Off-road Cape Town on a scooter
Swaziland
From Kruger National Park we drove to Swaziland; an independent country landlocked by South Africa. This meant we had to cross borders, thus more stamps in my passport! The ride was magnificent, the road was well paved and for hours we were surrounded by beautiful valleys. In Swaziland we stayed the night in Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary where we were surprised by an unexpected luxurious rondavel hut.
In Mlilwane you won’t see the big five but antelope, deer and zebras roam around, therefore it’s also allowed to leave your car to walk around and get close to your subject. We loved the park, it felt real natural without the tourist masses.
St Lucia
We crossed borders again back to South Africa where we drove to our next destination; St Lucia; a very touristic but safe town that is perfect to check out the sights in the area. On my list were iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Hluhluwe National Park.
iSimangaliso Wetland Park
The area of the Wetlands is a combination of beach, swamp, grass, dunes and lakes. A paved road crosses the park with a white sandy beach at the end. Alongside the road there are multiple dirt road loops to have a better view of the area. Unfortunately all the loops were closed because of construction during our stay. Against the rules we did a small part of the loop and enjoyed a stretched out view of the wetland landscape.
A bit disappointed about the closed loops we decided to do a boat tour instead. The 4 PM boat tour was perfect with the sun setting and to have a close look at all the hippos in the area.
Hluhluwe National Park
Hluhluwe is a relatively small National Park that also harbors the Big Five, therefore my expectation were quite high. Throughout our 2.5 hour drive through Hluhluwe we only came across a buffalo, a group of zebras and a few giraffes. When driving back to the gate we were surprised by an elephant in the middle of the parking lot, but unfortunately Hluhluwe didn’t meet my expectations.
We took the rest of the day to relax by the pool and have some time off, getting ready for our next destination; Drakensbergen.
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