South Africa Archives - Page 2 of 4

Jan 22

by Nicola in Adventure, Hiking, Nature, Sunset 0 comments tags: Adventure, BeanOn Photography, Cape Town, Exploring, Hiking, Kirstenbosch, Kirstenbosch Gardens, Lion's Head, nature, South Africa, Sunset, Table Mountain

Cape Town, Hiking Table Mountain and Lion’s Head

After returning to Durban end of November, I spent two and a half weeks in Cape Town during the manic holidays over December and January. I couldn’t resist hiking Table Mountain and Lion’s Head. The day after New Year’s Day, we hiked up Table Mountain first thing at 6:00am. The following evening we hiked up Lion’s Head at sunset and then the next morning we whizzed up Table Mountain again. Resistance utterly futile! Table Mountain Both expeditions up Table Mountain (1,086 meters) took place from Kirstenbosch Gardens. I had my camera with me during the first, stopping along the way to capture the ever-changing vistas – one minute the mist rolled in and the next it cleared. We enjoyed a few breaks to refuel with fruit, homemade oat crunchies and fudge, Lindt chilli chocolate and nuts. The second climb I’d left my camera behind – what a difference that made! – and with only a couple of breaks, we knocked off almost forty minutes from our original time of four hours. Once through Kirstenbosch Gardens, the easy stroll led us to the steeper gorge. Surrounded by indigenous forest, lush green vegetation that kept the heat at bay, […]

May 11

Would you live in Cape Town?

After my recent trip to Cape Town someone asked me, Would you live in Cape Town? I answered immediately. Without a second’s hesitation, I said, “No!” Cape Town is unreservedly South Africa’s most beautiful city! Wholeheartedly, I agree. Cape Town is clean, visually pleasing; the government go out of their way to attract tourists; the people of Cape Town, the locals respect their government; the taxis are well behaved, road users stop at red traffic lights and are polite. Okay, perhaps the reason for such a well run province – the Western Cape – is because the ANC (African National Congress) does not dominate. The majority of the Western Cape are not black and so the DA (Democratic Alliance) are in power, which apparently says it all. However, when Cape Town experiences a cold front, it suddenly turns atrocious. The dreadful winters feel like they are as long lasting as the UK’s winters. And I would not know what to do with myself in a place that only offered cold oceans. Even a 20mm dry suit wouldn’t get me into such icy waters. And I don’t think I could survive without surfing, not again. Did you […]

Apr 07

Tala Private Game Reserve’s Gems: Five Adult Rhinos

With the craving gnawing at my heart, it had been thirty days plus since I’d last seen a rhino. Just under forty-five minutes from Durban we arrived at Tala, amidst the thick mist from the drizzling rain. Resistance is futile when a craving is upon thee… After paying our dues at the gate we headed up the hill to the right in search of Tala Private Game Reserve’s gems: five adult rhinos. Okay, we cheated a little and asked the guard at the gate where they were last spotted. And there they were… Five large, healthy rhinocerotidaes (commonly known as rhinoceroses) huddled together on a mound of earth, resting while the rain gently fell. We spent about thirty minutes watching them stretch and roll over, as though their comfort in the damp truly mattered. After exploring the reserve, relishing a packed breakfast at the Hippo Hide, a coffee at the restaurant’s veranda and bouncing along the 4×4 only tracks, we returned to the rhinos up and about munching their way through the grass. Such spectacular creatures! As I’ve previously published a post on Tala Private Game Reserve about a year ago, I shall keep this one brief. […]

Golden Gate Highlands National Park

The moment one witnesses the beaming sun-rays, either from a sunrise or sunset, softly gild the sandstone cliffs making up the Maluti Mountains, it becomes instantly apparent how the Golden Gate Highlands National Park acquired its name. Mr van Reenen, in 1878, spotted this sighting and named his new farm, wait for it – Golden Gate. From Kiara Resort, we drove approximately five kilometres to Glen Reenen Rest Camp within the Golden Gate Highlands National Park and parked the car. With the sun already casting a glow on to the distant cliffs, we crossed the road and embarked on our hike just after 6am. Desiring to knock off at least an hour from the four-hour Wodehouse Peak hike, we meandered via Mushroom Rock. In awe of its magnificence, we breezed around the mushroom-like rock formation, glancing up every few moments to absorb the scale of the mountain that loomed above us. Zigzagging up towards Wodehouse Peak, steeper and steeper we climbed. Feeling safe, we traversed along the extremely well maintained path with its perfectly carved sandstone steps, wooden bridge and iron rods strategically placed for hands to grab, to heave one’s body up the mountain side. Up and up we climbed, and […]

