{"id":5491,"date":"2019-09-04T08:46:14","date_gmt":"2019-09-04T06:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/?p=5491"},"modified":"2019-09-04T09:35:33","modified_gmt":"2019-09-04T07:35:33","slug":"afrique-du-sud-mozambique","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/afrique-du-sud-mozambique\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa & Mozambique"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Jeudi 25 juillet
<\/b>Apr\u00e8s un passage de fronti\u00e8res servies par des employ\u00e9s souriants et sympathiques, nous\u00a0 <\/span>faisons directement route vers Pretoria<\/b>, la capitale administrative d\u2019Afrique du Sud.<\/p>\n

D\u00e8s notre arriv\u00e9e, nous nous rendons \u00e0 l\u2019agence Toyota <\/b>afin de prendre rendez-vous pour faire un service \u00e0 notre fid\u00e8le Azala\u00ef.<\/p>\n

La personne de la r\u00e9ception nous accueille avec grande sympathie et obtient d\u2019un rapide coup de fil un rendez-vous pour demain matin 07h00 \u00e0 l\u2019agence qui s\u2019occupe des v\u00e9hicules \u00e9trangers.<\/p>\n

A quelques kilom\u00e8tres de l\u00e0, Twana Lodge<\/b> repr\u00e9sente l\u2019endroit id\u00e9al pour passer la nuit.<\/p>\n

After a quick and easy <\/i>boarder crossing <\/strong>from Botswana<\/strong> to South Africa<\/strong>, we will cut through the north-east of South Africa to get to Mozambique (for a change no animals but beach holidays<\/i>\u00a0🏖☀️😎).<\/span><\/p>\n

On the way we will to get the <\/i><\/span>Azala\u00ef\u00a0<\/strong>serviced, visit<\/i><\/span>\u00a0friends<\/i><\/span><\/strong> in Nelspruit and do a <\/i><\/span>bit of sight seeing<\/strong>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

It is a pleasure to be back in beautiful South Africa, where traveling is easy, people are friendly, food is great and everything you may need (like spare parts, outdoor cloth, whole-wheat bread flour, etc) is readily available.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Vendredi 26 juillet
<\/b>Comme convenu, nous arrivons au garage Toyota<\/b> \u00e0 l\u2019heure pr\u00e9vue et d\u00e8s l\u2019Azala\u00ef pris en main, nous nous rendons au \u00ab\u00a0Mall\u00a0\u00bb (centre commercial g\u00e9ant) situ\u00e9 juste en face pour y attendre le coup de fil de Julia, personne en charge du v\u00e9hicule, qui va nous appeler \u00e0 11h00 pour nous signifier que nous pouvons venir r\u00e9cup\u00e9rer notre Azala\u00ef.<\/p>\n

C\u2019est un v\u00e9hicule rutilant de propret\u00e9, ext\u00e9rieure et int\u00e9rieure que nous retrouvons et avons l\u2019impression de repartir avec un Azala\u00ef tout neuf pour la suite de notre p\u00e9riple.<\/p>\n

Apr\u00e8s un bon repas en ville, nous retournons \u00e0 Twana Lodge<\/b> pour la fin de la journ\u00e9e.<\/p>\n

Pretoria<\/strong>, South Africa\u2019s Capital is on our way. The ideal place for the car service and for some sight seeing!<\/span><\/em>
The huge Toyota Garage<\/strong> provides us with an appointment for 7am right the next day (!).
<\/span>for the waiting time we are told there is a customer corner with free coffee, tee, water and muffins!; and next door is a big mal where we can have breakfast and spend the time with shopping (the latter is not really an options since we have no space to stock any shopping items\u00a0<\/span><\/em>😬).<\/span><\/p>\n

For the night we find a friendly Lodge with campground only 10km away.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The next morning everything works to plan (except the shopping) and to Michels delight not only the service is done very professionally but the Azala\u00ef is also cleaned inside and outside<\/em> 🤩.<\/span><\/p>\n

