The Drakensberg - Monks Cowl

And so on it was from Injisuthi to Monks Cowl (S29 02.882 E29 24.338). We had packed most things the night before so we could get away early knowing that the new camp would be busy already and with more people inbound for the long weekend.

The rocky dirt track, potholed tar, exit didn't seem as bad 2nd time around and we were soon back on the main road. The short trip to Monks Cowl was easy apart from the last slow climb with Mufasa chugging in 2nd gear. On arrival the day visitors car park was already quite busy and after paying we drove round to the campsite. The electric pitches were as expected more overwhelmed than the non-electric. There were a few spots to chose from but again we needed to appease the solar panel to keep the fridge happy. After deciding on our spot Sue waited while I reversed Mufasa back. As I was not sure where exactly he would sit I stopped on the track, engine running, handbrake engaged, and went to consult the boss. Well the next thing we knew, Mufasa had decided not to wait for us and very slowly started to roll down the slight slope! The two ladies with their tent in Mufasa's path just froze watching the large bulk of metal begining to lumber towards them. Thankfully I had left the driver's door open and was able to jump in and stamp a foot on the break pedal ! Phew, that could have been very embarrassing! Thankfully it all worked out ok. Poor Mufasa is quite a lump and I obviously didn't stomp on the break pedal hard enough before using the handbrake. With crisis avoided we settled in and chose not to do a hike that afternoon, especilly as we were sitting in the cab out of the rain. Needless to say as soon as we got the chance we put up our room below the tent. It rained a fair amount during the afternoon and early evening. The poor girls that arrived later on the pitch next to us didn't have a fun time with only their small tent and little car to shelter in.

By morning the sun was back and we headed out early to the Nandi Falls, a 2 hour hike. Very nice it was too and with the sun out quite hot despite the early hour. In the trees at the falls with the draft caused by the crashing water it was a mighty bit colder. The day visitors area was buzzing when we got back, packed full of day hikers, but the campsite was yet to fill out completely. We had one hell of a thunderstorm that afternoon but had our room to shelter in thankfully, although some of the lightning seemed pretty close on a couple of occasions!

We had decided to stay another night making it 3 and leave on the Tuesday. So on Monday we chose one of the longer hikes to do up to Blind Man's Corner via the Sphynx and Breakfast Stream, a round trip of about 12km and 6 hours. The climb to the Sphynx, a large rock, was not too bad nor was the next up to the plateau and Breakfast stream at just over 2000m, a total climb of 600m. Sadly on our way up the mists had rolled in and although there was no visibility problems for hiking we had no view! Anyway we proceeded on to our Destination at Blind Man's Corner about 3km along the very pretty plateau and a slow ascent of another 100m in height. The view would have been spectacular if it had been clear, we will have to return sometime. The 'Corner' is where the long treks into the high Berg begin. After a short break we turned back and descended via a different route, Keartland's Pass, a much harder route as it turned out! Suitably exhausted when we got back to base it was feet up for the rest of the day. Most of the campsite was empty on our return and by nightfall we had it to ourselves. Bliss!

Comparing Monks Cowl to Injisuthi, it did not have the great 360 degree views, and the mountains could only really be seen in their glory from the electric pitches which occupied the higher ground in the site. It was very pleasant though and out of season a good spot for some great hikes. The big plus though, boiling water on tap, keeps the gas bills down.

Our next stop would be a longer hop north and to the Royal Natal NP, and the looming school holidays! We had decided that it would be a 5 night stay, if it was not too busy, well assuming that we could get our foot in the door of course!

The Drakensberg - Injisuthi

Time for some fresh mountain air and some much needed exercise, the Drakensberg was just the place!

The plan was to take in several of the KZN Wildlife camps moving north along the Drakensberg range. The first post of call Injisuthi (S29 07.172 E29 26.554). The majority of the drive was easy until we turned off on the final 30km road that ended up at the Injisuthi Reserve. It started with good tarmac which became badly potholed, and then evolved into a rocky dirt track. Reaching the entrance gate we returned to tar for the last 7km. Just short of camp a small crew were repairing the tar and much to the annoyance of the head man we had driven on part of the new bit, oops. Well it was the wider part of a narrow road with cones down the middle and no indication of which side to drive on. Oh and we chose the side that didn't look new, says a lot for their quality of work.

