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South Africa

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A South African Safari

There’s nowhere i’d rather be than amongst animals. A true African safari is an adventure that’s been on my bucket list for many years and i’ve had the privilege of visiting a beautiful camp on the Botswana border a couple of years ago, spotting all the big 5 in one weekend, spending the days lounging around in our bush lodge when we weren’t out on a trek. So to visit Kruger Park, with its wide open spaces was my ultimate dream.

No longer surrounded by fences or gated in any way, Kruger Park spans the same amount of land as France. Whilst that is incredible for the wild animals who have been left to freely roam around in their natural habitat, it makes it slightly harder to protect them from poachers. It also means that spotting them all in one weekend might be slightly trickier too. We flew from Johannesburg to Nelspruit on Airlink in just under an hour, where we were greeted and driven an hour to the park’s borders. Kruger Park opens at 6am and closes at 6pm too, allowing public cars to register and enter the park at their own will (through a security gate). This means that occasionally when you do spot an animal, there may be a little traffic to deal with too. South African Safari

Once we arrived at the gates, it took us another hour to reach our lodge Lukimbi as we drove at no more than 50kms the whole way, allowing for a few zebra crossings… literally. On arrival we had a light lunch and prepared for our first bush drive, revelling in what turned out to be the most glorious sunset. Logging 3 out of the big 5 on our first evening, we saw elephants, rhino and lion’s all within 25 mins of the resort. Our ranger was quick to spot tracks left during the day, as well as identifying the herds and packs who’s territories we’d encroached in. Stopping for a quick sunset drink, toasting the surrounding nature made the moment even more surreal. South African Safari

It’s an early wake up for those who are keen to see what other animals are starting to stir. 5.30am call time for a 6am departure from the lodges. You have to be escorted from your rooms during the dark hours too, just in case a passing leopard takes a fancy to the boardwalk – which i’m assured has happened before. The winter is without doubt the most beautiful time of year to take it all in, but it’s certainly not the most comfortable. When the weather’s warmer, the outdoor pool overlooking the local watering hole (theirs not ours) is a fantastic place to hang out in and literally watch the world go by. During the winter though, the temperature can reach as low as a couple of degrees and without the sun up, the wind passing through the open roof cruiser makes it even colder. Waiting for you in the car is a hot water bottle and blanket, but dress warm anyway. South African Safari

Passing a rhino mother and her young 1 week old baby has to be one of the most incredible sightings, alongside a mother Hyena and her tiny little black cubs. We also spotted leopards, buffalo, mongoose, warthog, civet, jackal, crocodile, giraffe, zebra, kudu, impala, waterbuck, nyala, some spectacular birds and my very first hippo! So no shortage of animals in our surrounding camps. It’s a trip you will remember forever. The smells, sights and sounds (often a tad unnerving at night) are all just so tangible in the bush. South African Safari

Recommended

Ardmore: The African Art With Heart

Art is subjective, I get that, but you can’t deny the beauty in something that’s so incredibly detailed or defined. I was introduced to a very special South African design studio called Ardmore Ceramic Art through Dubai’s newest arts hub in Al Quoz… Zebra Square Gallery.

Ardmore Ceramic Art at Zebra Square Gallery Dubai

Sitting in a room of their own, beautiful vessels adorned with all the animals of Africa sit proudly waiting for a home. Each piece is 100% unique and can take weeks to hand mould, shape and paint, and you’ll find the artist’s names written on each of their handiwork. The heritage of the brand is equally as special… Christie’s has acknowledged Ardmore artworks as “modern day collectables”.

Ardmore Ceramic Art at Zebra Square Gallery Dubai

Fèe Halsted established her brand on Ardmore Farm in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains of Kwa-Zulu-Natal, South Africa. Fee then offered other local women the opportunity to become apprentices and train. The heroes in these pieces, the artists, both now men and women, all hail from this province too. The art pieces themselves are so heavily detailed, you’ll discover a new animal or detail on it every time you look. Halstead talks about adding animals as a way of hiding any cracks from her original rudimentary kiln and style of firing the clay, and now they are synonymous with the brand itself.

Ardmore Ceramic Art at Zebra Square Gallery Dubai
Ardmore Ceramic Art at Zebra Square Gallery Dubai

Ardmore is now making a name for itself internationally. Halsted once talked about a treasured silk Hermès scarf she owned. Heavily embellished with the prints of both animals and tropical plants, it was a piece that helped inspire her personal creativity. This relationship has now come full circle, thanks to a recent collaboration between Ardmore and French fashion house Hermès, it’s these South African delicate and detailed designs that now adorn the silk collectables.

