Galleries

Adventures, Animals, Outdoors, South Africa

Kwazulu-Natal Adventures and Safari (Part 2)

Gallery Leave a comment

Our self-drive safari experience was better than the organised tour.  You could go where you wanted and got to spot the animals yourself! We even spotted a leopard during the first hour of driving ourselves at Hluhluwe! Many South Africans were very jealous of us for that find. We also managed to spot the Big 5 at Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park in the first two days, including the elusive black rhino. We stayed in a Rondavel at Hilltop camp grounds in iMfolozi where we cooked up a few traditional braai and got raided by baboons! The baboons hda figured out the door locks on the Rondavel units and got their grubby fingers on our bananas and cereal. Staying within the safari park was not cheap, but made it easier to get early starts and see many animals before most visitors even arrived at the park.

We went on another road trip and headed for Sodwana Bay to visit some pristine beaches and go scuba diving on one of South Africa’s best reefs.  Sodwana Bay was a bit difficult to find but after a few wrong turns we pulled into the sleepy town and found our bed. We woke the next morning and had an amazing dive with Pisces Dive Charters on two mile reef. We were a bit nervous as we hadn’t been diving for almost three years. We got back in the groove quickly and the afternoon dive on seven mile reef was even better.

We heard about a Cheetah and Cat Rescue Centre that was on the way to our next destination and we decided to have a look.  It was amazing to get so close to the big cats but we did have reservations regarding the whole experience. The cats were all cared for very well and had great relationships with the trainers but they were also no longer wild cats. It was meant to be a breeding program but sadly, at least for the cheetahs, the male cats were sterile so did not help the breeding program. These cats were also now tame and could not be released again into the wild. Needless to say we left the centre with mixed emotions.

We ended our safari experience in Leopard Mountain. This was a private reserve with all meals, game drives and watering hole hideouts included in our stay. Not something we would normally do but we enjoyed the experience. Self-drive is just as good and probably better if you prefer to find your own way. At Leopard Mountain we saw the Big 5, minus the Leopard, but witnessed a Cheetah kill and many Lions up close.

We had an amazing time on safari in South Africa and loved the experience. So much so we are already looking forward to the next time we can visit the big red continent.

Adventures, Hiking, Madagascar, Outdoors

Ranomafana National Park

Gallery Leave a comment

Ranomafana National Park is a stand of rainforest covering more than 200 square kilometres, sitting on the eastern edge of an escarpment that runs like a spine down Madagascar. It is a relatively short (3 hour) winding and potholed drive from Fianarantsoa. Even for this country, one of the world’s top five “megadiversity” countries according to Conservational International, it is extraordinarily species rich, It boasts 12 species of lemurs, 265 bird species, chameleons, geckoes, frogs and eight species of carnivores, including the elusive fossa.

We stayed in a nice bungalow at Manja Hotel overlooking the river about 8km further on from the National Park in Ranomafana town http://hotelmanja.com/. Most hotels are in this area, unless you can afford the more expensive hotels near the park. We engaged an excellent guide, Theo (he is in the Lonely Planet, but his number has changed) +261 33 04 244 02. He even has a species of frog named after him. The first morning we started at 7am and walked until about 2pm. We were both exhausted. We saw many weird and wonderful creatures, including some cheeky sifakas playing right at our feet and some lovely primary and secondary forest. One leaf tailed gecko completely looks like a piece of bark, I mean completely.

After hitching a ride back to town with some local university students (Theo had taken them on a night tour then night before), we walked to the local swimming pool, which is fed by an underground spring. It was hot, good for the muscles, but HOT! We also indulged in a 30 min massage for about $4.50. After that is was back on the road for a night walk. Our guide spread banana on a branch and several mouse lemurs came to snap it up, sooo cute! Then we were off to find some chameleons, and we were not disappointed. Theo has an uncanny eye for finding the most camouflaged of creatures. The next day we ventured out to an arboretum that was set up by an Englishman almost twenty five years ago. It was a lovely place, with many native and exotic species. We would recommend going early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the sun and heat.

 

Adventures, Madagascar, Outdoors

Hello Madagascar

Gallery 2 Comments

The question we get asked the most – why Madagascar? Most people who ask know there are many reasons one would want to visit this island nation, and David Attenborough’s documentaries have undoubtedly helped promote the unusual flora and fauna. For us, there are many reasons, mostly relating to the environment, people and animals. The biodiversity and high endemism of the island is staggering. 80% of the countries plants and animals only live in Madagascar! The rate of extinction is alarmingly high, so we thought we need to go now.

The more we read about Mada, the more intrigued we get. This country split off from Africa approx. 160 million years ago. Yet humans only stepped foot on Mada approx. 2000 years ago, even though the eastern coast of Mozambique is only 1000km kilometres away. The tribes of Mada were geographically isolated, yet for a country over 1500km long and with 22 million people, they all speak the one language, Malagasy, which is closer to a Malayan-Borneo language than any other. This truly is a unique and fascinating country.

After nearly three months in Europe, Mada was quite a culture change. We had learned a few facts before we came, such as it is listed as 151 out of 178 countries on the Human Development Index. Comparing our last stop (Germany), you almost couldn’t think of two more different countries. The travel guides such as Bradt and Lonely Planet steeled us for high crime and poverty. One traveller wrote that the taxi ride from the airport to town would make you think you are driving through one of the dodgiest places on earth. So we were a little relieved on our taxi ride. Perhaps in part because we have been to other developing countries, but in many ways it seemed ok. Bustling shop fronts, people walking around in fashionable clothes, in many ways Mada is a very happening, modern place. The travel guides make it sound as though Antananarivo (the capital city, shortened to Tana) is extremely dangerous, and we were a little wary on our first few days. But we got the hang of it quickly and never really felt threatened or unsafe. Of course, in one of the world’s poorest nations, there is the other side – non-existent waste management, polluted waterways, beggars and homelessness. But on the whole, we felt quite comfortable in Tana.

We stayed at Hotel Jacaranda http://www.tana-jacaranda.com/description_en.html $23 with ensuite, or $18 with shared bathroom. It has hot water and a restaurant. We recommend.

Cities, Europe, Hiking, Outdoors

Germany, Austria and a bit of Italy

Gallery Leave a comment

Bregenz, Austria 3 – 5 September 2014, Germany 5 – 23 September 2014

Lake Como, Italy 11- 15 September 2014

Sadly bidding farewell to our German friends, from Horden, we hired another car and drove to Bregenz in Austria to visit Alex’s aunt and uncle. It was actually cheaper to hire a car, including petrol to drive from Karlsruhe, to Bregenz then Munich than it was for the two of us to catch the train. Trains are expensive in Germany, which seems strange to me as they are in most other ways such a green country.

It was lovely to see Elise and Eckhart, Alex hadn’t seen them in nearly 14 years. They took us on a boat ride around Bodensee, Lake Constance, and out for a delicious lunch.

We spent over two weeks with Alex’s sister Simone in Munich, which was a real treat. It was so special for us to be able to stay with Simone and catch up for lost time. We talked for hours and went for a short trip to Lake Como in Italy, which was truly lovely. We ate delicious gelato, pizza and pasta and went on boat rides around the lake. We had fun watching all the Europeans show off their bikes and cars.

We even made it to Oktoberfest for the opening day. It was quite funny as we hadn’t booked a table, and it was the opening day. We still managed to sneak in though (twice!) and made some friends…oh and drank too much beer…