The Little Guru

Tag: getaway

Getaway: Magoebaskloof Mountains

M & I did a quick little getaway with my little cousins and a mate, over the weekend to Magoebaskloof, a mountainous area in central Limpopo that includes the small town of Haenertsburg.

Leaving on a Friday afternoon after work, it took us a while to get there. Give or take about five and a half hours including traffic and pit stops for food and snacks along the way.

It was a hell of a track for such a short stay, so if you do consider going, I would reccommend you stay over a long weekend so that you can really get to enjoy the little town. There is so much to see and do and it will be well worth it!

Two days wasn’t long enough to really explore all the beauty that Magoebaskloof has to offer, but what we did explore , was so beautiful!

Accomadation:

We booked into the beautiful Magoebaskloof Mountain Lodge. Fondly called “the mountain of the silver mist” due to the shroud of soft mist that usually covers the area. Apon the climb up the mountain, visibility is next to nothing as you will literally be in the clouds, so drive carefully! Arriving at night we didnt get to see much of our surroundings, but when morning came, we were welcomed to cooling misty mountain air and lush evergreen subtropical vegetation. The views are breathtaking!

Magoebaskloof Mountain Lodge Views

Magoebaskloof Mountain Lodge Self Catering Chalet

View from our Chalet

It’s all in the details…

Things to See & Do:

Magoebaskloof Adventures

Having only one full day, we took advantage and did as much as we could! We headed over to Mageobaskloof Adventures for some Canopy Touring and White Water Tubing. I skipped on the Tubing because I was recovering from the flu (boo) but I did do the canopy tour! M and the family said tubing was such an awesome experience, but the water was freezing! They do offer you wetsuits, but the chill still gets to yours bones. The Canopy Touring is an absolute must! It is so beautiful to glide over waterfalls and see the tropical mountains surround you.

Waterfall That you glide over!

Prices are: Canopy Tour R 625 per person (includes lunch after tour) & White Water Tubing R450 per person (includes lunch after tour)

Cheerio Gardens

Cheerio Gardens is a Magoebaskloof legend — a 70 year-old sprawling garden with thousands upon thousands of flowering plants and trees. There are a few garden paths and you can wander for hours.

On the way back from our fun filled adventures, we opted to stop at Cheerio’s to see the gardens. Unlucky for us they had just closed! So we missed out on seeing the beautiful gardens and blooms but they did allow us to walk to the little pond and around. It’s such a beautiful valley and is ideal for a day out or a picnic.

PS: It is very wild! I almost stood on tiny little snake and we walked into alot of spider webs with incredibly scary looking spiders on them!

Vibrant Blooms

Sheila- Created the Beauty on the Valley

Exploring the beauty of Cheerio’s

Blueberry Heights

We visited the gorgeous organic Blueberry Heights on route back to JHB. Lucky for us we able to book a spot at the Mountain Cafe for breakfast because they get pretty busy on the weekends, with good reason. This place is just perfection. The food, the vibe, the people. Everything is on point! Did I mention that we ate the most delicious Blueberry pancakes…

Mountain Cafe

Mountain Cafe

Kitchen

Decadent Food options

Vibes

Blueberry Pancakes- DELICIOUS!

Apart from the great food and great atmosphere. You can visit the gorgeous farm shop just outside the cafe and take some Blueberry goodies home. I grabbed a Blueberry Cordial that I am savouring because it is so devine! Oh and guess what- You can pick your own blueberries too! Read more about ithere for picking season information.

Blueberry & Kiwi Cordials

Kiwi Jam & Hot Sauces available

And guess what- They pet friendly! Always a win!

So happy we spotted the Blueberry Heights Farm and will absolutely be back to eat those delicious pancakes!

Magoebaskloof being about 4 hours from Jhb is a perfect place to getaway from Jozi for a few days. To quite litreally ‘have your head in the clouds’ is the best weekend break you will ever experience!

Magoebaskloof, I marvel at your beauty!

Looking for some travel info? Read some more travel articles here.

February 28, 2019
Getaway to Tranquillity Dinokeng…
A couple of weekends ago we got invited to tag along for a surprise getaway for our dear friends birthday. With a much needed break from the hustle and bustle, we didn’t hesitate with our answer for a beautiful weekend away.

The celebrations took place at the splendid Tranquility Spa and Lodge in Cullinan. Nestled within a private conservancy, bordering on the Dinokeng Big 5 Game Reserve, it’s the perfect getaway! Far enough to feel like a holiday but close enough to get back home. It’s really a short drive to nights spent around a fire, under dazzling stars and the sound of lions roaring in the Kevin Richardson Lion Sanctuary next door. Bush paradise only 35 km north of Pretoria- A hidden gem indeed!

