Tag Archives: weekend

South Africa, Travelinds, Travelinds Destinations

Dullstroom

October 2016

Would you like to come with us to Dullstroom this weekend?

Where? Sure. Is that really a place?

Dullstroom, it turns out, is in fact a small town in Mpumalanga, South Africa – a three hour drive from Johannesburg.  As such, the Joburgers head out there regularly to enjoy the open spaces of this backwater retreat in the Mpulmalanga highlands.

The small town attracts sanctuary-seekers from all over the country, trekking to the beautiful rocky hills dotted with dams full of fat rainbow trout.  Fly-fishing, coffee, hiking, photography, crafting, artisans, small businesses – Dullstroom packs a lot into one weekend, if that’s your thing.

Our weekend consisted mostly of admiring the gentle rains over the wide open spaces, splashing off the koppies and making ripples in the sky-mirror dams.   Enjoying the fresh air and the beauty of nature, unhindered by traffic or crowds, serenaded by the frogs and woken up with the first golden rays of the morning sun at Zuikerboschhoek.20161008_174719

If it is possible to indeed feel completely rested and relaxed after just a weekend, then Dullstroom is the place to make it happen.

Check it out!

South Africa, Travelinds, Uncategorised

Midmar Dam

14 February 2015

This Valentine’s weekend we stayed at Midmar Dam with our siblings and a new addition, our 6-month-old niece.  It was the week after the world-famous open water race – the Midmar Mile (which R has completed 10 times!). We invited friends and family to join us so that we could catch up with everyone while we were in KZN.

As usual, Midmar did not disappoint to wow us with its February thunderstorms and high winds, but it was worth it for the clear, glassy water in the early mornings. It was an awesome weekend of quality time with the family around the braai, laughing, making memories, enjoying the fruits of South Africa (Amarula – yum!) and remembering why we love our crazy siblings so much!

It was a happy Valentine’s day indeed!

TIP: If you will be travelling around Kwa-Zulu Natal quite a lot in a period of a year, then it is well worth it to get yourself (or your family) a Rhino Card. It gives you discounts on bookings (if you have the card before you make the booking) and on entrance fees and daily levies at the reserves and environmental sites.  We bought one and it paid for itself in just the month we were in South Africa – what a bargain!

TIP: Ezemvelo gave us a few grey hairs as we arrived because they didn’t have our booking confirmed, but after much discussion (calm?) and compromise, they accommodated our party of ten people and a baby with gracious hospitality in the awesome chalets – book here.

[Lesson learnt: When you book and pay online, it is not enough to have the pro-forma invoice and receipt number. Phone ahead and make sure that you receive the actual booking confirmation sheet along with other documentation to support your booking and avoid disappointment.]