Travel & Things has just returned from a trip to the Lowveld. Before I left on the extended work/research trip I did a post about the places that I would be visiting.
Now that I have returned, I would like to share with you, dear reader, an updated overview of the places that I revisited (De Ark in Lydenburg and Chacma Buch Camp) and the new places that enthralled and have won my heart (Moditlo River Lodge and Nambu Camp)
Before I get started on the overview, I need to inform readers of the condition of the roads should you decide to use the Belfast, Dullstroom, Lydenberg, and Origstad route to Hoedspruit.
There are now potholes IN the potholes and the road between Dullstroom and Lydenberg is particularly bad with major potholes that span almost the entire road about 20km from Dullstroom.
Please obey the speed limits as the various traffic departments seem to make a habit of setting up where the speed limit drops from 120-80-60 in a very short space of time. You have been warned.
For the life of me, I cannot understand how the relevant roads department can fix 3-4 potholes and leave several in the same area unfixed! That is a skill set that is a pure waste of manpower and resources.
I have been travelling this road for the past several years and although minimal attempts have been made at repair, it is not nearly good enough.
Time for the road repairs to be handed to competent private contractors who know what they are doing and can affect long-term repairs that last? Probably, but given the current climate of greed and corruption, I don’t think that will happen.
I returned to De Ark in Lydenberg for a third visit. On my most recent visit in July, the reception area was being renovated and had been temporarily moved to the dining room.
Now it has been returned to its rightful place and is ready to welcome guests one more.
Another change since that July visit is a large generator that is capable of running the entire guesthouse when load-shedding occurs. I have been informed that the owners are also looking into a solar option going forward.
My room on this trip was at the end of this short passage on the ground floor with easy access to the swimming pool and bar.
I do enjoy staying at the quirky guesthouse and with so many rooms to choose from, I have never been in the same room twice.
If it ain’t Baroque, don’t fix it! With cherubs looking down on me from the ceiling, this room had nooks and crannies that I needed to investigate and photograph. It is the attention to detail in each room that makes visitors return here time and again.
Hidden from view behind a large wardrobe, this basin and mirror offer the weary traveler an opportunity to freshen up before heading for dinner or to the bar. Or in my case, bed and a book.
All the world is a stage?
Not really as this alcove hides both a jacuzzi bath AND a shower.
More cherubs guarding the shower head.
To find out more about the guest house and what it offers, visit their website by clicking on the logo above. I was sad to say farewell, but I look forward to returning in the not-too-distant future once again.
Moditlo River Lodge sits at the heart of the Blue Canyon Conservancy, a stretch of protected land near the world-renowned Greater Kruger National Park.
Do not be fooled by Google Maps as it will try to take you to the private entrance at about 12km from Hoedspruit and which is actually closed to the general public.
The entrance that you are looking for is at 16,5km and is a huge unmissable building set back from the road.
From there the actual camp is about 5km and can be reached by at least 2 routes. The gate guard will steer you in the right direction.
This is the main reception area and it also contains a small, but well-stocked, curio shop.
My accommodation. Not what I was expecting at all and it was therefore a complete surprise to me when I opened the door.
If it was not for the fact that we have JUST painted our bedroom at home, I would certainly have considered doing it in this colour scheme.
Very soothing and easy on the eye. The soft furnishings complimented the walls and the floor perfectly.
A feature that I took full advantage of was the bath. I was able to lie comfortably in it and watch the passing parade of animals outside.
A small comment for management. How about a warning sign for guests to utilize to inform housekeeping that there is someone in the bath?
A well-appointed bathroom that leads to a toilet.
The shower has a 180-degree view of the bushveld outside and although I was hoping for a herd of elephants to pass by, they did not get the email and hence did not show up.
It might look like Kilimanjaro, but it is the Northern Drakensberg and just on aspect of the stunning landscape views afforded to visitors.