Anyway, the camp was stunning. Two fairly large campsites and the main camp of 15 cottages. The campsite was empty. After lunch we checked in and paid for 3 nights with the option of extending. With not many trees in the campsite a sunny pitch was the option which suited us fine, well suited the solar panel to be more exact. No power on offer, not that we needed it.

What a stunning location. 360 degrees of big lumps of rock to look at, and no other soul in sight. As we had 3 nights ahead of us and also the ever threatening rain clouds around us we put up the room that zips below the tent. Shrewd move, had a major thunderstorm not too much later. At night it was mighty dark. It had cleared over but no moon. I came out of the toilet block to return to Mufasa quite late on with him no more than 60 feet away and without a torch I could not see him.

Our first morning was bright and sunny so we broke out the hiking gear and chose one of the shorter walks, yellowwood forest - old kraal - dipping tank, that took just a couple of hours. Seeing as we had not hiked for nearly a year we didn't want to over do it! The walk was delightfull and we spent the rest of the day reading and looking at the hills around. The camp still ours alone, well with the exception of a few inquisitive wild mice and a family of guineafowl!

The 2nd morning greeted us with damp and mist, quite a low cloud base so no options for a 2nd walk. Well not for us at least. There are several caves up in the mountains that can be slept in and we knew from the walk register that a group were up there somewhere in the wet gloom! The campsite was however still our private property so we kicked back and relaxed. Things eventually cleared up later on and we had a short stroll out of camp to stretch our legs, nothing too taxing. Sadly though we had company back in camp with the arrival of two other parties, never mind. We had 2 quiet nights which were unexpected and a holiday weekend was looming.

Thankfully the sun returned by the 3rd morning and the hike to Van Heyningen's Pass and view point called us. It didn't start too well with the bridge across the river next to camp broken but we managed to scramble across, stone hopping! The route took us out and up to the bottom of the pass thru long wet grass and then up in the forest on a wet slippery rocky path to the top. Boy it was hard going in places but it was worth it! The view was breathtaking both along the high berg ridge including Monks Cowl and Giant's Castle, and down in the valley to Mufasa about 400m below us. After a short rest we were back down and in camp. On our way we passed a small group heading up and past where we had been to an overnight in Wonder Cave. Rather them than us, their packs were huge!

As our 3 nights were up we stopped of at the office to try and book in for a few more. It was Friday and the start of a long weekend with a holiday on the Monday. We could only get one night as Saturday and Sunday were fully booked! With the help of Molly at the reception we managed to book into the next stop we were planning, Monks Cowl Camp, not too far away north up the range. The place certainly did fill out that afternoon and evening. A big hiking club was descending on the place for the weekend. We were kind of glad to be going as it was our own private place for a while and sharing it with reams of others didn't seem right. But we will return one day not only to enjoy the rest of the hikes possible but hopefully to enjoy peace and quiet in our private camp!

Saturday came and we were packed and off pretty early not sure what lay ahead of us at Monks Cowl, but getting to a busy camp is fine, or at least that is what we told ourselves. And if nothing else we had the busy 2 nights of the weekend sorted.

One thing we did know was that it would have to be pretty special to beat Injisuthi!

A little bit of Safari and a little bit of Scotland

After managing to migrate back all of Mufasa's contents we left the tranquility of Sobhengu and ventured back on to the dirt road that was now clear of the endless hoards of school kids. After not too long a drive we reached the Mkhuze Game Reserve all be it via a pretty badly pot holed last stretch of tarmac. The entrance gate to the reserve all looked pretty new and we had a warm greeting from the two guys manning the gate. With our entrance fees paid we headed into the reserve and made our way to the main reception at the Mantuma Camp where we paid for 2 nights camping. Before heading of to find the campsite some 10km away we paid a visit to the swimming pool to dip our feet. It was a wee bit green with algae! So feet dipping was as far as it got. Thankfully though and to our surprise when we got out to the Mshopi campsite (S27 38.381 E32 09.507) there was a pool there too. This one was a bit cloudy, just the local water, but was most gratefully recieved in the scorching mid day temps. As for the campsite, just us, the birds and the monkeys, although another young couple pulled in later on. Boy it was warm, mid thirties still but a bit of a breeze to keep drying the sweat! We decided that a game drive could wait till the cool of the early morning.

