Friday 25th September - Johannesburg to Sabi River Sun

We landed in J'burg a little after 5:30am and were whisked through emigration (no third degree in South Africa.  Next stop an ATM to get some Rand.  The most they will dispense appears to be R2,000 which is a little less than $200, certainly enough for the next stop, breakfast (big breakfast for around $7.00).  

Arriving Johannesburg

 After a bit of a sit around Richard and I headed off to First Car Rental to pick up our vehicle for the next week, a Volkswagon Combi which suits nicely.  Room for alll our luggage even using the three rows of seats.

We hired a GPS as well so getting out of J'Burg was fairly painless, then the 380km drive to Sabi River Sun.  The expressways are pretty impressive, 4 laned, speed limit 120kph, but also highly tolled.  We went through about 5 toll gates along the way.

At Azlu we pulled off at a roadhouse for lunch and were surprised to find we were overlooking an area of wildlife in a large paddock - white Rhinos, Ostriches, zebra, a number of antelope including Elands and Cape Buffalo - even a couple of Emus of all things.

J'burg to Sabi River Sun

At Neilspruit we pulled into a Spur supermarket for supplies for the next week.  The supermarket was large, had everything we needed and was very reasonably priced.  We're impressed with the cost of things in SA.

The contrasts in SA are immediately obvious.  Well built infrastructure, lots of expensive cars and then driving past townships of humpies and other low-cost housing.  Large fences including razorwire around farms and buildings, guards in car parks of shopping centres and the roadhouse.

The other thing that's obvious is how productive the countryside is.  Initially grains but as we drove further north, avocados, bananas, citrus, macadamias, mangos, a vine that looked a bit like Kiwi fruit (but haven't seen those in shops) and lots of tree plantations.

We arrived a Sabi River Sun soon after 4 and were met at a security gate where we had to sign ourselves in.  Was a bit of a concern when they couldn't find our booking but eventually was found under Mr Richard instead of Mr Long.


Our Chalet is very impressive.  Two large bedrooms downstairs and a loft area also with two beds.  All well appointed and nicely presented.  As we were all pretty exhausted by this stage it was a quick bite to eat and off to bed.

Saturday 26th September 2015 - Sabi River Sun

Woke early this morning and before breakfast went for a walk down to the waterway below our chalet.  There are lots of waterbirds around as one would expect but we were pretty impressed to find lots of Hippopotamuses with their heads out of the water.  They're just amazing or as our grandson, Nate,  tells us Hippos are cool.  Also saw some crocodiles.

Around Sabi River Sun

We walked back up through the golf course to the Reception area.  Lots of people playing golf this morning (we later found out that it is a long weekend).  There are signs everywhere watch out for golf balls.  Near reception, there is a golf club/bar, bowling greens, tennis courts, laundry, swimming pool (one of 3 scattered around the resort), kids playground, convenience store, etc.  It's certainly a well resourced spot to visit.  Have spoken to some South Africans who come back here every year.

The reception area at Sabi River Sun

Later in the morning, we went for a drive along Sabi Road to Sabi River Coffee where they grow and roast their own coffee.  Jill and I shared a chicken salad for lunch.  Went for a little walk across a 'swinging bridge' to another creek - very pretty.  

Sabi River Coffee

The owner at Sabi River Coffee had a chat to us for some time - he was a wealth of local information - where to go and where not to go.  He advised us to forget Kruger tomorrow because of the public holiday so instead we will head north to Blyde River Canyon (the third largest in the world).

We drove back to Hazyview through very productive agricultural land. Pulled over at a roadside stall and bought oranges and avocados (very cheaply).  We called into the Information Centre at Hazeyview for some information and then on to the Shopping Centre.  The Shopping Centre was very crowded and rather grotty but we later discovered that this may have been because it was a Saturday on a long weekend.  It was also very obvious that we were the only white folk.  Jill bought a necklace at a stall, one of many in front of the Shopping Centre.

Back to Sabi River Sun where we went down to the water where they open gates, meaning the hippos can walk across the golf course to the river where they eat all night before returning to their deep water in the morning.  It was amazing to hear and see them calling to each other.

