Leg 4- Mkuzi to Hluhluwe/Imfolozi Game Reserve

And so we left Mkuzi for Hluhluwe Imfolozi Transfrontier Park. This park is called transfrontier because it's actually two parks that overlap each other but at one time were seperated by fencing. It's much better for all animals from both parks to have opened it up and give them more space to roam and move with the fluctuating water and food supply. We stayed in the Hluhluwe side of the park which is the north eastern section. This park has been around since 1932 or possibly earlier as some pictures in the camp dictate. We stayed at Hilltop Camp, named so because it is situated on one of the highest points and has amazing views. This camp has amazing facilities and i'm sad to say is much more commercial than other places we visited.

The Reception at Hilltop Camp, a large building with sightings board, restaurant, bar, gift shop and outside patio at the back overlooking the sprawling bush...

The view off the patio deck and an information slate about birds of prey

Our precious Rondavel hut we stayed in, there is about 20 of them leading down that path to the bathrooms and laundry and kitchen. We were near the parking though so not too many neighbours! There is no camping in the park.

The patio deck with a little flair hehe

This was an actual pelt that was strung over the fake awning in the bar area (cleverly called the Nightjar, which is a bird that only comes out at night) it was a huge lion and i had to show it somehow! ....Anthony thinks this pic is disgusting LOL


Some lovely little mushies on the side of the road in the early morning sun on our first game drive in the park.

Leg3- From Mapelane to Mkuzi Nature Reserve

On our next portion of the trip we went to Mkuzi Nature Reserve just north and a little west from the coast. We stayed for another three nights but this time we were accompanied by Oli and Erika because it was a long weekend and not far for them to drive up and meet us. They were slightly apologetic for joining us on our honeymoon but we really wanted them to come and enjoy the weekend with us doing some game viewing and catching up.

Mkuzi was the first reserve we visted on this trip which had large game which was very exciting for us all. They have Rhino, Giraffe, Cheetah, Elephant and Leopard. Also 400 recorded species of birds and some other water life including Hippo. This reserve is well looked after and the toilets were superb which is always a plus when roughing it. Much to our amazement there was even a pool in the camping area! When Ant and I arrived the lots were almost completely empty save one or two sites and we really took our time to try and find the best spot. A good camping spot is hugely important over a long weekend because of the families arriving with children or young adults who choose to be raucous and loud instead of going to bed early as we did. In the end it took us almost and hour of walking around and a thorn in each of our feet before we settled on "the spot". Shade is also important for afternoon sun when you've come back from your morning drive and have a nap before your evening drive. This reserve had TONS of various antelope and they were in large numbers and looking seriously healthy which is a good sign for all species involved.

A Male and Female Kudu, look at those horns! Very healthy...

Mum and Baby Zebra in the low sunset light, also very thick bush around these parts

Our first evening just after arriving and went for a quick drive before dark, lovely giraffes

This is a Lappet Faced Vulture, almost dark out but a great sighting.

Ant and Ol cooking some Brekkie by the waterside, how cute!

The Nsumo Pan at Mkuzi Reserve, there's some Hippos out in the center...

Me and Erika awaiting our boys to make the breakfast, early but sunny, horray!

Our proximity to the Pan, watch out for crocs! (Couldn't believe there's no fence...)

African wild plant, grows from a cactus type base, very pretty and spikey

Our first day's game viewing wasn't so successful, we saw lots of interesting birds and drove for hours on lots of routes but unfortunately no luck with any cats or Elephants (which i was desperate to see...). But on our way back to camp in the afternoon sun we were pleasantly surprised when slowing down over a small bridge...

A beautiful White Rhino basking in the mid day mud haha, he then got up and trotted off....

The second day of game viewing started out with some giraffes by the roadside

Then we got really lucky and saw two pairs of mum and baby rhinos!

This is a Crested Barbet, nicely posing for Anthony on a tree

This is a male Nyala, the females are brown with no horns but with white lines on body

This is a male Impala, the females are exactly the same but without any headgear haha

Going out on a night drive which was a gift to Anthony and I from Erika and Oli as a honeymoon gift. As you might be able to tell, it was cold out. And got colder as we drove for the next two hours. We saw lots of antelope, Giraffe, a couple of Genets, a Spotted Eagle Owl, White Tailed Mongoose and Scrub Hares. Needless to say, all involved were hoping for a Leopard or Cheetah (who sometimes hunt at night) but none were to be found. After we dropped the other ppl off at the cottages in the uper camp the four of us got a last chance on the 6kms back to the tented camps...and Oli spotted an Aardvark! Unfortunately it was too dark and too far for a photo, but way to go Ol, good eyes!

