Our trip to KwaZulu-Natal

DAY 1 – THE ROAD TO SANI PASS

Whilst the girls were away in Semonkong, I enjoyed some food poisoning and two days at work. They returned on Thursday, we had a relaxed evening with a trip up to our favourite spot for sunset over Maseru. We then prepared for our big trip together. Friday morning, we left after rush hour and headed north and subsequently east into the mountains. We passed Afriski (where in the winter you can indeed ski), a huge diamond mine and climbed over the highest road pass in Southern Africa on to the South African border at Sani Pass. Needless to say the journey was spectacular with great views of massive mountains and stunning valleys. We stopped for lunch over 3000 metres, where we had to hide away from the crisp winds. To our surprise (and especially Kate’s) we were not alone in this remote spot. There were herd boys with their sheep and goats wandering the mountain sides who came up to us out of curiosity no doubt. After the last bit of civilisation on our trip, Mokhotlong, the road crept up beside a river to the Sani Pass. We were in a bit of a rush as we knew the border crossing closed but had conflicting information on when. The nearer we seemed to get to the border the worst the road got. Despite this we made it in time to the Lesotho border and got our stamps. We still felt in a rush to get to the South African border post, so regretfully didn’t stop for a drink at the highest pub in Africa. We were stopped in our tracks by a most amazingly poor road and the most spectacular view of the Drakensberg Mountains. Neither words nor the photographs can really capture the scene. The road was amazingly steep and the views of the lush green valley ahead seemed to stretch on for miles. After an hour of crawling down the numerous hairpin bends we were officially in South Africa. We had a short drive to our first nights stay at the Himeville Arms. We were able to reflect on our day with a beer and a lovely supper before retiring for a well earned rest.

DAY 2 – DURBAN AND THE DOLPHIN COAST

The second day of our trip started with a visit to a garage as Jeepy had taken a bit of battering and was in need of some attention. After fuel, air and water we then set off to Durban in the fog. For most of our journey down we could barely see 50 feet in front of the car. Nonetheless the music and singing kept us entertained. Durban is a massive metropolis. We managed to not get lost, and experienced a little of the diversity of the city as we drove around. We spent an hour getting Jeepy fitted with a new set of tyres. After I recovered from the bill, we headed up into the Berea area of the city for lunch and a spot of shopping. We had a leisurely drive up the coast to our next stop Sheffield Beach. We uncovered that we only narrowly avoided the Benidorm of South Africa which was just round the corner. Our B&B, however, was a quaint little place run by a British couple who have been in Africa many years after actually meeting in Maseru! We had views down to the sea and in the morning, I was able to watch the sun rise and Kit spotted a pod of dolphins playing offshore. We had a stroll along the beach before a lovely breakfast set us up for the next leg of the journey.

DAY 3 – THE ELEPHANT COAST

A mornings drive brought us to St Lucia, a very small tourist town located on the southern border of the Isimangaliso Wetland Park. It was a gloriously hot day, and after letting ourselves in to our apartment we lazed by the swimming pool. We met up with the owner in the afternoon who gave us some excellent tips on what to do over the coming days. St Lucia is located between the sea and a lake which used to be a lagoon but is now cut off from the sea. The lake is home to hippos and crocs, so before the sun set we set off in the hope of finding some. A short drive from the lodge we came to the lakes edge where there was a pod of hippos relaxing within 50 metres of the shore. There was also a croc lazing on the opposite shore (fortunately). We all felt a little spoilt! I got an opportunity to polish my braai skills again that evening.

DAY 4 – HLUHLUWE IMFOLOZI PARK

This holiday was full of early rises, but none as early as on day 4. We were up and in the car by 5 am!! We had a short drive to the safari park where we had intended to spend the morning. The experience was “amazing” (by now this had become the word of the holiday). Having decided to opt for the much cheaper self drive option to explore the park we were a little anxious that we wouldn’t be able to spot the wildlife. We were far from disappointed, as we ended up seeing both black and white rhino, elephants, hyena, lions, giraffe, buffalo, and numerous boks all close up and personal. The highlight was almost certainly having a 50+ herd of elephants of all sizes pass in front of Jeepy. The quote of the day had to be when Kit mistook a big rock for an animal, and shouted out, “there’s a rhinosaur”! We got back to our apartment in the late afternoon and rested our eyes after 7 hours of scanning for beasts.

DAY 5 – ISIMANGALISO PARK, CAPE VIDAL AND LAKE CRUISE

A slightly less early start, but we were still off into the next park by 6:30 am for a morning of relaxing by the sea at Cape Vidal. Whilst the girls snorkelled and chilled on the beach, I went for a little adventure up the coast. I walked along the deserted beach, eventually spotting a lighthouse to which I clambered. This required a challenging crawl up through thick vegetation but was rewarded by lovely views of the beach and sea. I thought I would find an alternative way back. I was however reminded that I was in the middle of game reserve when I heard some noise in the bush. I then spotted big cat prints in the path so swiftly turned around and headed the same way back! I got back in time for the next braai of the trip. This was a rather challenging experience as there were numerous aggressive monkeys that wanted to share our meal. One of them managed to run off with a cob of corn, but after I got out a large stick they seemed to leave us alone. We returned to St Lucia after lunch to prepare for a cruise on the lake. For two hours prior to sundown, we coasted around the lake with a drunken captain. Despite his state of mind, he did manage to spot a large number of hippos along with fish eagles, crocodiles and herons. It was a lovely way to bring our days in St Lucia to a close.

DAY 6 – THE TRIP HOME

We had a mad 6 hour dash to drop Jess and Kate off on the coach at Harrismith. There were anxious moments waiting for the coach as it was an hour late and the ladies still had a significant journey to the airport. In the end it turns out that a volcano in Iceland has had a bigger impact on their journey home rather than the traffic in Jo’burg... how weird! I don’t think either of them expected a holiday in Paris on the way back! After a quick goodbye, Kit and I made our way back home with many memories of “amazing” times together.

We now have a weekend of relaxing before Kit starts work next week. The holiday is now truly over! I hope she still has time to do the washing and cooking!!!