The 4 of us huddled in the Zebra thatched chalet. A cute 2 bedroom chalet fitted with a queen-size bed in 1 room and 2 single beds in the other. Privacy is limited for the one’s who take the double bed- so make you have a system to let your friends know you are walking into “their” room. We opted for a bird call every time we came out of our 2 single bedded room, just to make sure they were awake and clothed! It was a good laugh every morning! Oh and don’t worry about taking blankets or linen, luxury linen and towels are provided.

The next day, the lovely host Hennie took us on a little tour around the lodge to get a real feel for the place. Thick bush all around but not so bad that you can’t enjoy the Giraffe visits in the morning on the way to breakfast! (Breakfast is yum) Nature all around you makes you feel like you are in another world- It’s the most relaxed weekend you will probably ever experience!

With the Kevin Richardson Lion Sanctuary right next door, you can’t not go for a game drive and see the beautiful animals. You can read all about the sanctuary here and see the amazing work these guys do.

Our lovely game ranger and very knowledgeable driver, might I add, George took us on the drive and gave us the opportunity to see nature and wildlife at it’s best! We viewed Waterbuck, Zebra’s, Impala, Sprinbok, Wildebeest, spotted Hyenas and of course Lions. It’s a definite must but please dress warm, it got chilly out there!

We spent our days lounging around the fire, taking multiple walks around the game reserve and really enjoying each others company. It’s amazing how places like this allow you to completely switch off from the world and just enjoy the right here, right now moment.

Tranquility Spa and Lodge is definitely a place we will visit again one day. We arrived as strangers and feel like we left as friends.

Looking for a little getaway?
Tranquillity Spa and Lodge
R573 Cullinan 1000

Tranquillity cell: 084 508 3491

Fax: 0866 11 99 53

Beth: 079 496 8586

Ray: 084 468 3350

Email: [email protected]
July 11, 2017
Getaway: Wawielpark

SA is such a beautiful country with so much to see and discover .So the campers that we are, we found a gorge spot on the banks of the Vaal River in Free State side of town.

Wawielpark is a perfect place to unwind and compelety let your hair down. It offers a wide range of activities for the young and old, from fishing to paddleboating to even having heated pools- which was my favourite. We parked our tents right on the river bank, which I was complaining about at first because we would freeze at night being so close to the water, but after witnessing the first sunset of the day, we couldnt have asked for a more perfect spot- it was absolutely breathtaking.

Through out the weekend we toured the facility and fell in love with it even more with every new piece of ground that was discovered. Can you believe that we found a mini zoo in the facility!
I couldnt have asked for more. It was just the best weekend that was well needed.
The weekend was spent huddled around the fires sharing stories, playing games, sneaking off in the night to the heated pools and of course fishing.

Falling asleep to the sounds of the wilderness around has never felt so good.
Wawielpark is definately a place to visit.

April 10, 2015
Getaway to: Howick

Last year was a year of weddings. We are at that time in our lives where our friends and friends of friends are getting married and our weekends are filled with attending them- (Sho, Im getting old) I absolutely love weddings and was quite excited to head to our cousins wedding in the Midlands Meander.

Travel is the ultimate for us, so we make the most of our journey’s. So we pick places that we have also wanted to see and thats why we landed up in Howick Falls. The journey to the Howich Falls Hotel is so gorgeous. The town has so much history and beauty is all around.

The Howick Falls Hotel is a short walk away from the Howick Falls and there is plenty of little craft stores and restaurants to keep you interested along the way. The Waterfall is beautiful. The view from the top, in particular, is pretty inspiring, and the volley of water quite mesmerising. But thats not all thats on offer, there are a series of interesting walks and trails, some to the bottom of the falls. We didnt have much time to do any of the trails and it was a rainy dya but Im sure they are quite beautiful.

The weekend was beautiful, the weather was perfect and the view all around us was magnificent.

Howick – you are beautiful.

January 14, 2015
Getaway to B’sorah Luxury Tented Camp

I was suprised with an awesome weekend getaway by my love and what a weekend it was. Ive always wanted to experience a tented camp or as I like to call it- “Glamping”.

Only an hour away from JHB – this hidden gem is the perfect trip for a quick getaway. Its really a place where you enjoy nature at its best. Apart from the hiking, mountain biking and running trails, there isnt much more to do other than to sit around the fire and relax.

Luxuary Tented Camp

Arriving at about 8.30pm that evening. We had our dinner and lit a fire. We sat for about an hour then had to rush inside as the rain came down. The stillness of the night is actually breathtaking. Its really the ultimate getaway for relaxation.

