Panorama Route to Numbi Hotel

Our driver, Elvis, picked us up at 6:15am, and we drove the long, scenic route to our hotel outside Kruger Park. We stopped at a viewpoint over a valley, lake with layers of mountains behind and three mountains called the three sisters. It was very foggy, a common thing for this area. We walked over bridges over potholes made with water from two converging small rivers, a high waterfall, and then God’s window which is a beautiful view off a tall cliff into the lush rainforest valley below. There was a lot of agriculture along this route, with millions of orange trees, acres of wheat, and some other crops. As we progressed along our route, the hills for miles and miles around were planted with pine trees, in rows, with lower branches removed. The trees grow much faster than at home, and can be harvested after ten or more years, depending on the market demand for size. There were also a lot of gum tree plantations. Pine trees produce soft wood, whereas gum trees produce hard wood, so they have very different uses. Privately owned, they employ a tremendous amount of people and are an excellent crop. They are actually TREE FARMS! Our hotel is fairly nice, but WIFI is poor, but the buffet dinner tonight was absolutely brilliant, it was one of the best meals we have had for years; such a variety and amazing quality.Read more