Garden Route Tour June and July 2021. With Peter Giddy Guided Tours. Michelle and Brittany on a three day tour.
Michelle and Brittany are Vetenarian Students who live in New York. They spend two weeks at Amakhala wildlife reserve doing a short internship with the reserve Vet. They do innoculations, saw off Rhino Horns and various other animal care duties while staying on the reserve.
Wednesday 30th June I pick Michelle and Brittany up from their BnB in Summerstrand and we leave for Tsitsikamma. Our first stop is the Storms River Bridge and then we visit the Storms River Village where we do the Forest Segway. Sassie is our guide. She takes us on a forest trail through the gate which stops vehicle traffic in this nature reserve. The road is littered with branches and stones. We have to dodge and be careful to not lose our balance. We stop off at the Old Man Tree. Sassie gives us an historical background of the roadway. Continuing down we stop at the picture of the lone remaining female elephant. Clearly this animal has a broken tusk as described in the book that I am reading: The Secret Elephants by Garth Patterson. Sassie tells us that an elephant from Addo Elephant Park has been introduced to the forest as a mate for the female. The female is about 45 years old. Elephants in the wild will live to an average age of 60. During their life they have six sets of Molars. As each set is worn down through chewing another set replaces the old one. Once the Elephant loses its last set of Molars it becomes increasingly difficult for the animal to digest and so becomes weaker until they die.
Sassie takes us through the forest explaing about the various trees and bush of the forest. An interesting and fun activity which, I as a tourist guide, will highly recommend.
Michelle is keen to do the Bungy. So after a lunch in Storms River Mouth we skip the Tsitsikamma Nature reserve at Storms River Mouth and stop off at the Bloukrans Bridge. Unfortunately the whole district is without power and we are not able to process a Credit Card. As an alternative M & B purchase some souvenirs from local vendors.
Our last stop of the day is at Plettenbergbay where we will overnight. We order a Take Away supper at Mobys on the beach and then go for a longish walk on the Robberg and BI Beaches. The tide is high and both girls end up with wet jeans. We pick up our supper at 6 and return to the Hill House flat where we have our meal on the stoep. B & I have the most delicious fish while M has a sirloin Steak. Malva pudding with Ice Cream is our desert. The lockdown prevents the sale of Alcohol but I have brought a bottle of wine and a couple of beers which makes for a perfect evening.
Thursday 1st July 2021. We skip the early morning beach walk. We have an appointment at Ampath in Knysna for a PCR covid test. After losing our way and having to complete an online application on my phone the test is finally done outside the offices. The following day we receive results which prove that both travellers are negative.
We drive up to the lookout on the Eastern side of the Knysna Lagoon heads for a bit of a view and looksee. A strong wind blows up and the entrance through the heads is as dangerous as ever. In Sedgefield we are able to find a restaurant which will make us some sandwiches. However we are not permitted, under current C19 rules, to eat our meal at the restaurant so we find a park bench overlooking the vlei and this is where we picnic for our morning meal.
At Wilderness B & M try out the Quad Biking (4 wheelers) with Simba their guide. A fun and exhilarating avtivity which again I will recommend. Our next stop is at the Waterfall Hike (Kingfisher Hiking trail) in Wilderness. The hike is in the SAN Parks national park and takes us up the Touws River trail. Well marked the trail is a two to 2.5 hour hike of a little under 8km. Much of it is boardwalk and easy pathway. A section is climbing over rocks and roots. The trail is fairly popular with us passing people along the way. At the waterfall we stop for a short while before turning around back the way we came. We take the East side pathway on the return. This is a little easier then the West Side pathway. On the path we start to hear the Knysna Loeries (Turaco) calling. We then see a small flock of them at the top of a tall tree and are lucky enough to see them in flight with their beautiful colouring and bright red wing tips.
With about 1km to go we take the Pontoon across the river. Something that adds a good memory to the walk. This is our second longish walk of the tour. Both B & M comment that during the time at Amakhala they did little walking as the time was spent on the back of a bakkie or where they would be activily busy with animals.