Moditlo means ‘place of the elephant’, however it took me until the last game drive to find this bull.
Watching him break off a huge branch with brute force in order to get to the best foliage was well worth the wait.
To find out more about the camp and what it offers, click on the logo above to visit their website.
I did enjoy my time at this unexpected gem of a destination and I hope to return here and bring my wife to share the amenities that the lodge has to offer.
Chacma Bush Camp can be found in the Maseke Balule Game Reserve and offers an authentic and intimate safari experience.
I was at this camp in 2017 and on the surface, nothing seems to have changed…and why should it? The staff, the accommodation and specifically the food offering is as it was back then…sublime.
When I opened the door to my room, this is what greeted me and given the fact that it was a scorching 36C outside the chilled water in the fridge was most welcome.
Suitcase and vellies…do I need anything more?
A comfortable bed and pristine linen? TICK!
And this room had a desk that I could work at which was a bonus.
What better way to end of an enjoyable game drive than to stand in a shower and let the water remove the African dust from your pores.
The room has a spacious area at the foot of the bed should you want to sit and read a book in the cool of the air-conditioning.
Or you can sit outside on the veranda and keep an eye on the waterhole that is close by.
You are almost guaranteed an elephant sighting or two from this room as there is a small group of young bulls that visit the camp waterhole several times a day.
The colours of every sunset that I enjoyed on my visit to Chacma Bush Camp were THIS spectacular.
And there were a couple of bats that called the roof outside of one of the rooms home.
These are Epauleted Fruit Bats and although large and imposing, cause no harm to the guests.
To find out more about the camp and what it offers, click on the logo above to visit their website.
The word Nambu means ‘river’ in IsiThonga, and this unique lodge has many ties to this natural source that flows through the traverse.
Nambu Camp is built in the heart of the Balule Private Nature Reserve which is open to the Kruger National Park.
Rewald Drinkwater, the owner, lives on site and it is his attention to even the smallest detail that makes guests feel special while staying here.
The gardens during my October visit were filled with flowering Impala Lilies.
This building doubles as the main reception area as well as a lounge and both indoor and outdoor areas for meals to be enjoyed or to look out at the vast African vista that lies in front of the Lodge.
The lounge corner of the main building. Minimalist décor enhances rather that detracts from the surroundings.
From the veranda…how many elephants can YOU see?
From this vantage point I was also able to see kudu and hyena. At night, using darkness as cover, a lioness patrolled this area while calling softly.
My accommodation was on the left wing of this building.
The owner of the property tells me that major changes are about to take place that will see the walkways re-routed and the bathrooms repositioned.
Basic but comfortable is how I would describe the accommodation. That being said, the reading lights worked and actually lit my book rather than standing on the pedestals as decoration.
Hidden behind the pillow on the right was a wall socket and USB charging points that were easily accessible and very useful.
You can shower with a friend…
Just another African sunset?
This camp stole my heart and I would like to return in the cooler months when being outside is and option instead of being cloistered in my room with an AC running.
To find out more about the camp and what it offers, click on the logo above to visit their website.
I took this book with me to keep me company and what good company it turned out to be!
Published by Tracey MacDonald Publishers this is Willie’s first foray into writing and I certainly hope that it will not be his last.
A beautifully written book that had me laughing and crying almost at the same time.
I would like to share this quote from the book about the role that Willie’s Dad had played in conservation in South Africa. Written by Fritz Potgeiter and originally published in Veldtrust in 1963…
“But once this generation has passed, and the next one follows, and the one after that, and yet another one, and they enjoy the wilderness and the wonders of wild nature, then they too will know, that before them there were people who carefully preserved precious parts of South Africa for the next generation to enjoy and cherish. Then they will know that long before them there was an Oom Lappies who followed the call within him, labouring with love and generosity, to understand and share the joy of creation.”
Thank you Willie for your generosity in sharing your story with us. I look forward to your next book with eager anticipation.
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