We arrived in Joburg to a cold front that brought us temperatures in the teens (celsius), wind and rain. We were finally able to use most of our cold weather clothing packed at the bottom of our bag, including our raincoats. The first thing that I noticed when we entered the city were the Jacaranda …
When people think of safari, often, images of Kruger National Park come to mind. Kruger National Park is the most iconic of all of South Africa’s national parks. Spanning 2 million hectares, it is one of Africa’s largest wildlife reserves and hosts not only the Big 5 but a huge diversity of wildlife, birds and …
It was another long driving day that took us to Marloth Park, located at the south end of Kruger National Park. It is separated from Kruger by the Crocodile River and by a border fence that is porous. Marloth Park is a wildlife conservancy that contains many of the herbivores and smaller animals found in …
The Drakensberg is the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, the steep rocky slopes that border the South African plateau and a major topological feature in South Africa. “Drakensberg” is derived from the Dutch word meaning “Dragon mountains”. The name is fitting because the rock faces are steep, jagged, dramatic and could realistically within its craggy …
We booked our next Airbnb in a small town called Van Reenen. When I was doing the research a few months ago, I had wanted to stay somewhere near the Drakensberg mountains. I came across the listing of a home in Van Reenen, not far from the mountains, called the Waterfall River Lodge. The remoteness …
Over the past several years, in an effort to better represent the social landscape of modern-day South Africa by moving away from colonial and apartheid-era names, a number of cities and places were renamed. In 2021, Port Elizabeth was renamed Gqeberha, the Xhosa name for Walmer Township, one of the oldest townships in Port Elizabeth. …
It was already dark by the time we arrived at our Airbnb about a 15 minute drive from Port Elizabeth, called Breaking Waves. When we walked into the house, despite our exhaustion after a full day on the road, our eyes lit up and in unison, we exhaled an elongated “Wowwwww!”. Breaking Waves is the …
En Route from Knysna to Gqberha (Port Elizabeth) on the Garden Route, there are a number of worthwhile stops. On the recommendation of a friend, we decided to stop at Tsitsikamma National Park. The park is known for its dramatic coastline and secluded beaches which contain a dense interior of indigenous forests. It is not …
The Garden Route is one of the most famous road trips in the world. National Geographic describes the Garden Route as “a serendipitous combination of world-class beaches, iridescent lagoons and indigenous forests interspersed with welcoming towns, and a simple, scenic, ocean-hugging highway”. Knysna is a town about a third of the way along the Garden …
The Airbnb that we stayed at in Knysna is called the Pool House and it is located on Leisure Island. We stayed only two nights at the Pool House though we could easily have stayed for many more. We arrived late after dark the night before, so it wasn’t until we were awakened by the …