The drive to Oudtshoorn from Wilderness is through the Kaimas Pass, George and the Outeniqua Pass. We arrive at Oue Werf guest house just in time for our dinner at 6.30pm. Annelie Spies is our host and the owner of the farm. This farm has been in the Spies family for generations since the late 1700's. It is a working farm where crops are grown and animals are housed. On the road to the Cango Caves it would normally be ideal for such an overnight stay. However with current restrictions the caves are closed to visitors. Oue Werf on its own is a special visit. The rooms are really very comfortable. B & M have a cottage alongside the small dam. Annelie prepares us a delicous dinner of Soup followed by Ostrich steak with vegetables. Desert is a chocolate cake with custard. The long day, good food and finishing off the rest of the wine makes us all sleepy and we are in bed and asleep early.
Friday 2nd July. Breakfast of Fruit & yogurt, Eggs and toast with a coffee is all we need to get us going. We are at the Safari Ostrich farm just before 9am as the staff arrive to work. The farm is a working farm of hundreds of hectares. I think the name of our guide is Vanetheia. She introduces us to the life on the farm with a tour on a tractor driven trailer. It is chilly this morning but the sun soon warms us up and we are able to take off our heavy outer layers. Vanetheia tells us about the various African Ostriches, their physical details, mating habits and the life cycle of the Ostrich. We see a couple males doing the Dance of Love. One male attempts in vain to chase down a female ostrich. We see the Emu and their strange looking green eggs the size of a gem squash. Standing on Ostrich Eggs is part of the tour. After a nervous start both Michelle and Brittany stand on the eggs which hold up quite well. A bit of shopping ends out Safari Ostrich farm tour. Safari ostrich farm has been in the Lipschitz family for generations.
We return the way we came through Oudtshoorn and onwards to De Rust and Meiringspoort. Stop off at the Herrie Rock. The morning sun on the cliff faces makes for some perfect picture taking. Through the poort with the various river crossings names takes us to the Uitspan information and waterfall trail.
The waterfall trail is short and worthwhile. The waterfall is flowing strongly. Rocks and pools reflecting the Karoo sunrise. The stream is named the Groot Rivier and flows to De Rust. A great stop that is our final activity of the tour. Back onto the R62 towards Uniondale where we find a restaurant where the owners are happy to serve us a take away lunch of Bobotie on saffron rice in their garden.
The final part of our three day tour is through the Langkloof and then back onto the N2 to Port Elizabeth where Michelle and Brittany stop off to print their C19 test certificates and I drop them off at their Road Lodge at the Airport. Saturday 3rd July they will begin their return flights to NY and back to their studies.
From De Rust:
1.Spookdrif: A supernatural light in the form of a ball of fire has been seen at this point.
2.Skansdrif: Stone Ramparts were built here to prevent flooding.
3.Damdrif: There was a very large water-hole here that was deceptive particularly to strangers who would often become bogged down in the mud.
4.Boesmansdrif: here there are deep clefts in the rock face where San people used to live.
5.Skelmkloof Drif: here there is a hidden ravine where water trickles into the Groot Rivier.
6.Aalwyndrif: Named after the beautiful aloes that over look this drift. Aloes are sought after for their medicinal uses.
7.Nooiensboomdrif: A Nooiensboom is a Cabbage Tree and two of these trees used to grow on either side of the road.
8.Stewelsdrif: A “stewel” is translated as a Boot. A wagoner of farmer Petrus Meiring lost his boots here and had to return home for a new pair. Here the name Dubbledrif can also be seen. This does not appear to be an official name of a drift as it does not appear on the list of Drifts in the information center.
9.Perskeboomdrif: so named from the peach trees that used to grow close to this Drift.
