Day 18 - Addo & Tsitsikamma

What.A.Night.......

I must have got about 2 hours sleep last night what with Hyenas cackling nearby, a massive freight train passing every few hours and the freezing cold (-3 last night). I had worn 5 layers last night to prepare for the cold but those layers and my season 4 sleeping bag didn’t make any difference. I woke up shivering for a 0530 game drive and didn’t start warming up until about 10am. 

I have to admit when we started the early game drive i was thinking that no animal in their right mind would be out in this cold, and for the first hour I was right. The sun then started to rise and it started to warm up and our hopes increased. We were very lucky indeed as we rounded a corner in our safari truck we came upon a family of 8 elephants, 3 babies and 5 adults of varying ages. We spent a good hour with them and we were so close that had we been allowed, we would have been able to touch them. The truck driver would pull right up close to the elephants and sit talking to them and he explained that because most of the elephants had been born in the park they didn’t know danger and were very used to trucks and vehicles driving past. Our tour guide also referred to the huge deer like animals called the Kudo as the Kudashions as they always pose for photos! 

We headed back to the campsite for breakfast and then packed up and headed to Tsitiskamma National Park where we were staying for the next two nights. The drive took about 3 hours but it was fascinating watching the landscape turn from National Park to mountainous and tree covered. We had officially entered the Garden Route. 

We stopped for lunch in Jefferies Bay, the famous coastal town where the infamous surfing competition takes place and managed to find a lovely restaurant with seats outside to have seafood pasta and cocktails. With the sun out it really now felt like we were on holiday!!

As it had been so cold the other night, Kate, Deb and myself agreed that we would see how much an upgrade to a cabin would be....... for £45 we could get the best cabin available with a bath AND a shower, hot running water and a balcony overlooking the Indian Ocean... absolutely beautiful and utterly heaven. I haven’t had such a good nights sleep since I’ve been here!