As we generally get to sleep around 20h00 when camping as it is dark, getting up at 06h00 when it is already light is not too bad a deal. Well most times. As usual I exited the tent backwards and stepped onto the ladder 3 rungs down and then went to grab the top rung with my left hand. What the @!** was that as I jerk my hand back and proceed to fall the remaining 4 feet to the ground. I look up and there is a Grey Tree Frog sitting there staring at me! I flick him off the ladder and he springs off under the truck. I go and wash my slimey hand, could have been worse I guess! Things then proceed as normal and we are on our way by 06h25.

The bush in the park is quite thick for most of the drive south to the Insumo Pan, but the Impala are everywhere as are Bushbuck. As for the birds we see a few but not as many as we had expected. We get to the pan and the picnic area on the shore for some coffee and rusks. Wow, what a great spot. The pan looks pretty full and there are loads of Pelicans but not too much else. Hippo can be heard but not seen till we moved to another view point, and no crocs anywhere to be seen. Leaving the pan we decided to go south west to the Inxwala wilderness zone, good move. White Rhino, Zebra, Impala, and loads of Giraffe many of which are quite young. The area is much more open and thus it seems the animals prefer it. No Elephants though. We stopped for another coffee in amongst the largest group of Giraffe. The young ones are most bemused by us and stop and stare for a while before scampering off. Too sweet. Back at camp, the usual, eat, swim, read, sweat! Well all except one slight change to the routine. A game of chase the Grey Tree Frog around Mufasa's engine compartment! I opened up to check a few things and yep there it was under the fuel filter looking up at me, a bit dozy with the heat in there. At one point he ended up in the fan sitting on one of the blades but eventually I coerced him down onto the suspension somewhere. As to whether he is still around, haven't seen him for a few days.

We only stayed 2 nights, and had intended to move on north west to Ithala NR but the weather had turned wet and colder and the campsite was R110pppn, and all you get is a cold shower and a long drop. So instead we headed off to Dundee! Well it was either there, Newcastle, or Glen Coe! Dundee is a fair size and we needed shops. We located a campsite in the middle of town, Kwa Rie (S28 10.361 E30 13.345), which turned out a very good find indeed. A bit odd but smart, clean, and some black and white bunnies! They have some large ponds with bass to fish, oh and some Peacocks.

After stopping for 2 nights to get provisioned it was time to head for the mountains!

Sobhengu, into the unknown, and out of the tent

Sorry, I don't see what the problem is! Yes we are living life on the open
road. Yes life in the tent is fantastic. But sometimes to go to some places
you have no choice. You have to slum it in a lodge here and there. What else
can you do!

Sobhengu is a place that we had heard of, and seen pictures of, and quite
fancied a visit to. There has been a problem though. The lodge is situated
on Lake St Lucia but not in an easy to access place. To get to it according
to the details you had to park up and catch a ferry across the lake. All
fine and well for most people except us awkward ones with their whole house
on wheels! So we have never bothered. Recently though due to the ever
diminishing water levels in the lake it is no longer possible to run the
ferry so all visitors have to drive there. A road, why wasn't this mentioned
before? Anyway, to cut a long story short you can take the not so short
drive to get to the place via the town of Hluhluwe (S28.01711 E32.27088) on
the R22 and then after 26km or so take a right turn and head off on a dirt
track for the next 24km. Unfortunately we happened to be on the dirt road at
school out time and had seemingly endless numbers of young children to
contend with for most of the journey so progress was slow. Some were pleased
to see us and wave and smile, others more bemused and angry for not getting
anything out of us. Eventually we arrived at the gates to the lodge. The
main accommodation is the Nibela Lodge, the luxury hotel. We were staying in
the self catering sister lodge Sobhengu (S27.98733 E32.42920). After
negotiating the long bumpy narrow track to get to the reception parking
there was a short walk past the Nibela rooms along a raised boardwalk to get
to the reception itself. All very nice. Having checked in it was back to
Mufasa and then off into what seemed the middle of nowhere to get around to
the Sobhengu units. As it happens we drove quite a way but on foot back to
reception it was just a few minutes on another raised boardwalk. Well the
units are very nice indeed, wood built and thatched. Thankfully with a
parking spot right at the unit we have been able to gradually migrate most
of Mufasa's contents into the unit. Our single bedroom unit with a double
bed but also there are two singles tucked away up in the loft room. Lovely
high ceilings with open thatch. From the deck there is a lovely view out to
the lake, partly obscured by the edge of the forest. Our new home for a
week, sigh.

