Into the Wild

Finally, we managed to upload a few pictures and words here again - we've been on the move a lot in the last few days!

Just in time for the 2nd Advent, we have dear visitors from Mainz and with Jenny, we are now the perfect girls' round to continue exploring this colorful country.

Our first 2-day trip takes us to the HluHluwe (pronounced Slushluwe) National Park, three hours north of Durban. The park is considered the 'Little Kruger' with great biodiversity and is the oldest national park in South Africa. Excited and a little nervous, we pack everything into the car and head to the 'Bushbaby Lodge' - and it's truly in the middle of the bush! After the long drive and our first dirt road (which our little VW handles effortlessly...), we settle into our little cottage, the zebras graze at dusk right in front of our doorstep. Our dog Bungy settles down right on our terrace and never leaves our side.

Our first safari day starts slowly after a good night's sleep and a good breakfast - full of excitement and in eagle-eye mode, so as not to miss any sound in the grass or any movement at the waterhole! Already on the way to the gate, we encounter giraffes and zebras. The park is wonderfully green and hilly, and the drive alone is an experience, albeit at a hot 37 degrees! We see so many rhinos, even very close to the road, that it starts to feel quite normal to us later. They move peacefully in smaller groups, we even observed a baby with its mother. But when a few giants stop right in front of our car on the road, we keep our distance... Water buffalo and warthogs wallow in the waterholes, giraffes stride majestically across the path, weaver birds weave their artistic nests by the dozens in the trees, and antelopes of all kinds stand between the low trees and look at us critically - we have arrived in the 'wild' Africa!

Hakuna Matata!

In the heat of the noon, we have a cider at the 'Hilltop Camp' with a magnificent view.

As we set off for our accommodation in the late afternoon, we see many animals once again becoming active at dusk, we missed the cats, but we haven't been here for the last time. In the evenings, we sit in front of the fire and grill under the open sky and feel like we're in 'Out of Africa'...

The next day, we drive through HluHluwe once again and have incredibly lucky again: A lone adult elephant stands right in front of us in the middle of the road, just before we leave the park!

Now our journey takes us to the nearby St. Lucia Wetland Park, briefly 'Isimangaliso', which resonates as much as 'miracle' in Zulu. Over a 200 km stretch of coastline, a wonderland of savannah, the St. Lucia Lake, and tropical forests that extend to the sea. Unfortunately, we only had time for a boat trip on the lake, but we were rewarded with plenty of hippo sightings - so close that you could think you were in a zoo - just without glass!

After two days full of new impressions, we are already excited for the next safari - and of course, we will report!