The last day and we discovered some great hides off the roads and this waterhole was teeming with Terrapins. Turtle-like but really nasty, they live in water that can be parasite filled and generally scavenge for food. On this day they found some animal remains from a kill the night before, we could see bones all over the bank...

A Burchell's Coucal sunning itself in the early morning, they are big birds and this was right out the window from the car, great sighting.

In the end we didn't see any cats and the only big game was Rhino and Hippo but regardless it was an amazing weekend with Ol and Erika and one that we'll all remember and cherish. But the adventure continues for Ant and I and so we parted ways, fittingly in the rain haha, and headed to our next destination!

Pictures From Mapelane

Our first sunset at Mapeane, getting ready to do some night viewing over the river

Our modest campsite, tarp was needed for the first night cuz it rained... boo

A songololo, centipede type insect that you find in black and bright red in these areas

On a nature walk through the forest, you can't see me i'm camouflaged! By the way, most pics are of me of course since Ant was taking all the photos...saw some Hornbills and other interesting birds, otherwise the path was one that's obviously less taken, very overgrown!

Our first day at Mapelane consisted of a long walk down the beach, some snorkeling and swimming in the warm ocean. The currents can get a bit hectic as the tide comes in so the afternoon was a lazy one in the sun

Our second night and at the viewpoint again, always hoping for crocs or hippos, and we did see ONE hippo but mostly underwater and saw his ears a bit...ah well, keep looking! Also saw a Fish Eagle, but more on that in another location...(gotta love time delay for cameras!)

A close up view of the river mouth when tide is high and the ocean is running into the river... if you look REALLY closely there's a branch in the river on the left side and on the right side of the branch is a Fish Eagle perched and watching the water. Ok we did have binoculars...

Some more night viewing, hoping for owls or hippo...unfortunately we saw none =(

We did however see Thick Tailed Bush Babies (Lemurs) and wow are they cute! They have lots of names actually but either way they are the larger version of the bush babies you see on regular Discovery programs from TV. In my opinion they don't actually sound like babies crying when they make noise, but i can see where the similarities lie

Me on the Beach (and Ant's foot haha) on day two, again mostly spent swimming and snorkeling and on my behalf collecting tons of shells!

Leg 2- Nottingham Road to Pietermaritzberg to Mapelane

We left the Tillbury's after a one night stay and headed to Anthony's brothers house in Pietermaritzberg. Oli was very excited to see us as he'd moved a few months back and only had one visit to Cape Town since. Again it was only an overnight stay but a great way to break up some of the driving. Didn't do anything interesting in Maritzberg but was lovely to see Oli and Erika (his GF).

The morning we left we knew it was going to be one of the more interesting drives north as we were about to drive into some of the REAL african bush and see some truly amazing sights. Slowly the landscape changed and we started seeing Rondavel huts with reed roofs and more livestock then you can imagine! This was to be a continuous trend throughout the rest of our trip as the pictures will show. We were entering Zululand, with the first language being of course, Zulu.

When tarred roads give way to dirt roads it really slows down your progress. Anything can get in the way, pot holes mainly, but also a million and one cows. Some pot holes are big enough to fit a goat inside and we were just praying that the rains hadn't been to heavy up this way which fill the holes and make them harder to see or make our decisions harder as to drive around them or drive through them. Mostly, we drove around. As well, Africa is still a developing country even in the most of rural areas and plenty of road works slowed us down as they would only have one way traffic that switches direction every 20mins or so. You were lucky if you came accross a road works that was currently heading your direction!

Sand was also an issue, weather depending, because we had decided to take the Mercedes stationwagon instead of borrowing a small truck (like i wanted to!) and we were heavily loaded with a month's worth of camping gear, food and our suitcases. Some places were fairly trecherous and involved a little bit of fish tailing in deep sand or "off roading" on the side of the road. Haha, as if our car could "off road".

One of the many cows we had to stop for, they move at thier own pace and if you honk your horn at them then they just stare at you....

