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Map Africa 2012

July - August 2012
A 25-day adventure by Kristofor Read more
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  • TravelerMap Africa 2012
    Day 1

    Start of Trip for Africa 2012

    July 26, 2012 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C
  • TravelerMap Africa 2012
    Day 2

    Johannesberg

    July 27, 2012 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Finally after months of waiting, the day for our African Adventure had
    arrived. We woke at 3.10am in Officer in preparation for our 6am
    domestic flight from Melbourne to Sydney, and then on to Johannesberg.
    There
    were concerns about how smoothly our journey over would go, but these
    were all put to rest. Everything went as plans, without incident or
    setback.
    The domestic leg to Sydney was over in little more than an
    hour, and before we knew it, we had cleared customs and boarded our
    Qantas Flight direct to Johannesberg. The flight was scheduled to take
    13.5hours, but that became more like 15.5 after a delay and strong
    headwind. Despite the flight being at only 70% capacity and us having a
    free seat next to us, and no-one in front of us, the trip didn't exactly
    fly by

    To our relief, even with our unexpected late arrival, our
    hotel transfer man was still awating us after we strolled through
    customs. In half an hour, Peter, had us at the Rivonia River Lodge,
    where we checked in, and crashed, exhausted.
    Nat got her first taste
    of 'Africa Time' when our dinner delivery order took some 100 minutes
    (when they advised it would be 45 max). We chowed down our slightly
    cold, extra spicy Nandos, and hit the sack around 9am, with an early
    start to our Sunway Safari Tour in the morning.    Read more

  • TravelerMap Africa 2012
    Day 3

    Graskop

    July 28, 2012 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    So here we are in South Africa! The currency is the Rand and 1 AUD = approx 7.5 Rand. The weather is cool nights (down to around 2C) and moderate days 15-25C with minimal to no rain. We emerged in the lobby @ 6am for breakfast. Our tour was scheduled to
    leave at 6.30. Our group consisted of 12 members, and was generally an
    older age. Aside from Nat and I, theres a Belgian couple around our age (Bert & Nela),
    an American couple (50s; John & Paulie), two Australian sisters (70s; Margaret & Lesley) and four non-English-speaking-Russians 50-80 (didn't even learn all their names; Olga and Zoya were two of them).

    We have two tour guides for our tour, Jonathan and Shanli. Our transport is an all-terrain style twelve seater truck with full length windows and roof windows as well.

    For our first day, today was not exactly a thrill-fest.. the majority of our time was spent driving, some 5-6 hours from Johannesburg, finishing up in a place called Graskop, near Pilgrims Rest. Aside from a few petrol and shopping stops, the first significant stop of the day was lunch at Pilgrims Rest. This town was founded in the late 1800's amidst the discovery of gold in the area. We enjoyed a walk through this historic town before a picnic lunch in the afternoon.

    Another memorable stop was at Mac Mac falls, an impressive 60metre waterfall dropping into a gorge. It wasn't far from here to Blyde River Canyon, the worlds largest Green Canyon. We stopped at Gods Window lookout, and also hiked on a rainforest track to some other viewing points, enjoying some spectacular views

    Our accomodation for the night was in Graskop, on the embankment of a cliff face. Here, was home to a crazy attraction called 'The Big Swing'. Their motto here was 'Conquer your Fears' or otherwise translated into 'Risk Dying.' Nat and I enjoyed watching some stranger participate. It was risky enough getting to the attraction, which basically consisted of jumping off a cliff with a bungee cord attached. The danger of the attraction was marked by a nearby shrine and chapel. I joked with Nat that the monuments might mark people who have died on the swing. This joke became less funny when we were soon advised it was likely fact...

    We enjoyed a BBQ dinner, watched some Olympics and went to sleep around 9.30 for another early start and trip to Kruger!!    Read more

  • TravelerMap Africa 2012
    Day 4

    Kruger National Park

    July 29, 2012 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Today was the start of our most anticipated Safari adventure!
    We started off from Graskop @ 7am, looking forward to arriving at the infamous Kruger National Park. It was around 9am when the Kruger Gate appeared before us. The Park was opened in the 1920's and is essentially a massive fenced off area of land in the north east of South Africa where animals roam free and do as they please.