Life in the unit is tough. Early rise after the sun has come up. Tea out on
the deck. Perhaps a stroll along to the swimming pool up at Nibela late
morning. Lunch back on the deck with perhaps a cold beer to wash it down.
Lazy afternoon. Then dinner, perhaps a movie on TV and bed. Most of the time
spent just reading and attempting to identify the birds in the trees.
Attempting definitely being the word as most of the time they are heard and
not seen.

For the more lively visitors there are a few walks to do around the forest,
and some other local activities like quad biking. To be honest we didn't
fancy too much activity as it was damn warm up in the mid thirties all week
with high humidity, and unless you were on the edge of the forest in the
nice breeze on most days a walk would have been very a warm business indeed.
Up on our deck it was not too bad when the breeze flowed over us. We did
however have a nice walk out on the lake. As the water level is quite low
the high water line does not reach to the edge of the forest where we were
anymore. The 'beach' was pretty firm and littered with all sorts including
the high and dry old ferry. All along the new high water line was a fish
graveyard. Mostly just fish heads but there were a few almost complete
skeletons. What sort of fish I could not say, but probably about 20-25cm in
length. There were other spots where some beetles seemed to have a
graveyard, and also another area for locusts. All very strange.

As for wildlife in the unit. One morning whilst sitting comfy on the sofa I
must have had a gecko high up in the thatch above me as it did a poo every
now and then. Mosquitoes a plenty. Step out on the path in the forest
without any repellent on and you would be visited. Monkeys around a lot of
the time, most curious of me when I was braaing. Oh and not forgetting the
stink bug that fell down the back of my shirt one day and into my shorts.
Yep, they named them spot on!! Took several scrubs to get the stink of my
hands. We did offer a service to the local geckos though. The unit had
picture windows along one side and at the front and when the table lamp was
on in the evening one of the windows got covered with mosquitoes. The gecko
just sat and had his fill. Within the bounds of the lodges there are also
several different types of buck. Four of the Zebra came to check on us when
we were down on the 'beach', and I caught the odd glimpse of a duiker or two
in amongst the forest.

All in all a very pleasant week was had in our little world at Sobhengu, a
shame to have to move on, but a place that will stay on the 'must return to
someday' list. We recommend the place highly. And now, yep, back to life on
the road. Time for a safari park or two I think.
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19:34:00

On up the North Coast to Zinkwazi and Umlalazi

Time to get back to the camping lifestyle, well it is what this travelling
around is all about isn't it? However, before leaving Durban behind we had
to take a drive past the new football stadium that has been built for the
World Cup. Wow, pretty impressive! It certainly dominates the skyline and
lets hope that all the money spent proves to be worthwhile even if some
think it may not. Many people are you could say not exactly whooping it up
over the coming World Cup and the money that has been 'invested' in it. They
feel, and probably quite rightly, that millions if not billions has been
spent on the new football infrastructure where the money could have provided
homes, sanitation, electricity, and all the other essentials that the masses
were promised when the ANC came to power. Threats of disruption hang over
the football and I guess time will tell whether it is a success for South
Africa as a whole.

