Category: Africa

  • The Phoenix Rises from the Ashes

    The Phoenix Rises from the Ashes

    Just before I sat down to write this update I worked out how long it has been since the accident. It happened on 28th June so 11 weeks ago – I can hardly believe it. It feels like yesterday, but when I think back such a lot has happened in between and we are in…

  • Back from the Abyss

    Back from the Abyss

    This blog post is dedicated to : Thank you all for everything you have done for us. At the end of the first day we were simply relieved to be alive but there was nothing else good in our world. Henry was a wreck at the bottom of a cliff and everything we owned was…

  • The Recovery

    The Recovery

    It felt as though our lives would never be the same again, we were devastated but we were still alive – barely harmed apart from a few bruises – and we were counting our blessings. As we stood on the trail looking down at Henry, we knew we had to get him back up no…

  • Death of a Hero

    Death of a Hero

    We had been back at Mlilwane for a couple of days, feeling very much at home. I woke at my usual time of around 6am with no idea that today would bring events seared into my mind forever. Instead, I gazed out of my window at the rain pounding down simply enjoying being curled up…

  • Hlane Royal National Park

    Hlane Royal National Park

    We arrived at Hlane Royal National Park full of excitement and anticipation. This is almost a Big Five game reserve – Lion, Leopard, Rhino and Elephant but no Buffalo…I can do without Buffalo, grumpy, dangerous creatures! The Park is used for active conservation and is therefore divided into three areas – one for Rhinos to…

  • An Oasis of Calm in Eswatini

    An Oasis of Calm in Eswatini

    From the moment we crossed the border into Swaziland (renamed Eswatini by the King in 2018, apparently to the annoyance of the people!) everything was different. There was a sense of calm and peacefulness. Even people´s faces seemed different – not angry and pinched but smiling and relaxed. We asked the border guard where we…

  • A Time for Reflection

    A Time for Reflection

    We have spent 3 months in South Africa, the first part waiting for Henry, the second part exploring the Western Cape and the final part rushing around like mad things trying to do everything else! We had felt incredibly at home, something about South Africa just felt right. But it would never be our forever…

  • Kruger!

    Kruger!

    We arrived at the iconic Kruger National Park with an hour and a half to go before the gates closed. Whilst we were much earlier than we had been for Addo, the closer we got, the more I had been getting concerned. This is Kruger, probably the most famous national park in Southern Africa. We…

  • Mountains and Snow in Southern Africa

    Mountains and Snow in Southern Africa

    After a very bad day, we had had a lovely evening and slept like logs that night, refreshed and ready to face the world again. I was first up, just after 6am, and looked out of my window to see frost on the ground. I checked the thermostat in the back of the Landrover, it…

  • Addo Elephant Park

    Addo Elephant Park

    After arriving late that evening, we decided to spend two nights at Addo Elephant Park, giving us a full day and a half to explore. We weren´t sure what to expect, some places we´ve visited seem to hide their animals well and you can end up driving around for hours seeing very little. We needn´t…