Cape Town
The Garden Route
Kruger - Day 1 - Sabi Sands
Kruger – Day 2 – Kruger National Park
Kruger – Day 3 Back in Sabi Sands and Day 4 The Panorama Route
We were very sad to leave our camp in the bush. These are photos taken on our last morning – the restaurant where Howard is sitting, the swimming pool and the Braai area now looking a little bare (I wish I had taken some photos when we sat around the fire chatting in the evenings – it was so lovely)
but Gavin (van der Merwe, the owner) took us to Jo’Burg on the most glorious of routes back – the Panorama Route. High up into the the rugged mountain range of the northern Drakensberg in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa it passes through the north-eastern part of the Great Escarpment where from the plateau you have fantastic views of the plains a thousand metres below. We made 3 stops:
The Blyde River Canyon – the Pinnacle
Then God’s Window – the most famous and rightly so (and thus a little more developed, tourist-wise) A walk to the edge of the escarpment through a small section of rainforest and this fantastic view opens up.
And then the Berlyn Waterfall…. 
Jacaranda trees in full bloom on the road back – beautiful 
Our last stop with Gavin – appropriately enough a Pancake House!
Tuesday 8 November
We got up at 5 for our bush walk. We had a quick coffee and then off to the Uklumba Lodge in Sabi Sands, the same place that we had been to for the night drives. We were guided by Jason and Lyam with 6 customers in total. The lead guide carried a magnum rifle just in case. We saw various spoor and learned some local lore but only saw limited big game - Rhinoceros mum and baby, a group of 5 giraffe, grey duiker. Also saw the remains of a duiker taken into a tree by leopard during the morning walk last week. Highlight of the walk may have been the dung beetle experience! It was quite hot by the time we set off back to the camp at 10.00, Lyam said it was 35C. Had breakfast with Christina and Birgitte and then back to the tent to chill until our afternoon safari. Kay did try the pool.
A quick lunch at 2.30 and then back to Sabi for another sunset safari. This was bitter sweet as it was our last afternoon and evening in the bush. It was tremendous. Hank the owner of the lodge came as our tracker this time and we saw lots and lots of animals again, up close and personal. Drinks again at sunset and a drive in the dark as well. Very very sad to be leaving this beautiful place. 
