A visit to Soweto is always an experience and although I know the important tourist destinations well, I prefer to use one of the Guides who live in Soweto, they have a lot to offer and I also believe that I also ad to the creation of job opportunities bu using the local talent. here we stoped near the Soccer City World Cup Stadium, specialy buid for the 2010 World Cup Tournament.
A drive through to Swaziland has to include Ngwenya Glass near the Oshoek borderpost, we stopped for lunch but to see the way some of those exquisite glass sculptures are formed from redhot glass is an education in itself, and the price of some of the articles is extremely reasonable. Our hotel the Forester Arms Hotel was located high in the mountains among luch forests, and about an hours drive from Mbabane the capitol of Swaziland. this small country despite its economic and political chalenges, has a lot to offer to the tourist, we visited, an Cultural show near Matenga in the Izulwini district, lunched at a Candle Factory and shopped at a huge Craft market, all in one day.
when driving through Swaziland I am always amazed at the contrast between the northwestern mountainous country and the south eastern flat country with the sugarcane and the rural villages, it seems that the country is divided in two because the flat countryside is also much dryer and the people seem poorer the those living in the northern mountains. going through border posts is also an experience, because each time, and with each official there are small changes that makes life interesting. Our arrival at Ezulweni Lodge near Hluhluwe, was made special by the owners and the fact that the tourists have spotted their first giraffe, zabras and wildebeest. The rooms were very comforable and well appointed too.
Although Kruger National Park is the most visited and and also worth visiting I find the multitude of smaller Parks special, because a sighting does not mean the resemblence of a major sporting event parking area, here you can view your animals in silence and mostly alone, Hluhluwe National Park is just like that, and my tourists felt that the game drive could be at least a full day, perhaps that is whawe will do next time. we have seen at least three of the big 5 and the birdlife was astounding.
The Rhono's in this park are spectacutar, jus have a look at the bull in these pictures and the female lying down's horn is at least a meter long (I still cant believe that anybody would want to kill such a magnifisent animal)
Our visit to the St Lucia Wetland Park (sorry I am still old school) was no less special, with wildlife everyware, and you know that you have had a good day when you have a African fish Eagle in full flight in close to the boat. Our evening back at Ezulwini Lodge was just great and viewing the Southern Cross and the Milkyway, with no light polution was a highlight for the group from Belgium.
We travelled to Umhlanga rocks were our guests stayed at the Oysterbox Hotel before we took a early flight to Port Elizabeth, did some shopping before we headed out to Kirkwood near Addo National Elephant Park. We stayed at Cosmos Cuisine, a Guest House with a 5 star menue. The next day was a day at leisure with a game drive in the park at sunset, we decided to do a full day game experience in our bus, and again it surpassed all our expectations, many Elephants Kudu etc. and we had no reason to complain about a shortage of birdlife, again a day well spent.
The next day was a short drive to Graaf Reinet an smal historic town in the Great Karoo, famous for the start of the Great Trek of 1835. We had lunch, visited the local Museum before we went to another of my favourite National Parks, the Kamdebo, with its amazing views from the top of the Valley of Desolation. We returned back to town to drive through Niew Bathesta to Ganora Guest Farm, situated in the middle of no-ware. Dinner was a cold affair, we had a visit to the farms fossil museum and viewed the starry skies once more before crawling into our pre-heated beds. The next mornieng we went searching for fossils on the farm with frost still clinging to our bus. We returned for breakfast end a visit to some very good San Rock Paintings on the very same Farm, before we drove to Beufort West for a visit and stayover to another less visited National Parks The Karoo National Park.
Our game drive with our bus delivered Mountain Zebra, Plains Zebra Kudu and Orix
the next morning we drove to Matjiesfontein, and were astounded at the amount of spring flowers the fields delivered, matjiesfontein's Lorn Milner Hotel and the Museum is well worth the visit and a evening with Johnny behind his honkitonk piano will remain in our memories.
The next day we traveled through the spectacular Koo Mountain pass to Montagu, on our arrival we visited a mid-town bird sanctuary for some spectacular photos. Our hotel was the quaint art Deco themed Montagu Country Hotel.
Our trip towards Capetown neared its conclusion, but before it does we had to go and spot soe whales in Hermanus, The whale spotting place to be in South Africa, and we were not disappointed. what a show ....wow. and a tour well worth doing the less travelled path
The last few kilometers through to Capetown also delivered what some would say the cherry on the Cake
Nice pictures thanks to share with us...
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