We spend the rest of the day with some food shopping and spare part hunting followed by a delicious seafood dinner\u00a0<\/span><\/em>😋.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Samedi 27 juillet
<\/b>Avant de continuer notre route en direction du Mozambique et de la c\u00f4te de l\u2019Oc\u00e9an Indien,<\/b> nous faisons une visite du centre de Pretoria<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Cette grande agglom\u00e9ration de 750\u2019000 habitants<\/b> a \u00e9t\u00e9 cr\u00e9e en 1855 <\/b>par Marthinus Pretorius,<\/b> chef des Boers<\/b> et vainqueur de la bataille de Blood River contre les Zoulous en 1838.<\/p>\n

La ville ne comptait que 300 habitants \u00e0 son origine.<\/p>\n

Pretoria<\/b> est consid\u00e9r\u00e9e comme ville blanche, car \u00e0 53% peupl\u00e9e de Blancs, par opposition \u00e0 Johannesburg qui est \u00e0 majorit\u00e9 noire pour 73%.<\/p>\n

Cette majorit\u00e9 blanche fait aussi que la ville est plus s\u00fbre que sa grande soeur et qu\u2019il n\u2019y a pas de danger particulier \u00e0 la parcourir, au moins durant la journ\u00e9e.<\/p>\n

La Place de l\u2019Union <\/b>repr\u00e9sente l\u2019attrait principal de la cit\u00e9 car c\u2019est l\u00e0 que se trouve le parlement et que Nelson Mandela <\/b>a vu sa cons\u00e9cration en 1994<\/b> en tant que premier pr\u00e9sident Noir d\u2019Afrique du Sud.<\/b><\/p>\n

Most of the next morning is dedicated to sight seeing<\/strong> in Pretoria.<\/strong>\u00a0
<\/span>Excellent timing. It is Saturday and we avoid the usually very bad traffic.<\/span><\/em> 😅
Pretoria has 750\u2019000 inhabitants<\/strong> and is considered as a \u201cwhite town\u201d with 50% white people. This is remarkable since not even 10% of the population are white. In comparison in Johannesburg 73% of the population are black. To us the city feels like a normal busy place but does not have a particular dangerous ambience. At least during the day.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

It is not a surprise to us that Nelson Mandela<\/strong> is everywhere in SA. Streets and squares are named after him, statues, citations and memorials are numerous.\u00a0Here at<\/span>\u00a0the Union Place in front to the parliament building we see the probably biggest existing Mandela statue greeting Pretoria and its people.\u00a0
<\/span>It is here that he entered history as the first black president of SA in 1994<\/strong>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Les B\u00e2timents de l\u2019Union,<\/b> de style N\u00e9o-classique<\/b> constituent depuis 1910 le si\u00e8ge du gouvernement d\u2019Afrique du Sud.<\/p>\n

La conception faite par des architectes italiens se remarque d\u00e8s le premier coup d\u2019oeil, donnant l\u2019impression d\u2019\u00eatre en Toscane.<\/p>\n

The parliament building<\/strong> is Neo-classic with Italian influence. Built beginning of 19 hundred it is home to South Africa\u2019s government since 1910.<\/span><\/em>
And indeed, first sight you think you are in Tuscany.<\/span><\/em>
It is quite an impressive building overlooking the Mandela statue and the city, and surrounded by embassies that are located in beautiful, fenced in mansions.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

14h30, nous quittons Pretoria <\/b>avec comme prochaine \u00e9tape, la visite du \u00ab\u00a0Blyde River Canyon<\/b>\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n

Apr\u00e8s avoir parcouru une centaine de kilom\u00e8tres nous d\u00e9cidons de faire une \u00e9tape interm\u00e9diaire au \u00ab\u00a0Witbank Dam Leisure Resort <\/b>\u00ab, lieux de d\u00e9tente au bord du lac de barrage Witbank,<\/b> aliment\u00e9 par la rivi\u00e8re Olifant.<\/b><\/p>\n

Nous sommes les seuls clients et avons ainsi tout loisir de choisir notre emplacement.<\/p>\n

After an excellent cappuccino we leave Pretoria direction Blyde River Canyon where we hope to find a place for hiking.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