Sunday 27th September 2015 - Blyde River and Moholoholo

Today we headed off to the third biggest canyon in the world - Blyde River Canyon. We stopped at first at Graskop which was very well set up for tourists.  Jill, Jennie and Wendy were accosted by a man selling nuts and dried mango.  After buying some they were then approached by a woman who offered 3 bags of nuts (instead of the two from the man) for R50 (about $5). She assured them that the man was doing the right thing with his price but she was hungry so was selling them cheaper.

Graskop

We had coffee in a pretty fancy coffee and pancake shop (the latte came as warm milk froth with the coffee in a separate jug which you poured in).  Coffee was OK but nothing to write home about.  Graskop also had lots of silk shops and galleries.  We called into the information centre and although the lady wasn't open yet she was quite happy to ring the Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre for us.  She got a recorded message to say that there would be a tour this afternoon at 3pm.

Our first look at the Canyon was at God's Window- looking down from a lookout over a very fertile valley (lowvelt).  

God's Window

From there we drove onto the Three Rondavels lookout - very spectacular round mountains across the canyon.  The lookout also overlooked Blydepoort Dam.

Three Rondavels and Blydepoort Dam

 

Moholoholo Animal Rehabilitation Centre was then a pretty long drive and we just made it for our 3 o'clock tour.  Well, we had a few minutes to spare for a bite to eat (which we had brought with us) - crackers, cheese, tomato, avo and oranges.

Moholoholo Animal Rehabilitation Centre 

Inside there was initially a bit of a talk about the animals - they're here because they have been poisoned, injured or orphaned.  After a close-up encounter with a Cheeter (which we could actually pat), our guide took us to several cages of birds - the Southern Ground Hornbill and then into a cage of vultures.  Some of our group fed some of the vultures.

After that, we were shown the lions, leopard and a number of smaller cats, as well as African Wild Dogs (now almost extinct).

The Honey Badger we then saw was a bit of a celebrity.  He kept getting out and picking a fight with the lion.   Initially, he climbed up cracks in the wall,  then he pulled up rocks,  made balls out of mud and piled them up, even climbed on his partners head.   There's now an electric fence around the top of his enclosure.

From Moholoholo it was a bit of a drive back to Sabi River Sun.   We had dinner at the resort and very nice it was.

Monday 28th September 2015 - Kruger (Day 1)

We set off fairly early this morning for our first day in Kruger National Park.  We went through the Phabeni Gate as Tim from Sabi Valley Coffee had told us that the road to the Numbi gate was worth avoiding.  Apparently, there had been some carjackings along this route.  

We were surprised to see animals straight away, a herd of Impalas.  From then on it was one animal after another.  It was an amazing day.

The list for the day included:
White Rhinoceros, Buffalo, Elephant, Lion, Giraffe, Chacma Baboon, Velvet Monkey, Impala, Bushbuck, Kadu, Warthog, Cape Glossy Starling, Helmeted Guineafowl, Southern Ground Hornbill, a tortoise (unknown) and a few other birds.  The Cape Glossy Starling was particularly impressive - a beautiful metallic blue and quite a gregarious bird hopping about the camps.

We called into  Pretoriuskop camp for a coffee - very nicely set up, good value and an excellent shop.  I bought a shirt.  Later in the day we called into Skukuza Camp for lunch.  We were on a lovely deck over the river with an elephant and bushbucks in view.  It was a bit hot by this time of day, however (40 degrees C).

We had to be out of the park at 6 pm and just made it after having our vehicle thoroughly checked out in case we were smuggling something through.

Was just an amazing day to see so many animals.

Tuesday 29th September 2015 - Sabi River Sun

Morning walk

A rest day today (sort of). A morning walk followed by golf for Richard and I while the girls lined up massages and had the washing done (R51, a little over A$5 and it came back clean , dry and folded)  Golf - the course is in beautiful condition and is quite challenging with lots of over water holes.  I was very happy to come home with a very creditable 30 points.

