Nicola Ann Art
Jan 18
by Nicola in 4x4, KwaZulu-Natal, Travel, Wildlife 0 comments tags: 4x4, Adventure, BeanOn Photography, Big 5, Early morning, KwaZulu-Natal, nature, Off-road, South Africa, Sunrise, Wildlife, Zululand

Amakhosi Safari Lodge KwaZulu-Natal South Africa

This time, our adventure through Swaziland, as much off-road as on-road, prevented us from making the evening game drive at Amakhosi Safari Lodge, northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.   With hunger at bay, three trips to the waffle station at The Royal Swazi Spa Hotel near Mbabane, Swaziland later, we thought we’d given ourselves enough time to explore off-road and make the game drive.   Speaking of Swaziland, or now known as The Royal Kingdom of Eswatini, I ponder whether they’ll change their flag, as South Africa did…   After checking Google Maps (yes, as mentioned before, not always a good idea), we decided to head for the 4×4 only dirt tracks from Nhlangano through to Mhlosheni in Swaziland, straight through the Swaziland / South African border post as shown on Google and then onto the N2 freeway towards Pongola. Around thirty kilometres later we’d then arrive at the private game reserve, Amakhosi Safari Lodge, just in time for the sundowners in the heart of the African bushveld.   U-Turn Well, Google maps indicated a border post that did not exist, which was supposed to lead straight onto the N2 freeway about twenty kilometres outside of Pongola. A camouflage army tent […]
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Feb 21
by Nicola in 4x4, Nature, Safari, Wildlife 1 comments tags: 4x4, Adventure, BeanOn Photography, Big 5, Buffalo, Early morning, Elephant, Exploring, KwaZulu-Natal, lion, nature, Off-road, Rhino, Rhino River Lodge, Rugged Terrain, South Africa, Sunrise, Sunset, Wildlife, Zululand

Rhino River Lodge: a sacred retreat

For me, after being away from home for nine months, nothing beats time in the bush. I chose Rhino River Lodge for a second visit because the first experience, eleven months ago, stayed with me every day since. I simply had to return. Again, expectations exceeded.   Less than 3 hours from Durban, just off the N2, Rhino River Lodge, home to the Big Five, warmly awaited us. Chelsea, Clair, Kyle and Alex to name but a few were all as welcoming as the African sun (not once have I complained about KZN’s amazingly humid heat). The day we arrived, the temperature reached thirty-six degrees Celsius, in the shade. What a greeting! A pity about the drought…   I’ve been fortunate enough to experience the knowledgeable and highly amusing ranger, Kyle, on both occasions. He threatened to name a meal after me for mispronouncing a Zulu word. I refuse to even attempt spelling it here. Swiftly moving on…   While on a game drive, a French tourist asked: “What’s the difference between impalas and springboks?” Kyle began: “Springboks are lighter in colour, and —” “Impalas don’t play rugby,” a fellow South African piped up.   Well, that tickled me!   An […]
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Oct 11
by Nicola in 4x4, Adventure, Beach, Nature, Off-Road, Wildlife 4 comments tags: 4x4, Adventure, Atlantic Ocean, beach, BeanOn Photography, Big 5, Big Daddy, Big Mamma, Damara Granites, Dune 7, Elephants, Etosha National Park, Exploring, Fish River Canyon, Moon Landscape, Namib Desert, Namibia, nature, Off-road, ostriches, Rugged Terrain, Skeleton Coast, Sossusvlei, South Africa, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, Wildlife, Windhoek, Zebra

Return to Namibia

Finally I get to visually return to Namibia… I thought I’d lost all my photographs from the first time I arrived in the UK, September 2000, until around 2012, just after I returned to South Africa. My external hard drive had crashed, devouring all my photos from every trip I’d been on while living in Europe: Thailand, Turkey, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany and the list goes on. Devastated was not the word…   The other day my friend mentioned he had a copy of every photo I’d taken while we travelled together. Of course! I’d sent him a copy of our memories after every trip, and he’d done the same for me.   Right now I couldn’t be more delighted. I’ve started going through our Namibia trip and the only problem is I want to return with my more professional camera kit – I, after all, upgraded from a Canon to a Nikon – and experience every moment again. Somebody twist my arm!   The first time I visited Namibia was for a friend’s wedding in 2006 and I promised myself I had to return.   Two years later, (I can’t believe it’s seven years ago) I […]
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Dec 16
by Nicola in 4x4, Adventure, Nature, Off-Road, Safari, Sunrise, Sunset, Wildlife 0 comments tags: 4x4, Adventure, Amakhosi Private Game Reserve, BeanOn Photography, Big 5, Early morning, Exploring, Five-Star Lodge, KwaZulu-Natal, Off-road, Pongola, Rugged Terrain, South Africa, Sunrise, Sunset, Wildlife, Zululand

Amakhosi Private Game Reserve

The day after Mauritius, from 14th – 17th December, I retreated to the middle of the bushveld at the stunning Amakhosi Private Game Reserve, on the banks of Zululand’s Mkuze River.   Surrounded by thick bushland, wetlands and mountains makes for spectacular vistas from one of the six luxurious river suites I stayed in, and found a challenge departing from.   The entire five-star experience – from the welcoming staff, the sensory cuisine, the game drives, the landscape, the animal sightings, the noises of the bush, the smells and the packed lunch given to you upon farewell – had you feeling like royalty; an experience fit for a king.   It was worth driving 4.5 hours from Durban to Pongola, and I plan to visit again sometime in the next few years.
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Jun 19
by Nicola in 4x4, Adventure, Nature, Off-Road, Safari, Sunrise, Sunset, Uncategorized, Wildlife 0 comments tags: 4x4, Adventure, BeanOn Photography, Big 5, Early morning, Exploring, Five-Star Lodge, KwaZulu-Natal, Off-road, Rhino, South Africa, Thanda, Thanda Private Game Reserve, Thanda Tented Camp, Wildlife, Zululand

Sacrilege, but I don’t care!

Just over 4 years ago a dear friend bought me my first DSLR camera for a birthday. Talk about being bowled over by the receipt of an unexpected gift. Of course he’d chosen the brand he’d always used, the camera I’d always wanted that came with a 18 – 55 mm lens. Later the same friend spoiled me with a telephoto 28 – 300mm and then a stunning macro.   Anyway, I loved this camera despite feeling it never lived up to what I’d researched its potential to be. I thought that perhaps I needed to practice more, learn the camera to its depths and that’s what I did for the next 4 or so years, but still the quality of my picture taking didn’t live up to my expectations.   I wanted to buy a new camera; however, since getting the property ladder rolling I thought I’d better disperse the desire, the desire as violent as a hurricane ripping up buildings, as far away from my heart as possible.   Whilst doing my best, my camera stopped working; the shutter did not release yet everything else appeared to be working fine or rather displaying correctly on the screen.   […]
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