Blogs from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Africa - page 9

Richards Bay was our first port of call in South Africa. It is an important seaport because of the proximity of minerals for export and it is the gateway to many of the game parks and to "The Big Five." These are the trophy animals: elephant, leopard, rhino, lion and Cape buffalo that everyone wants to see in the wild. In previous years, we have taken a number of game drives and short safari trips. This time we needed to get some essentials for the last month on board. So we went to a modern mall and it was quite an eye opener. Malls are a way of life in South Africa as they provide a safe environment for not only shopping but also for dining, entertainment and socializing. In a country which has a rather ... read more

Umkomaas n'était initialement pas prévu au planning de notre virée en voiture sur la côte est mais on décide de s'y arrêter pour plonger sur le récif d'Aliwal Shoal, bien connu en Afrique du Sud. On prend nos quartiers dans une petite pension au bord de la mer et à coté du centre de plongée. Le moins qu'on puisse dire c'est qu'on ne se sera pas arrêtées pour rien. Un groupe de requin taureau, qui normalement migrent vers le nord à la fin de l'été austral est resté dans le coin et on se fait un plaisir d'aller les voir dans leur grotte. Ce sont des requins impressionnants car leur mâchoire est tout le temps visible mais ils sont placides voire un peu feignant et se laissent approcher de très près. Durant une plongée le courant ... read more

Voilà quelques années que je lorgne sur des plongées en Afrique du Sud. En grande partie grâce à Pierre-Alexandre que j'ai « virtuellement » rencontré sur ce blog et avec qui on s'échange des conseils de destination de plongée. Par hasard, il est aussi dans le coin quelques jours, alors c'est grâce à lui et avec lui que je découvre Protea Banks. Mais pas seulement, parce Catherine, ma copine rencontrée en Egypte et avec qui j'ai voyagé en Indonésie est aussi de la partie. Toutes les deux on est parties pour 3 semaines de vacances entre l'Afrique du Sud et le Mozambique. Notre « road-trip », avec notre petite Ford Figo démarre à Shelly Beach, petit bled au sud de Durban, pour des plongées plutôt sportives dans le bleu. Le courant est fort dans ces eaux, ... read more

Our departure might have been delayed this morning because restaurant service was very slow at breakfast, as it was for dinner last night. However, luggage handling was faster than expected, so we were on the road at 8:30. Most of the morning was driving on the major highway N3. (Everywhere we stopped for breaks throughout the tour, the facilities were very clean.) As we left Durban behind, the road started to climb into the url=http://www.southafrica.net/za/en/articles/entry/article-southafrica.net-the-ukhahlamba-drakensberg-mountainsDrakensburg foothills, giving us beautiful views of rolling hills and leaving behind the planted forests. The vegetation returned to grasses and acacia trees. The higher we went, the deeper were the folds of land, green everywhere with darker green bushes near rivers and streams. Dark trees dotted t... read more

1:45 p.m. We are in an interval between our dawn safari and our dusk safari in Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park. Awakened at 5:15 a.m., we left a little after dawn in the cool of a cloudy day following a bit of rain overnight – perfect for game spotting and photo taking because the light was soft. Unfortunately for residents, the rains have been light this rainy season, which is expected to lead to water shortages and animal stress in a few months. Our guide, Karl, was a hectic driver and animal enthusiast. He was as excited as we were when he spotted animals, particularly rhinos and elephants. He was good at stopping for birds. His directions would usually consist of “There!”, and he would only say, “ten o’clock past the jeep”, if pressed. We relied on each ... read more