Geo: -23.8698, 35.3854We had another early start this morning and left the chalet at 7am. Today we were going on another day trip. Our first destination for the day was Inhambane for some sightseeing. It would be about a two hour drive. Along the way there were many road side stalls selling peri peri sauce. Just after 9am we arrived in Inhambane. We drove around the quiet, coastal town, saw the bay, old mosque and market. The water looked so nice and inviting! This town has a long and rich history, back in the 10th century Persian and Arab traders bartered their goods and later on came the Portuguese. Now it is a touristy town due to the beautiful beaches and clear water. We parked the car near the pier and walked to the end. Men ... read more

Geo: -24.4725, 34.8906This morning we woke up very early, due to the sounds of many birds chirping away outside. We went back to sleep for a few hours. Just after 7am the male maid arrived to clean up. He spoke no English. Paul and I decided to get up and go for a walk. It was overcast and it was drizzling. Paul looked for birds and I took photos. Forty minutes later we returned to have breakfast. The maid was still there, he was pretty slow, we had not made that much of a mess! For breakfast I enjoyed yummy tropical fruit (mangoes and bananas) that I bought from the market yesterday. The mangoes were especially delicious- sweet and juicy and the bananas were like ordinary ones. I now wanted to try a coconut. It was ... read more

Geo: -25.0519, 33.6442The Mozambique side of the border was also very quick which surprised me as we were so isolated in the middle of a huge game reserve, hours away from civilisation. In less than 5 minutes I had a visa with a coloured photo in my passport and they had a fingerprint reader. This was very hi-tech and efficient. Paul, Barney and Brett didn't need a visa, so while I was getting my visa they were dealing with the guys who were checking our car. The guy did consider searching the car, he said 'It is a very hot day, I am thirsty, and do you have a cold drink for me?'. He could not be bothered looking through our car and was more than happy with a 2 litre bottle of Coke. The guys ... read more

Geo: -23.8551, 31.5776This morning Paul, Brett, Barney and I got up at 3:30am. We all arrived in Johannesburg the night before and spent a few hours at the estate's clubhouse finalising details of our trip. Yesterday we went shopping for our food and a few other last minute items. We packed the last few things into our car and left at about 4am. I was a good passenger and stayed awake to keep Paul company while he drove. About an hour after we left, we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise. Our first stop was at Magoebaskloof. We spent about two and a half hours in this area in the pine forest to look a specific bird – a White Stared Robin. We walked and drove through pine forests looking for birds. Brett and Paul excitedly ticked off ... read more

Geo: -24.7605, 26.3246Today we were starting leave. Before going to Johannesburg we were going away for a night. Paul would not tell me where we were staying and I really had no idea. I was sort of looking forward to the surprise. When we arrived at the gate that heads towards Johannesburg we did not exit through it, instead we turned right and drove into the reserve. About half an hour later we arrived at Tuningi Safari Lodge. Our friends Gavin and Heidi are the general managers at this lodge. This was a nice surprise to be staying here. We quickly checked in, walked around the lodge and saw our room. Our room had a great view of the bush and was very spacious. We walked back to the lodge for afternoon tea. From the main ... read more