Sticking to the M4 to avoid both the hustle and bustle of the busy N2, not
to mention the odd toll gate, we ambled our way north up the coast past
Stanger and ending up at Zinkwazi Village. Our stop for a few nights was the
glamorously titled Zinkwazi Lagoon Lodge (S29.27782 E31.43910) near the
mouth of the Zinkwazi river. Like most of these type of resorts it was a mix
of chalet accommodation and camping. Also like most of these type of resorts
the chalet accommodation seems to get the investment and the camping just
ticks along slowly decaying. The place was almost deserted and only us and
another pitch occupied out of the whole huge campsite. Well that is apart
from all the other residents as we found out. It is I guess you would say a
forest location, trees throughout the whole site, not much sun to gleam
thru, or you could say it was just dull and damp. We got our chairs out, I
had all but touched my bum to the seat and whoosh, a cloud of Mosquitoes
around my ankles. Perfect conditions for them to live and breed. Without a
second thought out came the Tabard repellent and was slapped on exposed
skin. Ah, it seems they like this and were still happy to nestle down for a
quick sip of blood. OK, time for the strong DEET repellent. Yep they don't
like that. Oh and for good measure we lit a mosquito coil to waft around us.

One place where we were mosquito free was down on the beach just a short
stroll away. Not surprising really as it was a tad breezy! On the beach we
witnessed what I can only liken to a Spanish Matador with his red cape and a
snorting sweating beast of a bull waiting to gore him. In this case the
brave Matador is played by a tall strong African. The cape is a red flag
held above his head to indicate to the beast where to strike. And the
snorting beast a small but powerful twin hulled fishing boat out to sea. The
intention being to beach the boat and drag it up the sand. Now the poor chap
with the flag really should take up bull fighting, I think it would increase
his odds of making it to old age. He stands, flag aloft, whilst the beast
circles out to sea looking for its opportunity to launch the attack. With
the right waves in place it is full throttle, bouncing towards the beach and
the brave flag holder. Now you can imagine that these boats don't come in
plumb straight especially on a choppy breaking sea, and he has just a split
second to move out of the path of the boat as it thuds into the sand. Rather
him than me!

Back at the site there was a swimming pool which although old seemed clean
and was most certainly refreshing, and we were most grateful for the covered
shelter offered by the 'games' area when the rain decided to introduce
itself. We spent two nights at Zinkwazi, and two was plenty. It was not the
cheapest place we have stayed and although the campsite was OK and quiet we
were happy to be moving on, well if nothing else to escape from the mosquito
pit! We did a quick lap of the 'village' to see what there was to see and
then made our way back to the main road.

We returned to ambling along the R102 alternative route to the N2 and
eventually arrived at our new home further up the coast at Mtunzini and the
Umlalazi Nature Reserve (S28.95815 E31.76800) a KZN Wildlife reserve.
Cheaper than our previous location this seemed like a good place to spend
another couple of nights. We set down in one of the two huge campsites, and
chose an open sunny pitch with a few scattered trees for shade. Being open
it seemed almost mosquito free, but instead quite ant infested instead, well
you can't have your cake and eat it. Thankfully though the ants although
hell bent on exploring both us and Mufasa they did not bite unlike the nasty
beast we encountered at Kilwa Masoko in Tanzania!! The reserve is home to a
few larger animals too that scamper around. The small Grey Duiker (red in
colour) and a few beautiful Zebra.

Once again there was easy access to the fantastic long sandy beach that
stretches as far as you can see in both directions. A great place to take a
stroll and paddle. Again being mid week the site and the beach were neigh on
deserted, can't complain about that. The reserve is not huge but is fairly
big. It contains forest, mangrove swamps and also access to the Mlalazi
river. Apart from the odd comings and goings of people heading into the
reserve to access the beach it was nice and quiet. The only issue with the
place was the ablutions. As to be expected they were old but seemed to be in
working order, well until I hit the showers that is. The 1st barely managed
a trickle of hot and cold water. The 2nd blasted out hot water but there was
no cold to join it. The 3rd had both working hot and hold but didn't drain.
Thankfully the 4th managed water and drainage. One out of four not bad! The
crazy thing is the cleaners seem to spend ages cleaning the showers and
disinfecting them, shame none of them can manage a bit of basic plumbing!
Overall I would say that Umlalazi turned out to be a good stop, and perhaps
one place we would revisit, except of course for the deficiencies in the
shower department!