Ardmore Ceramic Art at Zebra Square Gallery Dubai

Adventure Animals Hotspot travel Winter

Life in the Bay for Christmas

I love South Africa. I’m particularly in love with the southern coastline, from Cape Town to Plettenberg, it’s nothing but blue skies, blue seas and beautiful people!

It feels like Christmas every day here, waking up to the most gorgeous bay views and sea air. It’s amazing how tired salty air can make you, but you definitely feel like you’ve had a long, fruitful (if not too eventful) day. The African sun is relentless too, warm yes, but strong, even when it’s overcast. We welcome the odd splashes of rain.

This sleepy bayside town wakes up for 2 weeks a year to a plethora of surfers, VIP’s and people like us, who are just looking for some winter sunshine, all mingling in beautiful café’s with quaint views, and the same long waiting lists.

The days are spent surfing, shopping, eating and napping, whilst the evenings gather everyone around the BBQ’s. The smell I tell you is fantastic. I’m a vegetarian but oh my…

I’ve been so glad for two particular necessities here, one is Neutrogena’s sun cream and the other, is their chap stick… with the winter winds out on the water raging, my normally semi-coiffed hair hasn’t had a look in this holiday, and it’s been great to let go. Apart from getting the odd eyeball whipping from the baby strands around my face, it’s actually been nice to not care. Sun cream & lip balm

We had a fantastic day out on the water yesterday, venturing out with the ocean safari team with our sights set on finding some whales, (it’s technically out of season but I was optimistic none the less). What we did see straight away was a large seal feasting on a stingray, happily enjoying his well deserved breakfast with the ever-growing fear of the dreaded ‘Robberg Express’ hanging over him. The Robberg express is not the channel between which all the sharks roam as I later found out; it’s the name of a singularly enormous creature that haunts the bay. (May be why I haven’t gotten into the water to surf yet…)Whale Watching

As he rolled on his back, waved at us and promptly sank beneath the waves, we moved on in search of more aquatic wonders. We headed straight for the coastline where we saw a collective of at least 30 bottlenose dolphins hugging the waves in fear of the Express, and followed their movements in the swells for a good half an hour. Dolphin Watching Soaking up the sun from the top deck, with these small, beautiful mammals playing next to us was a moment of absolute perfection. Then we spotted (I spotted and alerted the boat rather loudly) a baby hammerhead shark off to the right, swimming with a small family of indo-pacific humpback dolphins! (These are incredibly incredibly rare – hence my exclamation mark). Dolphin Watching

After what was the perfect way to start the day, we felt it was only right to end it just as memorably. Dinner last night was at a little romantic hotspot called Emily Moon River Lodge… it boasts spectacular views across polo fields and wet lands by day, the ideal place for a sunset aperitif or two! Emily Moon

Anyway, I’m off to enjoy the rest of it now… ☺

travel Winter

Christmas Will Be Spent… Sunbathing!

For most of us, heading somewhere chilly is essentially the key to a Christmas holiday, whether it’s back home, or somewhere specifically white and snowy. This year i’m off somewhere super warm instead… South Africa!

There’s one big thing I will be missing though… as you all down copious amounts of wine, choccies and yummy Christmas grub, I won’t be able to cover the usual holiday podge with leggings and a sweater and call it insulation…

I can’t wait to visit one of my favourite places in the world and i’m hoping Santa brings me one of these gorgeous little numbers from Cali Dreaming from Maison du Maillot! Antilia Top and Pandoram Bottom Seamed Antlia Top and Pandora Bottom

Grus Crux Navy Scuba Grus Top and Crux Bottom

Ursa Top and Toggle Bottom Pink Nude Ursa Top and Toggle Bottom Bikini

ROSE, Navy (BACK) Navy Scuba Andromeda One Piece

Basket JADETRIBE: Beach Basket Pink Large Tassle Pink/Black

Adventure travel

Road Tripping Through South Africa: The Sequel

Coffee BayCoffee Bay to Jeffrey’s Bay

Dawn flickers. He’s gone surfing. A bit of an explore brings me to a rocky beach crowned by thunderous waves. Scrambling up a grass sand-speckled hill, I reach the crest to be faced by the most beautiful stretch of yellow, a yellow dripped in silver and gold. Black rocks, angular against skin-white dunes. Twisting trees, their branches and roots wound as one. He surfs, I run. Local villagers silently pick their way through shoreline crags, their wares in plastic vessels. A dog shouts good morning, snapping at fish in the shallows. 

