south africa: journal

nelspruit - 5th february

our first taste of south africa and we liked what we saw. shopping malls, food stores, wide boulevards, tropical trees, perfect weather, braais (bbq's) and swimming pools. okay, so this wasn't why we had travelled to africa but it sure is nice to experience after eight months on the road. we spent several days in nelspruit servicing the land rover and unpacking and repacking the back to make room for our new engel fridge; with still over three months to go we felt we could justify this expense. from here on it will be steak and cold beer, not tinned lentils and warm water.

 
valentine's day, kruger np

out of nelspruit we took the panaroma route to blyde river canyon, taking in the waterfalls, viewpoints and 'potholes' - huge circular wells in the moutainside - along the way. a heavy rainstorm hit late afternoon and had us running back to the landrover for shelter bringing an abrupt end to our sightseeing. we overnight'd in hazyview in preparation for our early departure to the world renound kruger national park.

kruger national park - 11th february

 
no swimming, kruger np

kruger national park is a vast stretch of wilderness in the far north-eastern corner of south africa. here we hoped to see more lion, cheetah, rhino and perhaps even a sighting of the rare wild dog. we spent six days in the park travelling between the different campsites, watching for game, although the long grass and density of shrubs made sightings difficult. this safari was very different to those we had experienced in the east african parks. tarmac roads run the course of the park and it seemed strange to see game-viewing taking place from the front seats of vw golfs, toyota corrollas, and mercedes c-class rather than the usual 4x4s, trucks or minibuses. the campsites in the southern and central areas are fenced which makes for great hyena watching but takes away the true feeling of bush camping in the wild. but the campsites are impressive, both in terms of location and the facilities. and we did see plenty of elephant, impala, white rhino, a few wilderbeest and even a lion albeit from a distance. and we enjoyed ourselves. we maximised the use of the new fridge for daily braais. kruger's a good place to hide out in the semi-wild for a few days, but for us, at that time of year, it wasn't the wildlife extravaganza it's cracked up to be.

 
ox peckers and impala, kruger np

swaziland - 16th february

after leaving kruger, we stocked up on supplies and drove the short distance to the border of swaziland. this small independent kingdom is a country in its own right, but is surrounded on all sides by south africa. after a few days spent enjoying its parks, we exited again in the south, on route to the coast.

kosi bay and sodwana bay - 20th february

sodwana bay is south africa's premier diving resort, with reefs that are said to rival those of mozambique, and we know how good they are! further north, almost on the mozambiquan border, kosi bay is a tropical wetland area with forest covered dunes separating four freshwater lakes from the sea. an abundance of hippos and crocs inhabite the lakes and kosi mouth is meant to be great for snorkelling. for us, it sounded like a good place to start.

to reach the campsite at kosi bay it is necessary to leave the tarmac road and head seaward on a sandy track through the dunes. the track split, then again and again. there were no signs so we just kept going, trying to pick the most used route from the sandy gullies. after fifteen or twenty guessed junctions, we weren't so sure we were on route to the campsite, in fact, acording to the gps we were about 1km away from being back in mozambique. we had to turn back. what's more, we could no longer ignore the young men at the roadside who had been so desperately trying to get our attention ever since we'd left the main road. sadly, experience in africa had taught us that when someone wants our attention, one way or another it's usually because they want our money. and yep, sure enough they all wanted to get in the car and guide us to the campsite, for a fee, not out of kindness. it was too hot and we weren't in the mood for having someone hanging off the footstep directing us to their preferred locale for our overnight stay. we hadn't been expecting to get lost at this late stage, and certainly weren't prepared for the shouting that accompanied our progress. we decided to cut our losses and head for sodwana bay.

by the time we reached sodwana bay, the afternoon clouds had developed into towering stormheads, blacking out the horizon and billowing visibly upwards, moving closer. not many places look appealing in the rain and sodwana bay certainly doesn't. at the campsite's toll-booth style concrete entrance gate the warden was aghast that we hadn't booked. he seemed reluctant to let us in, but did so anyway. inside, it was difficult to spot the four or five other campers amongst the four hundred available sites.

we saw a dutch couple we'd met in swaziland, their day had been similarly fraught and it was good to see a friendly face. then the storm broke and after spending all day driving, the front of the land rover was the only place to shelter from the rain.

