Blogs from iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Africa - page 3

Africa » South Africa » KwaZulu-Natal » iSimangaliso Wetland Park January 14th 2007

Our teaching course is done, and while we wait for our visas and work permits to be approved we decided to spend some time enjoying the beautiful country we're about to leave. And what better way than a road trip. So we packed Sandy (my 200 000km old Honda Ballade) with a tent, dive gear, 5 Stellenbosch students and food and our clothing for 12 days. Then we set off along the N2 from Cape Town up the South African coast. On Wed 10th January Jeanne-Mari, Yvette and myself (Darrell) squished our unreasonable amount or stuff into the boot and left the Cape to pick up Andries and George in Stilbaai. The two guys then added their contribution to the impossibly full boot and climbed in, pushing the shocks even closer to their maximum. By the ... read more

This one is dedicated to Hippos

Africa » South Africa » KwaZulu-Natal » iSimangaliso Wetland Park December 5th 2006

Hippo Tooth

J M

And so it was time to head south through Swaziland and back into South Africa to a place called St Lucia on the north east coast. St Lucia is in the middle of a nature reserve where a fresh water estuary meets the Indian Ocean. As a result it is home to a massive amount of wildlife. We were told that over 80% of South Africa's crocs and hippos live here, so it was our mission to finally get some good hippo snaps. Until recently we knew very little about the Hippopotamus, but having done a boat trip here we are far more educated. The hippo is no sloth; on land they have an average speed of 45kph, only 10kph short of a cheetah. They have a 5 tonne bite, which is greater than that of ... read more

CROCS AND HIPPOS (and plenty of Booze)

Africa » South Africa » KwaZulu-Natal » iSimangaliso Wetland Park October 18th 2006

Look Behind You

Jesty

After one night in Durban we arrived via the Baz Bus in St Lucia. Believe us, one night was enough imagine Hell but ten times worse. Our Bus didn't stop at Red lights through fear of getting 'Car-Jacked' or worse and the morning we left somebody got shot in the head at traffic lights and all they stole was his Car. hmmmm......fond memories of Durban all round.........don't go there..........it's Scary!!!! (roll on Jo'Burg!!!!! We pulled up at Bibs Backpackers in St Lucia and were first of all taken on a free ride round the town via an open top truck. The place is beautiful, it really was something out of the Carribean, except for one minor detail. You weren't allowed to walk the streets at night. This is very common in SA but for different reasons, ... read more

Our trip to the Maputaland Coast Part 1

Africa » South Africa » KwaZulu-Natal » iSimangaliso Wetland Park October 9th 2006

Lake Sibaya

seano1000

Sean and Ali venture north to explore six diverse resorts ranging from isolated ocean regions to exclusive private game parks. Thonga Beach Lodge Kosi Forest Lodge Kosi Bay Lodge Tembe Elephant Park Zulu Nyala Bush Camp Bayete Zulu Boutique Lodge We began the month of September with the most exciting spring holiday I could ever have dreamed of. Being people that seldom have an opportunity for a vacation, we planned a one week holiday in which we could see as much as was possible. We visited six amazing resorts that really provided a diverse experience in which all aspects of the ‘perfect holiday’ were fulfilled. In planning this trip, we found that consulting a map was extremely helpful because this enabled us to design a practical itinerary to prevent unnecessary traveling and a waste of ... read more

Day 18- Indian Ocean and St. Lucia

Africa » South Africa » KwaZulu-Natal » iSimangaliso Wetland Park September 30th 2006

Goodbye to game lodge

mirenta

Day 18 and I’ll have to say I’m getting a bit homesick . I find myself counting the days until we return. It will be very busy the next few days, so there will not be any time to think about it. Today was a great time for all I think. Instead of a Safari we loaded up our luggage, dropped it off at the “tent camp”, and were off for St. Lucia. We stopped and did some shopping at a little cultural center. Beautiful baskets, carvings, etc. We went to St. Lucia, ordered lunch, and went to the Indian Ocean(for some sandblasting, akin to microdermabrasion on our legs & arms.) Despite the wind, it was a beautiful fine sanded beach, and we enjoyed watching the wind surfers, and walking in the surf. I have forgotten ... read more

Finally some animals...

Africa » South Africa » KwaZulu-Natal » iSimangaliso Wetland Park July 8th 2006

Near full moon over the estuary

snozlington

Another short trip with Bazza, this one our second last, and another place that came highly recommended by Dani. St. Lucia and The Greater St. Lucia Wetlands. Set in the midst of a number of eco systems including marine, with coral reefs and beaches; swamps; sand forests and bush velds; and the largest estuary in Africa, St. Lucia seemed like the perfect place to spend our last few days in S.A. and also to start seeing some animals. We camped at Bibs BP which was one our favourite places so far due to the several daily activities they organised, most of which were free. Every morning there was a guided walk in which we saw lots of zebra, wildebeast and different species of antelope, not to mention dung beetles, leopard poo and the carcass of a ... read more

Hippos & Crocs

Africa » South Africa » KwaZulu-Natal » iSimangaliso Wetland Park April 29th 2003

Elephants

DMac

The greyhound would only take us to Richards bay, and from there we would catch local shared taxis/combis to St Lucia changing in Mtubetube. It was great to finally catch a combi and be crammed into the back seat with the locals. Seeing the people at Richards Bay as we were waiting to leave (the buses leave when they are full) was great. We started to really feel like we were in a country that had much more for us to discover the way of local culture. St Lucia was a great stop. On the way in we saw in the distance some Hippos in the water. We had decided to take our first safari from here in place of going to Kruger - which seemed to us a little too big and expensive. Our day ... read more

Brief history of South Africa

After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjug...more history

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