A fire had swept through a neighbouring property the day before we arrived. This dystopian landscape greeted us as we took the turn onto the road that led to the lodge.
It has to be said that the lodge was not damaged at all, although the fire did reach their boundary fence, where it was brought under control.
These fire-cleansed landscapes, although looking devastated, often recover quickly as the fire allows for new growth.
The sun was already setting when we arrived.
Friday afternoon traffic on the N1 plus an accident that caused a long back-up delayed our arrival time.
With that in mind, I was not looking forward to the return trip, but all went smoothly and we were home in under 2 hours.
At the time of writing there were two toll charges, one of which was R71.00, so be aware.
Our accommodation for the weekend.
This room had its own bathroom which had a shower and toilet. The rooms in this section can be configured to accept a variety of accommodation needs. Especially groups or families that wish to be together.
The bed was one of the most comfortable my wife and I have shared at a lodge of this nature.
Normally we come home and have to head straight to a physio, but not in this instance.
On the far side of the pool is the undercover dining and lounge area. We both spent the majority of our time here.
Either enjoying a meal, watching the birdlife or sitting and reading. Something I do not do often enough when I am at a lodge.
This is one of two pools on the property. Being in the middle of the quad, surrounded by accommodation and conference rooms is not ideal.
There are plans afoot to turn this into a wetland pond to attract not only birds but dragonflies and butterflies as well.
The entrance to our accommodation as seen from across the pool.
Dinner!
T-bone steak, done medium rare ( as requested)Â accompanied by chips and a delicious side salad.
I have to say that we were NOT expecting a meal of this size. However, seeing neither of us had lunch we tucked into this plate of food and left not a morsel behind.
The lodge has only been under new owners for 8 months, and yet in that short time, they have compiled a concise, yet comprehensive menu.
Home-made chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream.
Probably one of the most delicious brownies I have eaten in a long while. Not the usual sponge saturated with chocolate. Oh no. This one had a crunch to it and was leaning towards a sticky-toffee-type dessert.
Neither of us complained.
Water lily.
Cape Teal
I had come here to try and better my bird photography skills, but I was frustrated by the fact that the birds were nowhere to be seen at the pond where the underground hide is situated.
Instead, there were many birds at a dam nearby, but the downside photographically was that I had to shoot from a raised walkway and hide. It’s not ideal, but I have found a solution for my next visit.
Common Moorhen.
The difference in low-angle photography is easily seen with this image.
This was taken at the aforementioned pond near the dining area where you can lie on the grass and shoot at eye level.
Blue Emperor Dragonfly.
This particular dragonfly taught me patience and persistence.
It took me almost 30 minutes to get this shot as the skittish insect would just not settle.
When it did, I almost missed my opportunity as I was about to walk away.
Sitting at this pond made me think about the Overview Effect and how it could be adapted without having to head off into space.
Space philosopher and author Frank White coined the term the ‘overview effect‘ in a book of the same name, published in 1987.
The overview effect can create powerful shifts in the way you think about Earth and life. The words beautiful and fragile are often used by astronauts to describe the experience which occurs when viewing Earth from space.
And it was these emotions that I felt without having to leave Terra Firma.
A common skink.
Looking at the length of its tail, I would opine that it had a run-in with a predator or rival at some point, losing part of its tail in the process.
This is a defence mechanism that skinks have where they can leave their wriggling tails behind, distracting the predator, while scuttling off to safety.
Although I came to upskill my bird photography, when I found there was a pair of wild dogs on the property, my wildlife photographic skills kicked in and I had to capture a couple of images of this endangered species.
My thanks to Doug Newman at Simply Birding for informing me of this hidden gem.
To find out more about what this lodge has to offer, click on the logo above.
I wish Alex and the team all the best with their plans for the lodge going forward.
Travel is the proud winner of this prestigious award from the digital British lifestyle magazine Luxlife. The award is in the category Best Travel & Experiences Blog 2024 – South Africa.
Check out the archived and current interviews… click on the image above.
“Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?”
Edgar Bergen
All images are the copyright property of
and may not be used without permission.
All images used in Travel & Things posts are edited using Ribbet software. To learn more about the product and what it offers both amateur and professional photographers, click on the logo above.