Kiara Resort, Maluti Mountains

This past Friday we drove an easy – with not one pothole in sight – four hours from Durbs to Kiara Resort nestled in the striking, sandstone Maluti / Maloti Mountains between the Golden Gate Highlands National Park and the charming village of Clarens in the Free State. From the moment we left Bergville we spotted herds of pure black wildebeest, small oribi antelope, eland antelope, blesbok antelope, springbok antelope, mountain reedbuck and zebra freely roaming the vast open scrublands at every meandering turn. The temperature reached 34 degrees Celsius before midday. The car’s air-conditioning turned up to maximum failed at providing relief from the incredibly dry heat. And this is autumn? With just over an hour to spare before check-in time at 3pm, we refuelled at the Golden Gate Hotel. While admiring the sandstone mountain range from the recently renovated hotel restaurant, we enjoyed a light, great value for money, lunch. Kiara Resort’s reception area appeared in great need of a spruce up. Fortunately, the apartment style self-catering chalet allocated to us wasn’t in the same state as the reception area. Clean, new and modern, the spacious chalet, comfortable for six adults, deserved a three-plus-star […]

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 […]

Feb 14

by Nicola in 4x4, Adventure, Black & White, Nature, Off-Road 2 comments tags: 4x4, Adventure, BeanOn Photography, Exploring, Gwahumbe Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, nature, Off-road, Rhino, Rugged Terrain, South Africa, Wildlife

Gwahumbe Game Lodge & Spa

Resistance is definitely futile when it comes to spending the day at Gwahumbe. Just over an hour’s drive from Durban, Gwahumbe Game Lodge & Spa is a favourite of mine to enjoy 4x4ing, game viewing and lunch all in a day. As I’ve previously published a couple of blogs on the reserve, the last fourteen months ago, I’ll limit my words this time and allow the images to speak louder. We only managed a distant sighting of the young male rhino, now grown in to an expert vehicle mock-charger. Bring it on! I secretly wished to experience such, but he didn’t even notice us with his head buried in the veld about twenty meters away from the vehicle, munching away on the lush grass. Never in my entire life have I tasted a more succulent and perfectly cooked piece of kingklip fish. This is no exaggeration. Compliments to the chef!

Jan 29

by Nicola in Beach, Durban, Sunrise 2 comments tags: beach, BeanOn Photography, Durban beach front, Early morning, Indian Ocean, KwaZulu-Natal, Moyo Ushaka Pier, North Beach, sea, South Africa, Sunrise, uShaka Beach, uShaka Pier

Habanero-hot welcome back to Durban

What a warm, actually habanero-hot welcome back to Durban. And I’d left London the day after the snow had settled overnight. With Emirates, from London Gatwick to Dubai and then finally Durban, the flight path permitted me to take in kilometre after kilometre of the rich-blue Indian Ocean bubbling below. What a sight after eighteen hours of flying time and three-hours wait in Dubai. Never mind the nine months of being away. It felt as though I was away for much longer but from the moment I stepped off the plane it felt as if I had never left; the epitome of home. I don’t know how but I resisted (resistance is usually futile) snapping the sunrise at uShaka Beach my first morning at home. Well, to be honest the need to catch-up on sleep triumphed and I ventured down to the beachfront for the sunrise the second morning after my arrival. My brain failed me momentarily, but it was 5am after all. I forgot that during the summer months the wall of the harbour mouth blocked the sunrise and it didn’t rise directly in front of the pier. I’ve since discovered the incredible SunCal, informing me that on […]

Special Offer Lifestyle Portrait photo shoot – R450 for 2-hours

A few days ago, I booked a return ticket back to South Africa, and shall be arriving on the 19th January 2016. Exhilaration isn’t the word! In light of my return home, I am offering three different promotions all running from the 1st February – within a 50km radius of Durban. One of the special offers is a Lifestyle Portrait photo shoot – R450.00 for 2-hours. If you desire unique, artistic photography that captures you (as well as your loved ones) at your best, out in the fresh air, then we shall make a brilliant team. For more information, please view here. If you are interested then BOOK NOW! Recently I did a Lifestyle Portrait photo shoot for a fellow photographer; I include some of the best images below.

Oct 11

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 […]

Mar 19

by Nicola in Beach, on the Rock camera club 0 comments tags: BeanOn Photography, Durban beach front, Indian Ocean, KwaZulu-Natal, Moyo Ushaka Pier, on the Rocks camera club, Paintings by Light, South Africa, Spinning Orbs

Spinning Orbs at Moyo Ushaka Pier

This time last week On The Rocks Camera Club (OTRCC) hosted an evening of sparking, spinning orbs and paintings by light at Moyo Ushaka Pier, Durban beachfront. With the excitement spinning, moment by moment, we waited, some not so patiently, for the weather to improve; unfortunately it worsened. Spinner, Pierre Retief, one of OTRCC’s professional photographers, braved the electric storm and pelting rain to display a fantastic light fiesta. A pity about the rain as the OTRCC’s members and guests huddled in single file under the pier to capture the dampened display of dancing fire, spitting sparks and brilliant paintings by light. What a shame I didn’t have the correct lens with me to capture the entire painting by light pictures. Thank you, Pierre and OTRCC – I truly enjoyed the sparkling experience; another first for me. Should you be interested in photography and experiencing firsts then please visit OTRCC. Every monthly meeting and exciting outing is a thrilling learning experience. For more information, please find details on their website contact page here: http://otrcameraclub.wix.com/otrcameraclub#!contact/cxcd Hope to see you there!