    Upon arrival we picked up a guide, with all the inhabitants listed, and would tick off each animal as we spotted them. Our safari here would be driving around the area, in our tour vehicle, stopping wherever we spotted something.
    We spent the day enjoying the park, seeing all kinds of Spectacular wildlife including; Impala (not so exciting), Rhino, Elephant, Giraffe, Hippos and many types of exotic birds . Eventually we even came across some female lions resting in the evening sun, near an area not too dissimilar from Pride Rock of the Lion King!

    A notable highlight was a bird viewing hide. Whilst the majority of game viewing at Kruger is strictly from vehicle only (getting out and walking prohibited), this spot allowed you access to view birds from a protected and hidden spot. The views were spectacular with dozens of creatures to behold, my favourite being the Goliath Herons.
    We soon checked into our chalets and enjoyed an afternoon game drive before calling it a day. Dinner was delicious home cooked ostrich and chicken meat.
    We turned in around 9.30pm, expecting to get up early for another game drive.    Read more

  • TravelerMap Africa 2012
    Day 6

    Malolotja Nature Reserve

    July 31, 2012 in Swaziland ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Today was our earliest start yet. Breakfast SERVED at 5.15am in anticipation for a 6am departure from Lower Sabi, for our last early game drive of Kruger. Again, it was a relatively uneventful morning, with few extraordinary sightings. A few cool things to mention included a dwarf mongoose, some tree squirrels and a frisky Honey Badger.

    Before we knew it, we had left Kruger and were heading towards the landlocked Kingdom of Swaziland. The border crossing was extremely quick and painless. Once the formalities were done, we walked across nomans land and entered Swaziland, the only non-democratic nation remaining in Southern Africa, ruled by a king; Mswati the 3rd. The population here is around about a million people and its currency is called the Illangeni (on par with the South African Rand). Swaziland has the highest AIDS rate in the world at over 25% of adults. It also has the lowest average life expectancy, being 35.

    Our destination for the day was the Malalotja Nature Reserve, a game park with cottage accomodation in unspoiled mountain wilderness. We checked in and embarked on a 10 kilometre sunset walk through the mountains, treated to some spectacular scenery and spotting Bresbok antelope and occasional hyena tracks along the way.

    Thankfully, there were no leopard or hyena attacks, and we arrived back at camp in time for delicious roast chicken and vegetables for dinner. We were befriended and essentially stalked by the camp resident domestic cat, TC, who followed us everywhere, spending all his time camped on our cottage doorstep. What a beautiful place Swaziland was!    Read more

  • TravelerMap Africa 2012
    Day 8

    Mkuze Game Reserve

    August 2, 2012 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    I write this at 6.45pm, repacking my pack, in the Zulu wilderness, awaiting a 7.30pm dinner. My notebook has been damaged, soaked with mysterious stains, yet the previous entries are still just, barely legible.

    Today was a simple, yet enjoyable day spent entirely within Mkuze. Breakfast was around 9.30AM at a Bird Hyde not too far from camp, where we sheltered from the winds with some Hippos and Pelicans resting nearby. The remainder of the day to come, would provide much more spectacular animal viewing.

    We spent 2x 2hour sessions at a Hyde constructed over a waterhole in the Mkuze wilderness. This was an ideal and spectacular hidden spot to view all sorts of wildlife coming down for a drink. Raised just a couple metres off the ground and above the pool, you would get within metres of any animals that were thirsty, that is, if you kept quiet enough (a difficult concept for many to understand apparently...). Our first viewing in the afternoon, treated us to close encounters with Zebra, Warthog, Wilderbeast and Impala, along with many exotic species of birdlife. The dusk session proved to be even better! Previous animals returned for a drink with new associates. Giraffes squatted cautiously and carefully with spreak legs, reaching their long necks down for a drink. A large warthog male slept under the hyde, and a giant white Rhino came for a drink. He literally came within two to three metres of touch, cautiously drinking, snorting and searching for the sounds of noisy lookers on. Such an exhilerating feeling, to be so close to such a strong and powerful creature.

