Lower Sabie restcamp (Kruger National Park) - Mlilwane (Swaziland): 145 + 141 km / 91 + 88 miles

Thursday 26 February 2004

This morning starts with heavy rain. We have breakfast with a view on the Sabie river. After breakfast we leave for Crocodile Bridge where we plan to leave Kruger.  On our way there we meet lots of animals like a running Elephant, hyenas, wildebeest and - quite spectacularly - two adolescent male lions at the side of the road. Apparently undisturbed by the bad weather. When we arrive at Crocodile Bridge we are told that the bridge is closed because of high water and that we cannot leave the Park here. We have to drive back all the way to Skukuza in order to take a different route south again to Malalene gate. All in all about 3 hours (141km/88mi) extra driving. Later we find out that we have missed a sign announcing the closure of the bridge! Driving back means also that we have to cross the same rain storm twice again. A storm flooding the roads and limiting the view. After leaving Kruger at Malalene we have lunch at a shopping centre near Kaalrug where we also fill up the car and our wallet. ATM's are very common and widespread in South Africa and getting cash with your bank card is no problem at all. We just have to be aware what is going on around you when you do it. Sometimes the machines are guarded.  We carry on to Jeppe's Reef, the border post to Swaziland. We have to get our passports stamped to leave South Africa and couple of metres further another stamp for entering the kingdom of Swaziland. We also have to pay 5 Rand for the car. At the Swazi border post King Mswati III is smiling at us from his picture at the wall. Mswati is the last abolute monarch in the world and has a quite a collection of wives.  Swaziland is very mountainous and offers splendid views on dark green mountains and valleys. Beside the roads we see lots of school children in their uniforms walking on their way home. Many start waving at us enthusiastically or perform some kind of dance. The national roads are fairly good, be it that there an awful lot of speed humps in the towns and villages. 

Closer to Mbabane, the capital traffic get heavier. Past Mbabane we take the motorway to  Manzini. At the Mlilwane turn off we leave the motorway and follow the signs for Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary and eventually find ourselves on an unpaved road full of potholes. The roads goes from bad to worse and just when we think we are totally lost we reach the entrance of the Sanctuary. We pay 50 Emalangeni (Swaziland's currency; is equal in value to the Rand) to enter the sanctuary and continue, passing a pond full of Hippos and crocodiles, to Sondzela Backpackers. The road twists and turns as we go further and is full of potholes. We pass groups of zebra and warthogs against the backdrop of misty mountains. After 8 km we finally get there. We have booked a double. It is not very busy at the hostel. It has a relaxed atmosphere and good views of the surrounding mountains. There is a large garden and a smallish pool. After 8 hours of driving we are bit too tired to venture out and we take a break in the garden. At night we join dinner with the other guests. Impala stew is on today's menu. It is prepared on a log fire and served on tables around the fire under the trees. It tastes good and we have a chat with a young Dutch couple spending several months in Southern Africa. 

After dinner we have a few drinks at the bar, before we retire to our room.  

Weather: starting with heavy cloud and rain. In Swaziland clearer but late at night heavy rain again. 26°C/80°F, high humidity..

Mlilwane (Swaziland) - River View: 353km / 221mi

Friday 27 February 2004

It is an early start (6am). At 6.30 we are ready for breakfast, but breakfast is not ready for us. Around 7 we can get our meal at the boma. Eggs (any style) prepared on platter over a log fire and a plate of Swazi porridge. After this booster we are all set to go. We drive right across the kingdom until we reach the far South Eastern corner. We mail some postcards just before we cross the border into South Africa. Here we are greeted with some heavy rain, but that disappears after a while After a long drive we arrive in River View near Mtubatuba not far from the Hluhluwe Game Reserve. We find a room at Marula Place B&B. A welcoming and comfortable B&B run by Eone and Peter van Rooyen. There is a pool and we have a fine room with A/C. We have lunch at the Umfolozi Country Club and try to be lazy at the pool side all afternoon. I write an email home and later at night we have dinner at the same Umfolozi Country Club. After that we watch some TV and listen to the news by Radio Netherlands World Service via M-net (a digital satellite tv and radio service, which many hotels have).  Back home in the Netherlands it snowing heavily while we are sweating at temperatures of  30°C/86°F.

Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve en St Lucia Estuary: 140km

Saturday 28 February 2004

We rise early again (6am), because we want to visitHluhluwe Umfolozi Game reserve. Chance for seeing wildlife are much better early morning. We are given a large and good packed breakfast in a cool box by our hosts to take along. The game spotting is a bit disappointing at the start. It takes a while before we the first Zebras and Impalas It takes another while before we spot our first Kudus and it not before two hours in the reserve when we see two Rhinos. Later we also see an elephant (very rare is these parts) and some giraffes here and there. After 3 and a half hour we leave the reserve again as the animals become sparser. We drive back to the B&B to freshen up before we continue to St Lucia. This is a nature reserve too. The town of St Lucia is a busy touristy place. We visit the KZN (KwaZulu-Natal) Wildlife office to book a place on the sunset Lake Cruise of 4pm. Then we have lunch at The Zulu and I restaurant, which is connected to the Snake & Crocodile Centre. This a spin-off from a project to save the crocodiles from extinction. A group of Nile Crocodiles (the only indigenous kind) and some other kinds of crocodiles are kept and bred here.  As well as a variety of snakes. At 2pm a ranger show a few snakes and explains about their habits and dangers.  