Most of us ate at the resort (excellent) and then a enjoyed a restful afternoon. Later Richard and I went into Hazyview to the Shopping Centre for stuff for a braai (the massage lady had said that we had to have a braai before we went home).  We'd call it a barbecue - you buy charcoal and firelighters and each Chalet has a set up for the braai.  We were told to ask the man next door how to do it.  He was very obliging.  We bought Braai packs (steak, ribs and sausages) which we had with salad and potatoes - yum.

Barbecue South African style - A Braai

Wednesday 30th September 2015 - Kruger (Day 2)

Back to Kruger National Park today.  This time we went in by the Paul Kruger Gate.  We revisited Skukuza for a coffee (Buffalo across the river and Warthogs roaming around) before driving down the H4-1 to Lower Sabi.  

Skukuza

We had heard that this was a pretty good route for wildlife as it follows the Sabi River.  Leopards are also often seen on this route.  The wildlife sightings did not disappoint.  We added two antelope to the list - Steenbok and Nyla and we had good sightings of Buffalo, Warthogs, Zebra and Wilderbeast as well as many repeat sightings from Monday.  We even saw a leopard although he was a fair way away and pretty well hidden (as the photo will show). 

There were elephants everywhere including lying down under trees looking as if they were dead.  Guess it was so hot for them as it's back up around the 40 degrees today. Many of the elephants were in the river keeping cool.  We also saw several herds of giraffe and quite a few different birds - Goliath Heron, Pied Kingfisher, Yellow Billed Kite, Red Billed Hornbill and Southern Yellow Billed Hornbill,  Saddled Billed Stork, Lilac Breasted Roller, the Cape Glossy Starling - the list goes on.  Even saw a monitor lizard but he's not listed in the information.

Along the way we had lunch at Lower Sabi.  Once again the restaurant was right on the water looking down on antelope and herds of Elephants across the river.  The food was fabulous and very reasonably priced.  We have had a number of top class meals in South Africa for under A$10.

Lunch at Lower Sabi

From lower Sabi we continued on south to Crocodile Bridge Gate.  It was along this route that we saw the Zebra and the Blue Wildebeest.

It was then a long drive home as we could not go back through the park (gates close at 6).  On the way we popped into the airport at Nelspruit to check out where we would need to drop off the car on Friday morning.

Home, Nachos for tea then off to bed.

Thursday 1st October 2015 - rest day at Sabi River Sun

On our walk this morning the Hippos put on quite a performance.   They we're out on the sand at the end of their Waterhole and entertained us chasing birds,  lying down and playing dead, rolling over in the water with their legs in the air and pretend fighting.   What a treat! They are amazing animals.

On the way back there was a hot air balloon and a helicopter in the sky.  We figured the helicopter may have been spraying for mosquitoes.

After breakfast Richard and I had another game of golf - 9 holes.  Familiarity didn't make the course any easier and it took us a few holes to warm up.

After golf R, J and W went off to Glaskop to do some more shopping. Jill and I had a little walk around the Chalets and finished up at the resort for lunch - a very nice chicken salad and chips.  We then lazed around until the others returned later in the afternoon with a nicely washed Combi.

Leftovers for dinner then pack bags for a very early start in the morning.

Friday 2nd October 2015 - Sabi to Livingstone

Up at  3.30 this morning for the hour drive to the International Airport at Neilspruit and our flight to Livingstone.  Initially, our flight was a direct flight at the very respectable hour of 10:30am however somewhere along the line it was changed to a flight via Johannesburg leaving at 6:55am.  As we had read somewhere that we should be there two hours prior to flying we though we should be on the road by 4.  We needn't have bothered when we arrived at the airport the gates were locked and the guard had to let us through.  We then sat around at the Terminal for some time until anyone turned up.   Certainly gave us plenty of time to get the hire car into its allocated spot and find the office to drop the keys into the slot.

The drive from Sabi River Sun to Nelspruit had been quite uneventful. There was a surprising amount of traffic already out and about including a lot of police cars, usually travelling in pairs.   The only challenge was that the high beam on the Combi wasn't all that effective and we were a bit concerned about wildlife on the road - didn't see a thing.

