Visit a township

Knysna

Enough with the elephants! To leave Addo park, we made our way towards the south part of the reserve. Slowly. And there was a lot nothing out there. Until we ran into an elephant alone on the road. Nearby! Nearby! Nearby! At the exit gate, the guards made sure we were not leaving with an animal... or anything else that was forbidden.

We then stopped for one of the best meals we had in South Africa, in Jeffrey's Bay. Still, we had to make our way near the water, to Die Walskipper.

Built on the beach itself, directly on the sand, the restaurant offers portions so big you will probably need to bring the leftovers with you. There is homemade bread, meat cooked on a fire and a magnificient view on the ocean. On the other hand, it might be uncomfortable to see the richness of the marina next to a poorer township.

After that, we spent the night in Knysna, a small town where most of the lights go out after 8 PM.

One of the highlight in Knysna, other than The Heads, those cliffs forming one of the narrowest entry port according to some, is the visit of a township. Those are to South Africa what favelas are to Brazil. To go there, we chose the tour our hostel, Island Vibe, was offering. It is advised to never walk alone in a township.

The guide first brought us to The Heads before driving us to the township. The kids there, living in small poor houses, were so happy to see us. For some of them, strangers mean they'll get candies. So they reach out for them.

We also stopped in the rastafarian community, where we visited a nursery. We ended up in a bar, on top of a hill... at noon.

The visit of a township should and must be on your to-do list in South Africa!

In the afternoon, we left for Wilderness, not without aknowledging there was no tickets left for the ferry to Robben Island, on the day we would be back in Cape Town. Bad karma! Even when trying to book ahead, luck wasn't on our side.

Elephants! Finally!

It may be nice to have time to sleep, but it's not every day you get to visit South Africa.

We had to throw ourselves from our beds to finally wake up and start our first complete day in Addo Elephant National Park. We had booked a game drive in the morning too, to make sure we would see as many different types of animals as possible. Departure time : 6. AM! For me, that's almost in the middle of the night.

Nyway! This time, there were 24 of us in a huge truck. At our first stop, after encountering zebras on the way, we could see five or six hyenas, which had just caught their breakfast : a fresh turtle. Seeing that many hyenas, apparently, is rare. Bucket list : check!

For the rest of it, it was just an endless trip around the park, where we didn't see that many animals. Some buffalos again, some kudus... and some more kudus.

Back at camp, we ate our own breakfast before stopping at the convenient-grocery store to buy some food. It is the only store in the park. By chance, you can find everything there. We bought noodles, frozen vegetables, frozen meat, some spices and something to calm thirst. And what we needed for lunch too. The frozen things are a good idea. Because when it's 40 degrees Celsius outside, for tourists having nothing to keep food fresh, meat gets bad fast.

So we started exploring the park with the Ferrari. As recommended, we drove from waterhole to waterhole. Until... Around noon, when the sun is at its peak, elphants, warthog, zebras and jackals all go to drink. So we spent long minutes watching a whole groupe of elephants taking care of their babies. They took turns to drink and get water to cool down. Amazing!

After, we stopped at the picnic area, protected with barb wires (there are nine lions going around the park), to eat our lunch. Here, strange birds are everywhere and small monkees, obviously used to humans, were watching, waiting to steal our food. Me not trusting monkeys. Me ate fast.

In the afternoon, we saw nature more than anything, animal hidding in the bushes.

At the end of the day, we reached our final destination, Spekboom camp, where we had booked a simple tent with two beds, a lamp, a barbecue and a shared kitchen with a fridge. Camp is situated in the middle of the park, with walls and barb wires around. From one side, there is a view on a waterhole.

Other than the relative calmness and the darkness, it's the starry sky, without too much light pollution, that stole the show. Worth! Every! Penny!

Somewhere in the trees

The sign is pretty clear

Have I said I liked that Dijembe Backpackers hostel? Other than the mattress, which was a little soft, everything was perfect. From the terrace, the view on the starry sky was magnificent. In the morning, breakfast, which was included in the price, was unbeatable : freshly baked muffins, homemade bread... Do I need to say more?

While they were trying to convince us to go "tubing", which we can also call canyoning, we decided to go for ziplining.

The Tsitsikamma Canopy Tour is not really scary, even if we had to sign a form stating we accepted the risks of the activity. For about two hours, we flew from tree to tree without any stress. With a little luck, you can even see baboons. For the collectors, all the participants receive a certificate to prove the "accomplishment". Woot!

We then left Storms River, hoping my "driving a stick" skills wouldn't kill us. And we arrived in Addo Elephant National Park at the end of the afternoon. That is where we were gonna spend the next two nights.

We didn't get a warm welcome at the front desk, but from what we were told, the employees easily work 12 hours a day. We can understand they might get tired of tourists at some point.

That said, we had dinner at the only restaurant in the park, where we ate kudu.

And in the evening, we went on a night game drive for about two hours. For that, you need to book by
calling.

So we got in the park on a Jeep. The driver had a big follow spot to point at animals. One needs to be patient and lucky to appreciate the experience. Because there are no guarantees. If we were told we had the best chances of seeing a lion or a rhino when it's dark, we saw none of them. But the silence and the calmness of the park, once the night is there, was worth it. At least, we saw one hyena, some zebras, buffalos, african owls, hares, caracals and jackals.

And even if we were in Africa, we needed more than just a windblocker to stay warm on that tour.

Unexpected Africa

They say one should fight fire with fire.

Which means?

Which means that after the blues of being back from a long adventure, it is sometimes better not to ask too many questions. And to seize the opportunities when they come.

So South Africa invited itself in the portrait. Nowhere on my radar yet : a little far, expensive, not easy to take time off from work... again.

Or maybe... The proposition came from an Austrian friend who bought his ticket for Cape Town. Stars aligned themselves. Too bad for the doubts and the expenses. After all, money is made to be spent.

True we hear South Africa can be dangerous. I asked other travelers. Nothing too bad at first glance. I for one have no doubts.

No need for a visa to get in Oscar Pistorius country. At least, not when you're a simple tourist. The only hard thing is to find a "short" flight. From North America, one needs at least one stopover... three sometimes. In my case, the best and shortest option seemed to stop in Amsterdam before leaving for 12 more hours towards Cape Town. If lucky, you can find a ticket for less than 1500 $.

The plan, for now, is to spend two days near Moutain Table, also visiting Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. They say it is better to buy tickets in advance, online, to visit. Done!

We'll then ride along the south coast towards Addo National park, known for its elephants population. Crossing our fingers to see lions, rhinos and other big 5 animals. We have already booked a night drive in the park to get the best experience possible. We'll also sleep in the park for two nights, one of them being in a tent near the water hole. There again, it is better to book ahead of time. Especially in summer. I was lucky to get the last lodge for the night I wanted, booking three weeks in advance.

The website for the South African national parks is a good source of information and allows some bookings. It might be hard to navigate on it though.

I also found a ziplining experience in Tsitsikama park. We'll see if it seems as fun once I really have to slide up in the air.

If technology allows it, I'll update as I go.

Crossing my fingers, I say a temporary adios to winter.