I remember ages ago reading a blog post by Lola where she mentions visiting KwaZulu-Natal and Durban as a part of “Through the Lens“; a partnership between National Geographic and South African Tourism. Was pretty exciting, I even made the odd suggestions on where to go in KZN (which in retrospect I Read more…
It was a really early start to this, with my colleague Tim Brown (of Tim Brown Tours fame) and myself travelling to the Margate area to collect 12 Italian guests for a 2-night/3-day tour of the Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve and St.Lucia estuary.
Male Lion at Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve
While idly scrolling through my twitter feed (@cctouringsa) I came across a tweet posted by South African Tourism (@GoToSouthAfrica). Following the link supplied, I landed on the home page of Lola Akinmade Akerstrom, a travel photographer and writer whose work has appeared in National Geographic, BBC, CNN, Lonely Planet and a whole bunch more!
School Children in Nigeria – Photo by Lola Akinmade Akerstrom
Today was Heritage Day in South Africa, a public holiday country wide where people can get together with friends and family and celebrate their particular cultural heritage. For us here at Country and Coastal Touring, it was another work day, and I was quite happy about that!
Impala Male at Tala Game Reserve
Our third day on tour was dedicated to the events that happened on the 22nd January 1879; the Battle at Isandlwana and the defense of Rorkes Drift.
Isandlwana and Rorkes Drift
Tuesday the 17th marked the first day of a 7-day tour to the Battlefields of KwaZulu-Natal and a “Big-5” Safari. The itinerary I had planned called for firstly a night of Zulu cultural experience, followed by a few days in the battlefields area before spending the remaining days in Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve.
Collage of KwaZulu-Natal Tour
The weather was perfect for a tour of the Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Reserve over the Easter weekend. I started off early on Friday morning to pick up my guest Olivia and her two children Thomas and Josie (aged 7 & 5). After collecting them from Durban North, we headed straight for Emdoneni Cat Rehabilitation Center.
Hluhluwe Imfolozi Collage
I had a little time this morning before a short tour to head on down to the beachfront. I was going to find a spot to have a cup of coffee and kill some time, but I got distracted by the nearby “Sunken Gardens” which have been rehabilitated.
Sunken Garden, Durban Beachfront
There’s two separate stories (as far as I know) as to how the gardens came to be.
I don’t get out on the bike often enough anymore but I couldn’t resist this morning, beautiful blue skies with just a light wind stirring tree tops, it was a day made for cycling! I started out with the intention of getting a little hill training in so headed towards Bothas Hill, some 40km’s outside of Durban. But the day was honestly so fantastic I ended up just cruising on and on, stopping every now and again to take in the views!
1000 Hill Ride