The terminal at Neilspruit is quite new and very nicely built in an African style.  After checking in (luggage booked straight through to Livingstone :-) ) we just had time for a cuppa before boarding or very small jet, a 37 seat Embraer 135.  There was some concern expressed by some of the party at the size of the plane but as it turned out the flight was very smooth and we we're in Joburg in no time.

We had breakfast at Jacksons (same spot as last week) and then made our way to the Gate for our 10:40 flight.  By the time we got through immigration our flight was already boarding.  Both these flights obviously lack the importance of the larger international routes (although this time the plane was bigger - a  120 seat Airbus 319-100) as we we're ferried some distance to and from the planes by buses.

No entertainment on this flight although they did feed us - cold meat and cheese.  They did have a very interesting in-flight magazine, however. Read quite a bit about where we're going in Namibia AND found out that the tortoise we saw in Kruger the other day was a Leopard Tortoise.

We arrived in Livingstone at about 12:30.  The airport is quite small and looks as if it is still under construction.  It took some time to get through immigration as everyone also required Visa as (US$50 each).  We were a little surprised at the $US dollar bit as we had read that in 2013 when the Kwacha was revalued it was decreed that all dealings were to be in Kwacha.   We had also read that this had been revoked so were not sure what to expect.  Fortunately, we had all brought some American dollars for such an occasion.

Once through immigration, we fronted up to the ATMs to get some local currency to pay for a taxi.  Both ATMS we're not working but fortunately, the money exchange bureaus were.  We exchanged $US50 for about 580 Kwacha.

Then out to the taxi stand where the little man (there's always a little man) wanted all our details, where we were staying, what we're we hoping to do, did we have our combined Zambia/Zimbabwe Visa as it was the dry season and there was no water flowing over the Zambian side of the falls. Oops no we didn't! Our Visa was only for Zambia.  He advised us to go back to immigration as the combined Visa was the same price,  otherwise, we would have to pay another US $30 if we wanted to cross into Zimbabwe.  So back to immigration we went, where the kind lady changed our Visas - no problem.

Back out to get a taxi where the said little man started organising a van taxi that we could all fit in. He was also looking for a tip for the advice he had provided on Visas.  No metres in taxis here.   You arrange a price before you set off.  The little man said this taxi would take us for $US10.  Obviously, we weren't paying for everything in Kwacha (Not yet anyway).

Our accommodation for the next three days is Gloria's B&B, a few blocks from the main Street. We were met by their 8 - 9  old son Alan and then his Dad, also Alan, before being shown to our rooms by Angela.  We met Gloria a little later.  Jill and I have a large single bedroom cottage which it's very comfortable and clean.   Not cheap at $US440 for the 4 nights but nice to support a local family who in turn are employing local people.   A groundsman, a guard at night (not that we have felt at all threatened in Zambia - petty theft can be a problem says Alan, but there is little violence) several housemaids etc.  Jennie, Richard and Wendy are in a much smaller "motel" room (less than US $300).

Gloria is a youngish Zambian lady while Alan is an older (ex ) English gent.  They've been together about 10 years and have built up the business - 2 cottages and four motel rooms with another cottage under construction.   They have two children Alan and a baby and Gloria's older daughter,  Vanessa ( Year 11, hoping to do business administration or architecture) is also pay of the group.

There was no power when we arrived.   Apparently, enough power is a problem for Zambia and there is often load shedding to reduce demand.  It did come back on after a while which meant we could put our air conditioner on.  After a little downtime,  Alan took us for a drive in his Prado into town and showed us where the markets were,  the good places to eat, good coffee etc. He dropped us off and we headed for Kubu Cafe for a late lunch.  Coffee and a shared Tropical Chicken Salad with Jill. Just delicious including lychee and peaches.  While there we had quite a downpour and the power went off as it did in the supermarket door.   Was interesting watching the scramble. Doors closed on the supermarket, tables in out of the rain etc.  Not sure whether the outage was short or generators kicked in but things were back to normal fairly quickly.

After lunch we went to the supermarket for a few supplies.  The only thing we couldn't buy were corn cakes.  No sign of such things, in fact, nothing in the savoury biscuit line made of anything other than wheat (apart from rice crackers so we bought).  Fruit was a bit light on. We were looking for an avocado for dinner but they were as hard as a rock.