We are now in the area of the <\/i>big mines<\/strong> and while we drive on the motor way we see enormous mountains of soil and several huge power stations in the distance. Sometimes the air is hazy and smells sulfur. Not a great sight but this is what<\/i>\u00a0South\u00a0<\/i>Africa gains a lot of money from and where a lot of\u00a0<\/i>employment is provided<\/i>.
<\/i><\/span>
<\/span>We spend the night at the Witbank Dam Leisure Resort<\/strong>. It is a recreation area, but we are out of season and it is quite cold. So we are on our own and camp right at the big lake. It is a beautiful site but unfortunately the air is a little smoky and we see a 4 towered power station at the horizon.<\/i>
Not sure we would like to come here for a weekend<\/em> <\/span>🤨<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dimanche 28 juillet
<\/b>Journ\u00e9e de transition qui nous am\u00e8ne \u00e0 Sabie<\/b>, petite ville situ\u00e9e au Sud du Blyde River Canyon.<\/b><\/p>\n

Soir\u00e9e restaurant au Wild Fig Tree<\/b> qui s\u2019av\u00e8re \u00eatre une excellente table.<\/p>\n

Juste en p\u00e9riph\u00e9rie de la ville, directement au bord de la rivi\u00e8re, nous trouvons \u00e0 nous h\u00e9berger au\u00a0 <\/span>camping \u00ab\u00a0Sabie River Camp\u00a0\u00bb<\/b> .<\/p>\n

Late afternoon the next day we get to Sabie<\/strong> a charming little town close to the Blyde River Canyons.<\/p>\n

En fin d\u2019apr\u00e8s-midi, nous retournons au m\u00eame restaurant et sommes \u00e0 nouveau enchant\u00e9s de la qualit\u00e9 des plats.<\/p>\n

In the afternoon the next day we get to Sabie<\/strong> a charming little town close to the Blyde River Canyons<\/strong>.<\/span><\/em>
We go straight for dinner<\/strong> and have very tasty chicken liver Perri Perri<\/strong> and absolutely delicious springbok filets<\/strong> 😋 (thank you Tripadvisor!). We then check into the Sabie River Camp.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Lundi 29 juillet
<\/b>Le S<\/strong>abie River Camp <\/b>disposant d\u2019un wifi de bonne qualit\u00e9, nous d\u00e9cidons d\u2019y rester pour la journ\u00e9e et de tranquillement finir le nouvel article de notre blog \u00ab\u00a0Zambie & Botswana 1\u00a0<\/b>\u00bb.<\/p>\n

The camp is lovely<\/strong>. It is nestled in the banks of the river Sabie and has good internet. So we decide to stay here for two days to finalize<\/strong> and post our latest blog article<\/strong> (I think yesterday\u2019s restaurant has strongly influenced Michels desire to stay here for another night<\/em> 😉).<\/span>
During the full day we work along on the blog, nicely installed with view onto the river.\u00a0 <\/span>In the evening (of cause) we return to the Wild Fig Tree restaurant<\/strong> and have another exceptional dinner: grilled ostrich <\/strong>and crocodile fillet<\/strong> cubes with various tasty chutneys 😋<\/strong>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n


Mardi 30 juillet
<\/b>Nous entamons notre visite de cette partie de la cha\u00eene de montagne des Drakensberg <\/b>qui est la r\u00e9gion d\u2019Afrique du Sud offrant le plus grand nombre de cascades.<\/p>\n

Nous remontons le cours de la rivi\u00e8re Mac Mac\u00a0 <\/span><\/b>justement par la route dite des cascades et tr\u00e8s rapidement atteignons le premier point d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eat, les \u00ab\u00a0Mac Mac Pools<\/b>\u00a0\u00bb.<\/p>\n

Au fil du temps, la rivi\u00e8re \u00e0 creus\u00e9 \u00e0 cet endroit des bassins naturels tr\u00e8s pris\u00e9s en p\u00e9riode estivale par les habitants de Johannesburg et Pretoria.<\/p>\n

Next day we start our tour through this part of the country known for its numerous<\/strong> waterfalls<\/strong> and canyons<\/strong>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