The view from my seat down the picturesque road to Mapelane Nature Reserve

Our first camping destination was Mapelane Nature Reserve on the east coast. We were booked in for three nights camping and no one in Ant's family had ever been here before, surprising since they've been to almost every other reserve in SA. It was a long drive off the tarred roads and had it's own private road leading to the entrance gate. This reserve doesn't have any big game in it but it situated at a river mouth that runs into the ocean. This is the Indian ocean as well so that meant warm seas to swim in and a chance to do some snorkeling (we brought too much dive gear...).

Mapelane, in it's day, was a thriving reserve that was busy all year round because it was THE fishing spot for ocean game fish. There's a wonderful spot about 2kms down the beach with a rock shelf that fishermen can use during low or high tide. However, in the last few years some of the rules have changed because of conservation efforts. You can now no longer drive your 4x4 on the beach because of the negative impact on the wildlife and the attempt at Dune reconstruction. Ever since the rules have changed Mapelane is now more a family reserve for walking on the beach, doing nature trail walks and has wonderful Birding opportunities.

Anthony took a picture of me clearing a log out of the road to Mapelane, no way we could've drove over it OR around it haha

Me taking a picture of Ant as we're driving down the private road, actually only going about 20kms/hr but it looks pretty spiffy eh?

Some animals that the reserve has lots of are the elusive Bush Buck, Red Duiker, and Long Tailed Bush Babies. It's funny that in the brochure they say they're quite elusive but in actual fact these animals have no natural predators in this reserve and so they flourish and really were everywhere!

This picture was taken right out of Ant's window, a male bush buck with lots of flies on him

This is the entrance gate to Maphelane with a female bush buck

Our campsite with more bush buck wandering around, not too timid which is rare

View from the Top: This is a viewpoint up a hill from the campsite, you can see the river on the left which leads out to the ocean just left of my head. On that small island we saw a crocodile, the only one in three days. It was raining and sunny at the same time, hence my cover up

Please refer to the next blog for lots'o'pics from Mapelane!

1st Leg- Cape Town to Gariep Dam to Nottingham Road

The first part of our trip was a hectic two day drive. We actually left from the farm in Vyeboom as we had to say goodbye to the folks and leave Looka to be dog-sitted. We had alot of early mornings on the trip but day one was a departure time of 5am in the pitch dark and rain. You'll all be amazed at the fact that even I got up at these ungodly hours and kept a sense of humour :) . We conveniently packed the car the night before and were driving to our overnight destination of Gariep Dam, about 9hrs away.

Our first campsite, just how we like it, empty and quiet

The view of the Dam at almost sunset, 5pm

Anthony doing some stunning photography...

The next morning was also an early one and a rainy one, we just packed up in time before it downpoured. Another long day of driving but probably the worst one all around. We were constantly out running the rain and spent the better part of the day driving through the Karoo. This area is known for it's game meats, lamb and fresh water but unfortunately it's as long and flat as the saskatchewan plains. A very boring day in the car i have to admit. Our destination for day two was a family friend's house in the Midlands near the Drakensberg Mountain range, a very welcome sight after the flat landscape that dominated for 7hrs of the 9hr day. Unfortunately for us we had bad luck again as the rain followed and caught up with us in the high mountain range. That night we were lucky we got to sleep indoors in real beds instead of the tent because the forecast was for -9 and snow on the ground. This is supposed to be fall, not winter. We woke the next morning with a crisp bite in the air and sure enough, there were snow onthe surrounding mountains.

The Tillbury's house in Nottingham Road in the Midlands, a private housing estate

Some of the Drakensberg Mountains with light snow...snow in Africa? Who knew...

After two days of hard core driving we were a short distance away from Pietermaritzberg to go and stay overnight with Oli and Erika.

The Honeymoon Adventure Begins

Welcome all to the blogspot containing our epic adventure of our honeymoon! This trip took a few weeks in the planning and i have to say it was all worth it. We stayed within South Africa and drove ourselves instead of flying. We drove in a circular route up through the interior of the country to the north east coast and back down again along the coast. We saw many beautiful sights, had almost all the weather conditions imaginable (including snow!) and lots of pictures to animate the tale. We hope you all enjoy this recount of our trip and that it inspires you or someone you know to plan an epic trip of your own in the future!