northern drakensberg - 21st february

we left sodwana bay the following morning. the weather was still foul and we had no inclination to be on the beach. heading inland towards the drakensberg mountains, we took the most direct route, traversing some of the few remaining dirt roads in south africa. on these backwaters there were no supermarkets or flash 4x4s, just tumbledown shacks and beaten up pick-ups. it could just as easily be any road in east africa. for the first time we could see the poverty in south africa that the shopping malls hide.

 
from the top of the amphitheatre, northern drakensberg

we drove all day and the rain followed us. the land had been rising steadily and by the afternoon we were well and truly in the highlands. green moorland rolled upwards towards distant mountains and as we passed towns called glen coe and fort william, we could have been in scotland.

the drakensberg is the heighest mountain range in south africa. a chain of craggy, dramatic peaks they are the country's premier hiking destination and also mark the border with the mountain kingdom of lesotho, which lies beyond the cliffs to the west. they are said to be tolkien's inspiration for the infamous mountains of mordor, and with the storm raging and lightening flashing over the peaks i could see the connection. though to be honest, even through the maelstom i thought they were just too green to be really sinister and with the wildflowers lining the road... are you sure it wasn't his inspiration for the shire?

 
leading the climb, northern drakensberg

the rain was pelting down heavier than ever, and we were high enough in the mountains that the black clouds no longer loomed overhead, they ambushed us from around the hairpin bends. arriving at the backpackers, we shunned the camping and took a room and several very large bottles of beer.

 
don't look down, "the chains"

we woke to blue skies and a panoramic view of the bright green peaks. we took a stroll in the mountains, which turned out to be a fairly arduous trek. the rain came down again and even with our kagoules we were soaked to the skin. we forded rivers with our boots hung round our necks, scambled up and down gullies and clambered over boulders using ladders made of chains. it was an exciting walk and the views were worth the discomfort.

two days later we were ready to hike again. this time to the top. well, the top of the amphitheatre anyway. a fearsome curtain of rock nearly 1 km high, the amphitheatre dominates the north of the range, curving evenly as its name suggests. even getting a minibus almost to the top the remainder still makes a challenging climb and a five hour round trip.

we were in luck, it was the clearest morning yet. not a cloud in the sky. we reached the top without much trouble and were treated to breathtaking views down to valleys far, far below. the rest of the range rippled into the distance and the sheer cliff face of the amphitheatre curved round to the side. to stand at the edge of the cliff was exhillerating and also a reminder of my vertigo.

my mostly, but not quite, conquered fear of heights was something i'd been trying not to dwell on. i knew what the descent entailed - 'the chains'. two chain ladders would form part of our route down. we'd climbed some on our previous walk and had found them slippery in the rain and they also had a nasty tendency to swing sideways across the boulders. well at least it wasn't raining, but these ladders were first 15m then 30m long. from the top, they looked like they hung down into nothingness as they disappeared over the edge of the rock.

in the end they weren't that bad. i edged out backwards over the lip. i never looked down, though i probably should have done. it didn't look so high after all.

the sani pass - 1st march

 
a long way to the top, sani pass

from the drakensberg the plan had been to explore the wild coast, travelling the coastal road to jeffreys bay for some surf action and then along the garden route to cape town before heading up to namibia. we changed our minds after deciding that whilst these smooth tarmac'd roads and comfy backpackers made a very nice holiday we now needed to get back into 'africa'. plus cape town has always been the end point for us so we couldn't really go there before our time was up. so we found ourselves driving up the sani pass into lesotho, taking the shortest and probably the most scenic route across the mountain passes and then heading towards the far north-eastern corner of south africa. thereby curtailing several thousand miles of fast roads that can't really be tackled in a fully loaded land rover - well, not at a speed that we would really like.

the sani pass is only open to 4x4s (lucky for us) and we drove at first light to ensure that we got to the top before the clouds came down. it wasn't a particularly difficult drive, the land rover powered up, even the sharp hairpin bends didn't require second attempts. reaching the top was like entering a different world but that's another story. we warmed ourselves with hot chocolates at the highest pub in south africa (even andy thought 10am was a tad early for a beer) before moving on.