We drive back to the village and wait for our tour boat to leave. Reservations were not really necessary as the boat is three quarters empty. But it is nicely quiet. On the boat tour we see lots and lots of hippos, a fish eagle, a giant heron and some crocodiles. The hippos stay in the water during the day. After sunset they leave the water to start grazing on land. Hippos are the most dangerous animals in South Africa for humans and very territorial. They are not only very strong but also very fast on land. They can easily run 40km/h (25mi/h). More humans are killed every year by hippos than by any other animal.

At night we have dinner at Alfredo's in St Lucia after which we drive back to River View through the pitch dark night. 

Weer: dry. starting cloudy but later clear and sunny. 29°C/84°F.

River View-Umhlanga Rocks (Durban): 240km/150mi

Sunday 29 February 2004

We have breakfast with another guest and our host Peter. They give us the tip to visit Shakaland on our way to Umhlanga. Shakaland is about halfway between River View and Durban. It is a Zulu village built in 1985 on a farm as a filmset for Shaka Zulu. After the filming was done the set was converted into a tourist attraction and has recently been taken over by a hotel chain. You can stay overnight in the rondavel cabins, who have been converted into luxury themed hotel rooms. We get a tour through Shakaland, with explanatory commentary about the Zulu habits and traditions. Shakaland is located on the site where Zulu king Shaka (late 18th century) had his Kraal or home village. After the tour a dance and music show is layed on showing the traditional dances by the Zulus, in which the dances make incredibly high kicks. Shaka land is nicely done and professionally set up, but should not be confused with present day life of the Zulus, even if they like to let on that it could be. 

After the song and dance a traditional buffet lunch is served after which we move on to Umhlanga on the coast just north of Durban. We reach Ballyhigh Guest House just before 4pm. On our way down there we deal with some rain showers and also in Umhlanga it is pouring down. We are welcomed by to black ladies. One them takes over my suit case and with little effort places the 25kg on top of her head and walks up the stair to our room!! The room is very large. No more than 10 minutes after we have around we are served with coffee, tea and muffins. Outside it is still raining so a first walk on the beach along the Indian Ocean is not a tempting option.

At night we eat at Razzmatazz. This restaurant is located in the Cabana Beach resort. The food is fine in this ecclectic restaurant run by an English speaking lady and a whole bunch of Indian waiters. 

After dinner we drive back to our guest house through the pouring rain. 

Weather: cloudy. Dry until late afternoon when heavy showers moved in from the ocean.  28°C/82°F. 

Umhlanga Rocks (Durban) - Central Drakensberg: 208km/130mi

Monday 1 March 2004

After breakfast we drive through Durban's morning rush hour in a westerly direction along the N3 towards Drakensberg. The Drakensberg mountain chain borders on the independent kingdom of Lesotho. It is a National Park. The drive takes about 3 hours. We have booked a double en suite room in the Inkosana Lodge Backpackers en B&B. After checking into our room we drive to the Champagne Castle Hotel where we have lunch. The upmarket hotel at the foot of the Champagne mountain seems to be invaded by old age pensioners. We have a buffet lunch and drive on to Monk's Cowl. This is where the walking trails start in this valley in the Drakenberg. We pay R15 to enter the park and sign in before we start our walk to  Nandi Falls. It is a nice walk through the mountains. The tops of Champagne castle is still shrouded in clouds, but slowly but surely they start clearing.  .

We walk for about 2 and a half hours in hilly terrain (but not too strenuous) before we return to the Inkosana Lodge. This evening we eat at the nearby hotel Die Nest. Reasonable 5 course dinner.

Weather: dry and a bit cloudy. Sunny spells in the afternoon. 24°C/75°F

Tuesday 2 March 2004

Breakfast starts at 7.30 sharp in this backpackers lodge and we summoned to the dining room by a gong signal. Breakfast starts with cereal or porridge followed by toast and eggs. No sausage today but bacon. This morning we try a different walk from Monk's Cowl into the Champagne Castle area. Today is sunny and warm even this early and can't manage quite as long a walk as we planned to. We see the beautiful Sterkspruit falls make a bit of detour and walk back to the car. Not even two hours, but it sure feels much more. After a shower at the lodge we drive to Winterton, the only town of significance in the area. We get us some cash from one of the ATMs and have lunch at a pub cum restaurant. We then drive to the Northern part of the Drakensberg to the Royal Natal National Park. This is clearly the most beautiful valley of them all. It is dominated by the "Amfitheather" formed by the Eastern Buttress and the Sentinel and the mountains in between. Entry to the Park is a mere R25 per person. The park became royal after a visit by the Windsors in 1947. We drive to the visitor centre and by a map of the park. We are not really going for a hike but still... W drive as far as we can. At the end of the road I walk a bit in the direction of the Amphitheater and make some photos from higher up. The scenery is very impressive. We drive back through the Rugged Gorge, which takes us back to the road to Bergville, where we fill up the car. We take the back roads back tot Champagne valley and the Inkosana Lodge, taking in some very quaint rural scenes. Thunder roars in the distance, but does not reach the Champagne valley.  We relax a bit till dinner time. We eat out at Eat Centric a few miles  up the road from the Lodge. Good food in nice ambiance. I take a Madagascar steak, while Erik enjoys his Eatcentric steak in a sweet sauce with lots of pepper.  

Weather: sunny and very warm. Clouds late afternoon. 35°C/95°F