The Little Guru

Tag: travel

Flash Back Friday Adventures: Swadini Resort

Another edition of Flash back Friday – Destination Swadini Resort– Limpopo (Mphumalang)

Landlocked by the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve and the Drakensberg Peaks, Swadini, A Forever Resort is a must.

Driving from Johannesburg we took our time and went the scenic route to get to see as much as our eyes could open. We set off early in the morning and stopped at the first little town for breakfast in Dulltroom.

There is a beautiful little Tuscon coffee shop that honestly feels like you are in another country. The haziness and chill in the air demands you to cozy up in the cafe and let your sense indulge in the coffee aroma.

It was my birthday weekend trip so we took the opportunity to include Pilgrims Rest in our route too. It was definitely the highlight of my trip as I always wanted to go there since I was little- no joke. Something about a small quiet town filled with so much history that I just needed to see for myself and in the end, it was well worth it. The people are super friendly and the views heading down into the town are gorgeous.

On this route we got to see a number of natural wonders like the Blyde River Canyon and Lisbon Falls, we were on the way to Bourke’s Luck Potholes which are soft rounded holes at the bottom of a steep canyon where two rivers meet, but little miss sickly got out of breath and dizzy so we detoured down the mountain straight to the resort, so I missed the Potholes but will definitely plan a trip to see them one day.

We arrived late afternoon at Swadini Resort- It was a busy day and were were hungry so we made our way to our Chalets and were greeted by a Gorgeous Kudu. These animals were so tame that we walked up to them to say hi. They hung out with the the entire night while we chatted away around a fire.

Morning came and what awaited us outside our window was a view like no other. The enormous canyon made its debut and we sat there starring in amazement at the beauty of it.

We spent our weekend walking around the facilities and enjoyed all it had to offer. Its a beautiful resort with loads of activities to offer. Be assured to make some unusual friends while you’re there. (O Shem- extreme close up)

The weekend ended all too quickly, but the memories and the beauty will stay with us forever. Swadini has a special little place in my heart which I hope to re visit soon. A weekend of tranquility and beauty.

March 11, 2016
Flash back Friday Adventures: Sani Pass

I was going through my photos last night and to my surprise, found some pretty awesome pictures of little adventures that we did a little while ago. So I thought I would start a series of Flash back Friday Adventures and share them with my fellow travel enthusiasts.

Our first adventure is about our trip to Sani Pass.

We initially set off to Bulwer in KZN for a family affair- a sad one at that- but we made the most of our weekend trip and ventured around Bulwer and surrounding areas.

The weather definitely reflected the emotion that we were all feeling. It was overcast, cold and every now and then a light rain came down. It was absolutely beautiful.

Arriving at our self-catering accommodation, it looked like something out of a horror movie, misty secluded house with squeaking doors and cracking floors- I was in my element. The house was old but filled with so much life. A fire place awaited us with a grand piano and board games to keep us occupied through the night.

We sat around the fire that evening and contemplated on whether we should travel up to Sani Pass and see what it was all about. Not everyone was keen, but the ones who were, well were in for quite a treat.

We set off early to the great Sani Pass in our trusty Land Rover. The route is breathtaking- Hills after hills and waterfalls everywhere and the weather perfect for our trip up the mountain. We stopped off at Sani Pass Hotel for a quick refresher before we set off again. Pictures just don’t do justice to the beauty that surrounds it.

We did a few stops at some waterfalls to freshen up and have a drink.

Sani Pass is the mother of all South African mountain passes- Situated between KZN and Lesotho the pass was built circa 1950 and remains a challenging drive in 4×4 vehicles with all the drama, scenery, bad weather and treacherous conditions expected of a pass with a summit altitude of 2876m.

The climb up was just as terrifying as the climb down! I was at the back of the 4×4 with my eyes shut tight every time we reared higher and higher. Its definitely not for the feint-hearted but something one definitely has to experience. Its breath-taking when you reach the top and COLD. We were so confused as to why the locals were wearing thick blankets over their shoulders until we got out the car. … Wowza, It’s a fridge up there!

As exhausting as the weekend was it was an adventurous one. Who knew we would discover so much beauty in a short amount of time. So if your planning a trip to KZN, detour to Sani Pass. Just remember to take scarfs, beanies, gloves, snow jackets, thermal underwear and an extra jacket, just in case.

Sani Pass is definitely a trip to put on your list of places to see in South Africa. Its perfection.

January 15, 2016
Looking back at 2015
What a year its been..

A mix of emotions arise thinking back. A year that I’m quite happy to say goodbye to and welcome 2016 with open arms, but the year wasn’t all that bad, quite eventful rather..

The Lows..

This year was definitely a year of emotions. I think my emotional nerve is lodged between some muscles because I literally cried over anything and everything but non the less, we all have our ups and downs.
- Job Hunting
- Family drama- who doesn’t have it?
- Health Issues, or me being slightly neurotic thinking I was suffering a heart attack or that I have a terminal illness- I got over it don’t worry
- Depression
The Highs..
- Celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary
- Rediscovering South Africa through social networking
- Meeting new people, making new friends
- Making old friendships new again
- Celebrating milestones with friends
- Spending more time with family
- Making memories
Goals.. (achievable ones)
- Travel more
- Try new things
- Play an instrument
- Volunteer at something
- Spread awareness for Pulmonary Hypertension
- Get healthy
- Be more adventurous
- Self discovery
Cheers to a new year filled with adventure!

xoxo
December 18, 2015
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