Tuesday 19 May 2020

The 16 Day circuit around South Africa - Day 3 - Around Graskop - God's window; Drakensberg and the Blyde River canyon; Bourke's luck potholes; Shalati Kruger lodge - The 29th of January 2020

 
 It is said "the view from God's window has inspired and awed thousands of painters and photographers from all over the world" but because of the low lying clouds we could virtually see nothing, which turned out to be a pit really, once many of us had  "created" quite high expectations in regards to that.
 
 


 
 
 
 
The Drakensber escarpment, particularly the northern part did impress me though, particularly because of the geological features of the Blyde river canyon and the Pourke's luck potholes situated in the confluence of the Blyde and the Treur rivers. One cannot say much when nature presents itself in such a raw and beautiful way. We just stood there and felt the whole peaceful surrounding atmosphere.
 
 
 














 















A short stop for lunch brought in a different reality, the one of the smell and taste of grilled meat.



















 We then drove towards the  Shalati kruger lodge where a ranger was already waiting for us to go on an afternoon safari game drive. We were lucky to see quite a number of mamals (elephants, rhinoceros, lions and a spotted hyena), two types of antelopes (steenboks and impalas) and sever species of birds (fork-tailed drongos, lilac-breasted rollers, vultures and yellow-billed hornbills among others which we weren't able to photograph). For someone, like myself, who experienced a safari for the first time, I felt I was really lucky, not only with the number of animals we came across but also with the ranger's kwoledge and the way he imparted that knowledge.












 













































It wasn't but when we got back to the lodge that we realised the African-type of experience wasn't over, because we would actually be sleeping in large huts and having dinner in a private boma area where meat would be served around an open fire.















 

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