The Scenic Route

On Friday morning we began our journey back to Pretoria taking the scenic route and visiting many places on the way. We were not due back until Saturday evening which meant we could take a leisurely journey, soaking in the sights and staying in the mountains for the night.

The first stop on Friday morning was a tour of the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre. It was set up to focus on the conservation of rare, vulnerable or dangerous animals. At the heart of the centre however is its ongoing project to help protect cheetahs, a threatened species. Breeding, conservation, rehabilitation and the release of animals back into the wild are all areas of importance, as well as education of tourists and local people. 

 The cheetahs in the photos above and below are both around the seven to ten month age. They looked extremely healthy, well kept and content which was lovely to see.

We were extremely lucky to be the only 3 people on our tour meaning we could take our time, ask as many questions as we liked and not be squashed up on the safari bus. The cheetah cubs enclosure was the first stop and they were absolutely lovely. As the centre tries to keep all their animals wild and not hand reared we could not interact with them. However, this is ultimately better as it gives them the chance to be successfully rehabilitated as adults.

These cubs were special as they were part of a litter of five which is fairly big as the normal size is around three or four.

The cheetahs are separated from their mother at three months old and this is because if they stay with the mother in captivity they do not get all the nutrients that they need. They are switched over to meat at this age. The centre feeds all its cheetahs on beef, removing the fat and adding extra nutrients so that it is similar to the game hunted and eaten in the wild. The left over cuts of beef are sent to the 'Vulture Restaurant' where the birds gather and scavenge on the leftovers. The bones that are left over are sent away to be grounded down and then the centre receives them back as a source of calcium added to the meat given to the cheetahs and other animals. 

The Vulture Restaurant which smelt pretty horrific. It is closed for about 2 months once a year to clean it out completely removing the risk of anthrax poisoning and making sure the birds do not become dependent on it as a source of food.  

When the cheetahs at the centre reach adulthood they are separated into different living areas or they are rehabilitated into the wild; some cheetahs have been released on air force bases to control the local wide life population with great success. Females prefer to live in solitude and so they each have an enclosure to themselves. Males however form bonds and will live in groups of two or three. Often these are brothers from the same litter but not necessarily.

A rather large group of male cheetahs. It is expected that as they get older they will split into two groups.

These adult cheetahs are kept in enclosures along a stretch of a dirt track known as lovers lane. This is because when breeding they release the male cheetahs in the road between the female pens, closing it off at both ends, allowing them to parade around to attract the ladies. They are left there for around about a week and it is up to the females to choose a mate. If they want to they will roll onto their backs, showing the white fur of their stomach. The keepers then put the two cheetahs together and will separate them when the male indicates they want to be let out. Apparently this is extremely obvious and they are almost crawling up the enclosure fences as females want to raise cubs by themselves.

A solitary female enjoying her meal.

A King Cheetah. These cheetahs are smaller than normal cheetahs and are defined by larger black spots and a prominent fluffy stretch of black hair down their neck. They are created by a recessive gene in both parents and although occurring in the wild, often do not make it to adulthood due to their inability to catch game due to size deformities. They are named King Cheetahs because they were favoured by the Egyptian Pharaohs.

The other animals we saw on the tour included two of the most beautiful and healthy black mane lions which are fairly rare. The pair at Hoedspruit are too used to humans and so will not be released back to the wild but instead used to breed and hopefully their cubs will eventually be released.

 The first brother Mufasa, looking appropriately regal.

 Mufasa having a yawn. 

I couldn't resist including this photo!

His brother Scar. 

A pack of male wild dogs also live at the centre. Unfortunately, the female died during pregnancy along with her eleven pups changing the social aspect of the pack. Interestingly wild dogs are some of the only wild animals that follow a strict social structure, for example, they allow pups to eat first or if there are no pups, the alpha of the pack will have their fill before others begin eating.

 The dogs looking at something which has caught their attention, possibly the cheetahs in the next enclosure.

Grooming each other is part of their social routine.

Additionally, during the tour we encountered ostriches, vultures, marabou storks, a tortoise and an orphaned zebra which was being raised by a sheep.

Our next stop was the Khamai Reptile Park which housed many kinds of snakes, lizards, a couple of crocodiles, an ostrich and some extremely entertaining parrots. It was extremely interesting wondering around and having a look at all the different types of snakes, many extremely poisonous.

A green mamba which is highly venomous and will stand its ground to attack. 

An extremely cheeky parrot who at one point was trying to nibble the lens of Dries' camera. 

The world's best looking ostrich peaking out from behind a wall. 

Blyde River Canyon in the mountains was our next destination and we drove through stunning mountain scenery to get there. The first stop in this area was The Three Rondawels which was beautiful and gave me the chance to put my climbing skills to the test for amazing photo opportunities (thank you Dries).

The Three Rondawels, named after the rounded huts, like the one I stayed in at the Kruger Park.

A great view from my perch over the Dam at Blyde River Canyon.

Thinking about it...

Halfway and pretty happy about it.

Success! Such a beautiful view over the river and canyon.

Climbing back up.

Following this, still in the Blyde River Canyon area we stopped off at Bourke's Luck Potholes, named after gold digger Tom Bourke. These are amazing whirlpool rock formations as the tributary Treur River plunges into the Blyde River.

The Treur joins the Blyde just at this point, cascading down a waterfall behind the bridge in this picture.

The aforementioned waterfall of the River Treur.

The amazingly smooth stone structures left from whirlpools. 

The last stop of Friday was to Lisbon Falls which is an area of three waterfalls which are 94m high. As you can see they are rather spectacular.

 Looking from the viewpoint downstream.

Looking upstream towards the viewpoint.

After a busy day it was lovely to arrive at our chalet in Graskop for the evening to find that they had the most incredible pool overlooking the gorge. It was lovely to have a cooling dip after an adventurous day. After a lovely dinner at Canimambo, a Portuguese and Mozambican inspired restaurant, it was time for bed!

My idea of heaven - I love that the rocks have been left in the pool.

The view from our balcony for the evening.

Saturday was my last day with Dries and Linette and we carried on our journey back to Pretoria, again stopping at some amazing natural sights along the way. The Berlin waterfalls and Mac Mac waterfalls were both on our to do list, along with Gods Window (unfortunately completely obscured by clouds) and Pilgrims Rest.

Berlin Falls.

Mac Mac Falls with a rainbow.

Pilgrims Rest was built during the gold rush around the 1870s. Nowadays the town is a provincial heritage site and tourist destination and the original architecture remains largely unchanged.

A florist.

Inside the restaurant where we had breakfast.

The petrol station. 

A view of the road bypassing the main street of Pilgrims Rest.

The Long Tom Pass was our last stop off before starting on the motorway back into Pretoria. It is a wonderful, winding mountain pass named after the Long Tom cannons used in the Boer War.

This is the last position of a Long Tom cannon in action. 

Arriving back in Pretoria brought with it the end of an indescribably fantastic week. I am extremely thankful to Dries and Linette for being the perfect hosts and making sure there was never a dull moment. It has been an absolute pleasure to stay with them.

Today has been the last day with my family in Pretoria too and it has been absolutely lovely to stay with them too. Unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end but I am looking forward to the next part of my journey, on the Baz Bus which begins early tomorrow morning. I plan to stay in Pietermaritzburg for one night before heading to Underberg in the Southern Drakensberg. We will see where it takes me.

Until next time, whenever and wherever that may be!

A x