We bump our way down potholed roads, 9km of potholed road to the Hole in the Wall, a rock face with a gaping corridor to the sea. I keep forgetting where we are. This coastline reminds me of the UK’s Jurassic beaches. Today is the longest drive; 9 hours. We leave the sea behind us, climbing back into the beige hills, timber land, dusty roads and dusty faces. At last the road curves, the sideline turns to emerald, and the smell of salt hangs in the air. The names of towns passing by sound like a sailor’s ship log: Dutya, East London, Port Alfred, Alexandria, Port Elizabeth, Jeffrey’s Bay. The sun sets. A sky on fire, its angry flames licking at the blackening clouds. We finish today in Jeffrey’s Bay, and seek sleep at a surfing haunt. I go to bed telling myself I’ll do some research about a man called Jeffrey. 

Hole in the WallJeffrey’s Bay to Wilderness

I wake up to the sound of the sea, a sound I will always maintain as one of the best. The waves, the shore, they’re so close I feel the tide at my toes. It is also raining, the pitter pattering of drops on a nearby tent are calling, ‘come-out-side-come-out-side’. Its been a few months since I’ve experienced rain, real spitting, random, heavy splatters of rain. The wind whips up the sea and darkening sky as I pace along the shoreline. Pierced by the sun, clouds create ladders from the sky to the sea. 

Our hostel’s resident surfers are out in languid force as I return, the smell of a recently smoked herbal cigarette blending in with fresh coffee. Steadily, as if it never lost hope, the sun breaks through gloriously warm, and like owls, we creep outside blinking. Lit up like a diamond, each facet, wave, band of rocks, house window, shoreline bird is glinting. But it fails to hold out, and we drive through the most epic rainstorm I’ve ever experienced. Like a curtain, he sees it falling up ahead, preparing me but not for the full force of descending water. I can’t see the road, the rain comes in waves, and windscreen wipers unable to cope with the sheer deluge. The mountains are covered in a thick blanket of emerald, jade, lime; a pantone chart of the world’s greens. They curve their way to the sea, resonant of a female body form that undulates and falls. And then the peaks as we climb, smokey clouds curl over the top. Steam on a coffee cup.

Jeffrey's Bay
Plettenberg Bay falls away from us, more beautiful than the photographs, and we continue onto Kynsna. It is as if we have stumbled across a Wild West town; saloon balconies peek out from shop fronts. The river winds itself around the town, trees dips straight into the water, and the road curves along its watery stitching. Our plan was to stay here, but we head on, anxious to reach Cape Town by tomorrow.

He’s been told of Wilderness, known for its dramatic coastline, beach, and snaking river. The small hillside town lives up to its name. Coarse, haunting, an old disused train track totters on the hill edge above the beach. We are told a homeless, yet harmless, man lives in a cave at the end of the line. We choose not to investigate. The rain clouds hang in the horizon, sunlight desperately injecting through for one last time. The rain again, a sheer wall of darkness heads to batter the coast. I’m drawn to the raging sea, a wind so strong it blows the spray from the wave tops, herds of white horses. They gallop across the breaking tide line. I’m reminded of Cornish summers, curled up on a sofa, while outside the elements use the beach as their battleground. 

Part 3 to be continued…

Adventure travel

Road Tripping Through South Africa… Part 1

Its a hot muggy 4am in Dubai, and a cool clear Johannesburg 8 hours later. I land in a sleepy blur; long arms, long legs, a beaming smile await in the Arrivals lounge – my university friend and I have embarked on the longest road trip of my life; Johannesburg to Cape Town, following the coastline. 

Drakensberg main imageJohannesburg – North Drakensberg

Day 1 starts with 9 days on the clock, in a gold VW Polo, with a very hungover co-pilot, and over 2000km to drive. The ground is brown, bone dry, almost apocalyptic. People appear to just exist, if only at a slow pace, their skin cracked like the ground beneath their feet. They’re waiting, sitting, waiting, for what? Desolate with the occasional brown roofed hut breaking up the yellow grass. We drive for miles, miles ahead of us towards the Drakensberg Mountains, so-named because of their dragon-back peaks. Yet they don’t seem to arise; and the apocalypse-bared earth shows no sign of abating. 

