, reading playing games and chilling by the pool as much too hot to do anything else. Pete and I went on a walk around the environs, still hot and dusty. Back for showers and another delicious feast. At dinner, much to our amusement, the waitress confirmed that they tried and actually couldn’t put out the fire, alarming Jessica further. She however confirmed that it won’t reach us and we’re safe here (still not enough to placate Jessica who said she wouldn’t sleep).Read more

  • TravelerSouth African adventure
    Day 8

    From fire to rain

    January 17, 2023 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We underestimated Jess’s concerns as we awoke a few times in the night with the heat as the air con was off all night (due to load shedding) and fire flames were coming down the ridge, appearing much closer than it was, however still quite a dramatic view from our room. Pete ventured to see where it was the next morning and it was about 4kms away. We had breakfast and made our way to Mossel Bay. The hot dry heat changed as we went over Robinson’s Pass and by the time we reached Mossel Bay it was 24degrees (as opposed to 38). We were too early to check in to the hotel so went went to the local supermarket to get a few supplies and had lunch at the Dolphin Cafe - basic and simple lunch. We did a short walk up the Blaise Lighthouse and back to town, which was impressive with its view. We came across many of these animals called dassies which look like large rats. We booked at Big Blu beach house for dinner, a short walk from the hotel. The kids decided to chill and Pete and I went the maritime museum and a drive to Santos Beach where we had a short walk. The museum had one interesting exhibit, while the rest of it we could have gone without seeing. It’s drizzling and a dull day. There was definitely no need to have booked the restaurant; empty except for one couple! Pete was keen to go somewhere else, with a limited menu on offer, but everyone else wasn’t bothered. On the bright side, the view was lovely as are the views from our rooms. An early night as an early start for the shark dive adventure.Read more

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