Blogs from iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Africa

... Die einen Mega blauen HimmeL, viel Sonne und auch sonst nur das Beste Versprechen, die sollte man einfach nur an einem traumhaften Strand liegen. Und genau das haben wir auch getan... Die Vorzeichen dafür waren allerdings eher ungüstig, da wir ja gestern schon einiges an Sonne abbekommen hatten. Aber manchmal bewirken After-Sun und schattige Pinien eben auch Wunder. Und so haben wir uns es unter diesen gemütlich gemacht. Gleichzeitig war der Platz taktisch klug gewählt, um die wesentlichen Geschehnisse des Tages gut zu verfolgen: welche Tauchschule hat sich eben zum Wassergang bereit gemacht, welches Boot ist zurück gekommen und wird eben mit Traktoren aus dem Wasser geholt, welcher HochseeAngler war besonders erfolgreich und was macht die Ebbe.... Daneben haben wir vor allem viel gelesen und einfach nix getan. Zwischendurch waren wir am Beach- Kiosk und ... read more

Nachdem wir gestern mit leckeren Maccaroni aus dem heißen Becher um halb neun ins Bett gefallen sind ( wohlgemerkt in einem neuen Chalet ohne jegliche Mäusse), haben wir wie Steine bis 5 Uhr durchgeschlafen. Dann hieß es wieder auf zum leider erst mal letzten Abenteuer. Um den Hluhluwe-Park zu verlassen, gab es noch zwei letzte Loops, die wir nicht verpassen wollten. Der erste war ein Reinfall (nur ein altes, schlafendes Rhino), haben wir noch zwei Größere Giraffenherden sowie zwei Elefanten gefunden. Die waren allerdings ziemlich unter Druck, da links auf der Strasse eine Tour und rechts unser Auto stand. Zum Schluss sind sie ziemlich verschreckt über die Strasse gerannt... Adieu Wildnis, welcome at the Beach.. Aber vorher waren wir noch tanken (es haben sich drei Leute um das Auto gekümmert: einer hat getankt, einer die Scheiben ... read more

Hi, Attached photos from last blog. I have also attached the narrative again for completeness. Barbara & John in Kwa Zulu Natal (KZN) We have spent two weeks in KZN and it has been a varied period covering wonderful scenery, cultural interest and good beaches. My birthday saw us on the road to Ramsgate on a 9 hour journey. It was good to be leaving what I thought was quite a strange farm and farmer’s wife. The view over the dam and hills set in a lovely garden was very picturesque but I will always remember the haunting feeling in the creaky floored bedroom. Despite the fact that we were out of the highland area the scenery at times was stunning. Our first day in Ramsgate was for chill, spending some time on a private beach. ... read more

Where is Bhanga Nek exactly? Well it’s definitely not a easy place to find. Basically if you head north along the coast towards the Mozambique border there are a series of estuarine lakes, which form part of the Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park. Bhanga Nek is the spit of land which separates the sea from the lakes. It’s a very out of the way place with access from Manguzi settlement down a series of seriously rough roads which turn into deep sandy tracks. It’s only accessible by 4WD vehicles and you can see why. It takes low range with diff lock on to get up some of the hills and we were frequently stuck in deep sand which required reversing back and taking a run up. Having booked a campsite a long time back (since it’s ... read more

Hi Everybody! Just wanted to let you know that I am safe and healthy in St. Lucia South Africa. Sorry about not emailing or updating- It has been super busy with no internet access and non-stop traveling. Let me give you an update: I think I last emailed from Maun... or was it Jo'burg???? Well... I am going to say it was Jo'burg... So I survived my two nights in Jo'burg. The first night we stayed in Mufasa Backpackers on the outskirts of town- nothing too exciting to tell you about. The next morning Marnie and I went with Sarah and Boris on a taxi tour of Jo'burg and it's townships (the shanty poor, poor, poor neighbourhoods). It was so different than i expected! I though that Jo'burg was going to be completely fortified and scary ... read more

The past 3 days (after leaving Kruger on 21 April) were spent relaxing in beautiful St. Lucia on the Elephant Coast (South Africa's NE coast to the layman). Driving from Kruger to St. Lucia was quite the experience--lots and lots of sugarcane fields, people walking, hitching, and selling pineapples, eucalyptus syrup, and avocados (which apparently grow like weeds), cattle, goats and sheep grazing right alongside (and crossing) the roads (another reason not to drive at night), the mainstreets of run-down, mostly black cities with their markets selling anything and everything, and the occasional checkpoint for foot and mouth disease (mainly when we drove through Swaziland). Seeing the differences in their way of life, and the poverty that encompassed it was overwhelming. We arrived in St. Lucia (part of the Greater St. Lucia Wetlands--a UNESCO World ... read more