Mar 08

by Nicola in Beach, Nature, Sunset, Umdloti beach 0 comments tags: BeanOn Photography, Blue Bottles, crabs, Indian Ocean, KwaZulu-Natal, nature, South Africa, Sunset, Umdloti, Umdloti beach, Umdloti South Beach

Umdloti crabs

What a spectacular sighting: the Umdloti crabs doing their thing at twilight; every time I’ve enjoyed a run or walk along south beach, a third of the way towards Umhlanga, they’d caught my attention. I’ve never seen these types of crabs along the north beach, and I wonder why… Last evening, with the perfect weather, I couldn’t resist taking along my camera and doing my best to capture them running in to the water, burying themselves as deep as possible in the sand when the flow of the water hits them (be prepared to get drenched in the process), and some are still in the exact same place as the water ebbs, while others tumble into the next flow of the wave. A few of them had Portuguese man o wars (aka blue bottles) wrapped around their claws and appeared to be munching on them. It proved a challenge, hence the not so sharp photos, trying to capture the little critters as they kept dancing around as if on a stage, performing for each other. The setting sun turned the sky over the ocean pink and orange and made for stunning moments worth holding on to… […]

Feb 10

Umdloti sunset and moonrise

While briskly walking along beach late afternoon, the cloud formations shouted out, get in to the sugar cane fields, up that hill and capture what’s about to be a stunning Umdloti sunset and moonrise. With my camera equipment already in my car, we tackled the tracks amidst the fields; changing to low range 4×4, we ploughed through the soft red earth and climbed to reach the peak, the ideal viewpoint. Seized by a dramatic vista – composed of Boeings flying alongside the setting sun, heading towards King Shaka Airport, Sibaya Casino to the left and the moon rising over the Indian Ocean. A basket filled with picnic food was the only thing missing…

Jan 21

by Nicola in Beach, Nature, Wildlife 0 comments tags: BeanOn Photography, Exploring, Indian Ocean, KwaZulu-Natal, Lagoon Drive, South Africa, uMhlanga Lagoon Nature Reserve, uMhlanga Rocks, Wildlife

uMhlanga Lagoon Nature Reserve

Between the M4 freeway and the Indian Ocean, on the south bank of the Ohlanga River overfilling with reed beds (hence the reason the Zulus named it uMhlanga Rocks – ‘Place of Reeds and Rocks’), one will find the uMhlanga Lagoon Nature Reserve with its entrance gate (free of charge) just past the Breakers hotel at the end of Lagoon Drive. There is a secret parking area, end of the cal-de-sac, at the entrance to the reserve. Explore a well-marked heritage trail through ancient coastal forest, along boardwalks over the river, that’s home to vervets, small buck and birds. There are benches discreetly scattered amongst picnic spots. The lush vegetation framing the blues of the ocean and golden sand is definitely worth capturing.

Dec 24

by Nicola in 4x4, Adventure, Cycling, Nature, Off-Road, Safari, Wildlife 0 comments tags: 4x4, Adventure, BeanOn Photography, Challenge, cycling, Early morning, Gwahumbe Game Reserve, Jimny, KwaZulu-Natal, Off-road, Rhino, Rugged Terrain, South Africa, Suzuki, Suzuki Jimny, Wildlife

Fancy mountain biking with a rhino?

Can you even imagine mountain biking with a rhino…? Well, unfortunately – of course I did it hoping for the ultimate experience, a beastly encounter that would make the heart drop to the foot and adrenalin force the blood to violently pump – it didn’t happen while on two wheels. After exhausting ourselves by bicycle through the spectacular Gwahumbe (Saturday morning, 13 December) a favourite private game reserve for a day visit (because of the rugged landscape, and amazingly it’s just over an hour’s dive from Durban), we jumped in to my Jimny. The climb down to the hippo pool brought us head-on with the rhino. We ensured we kept our distance, and that he was aware of our presence. A non existent exist strategy caused the brain to deal with many jumbled thoughts – in other words, we were trapped. He appeared to be relaxed, and while munching the grass on the edge of the track he glanced in our direction and moved closer and towards us. I felt my body stiffen, my heart do somersaults, goose flesh ripple all over my body the moment his nose touched, albeit it a gentle touch, the Jimny’s nudge […]