kgalagadi transfrontier park - 7th march

back in south africa we pit-stopped in blomfontein, picked up supplies in upington and then rode the long, straight road north into the desert, rollercoastering over the endless rows of grass covered dunes like a beetle crossing a ploughed field. there was not a lot out here. ever so often we would pass the shells of once lived-in houses, brick buildings that lay empty, the locals favouring the more affordable and perhaps more fashionable tin abode. after a couple of hours we passed some road construction workers in their flourescent orange overalls, a small community in the middle of nowhere building a road for tourists in the most inhospitable conditions. they seemed pleased to see us.

 
finally we found them, kalagadi np

before entering the park we spent one night at kalahari trails nature reserve where we were able to walk the dunes at sunset amongst antelope and play with a tame meerkat. it transpired the owner was originally from claire's home town. in the morning we entered the kgalagadi transfrontier park that shares borders with botswana and namibia. this is the kalahari and its location is as remote as you can get in south africa. due to the undulating landscape there are only three roads in the park, two are dry river beds - the nossob and auob - and a road across the middle that connects the two. it is fortunate that the wildlife tends to congregate along the riverbeds, seeking shade from the the odd scrub and bush that can be found here and there. springbok, oryx, wilderbeest, ostrich and giraffe all grazed on what i don't know. two spotted hyenas caught our attention, resting in the shade with some scavenged meat next to them. thinking we were interested in their meal they moved the decaying remnants to a safe distance. they returned, flinging their bellies into the cool sand, feigning sleep as they kept one eye on the land rover. we were also fortunate enough to see the kalahari lion - twice; once at sunrise and the other at night as a male and female came down to drink at the floodlit waterhole. finally, we had found maned lions.

 
possessive hyena,kgalagadi transfrontier park

after five nights in the desert we needed to replenish our supplies. we had no choice but to spend another night at the municipal campsite in upington. in fairness it isn't a bad camp, but we'd been a bit spoiled in the parks. we grew a little concerned however at the growing crowds beside the road leading to the entrance gate. the traffic was backing up ahead of us and a mob seemed to be forming. it was getting close to sunset and we were beginning to feel uneasy. we were about to get boxed in by the suped-up hatchbacks and gangster style low-riders.

one of the good things about having a 4x4 is that you can usually find a way out. in this case we quickly bumped up the curb and through the tree lined central reservation. we were in the clear and heading away from the disturbance. looking back, we finally realised its cause. we'd just cut in front of the wedding car.

augrabies falls national park - 13th march

there was one more national park we wished to visit before leaving south africa and that was the augrabies; not so much to see the 'noise-making place' although the falls are impressive - the orange river passing over a series of cataracts before being pushed over a narrow drop into a deep ravine - but to appreciate the massive granite outcrops that surrounds it. there is a short game drive that takes in several breathtaking viewpoints and at sunset we followed the gravel trail until we reached the furthest point where we enjoyed a sundowner. it was not possible to capture the sheer beauty and magnificence of the land on film. as for the game, well there were plenty of rock hyraxes sunning themselves on the rocky habitat, and a pair of klipspringers silhouetted dramatically against the sunset, atop an outcrop of rock.

 
on the edge, augrabies np

from the park it was only a relatively short drive to namibia. it was the country that had tempted us to embark upon this epic journey in the first place and nine months of bumpy, dusty, thrilling, surprising, testing and thoroughly enjoyable travel hadn't dampened our enthusiasm at all.

south africa: accomodation

south africa: other info

entry checks: UK visitors do not require a visa and a 3-month multiple entry stamp is issued on arrival; a customs guy came to us, sorted out the paperwork, stamped the carnet - all very easy. probably the first case of customer service we've come across in africa.

costs: its hard to keep to the budget in sa. we've camped and cooked to keep costs down but this is a huge country and while diesel isn't too costly we're constantly refueling. plus there's all those treats, car parts, haircuts that haven't been available elsewhere to spend money on. buying a 'wildcard' saves money on entering national parks and nature reserves. costs: camping c.£8 for two; diesel 41 pence a litre; beer c.50p a can. internet is pricey too.

money: there are atms everywhere and they take cash cards.

must sees: for parks kgalagadi transfrontier; for mountains and hiking the northern drakensberg; favourite town nelspruit; for hairpin bends and a breathtaking view the top of the sani pass; for lunar landscapes the augrabies national park.