Jill and I walked back to Gloria's while the others took a cab. Zambia it's obviously not a rich country and funds do not stretch to well-developed infrastructure.   Some of the roads even within the town are dirt as are some of the footpaths.  There it's also no obvious rich as there is in South Africa.  Perhaps that's all in another part of town. The people are friendly and non-threatening although you do get hassled to buy stuff.  I guess that's understandable as they do need to make a living.   What does surprise us is the amount of rubbish lying about (although I'm not sure why it should surprise us)?  There's a huge contrast between the condition of the streets with rubbish everywhere and people's yards which are spotless.

After a late lunch it was a bottle of wine and crackers for dinner then off to bed.  It's been a long day. 

Wednesday 14th October 2015 – Okaukuejo to Twyfelfontein

We were up early and down to the waterhole to see if there was any action.  No animals but the sociable weavers and their nest are pretty amazing. 

After breakfast, we were expecting to head out of the park towards Twyfelfontein but that was not to be.    The problem with having a guide who loves his job so much (and is so good at spotting things for us, even when none of the five of us can see anything) is that today, even though we have a long drive, Ian has heard that there was a giraffe killed not too far away (although not in the direction we are heading) So we’re off to check it out.  We didn’t actually see the carcase but we did see a pride of about eight lionesses of various ages who walked across the road just behind our vehicle.  It was all pretty special and probably worth losing an hours travelling time.  We also saw Zebra, Jackal, Hyena, Northern Black Korhaan, Springbok and our first and only African Grey Hornbill.  We also had an amazing sky this morning as we drove out of Okaukuejo.

On our way south we stopped to take photos of termite mounds – they are quite red now (most of the ones we’ve seen previously have been whitish).  Also saw some Blesbok in a paddock being farmed.  I’ve probably mentioned already that there is a fair bit of farming of antelope these days.

Next stop was a visit to the Otjikandero Himba village about 20 km from Kamanjab.  This village was specially set up to support orphan children and single mothers.  The women wore elaborate headgear and lap laps (made from animal hides) and various anklets, bracelets, necklets and chains. 

After the previous village visit, this one was a bit of a letdown.  The young man showing us around was dressed in western clothes and was smoking a cigarette.  His dialogue was quite interesting but it was rattled off without too much enthusiasm.

The visit was interesting all the same.  When boys and girls reach puberty their 4 bottom front teeth are knocked out and boys are also circumcised at 12 years old.  The women don’t use water for cleaning themselves, instead doing a morning routine with smoke to cleanse themselves and stop vermin getting into their hair extensions.

Before leaving the village here was a bit of hard sell of the trinkets, bangles etc. they had for sale.  It didn’t really endear us to the village which is a shame because it certainly was an eye opener of the way others live.

Lunch was at Kamanjab.  Ian had a chat to the owners of a local cafe and they let us eat our packed lunch in their café garden – very generous of them.  We bought some coffee which was pretty good too.

By this time we were heading west towards Grootberg Pass.  Ian had to call into Hoada Campsite (of the Grootberg Lodge) a spot he regularly camps at to show us the amazing setup built among huge granite rocks.  Also spotted a Namibian Rock Iguana.

It was then quite a climb up to Grootberg Pass at 1740m – quite a view from the top.  On the way down the other side we spotted some Mountain Zebras which are different to the Burchell’s by having horizontal stripes on the rump.  Also spotted some Giraffe.

It was then on to our accommodation for the night at Twyfelfontein (translates as ‘doubtful spring’ because when it was discovered someone asked “Do you think it’s permanent? And the response was “It’s doubtful”.  The entrance to the lodge was just amazing through a group of huge rocks.  The buildings were also built around and incorporated other rocks into their design.  We had drinks at the bar overlooking the pool which had a waterfall falling from a huge rock – man-made obviously but very impressive.

Dinner upstairs in the lodge was another impressive affair.  We were even entertained by the staff.  Apparently, there is a choir competition between various lodges and Twyfelfontein were recent winners.