More photos of the walk

Sunset by the waterhole

Back at camp, we were all trying to process what we had seen. We all agreed it had been a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Later, we sat at the waterhole until it was too dark to see anything and thenLĂ€s mer
A day at leisure

We didn’t have to be up early this morning as we had a glorious free day until a sunset game drive starting at 3.30pm. Needless to say, I was still awake by 5am!! It was a beautiful morning, and ILĂ€s mer
Sunset safari at Hlane National Park

At 3.30pm, we went to meet our guide for the sunset safari. It turned out to be Maxwell, the same ranger who took us on our guided walk yesterday. Before we set off, we had to choose a drink to haveLĂ€s mer
The sunset safari continues

During the first part of the drive, we saw impala and elephants.
Later, Maxwell drove over to the section of the park where they house the lions. They have approximately 200. They also have a fencedLĂ€s mer
Hippo cruise

This morning, we were up early with our tents down and breakfast eaten ready to leave by 7am. I think we were all a bit sorry to be leaving such a beautiful campsite after such a short stay.
We droveLĂ€s mer
Dinner and a storm!

On the to town for dinner, there was a spectacular lightning show! We went to Reef and Dune, which had an extensive menu with something to suit everyone. We were at the end of the long table withLĂ€s mer
iSimangaliso Wetland Park

Today should have been a beach day, but the weather forecast was for wall-to-wall rain, so we had to re-think.
Ivan cooked us scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast for breakfast, which we ate standing upLĂ€s mer
Cape Vidal Beach

At the beach, the rain did stop for us to have a walk and take some photos. Robyn, Jez, Kristina, and Kurt did venture into the sea for a swim, but we weren’t tempted to join them! We spent the timeLĂ€s mer
Dinner and hippos in Saint Lucia

This evening, we drove back into town for dinner. We went to John Dory’s, a seafood restaurant. Mark had oysters followed by hake and prawns. I had hake and chips.
During the meal, our waiterLĂ€s mer
Valley of 1000 Hills

This morning was a pretty miserable pack up in the rain. We put our tents and bedding away wet. We were relieved to know that we now have six nights NOT camping! Ivan made fried eggs, chickenLĂ€s mer
Some songs and lunch

After the orientation, we went inside to be entertained by the project’s manager, mSizi. He played the keyboard and sang us several songs he had written himself, as well as one cover. He had aLĂ€s mer
A walk through the village

After lunch, Sindy led us on a walk through the village.
A visit to a sangoma or healer

Our walk took us to the home of a teenage sangoma or healer, or witch doctor as we call them in the west. She seemed very young. Apparently, she had been called to be a healer at the age of 13 and hadLĂ€s mer
Traditional Zulu homes and costumes

After meeting the healer, we continued our walk, picking up some random children along the way. We were taken to a traditional rondeval where Sindy explained how this building is used in Zulu familiesLĂ€s mer
A Zulu dance performance

A group of locals then drummed and danced for us. Typical Zulu dancing involves lots of high kicking and foot stamping. It looks strange to our eyes, but it is very rhythmical.
The wholeLĂ€s mer
A walk back to the truck

After the dancing, we walked back down the hill to meet up with the truck đ. The scenery was spectacular!
Arriving at Mamaâs

We then drove to our homestay for the night. Sindy came along, too. On the way, we stopped at a bottle shop to buy beer.
The homestay was down a very narrow lane and then down a steep hill into theLĂ€s mer
Birthday cake and more dancing!

After dinner, we had a birthday cake for Kurt and then we played Mafia before Mama’s other grandchildren arrived to entertain us with some Zulu dancing. They were all willing to perform for us –LĂ€s mer
Leaving Mamaâs

This morning, our clothes from yesterday were very wet!
Mama and Konya prepared breakfast for us – African doughnuts, sausages, eggs, and porridge.
We left soon after breakfast, having thanked ourLĂ€s mer
Beach time in Durban

Back on the truck, we headed for Durban. We were too early to check in to our hotel there, so we were dropped off at uShaka Marine World, South Beach.
We had four and a half hours before we had toLĂ€s mer
Dinner in Durban

The hotel we are in is like a Premier Inn. It’s right next to a shopping centre so we dumped our stuff and went to explore. We found a couple of options for dinner later without having to go backLĂ€s mer
Nelson Mandela Capture Site

We were up for breakfast at 6.30am. It was nice to have a hotel buffet for a change! By 7.30am, we were on the truck and on the road. It was very strange only having four of us on board!
Our firstLĂ€s mer
Checking in to Amphitheatre Backpackers

After our visit, we were back on the truck to continue our drive towards the Drakensburg Mountains. We only stopped once on route for fuel and toilets. As we climbed, the scenery became more and moreLĂ€s mer
A walk to some cascades

After lunch, we quickly dumped our bags in our rooms before getting back on the truck to drive 45 minutes to some scenic cascades for an hour long walk. It was very picturesque.