As for time to get back to a camping lifestyle, we had had four nights on
the road so we needed a wee break and some feet up time! So off it was to
our next point of call, the luxury of Sobhengu Lodge on Lake St Lucia.
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19:34:00

Another year arrives, another journey begins

At last, it was time to pack up all our bits and pieces (boy there seemed to
be a lot of stuff) and point Mufasa in the direction of the long hard road
to somewhere. Not that we envisaged an epic trip, but some new places to
explore and hopefully some memorable experiences to enjoy.

Our initial point of call was Amanzimtoti and the Prince Residence. The long
hard road was to Durban, long yes, hard not really. We escaped the lights of
Joburg at the ugly hour of 05h00 Tuesday (23rd) morning to miss the mad rush
of all those crazy people desperate to get to work, fools. As usual we
ambled along at Mufasa's cruising speed, a bit faster than slow, and set
about making the usual tough decisions about the trip on the long N3 south,
where to get fuel and more importantly where to get breakfast! Now for those
not in the know in far away distant lands, the breakfast thing can be a
tricky one. Different fuel suppliers partner different restaurants. We
wanted Wimpy, cant beat a good fry up to keep you from nodding off, and that
means an Engen fuel stop. Now for most people who dash along at great speed,
obviously obeying the speed limits (!?), this is not an issue as distant
objectives are quickly reached. For the Mufasas of this world who plod along
it is a different story. Distant objective, hunger pangs, the contest.
Thankfully not long before 09h00 we made it as far as Harrismith (S28.27263
E29.13145) and the Engen just before it. One has to say an inspired choice,
usual good food and coffee, and excellent service. With our bellies filled
the next objective was Mufasa's. We checked the diesel price at the Engen,
nearly had a heart attack. With plenty of juice still in his belly we
decided to find an alternative, which as it happened was not too far down
the road at Tugela. A good old truck stop (S28.45316 E29.56616). We rolled
in, amongst all the huge HGVs and were delighted at the price these folks
pay, over 50c a litre cheaper. So we made use of most of the available cash
in our pockets and took the cheap fuel on board in both of Mufasa's bellies.
Back on the road it was not long before we descended down to the coast and
the heat got turned up a bit. By the time we arrived at Roy and Adele's
(S30.03898 E30.88320) we were sweating buckets, very hot and very humid.
Unfortunately as Mufasa is too big to fit in the parking at the house we had
to unpack all we needed from the truck for the duration of the stay, even
sweatier by the time we had done that. Mufasa has his own private secure
parking at an undisclosed location, well undisclosed for those who don't
know where it is!

Well, our reason for visiting Amanzimtoti, well apart from seeing the
family, was Adele's birthday. Which one, not for me to tell! Simone, Adele's
daughter who lives in the UK made a surprise appearance. Nearly gave Adele a
heart attack when she saw her. I don't know, you should be careful shocking
people at that age, cough. Anyway. We had a smashing dinner that evening at
one of the local eateries courtesy of Mr Prince snr. Well it would have been
if his credit card had not been refused, cunning plan! Thankfully Mr Prince
jnr was on hand to bail out his old man. I guess its one way of getting the
rent paid!

Our time at Toti also thankfully coincided with the holiday visit to South
Africa of Philly and Jo, the parents of the three girls that Sue looked
after in UK when she went travelling back in 1989. They happened to be
staying in Umhlanga at the Oyster Box, only about 40 minutes away. So we
popped along and were treated to coffee and lunch with them before they made
their long way back to the UK later that evening. It had been a while since
we had last seen them, back before we sold up and hit the road over 5 years
ago. With the magic of the internet and wonderful Facebook Sue had managed
to get in touch with them again towards the end of last year. Isn't
technology great, when it works of course.

After a couple of rain spotted days the sun returned on Sunday (28th), for a
bit at least. So Sue was delighted to get on top of our washing, especially
with a machine at hand!! Once it was all washed and put away she had a grin
from ear to ear.

Sadly it came time to say our goodbyes on the Monday (1st), fetch Mufasa,
and load up for the next leg on the trip. Back to the camping life again,
well for a short while at least!
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Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.5.435 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2702 - Release Date: 02/21/10
19:34:00