The Safari Tents are quite spaced out, so it is very secluded from other “Glampers”. Everything you possibly need is supplied. All you have to bring along is your own food and drink. I thought we would freeze through the night, but to my suprise the Tent got extremly hot! So no extra blankets are needed, unless you go in winter, of course.

The hiking trails are gorgeous. Walking through the bushveld and spotting the odd Game here and there . I didnt prepare for a hike so I didnt have the right gear on but I would reccommend comfortable shoes as there is gravel paths that you walk through.

Its really a place for the ultimate relaxed getaway.
B’sorah is a nature lover’s paradise, a place to unwind, relax and get in tune with nature again.

I sure did.

December 18, 2014
Honeymoon Destination: Seychelles- Praslin Island

How lucky am I! Mike set up a real honeymoon adventure where we got to spend 4 nights on Mahe Island and 4 nights on Praslin Island. Our part 2 of our honeymoon was just as amazing as the first.

Praslin is the 2nd largest Island of the Seychelles. It was named Isle de Palmes, because of its beautiful palm trees. The leaves of the trees itself are huge, reaching growth of 7-10m in length.
Vallee De Mai is the gorgeous Nature Preserve to these gorgeous trees and for their fruit called the Coco Der Mer, otherwise known as the Sea Coconut. We were quite lucky to still has seen a few Coco Der Mer as this precious Gem of the Island is going extinct.

Map of Praslin Island

The Coco Der Mer

We stayed at the gorgeous Paradise Sun Hotel situated on the Cote d’Or Beach. We were welcomed with a warm smile to this breathtaking little peace of heaven. Every single person at that hotel was so friendly and so helpful, well if you think about it, who wouldn’t be happy living on an island and waking up everyday in paradise- *sigh*

Our stay was incredible. We have made a rule that every destination that we visit, we do all that we can so that we can say that we have done everything there is to offer in that specific place. So that’s exactly what we did In Seychelles

View from the little plane that we took from Mahe Island to Praslin Island

Touchdown on the beautiful Island

The Beach

Our first day was all about settling in and getting familiar with the Hotel so we unpacked and walked around the hotel to see what was on offer. We met our go to entertainment guy Jimmy- He was the guys that has all the snorkeling gear, kayaking gear, you name it he has it all. Straight away I told Mike that he was the Matthew McConaughey of the Island. Very awesome guy. So we got our snorkeling gear, booked our catamaran trip and took a dip in the big blue sea.

Day 2- Catamaran excursion was a whole day trip. The trip consisted of visiting 3 islands
Cousine Island- Nature Reserve to Tortoises and Bird life.
Curieuse Island- Marine National Park to Tortoises and lastly
St. Pierre Island- Snorkeling

We cruised along the breathtaking coastline of Praslin to the Island of Cousin, home to Seychelles rarest birds. We were accompanied by an island guide that told us about these gorgeous birds and the interesting environment. There are absolutely no predators on the island, so the birds next on the ground in hollow trees. It was unreal to be so close to these gorgeous creatures. We hopped back onto the boat where we cruised to our next island.

Curieuse Island and National Marine Park is home to a tortoise-breeding colony. There are hundreds of giant tortoises roaming the soft sands of the island. This is where we had our delicious barbecue lunch and chilled with the tortoises.

Our last Island visit was the tiny island of St. Pierre.
Mike being a Dive Master, was super keen and ready to just dive into the water. Me on the other hand, I was pretty nervous as it was my first time snorkeling in the sea and I was so scared that a shark would swim beneath me and eat me. The Kaleidoscope of marine life in the clear waters was magnificent, I lasted a whole 10 minutes before Mike had to rescue me from drowning. I was smiling so much at the beauty beneath that water got into my snorkel so I lifted my head to catch my breath and a wave crashed into my face causing me to have an absolute frenzy and nearly drowning Mike himself. I was still the best 10 minute of snorkeling of my life!

Catamaran Trip

Cruising

Cousin Island

Barbecue Lunch

My Tortoise Friend

Curieuse Island

Snorkeling at St. Pierre

As our Holiday was drawing near to the end, we fitted in as much sight seeing as we possibly could.
We rented a car for the day and toured the Island. Dining out at the local restaurants to visiting every single shop the island had to offer. Every store is practically identical, but we visited each one anyway just in case we missed something. I have never witnessed such exquisite beaches in my life.

The last two days became rainy, indoor days so we spent the last days basically walking into town, purchasing last minute goodies and enjoy our time together. On our last night we were treated to an amazing dinner on the beach. It was a a 3 course meal consisting of Prawn Tails, Lobster Soup and Grilled Fish Kebab- It was the perfect ending to an amazing holiday.

Paradise

Island Life

Bad Photography

Fine Dining

Seychelles, you have captured my heart- Until we meat again.

October 2, 2014