Roxanne Reid's Blog, page 24

De Stallen self-catering in Bloemfontein

If you live in one of South Africa’s biggest cities, it’s a fair bet you have family or friends in another part of the country, so the chances of you road tripping through Bloemfontein in the Free State are quite high. On a recent trip back to Cape Town from a family wedding in KZN, we lucked out when we discovered De Stallen self-catering in Bloemfontein. We found it on the internet; it was affordable and it was convenient so we booked. At just R510 for two of us in a self-catering room,...

Visiting Kruger’s Maroela camp for the first time

By Roxanne Reid
Tsendze Rustic Campnear Mopani is by far my favourite campsite in the Kruger National Park.But on a recent visit, we found ourselves visiting Kruger’s Maroela camp for the first time – and we really liked it too. One of the biggest advantages of Maroela, which is for campers and caravanners only, is that it’s near Orpen Gate, so it’s well positioned for late arrivals or early-morning getaways. It’s also close to the H7, opening up easy drives to the Big Five hotspots aroun...

The lions, the leopard and the camelthorn tree

As any regular visitor to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park will know, it can be dry or green, hot enough to fry your brain or cold enough to freeze your blood, but it’s always rewarding. Take as an example the entertainment put on by the lions, the leopard and the camelthorn tree in the Auob riverbed when we visited in March 2015. We’d had a feast of electric storms,but no more than a few spits of rain. We’d seen meerkat and honey badger, a jamboree of whitebacked vultures kickboxing thei...

South Africa’s top 6 travel bloggers

African Overland Toursrecently published a blog post featuring South Africa’s top 6 travel bloggers. The lineup included bloggers who write not only about South Africa but also about the beautiful continent of Africa in all its diversity. The pick was made by round-the-world adventurer and travel writer Sarah Duff, and I’m thrilled to have made the list!

Here they are – the top 6. I already follow these amazing travel bloggers and have a great deal of admiration for what they do, whethe...

Colourful wedding celebration at Kruger National Park

Last time we stayed at Olifants camp we enjoyed one of our best sightings ever. It wasn’t one of the Big Five; in fact it wasn’t an animal at all but a colourful wedding celebration at Kruger National Park. It had been a frustrating day. First, we spotted a leopard poised on the side of the road, about to cross. We stopped a decent distance away so as not to disturb it. But a white bakkie roared past. It pulled in diagonally in front of us to take a photo, blocking our view. When the leop...

Sounds of the Kalahari

Visit the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park once and it’s a fair bet you’ll be back, it’s that addictive. From the sight of wildlife big and small, to red dunes and night skies strewn with stars, there’s much to cast a spell. But perhaps one of the most evocative experiences is to open your ears and listen to the sounds of the Kalahari. Here are 10 of my favourites. 1. Barking gecko A guide plays show and tell with a tiny barking gecko before putting it back at the entrance to its burrow ...

Bontle campsite in Marakele National Park

By Roxanne Reid
It’s the best time of day in one of the best campsites in Limpopo. The sun is setting and the brutal heat is starting to ease gently into a perfect evening. We’re at the Bontle campsite in Marakele National Park and life just couldn’t be better. When we first visited Marakele seven years ago, we stayed at the Tlopi tented camp in the eastern section with its mountains and valleys. Our safari tent looked out over a dam where elephant, kudu and giraffe came to drink as we sa...

Motswedi campsite at Mokala National Park

By Roxanne Reid
Rain clouds were gathering when we arrived at Mokala National Parkabout 75 kilometres southwest of Kimberley in the Northern Cape.We smelled the hot earth and watched the sky darken as we rushed to set up camp before the first big splats fell. Although we were by no means newbies at this Kalahari thornveld park, it was our first time at Mokala’s Motswedi campsite.
Motswedi is a special space, just six sites in a semi-circle around a waterhole, with your own private ablutio...

10 things to do at Ithala Game Reserve

By Roxanne Reid
It’s easy to fall in love with Ithala Game Reservenear Louwsberg in northern KwaZulu-Natal, as we did. You’ll find a scenic a fusion of ancient rocks and cliffs, rivers, rolling hills and wildlife. Take a high-clearance vehicle or 4x4 to navigate the rugged thornveld, and discover some of these 10 things to do at Ithala Game Reserve. 1. Stay at the beautiful Ntshondwe resort for at least three nights in a thatched chalet. It'sbuilt into the natural landscape on a plateau a...

Monitor lizards wrestling in the Kruger Park (video)

A couple of weeks ago, South African photographer and travel writer Villiers Steyn uploaded a video on to You Tube showing two monitor lizards wrestling in the Kruger Park. This is Fight Club meets WrestleMania so it’s no surprise that the clip has already had more than 80,000 views. Here’s what went down. Villiers and his brother Francois were in the Kruger National Park when they found the feisty lizards in the road right outside Letaba rest camp. ‘They were already busy battling it out w...