    Squeezed between those viewings, we took a dip in the pool, which was icy cold. Watching on were a pack of curious and friendly Crested Guinea fowl, grazing nearby. Dinner was bangers and mash, the sausages being Impala meat.    Read more

  • TravelerMap Africa 2012
    Day 9

    Ukahlamba (the Drakensberg)

    August 3, 2012 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    Today we enjoyed a cold breakfast at 7am. The days mission; to trek through the Drakensberg Mountains. Our guide Jonathan, lead eight of us from camp, accross the rickety Tebetebe Suspension Bridge. From there, we soon arrived at the start of the Emandindwini Trail, which would take us some 12-15km through the mountains, accross grasslands, rivers and through forests. It was a challenging hike, with rewarding views and a variety of environments. We even managed to spot some Eland along the mountaintops, and I souvenired a fallen porcupine quill from one of the forests. We started the walk around 8.15am, and arrived back at camp around 1.30pm, with little in the way of stopping for rest, sitting to eat a packed lunch in the grass along the way. I finished with plenty of blisters to mark the trip, how I missed my hiking shoes!

    At 3pm, we boarded the truck to learn more about the Zulu way of life, stopping at a nearby Zulu village. This was a great experience, getting to meet and interact with some of the local people, learn of their culture, and join them in their homes. The people were happy, relaxed and appeared to be pleased and accepting of our visit. The children were especially pleased to see foreigners and extremely excited at the prospect of being shown their photo on camera. They then broke out their poses and dance moves!

    Dinner was warthog and potatoes. We turned in around 9am for our last night in the Drakensberg mountains.    Read more

  • TravelerMap Africa 2012
    Day 11

    Kei Mouth

    August 5, 2012 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    We enjoyed our longest sleep in yet, awaking for breakfast around 8am. Our itinerary for the day involved exploring the beaches of the Wild Coast, first at Kei Mouth itself, and then the nearby Morgan Bay. We walked both beaches, exploring the rockpools and enjoying a milkshake at Kei Mouth. At Morgan Bay, we headed to the bar for drinks and some Olympics Viewing, away from the cold blustering wind.
    The beaches were both really underwhelming given their high reputation. Dinner was Kudu & potatoes. Power failed us around dusk, and did not return for the entire night. After dinner, we attempted to teach our tour guide poker by candle light. This did not go... smoothly and the game was essentially declared... VOID.    Read more

  • TravelerMap Africa 2012
    Day 13

    Addo Elephant National Park

    August 7, 2012 in South Africa ⋅ 🌙 5 °C

    http://www.travelark.org/travel-blog-entry/tofo…

    We woke at 5.40am, freezing, to find that the electricity was still out. That meant packing in complete darkness. Rain was falling heavily outside. After breakfast we said goodbye (with little regret) to the Wildcoast, and set off towards Addo Elephant National Park.
    Lunch was at Georgetown, a pretty city built in 1820. It displayed a combination of Dutch and English architecture as well as a few very nice cathedrals. We took some time to walk around the city, exploring a cathedral and noting a loud protest going on at the Town Hall.

    We arrived at Addo around 2pm, our accomodation here being small forest cabins located in the Main Camp. The camp was a fenced off area, from the surrounding game park, nearby to a reception, shop, bar and restaurant. There were also viewing areas on the camp perimeter, with a hyde near a drinking hole. We attempted an afternoon game drive, but with the rain well and truly persistent and steady, there were few animals active. For a place renowned for its elephant sightings, we managed just the one. We did manage to see some Jackal, Zebra, and a massive herd of Buffalo.

    Dinner at camp was lamb and vegetables. From there, Nat and I headed to the bar for some rest, enjoying some red and white wine, a chocolate mousse for dessert and some Olympic Viewing. We took one final attempt to spot animals at the waterhole hyde around 9pm, but with the rain still falling, there was nothing about. We put up our umbrella and made the trek back to our cabin to sleep.    Read more

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