Our hostel is perched on the edge of a hill, with panoramic views of dry moorland. The cold creeps in early – South African sunsets happen around 5.30 every evening, turning into impossibly long nights. And it is cold. Turns out you can take the girl out of Dubai…

North Drakensberg – Durban

We head deeper and darker into the Drakensberg, on to Cathedral Peak, yet still searching for landscape that resembles actual mountains. And then suddenly they appear, majestic, imposing and exactly like their namesake. Somewhere, in those crevices up high, is the dragon’s head, its fire the beating sun on our backs. We walk, blackened earth crunching underfoot, past dried tree fruits, and following the sound of water. A baboon family are up ahead, and we disturb their weekend amble. The air is so fresh up here, it almost hurts these Dubai-dust clogged lungs. The map says we are walking to find Doreen Falls – how do they name waterfalls? Did Doreen fall? Water like glass pours from a rock face up ahead, ice ice cold. He decides to go for a swim; the echoing shrills tell of this error. We can’t stay here, and with the impending sunset, we push on to Durban. This apocalyptic landscape continues for miles, until the roads begin to drop down into the city, traffic pushing either side, racing towards the shore. The sea! We lock the doors – aware of the Durban crime stories. Tucked into a table overlooking a large aquarium home to three types of shark, we eat the best steak of my life, guzzle South African red wine, and reminisce of university days gone by.

Durban

Day 3 is our beach day. An expanse of dark beige sand, black rock, glistened feet. The sea so clear and inviting, yet hints of dangers lurking deep. We walk. South Sands, Addington, the city’s accumulation of architecture climbs and dips as a backdrop. Walking through town is not quite as peaceful or comfortable – our presence encourages lingering looks, watching, conversations and laughter shared as we pass. We don’t wander for much longer, but catch a cab to the shore, our cab driver astounded that why we would be walking; his accent thick with humour, and to my ears, incomprehensible words. He ventures into the sea, swimming out further before the fear of below kicks in. I walk down the beach alone, sunlight glistens, a gold glow, and grey haze creeps over the city. The people fade away, and I’m on my own, my footsteps washed away at each step. Tonight we drive to the rugby stadium, to watch the Sharks take on, and beat, the Cape Town’s Stormers. The air is electric, the fireworks ablaze, the crowd geared up on giant cups of beer, bags of chips and fresh doughnuts. 

Doreen FallsDoreen Falls

I have a rule when driving that co-pilots shouldn’t sleep. Today our spedometer says we have reached the 1000km mark, and I break said rule. The landscape takes on a new face to the ones we have seen before. We drive through plantations, banana and coconut palms, the road falling away to rolling terraces either side. The sea becomes more angry, juxtaposed against the peaceful shoreline; we are at the start of the Wild Coast. Trees, rows and rows of trees in perfect alignment run for miles, as the road meanders through timber land. We try to hold onto the evergreen, but as our journey takes us further from the sea, the dry brown ground swallows us up. This is Zulu country, the Transkei, known for its bustling industrial towns, and coloured rondevaals pinpointed along the horizon and hill tops. I was told only to drive through the Transkei during daylight hours, and we head on to Coffee Bay, navigating the pot-holed road back towards the sea. So-named because a ship carrying coffee was wrecked on the rocks and spilled its wares on the village, this place is quaint, quiet and life passes by slowly here. We watch the sunset with beers in hand, high on top of a hill, a pink glow creeping in as dolphins dance on the surface below. 


Part 2 to continue….

Adventure travel

Safari Sunsets

Travelling leaves you speechless but turns you into a storyteller… this particular holiday was actually the tipping point for starting this site. People ask “how was your trip” but there just isn’t enough time to detail my most recent international adventure. I’ve only recently ventured to South Africa and it has quickly become my favourite escape – with Cape Town reigning as the future home of my dreams.

Tuningi

My second trip to Jo’burg has since become my most memorable vacation EVER! We ventured up to Madikwe, just on the Botswana border – only a 4 hours drive with plenty to see on the way. We arrived at the Tuningi Safari Lodge just in time for the first afternoon game drive…

Safari Sunsets

Mind-blowing scenery, incredible close encounters and serene sunsets. Words can’t quite describe just how beautiful these animals are up-close, without cages, without constriction, it’s the only way animals should be seen… wild.

Safari Sunsets

And yes, we saw all of the big 5 too! Elephants in abundance, rhinos (with horns!), lions, lionesses and even a quick hunt, wildebeest everywhere and yes, even a leopard. Not to mention a black hyena, wild dogs (incredibly rare) and lots of gorgeous little warthog babies!

Safari sunsets

Our watering hole (actual one – not our bar) at the lodge was particularly fruitful one evening when a leopard popped her head in for a drink, only to be surprised by a lioness who stood staring, just 5 meters away from her, not moving, not flinching and not even fighting (surprising as they are natural enemies). An unbelievably incredible sighting, even by our guide’s experiences…

Safari sunsetsI can’t wait to go back! There’s nothing more beautiful than an African sunset on safari, surrounded by nature at it’s finest…

Safari sunset