Reasons why we should explore our beautiful country: South Africa
One thing us South Africans can whole heartedly agree upon, is the fact that we live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. In fact, when I hear of how some foreigners are jealous that we live here, it makes me realize that we sometimes tend to take our stunning country for granted.
Grant and I were given the opportunity to visit Kwa Maritine In Pilanesberg in February to ensure it was a destination we could offer our clients…. and as we had big plans to spend 6 months overseas this year, we decided to make the trip a bit longer and turn it into a road trip, as we reasoned that we so often forget to explore what is right in our own backyard. And you know, seeing as we were going to be gone for so long (oh the irony!!) At the time we were completely unaware how 2020 would take one of the craziest turns in history and cancel all travel. However, despite knowing what I know now, I don’t regret this decision in the least.
So off we embarked, one jeep, two travel agents, two laptops, one epic road trip playlist and a lot of camping gear.
We had a rough plan of where we were going to stop along the way, as well as on the return trip, but we left it with a lot of room for adjustments. That is one of my biggest tips for when you are able to plan your next road trip. Do not plan everything too intricately. Have your stops carefully planned out, but don’t fill in the gaps with too many activities.
Because you spend many hours on the road, I find, if you have too much planned it places undue stress on the trip and makes the trip feel rushed. Whereas if you just know you need to reach your destination within 2-3 hours of a certain time it allows you to spontaneously stop at that cute coffee shop in the middle of nowhere, or picnic along the road where the sunflowers are in full bloom. Or if you get a burst tyre you aren’t standing there freaking out about how you won’t reach that planned activity on time. We rather made our plans for when we were in Pilanesberg and the rest we took as it came.
Our first stop was the picturesque Franschhoek, at Pearl Valley Hotel in Val de Vie, which was more of a surprise romantic weekend away, planned by my husband. It’s very funny to me looking back, how we went from white crisp sheets, dining at Reuben Riffle’s restaurant, with a three-course meal and high heels, hopping from wine farm to wine farm, to the next night camping under the stars, eating off plastic plates and wearing comfy sweats. I love it though; we are a really diverse couple with regards to where we stay. We don’t mind roughing it, as we are more about the experience. But don’t get me wrong, we love those 5-star hotels too.
Our second stop was a really great find. Usually people stop halfway between Cape Town and Johannesburg in Colesburg, but I wanted to find somewhere a little bit prettier (no offense Colesburg) and experience nature. So, we pushed ahead for another 40 minutes past Colesburg, and only 12km off route we stopped at Gariepdam. One of the cleanest camping spots I have ever seen, with lush green grass, spacious bathrooms and the best part- right on the dam.
We also stopped along the way in Parys a quaint little town full of cute coffee shops and antique shops. We went there to visit family. Five days after we left home, we arrived to what was my first ever safari experience! I will admit I didn’t have very high expectations. I never really understood the concept of waking up really early to get into a car for a few hours and look at animals. All I can say is, I have been missing out! We arrived and were instantly welcomed by the animals. Right outside our room were monkey’s, warthog and buck and on the first night we rushed out from dinner when we heard a lion roar. One who has never experienced the roar of a lion in the wild can ever do it justice. We had a lion a few hundred meters from our room. It was incredible.
And the game drives are not just simply sitting in a car for hours. It was the guide displaying his enthusiasm for the wildlife and imparting his years of knowledge into us in the short time he had with us. It was constantly scanning for any hint of movement and when you did, being in awe of these majestic creatures being almost within touching distance.
A few aspects I really loved about Kwa Maritine was that the rooms were positioned right along the fences of the game reserve so you could often see more animals while relaxing on the benches outside your room than you would see on a game drive. There was also a watering hole right in front of the restaurant, and we had the most spectacular views of elephants coming to quench their thirst. It’s also a mere 10-minute drive from Sun City so if you are wanting a quiet getaway immersed in nature, but need one day jam packed with activities and adventure you can spend a day at the Valley of the Waves at Sun City.
After 5 incredibly relaxing days which were spent braaiing, making potjies, spotting animals, drinking cocktails by the pool, getting massages, doing game drives, spending a wonderful day at The Valley of the Waves, (and a fair amount of work, because at the time we were running a very busy travel agency), we embarked on our journey home.
We were going to take a few days to get home but the Corona Virus had started to rear its ugly head and we felt we had to be more available to our clients, so we cut the journey short and just spent one night in the middle of nowhere at Kambro accommodation and Farmstall in Britstown and it turned out to be another very memorable camping experience. We selected a spot purely based on how many wonderful reviews they had received and because it was almost slap bang halfway between Pilanesberg and Cape Town. There wasn’t anything around, just wide-open spaces, but it’s the first time I truly saw the beauty of the Karoo. It was a Sunday and we arrived at 1pm, so we decided once our camp site was set up to have one of the laziest Sundays before going back to the madness. We turned off our phones and spent the afternoon in peaceful quietness doing crossword puzzles, tending to the braai, sipping on ice cold beers and napping in the sun. We were gifted with the most beautiful sunset for the last night of our adventure and then the heavens opened with myriads upon myriads of stars. We ended the night with sore necks from craning them upwards towards the skies and admiring how beautiful this country truly is.
It feels like a lifetime ago that we got to experience this wonderful road trip. So much has happened since then, but I am so grateful that we got to experience these beautiful places, and I am sure you and I will be going on great adventures like these in the not too far off future.
As I don’t foresee our travel borders opening anytime soon and suspect local travel will be allowed before international travel, I think the first place I want to travel after the lockdown is to another game reserve. I left my heart with the beautiful animals and I cannot wait to experience more of our wonderful country.