10.Sanddrif: Sandbanks would cause obstructions here. The first Concrete causeway was built here in 1948
11.Herrie se drif: first known as Nagas drif it later took on the name Herrie. C J Langenhoven (1873 – 1932) poet and afrikaans writer, is best known for composing the South African National Anthem: “Uit die Blou van onse hemel” which was later adapted to our present anthem incorporating Nkosi Siki Lele in 1995 when Nelson Mandela become president. Langenhoven carved out the name Herrie which was the name of his fictional Elephant in his book: “Sonde met die Bure”. This is one of the few cases of Graffiti becoming a National Heritage site. It was proclaimed in 1973 to celebrate the birth date of Langenhoven.
12.Witperdedrif: a Rabbi and his horses were washed away at this site. His remains were never found.
13.Ou Tol drif: named after the Old Toll house which has been gone for many years
14.Wadrif: Legend has it that a number of wagons were washed away here.
15.Witfonteindrif: there is a steam of crystal clear water that flows from kranses to the west of this crossing.
16.Uitspandrif: there is sufficient area for the wagoners to allow the oxen to turn and to graze in this area.
17.Waterfaldrif: so called after a nearby waterfall.
18.Ontploffingsdrif: a wagon loaded with explosives traveling along the Boer Road exploded close by here. The Anglo Boer war / South African war (1899 – 1902) saw the British Soldiers build a fort with wall so stone here.
19.Derdetoldrif: to the West of this crossing two more Toll Houses were built. The ruins of these houses can still be seen here.
20.Rooiuitspanningsdrif: here there was sufficient space for a number of ox wagons to outspan. The red comes from the red soil in the area.
21.Pereboom se drif. As you approach this drift you go through a horse shoe bend. A saffron pear tree grew here making this a popular place for wagons to outspan
22.Bloupunt drif: wagons would frequently become stuck in the loose gravel here. The name is derived from that of a nearby farm.
23.Wasgatdrif: Entering Meiringspoort from the North, travelers could fill their barrels and could wash off the Karoo dust in the first really deep pools in many miles.
24.Opmetingsdrif: in 1912 measurements were taken to decide upon building a dam in this possibly suitable position.
25.Laaste Drif: traveling from the South this would have been the last drift that you would cross.
Petrus Meiring owned the farm where De Rust is now situated. It was he who loved to explore and discovered the route through the Swartberg mountain range, we now refer to as Meirings Poort. He was the son of a Pastor Meiring who arrived in South Africa in 1743.
Peter Giddy's hiking and tours group..... To enjoy the outdoors and to discover and explore places you have never seen or experienced. Meet people and make new friends. I understand that not everyone is at the same level of fitness and ability. So I accommodate everyone but providing hikes to suite the individual. No one is left behind.
0027 (0) 82 55 03 714 Whatsup
peter.giddy@gmail.com
Addo Elephant Park Day Visit and Night drive.
- Kragga Kamma Wildlife Reserve
- Daniel Cheetah Project
- Pumba; Shamwari; Amakhala; Kariega -- Day trips Private Reserves.
- Three day tour of Mountain Zebra Park. Graaff Reinet, Nieu Bethesda and Addo.
- City Historical and Cultural Tours,
- Horse riding for both experienced and inexperienced riders
- Hikes and Walks around Port Elizabeth (2 hour Nature and Coastal walks)
- Garden Route Adventure Tours (Zip Lines; Segway in the Forest; Adventure Quad Biking; Bridge Walks; Bungy Jump; Knysna Elephant Park; Monkey Land and Birds of Eden; Big Cats Sanctuary; Oudtshoorn Cango Caves and Ostrich farms)
- Shore Excursions from Passengers ships
- Transfers. Airport; Hotel and Wildlife Reserve.
- Flowers of Namaqualand. Seven days of adventure and exploring places and sights you never even knew existed. History and natural beauty of the South West of South Africa
- Karoo to Garden Route. Six days of fun and activities. Prince Albert; Swartberg Pass; Die Hell; Oudtshoorn; Prince Alfred pass; Plett and Tsitsikamma.
Website -- petergiddyguidedtours.wordpress.com
Contact me on Whatsup.... 0027 82 550 3174
No comments:
Post a Comment