First the <\/i><\/span>Mac Mac pools <\/strong>(named by\u00a0<\/i>Scottish<\/i><\/span>\u00a0settlers). Certainly a great place for a swim but it is just a little too cold.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Un peu plus loins, la cascade du m\u00eame nom se jette dans la rivi\u00e8re d\u2019une hauteur de 65 m\u00e8tres.
and the Mac Mac waterfall<\/strong>. 65 meters high!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nous visitons en milieu d\u2019apr\u00e8s-midi \u00e0 la petite ville de Pilgrim\u2019s rest,<\/b> litt\u00e9ralement \u00ab\u00a0Le repos du p\u00e8lerin\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n

De l\u2019or y fut d\u00e9couvert en 1873 et sa population atteint rapidement 1500 personnes vivant de la prospection d\u2019or.<\/p>\n

Aujourd\u2019hui d\u00e9clar\u00e9e monument national, la ville a \u00e9t\u00e9 restaur\u00e9e \u00e0 l\u2019identique.<\/p>\n

Nous profitons du charme du Vine Restaurant <\/b>pour une petite pause culinaire.<\/p>\n

In the afternoon we visit Pilgrims Rest<\/strong>, an old miners village<\/strong> dating from the gold rush in this area at the end 18 hundred. Today the village is a national monument<\/strong> and many of the houses have been restored. Just like the cosy Vine restaurant<\/strong> where we have an early dinner with local trouts.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Graskop<\/b>, ( colline herbeuse en afrikaans ) fut \u00e9tablie dans les ann\u00e9es 1880 comme base pour les chercheurs d\u2019or mais est d\u00e9sormais essentiellement active pour l\u2019exploitation foresti\u00e8re.<\/p>\n

C\u2019est l\u00e0 que, au Panorama Rest Camp<\/b> que nous terminons notre journ\u00e9e admirant la vue de la piscine surplombant la gorge.<\/p>\n

The little town Graskop<\/strong> (grassy hill in Afrikaans). Used to be the base for the supply of the gold diggers. Today surrounded by a vast forests it is mainly active in the wood industry.<\/span><\/em>
We spend the night at the Panorama Rest Camp<\/strong> with splendid views over the cliffs – from our camp site as well as from the swimming pool built around the rocks already in the 1950s.<\/span><\/em> 😲<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Mercredi 31 juillet<\/b><\/p>\n

Avant de remonter la route panoramique qui m\u00e8ne \u00e0 Blyde river canyon nous faisons encore une visite de Graskop<\/b>.<\/p>\n

En plus des tomates, c\u2019est aussi la saison des oranges qui se vendent souvent en filets de 10 kg.<\/p>\n

Along the road all seasonal fruits and veggies can be bought fresh and at very low price. As often as possible we fill up on avocados, tomatoes and oranges.<\/span> <\/em>😋<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

La ville profite de l\u2019opportunit\u00e9 d\u2019\u00eatre au bord de la gorge au fond de laquelle coule la rivi\u00e8re Mac-Mac<\/b> pour organiser des sauts \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9lastique ou une travers\u00e9e en tyrolienne.<\/p>\n

Next to the town a new complex offers an educational board walk on the bottom of the Mac Mac river gorge<\/strong>. It is possible to go down and up-again with an impressive external glass elevator.\u00a0
<\/span><\/span><\/em>We decide to do the 254 steps ourselves. There is also a platform for bungee jumping and sip lining heavily occupied by several school classes.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nous avons pr\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9 descendre \u00e0 pied pour parcourir un circuit au fond de la gorge et pour ceux qui ne veulent pas grimper les 254 marches (Sylke les \u00e0 compt\u00e9es) pour remonter, un ascenseur \u00e0 m\u00eame \u00e9t\u00e9 construit.<\/p>\n

Apr\u00e8s cette mise en jambes, il est temps de nous mettre en route le long de cette route panoramique faisant un circuit de 300 kilom\u00e8tres <\/b>le long de la rivi\u00e8re Treur <\/b>(rivi\u00e8re des pleurs) d\u2019abord et de la Blyde<\/b> (rivi\u00e8re de la joie) ensuite.<\/p>\n

Le nom de ces deux rivi\u00e8res tient de l\u2019histoire d’\u00e9pouses de voortrekkers <\/b>(ceux qui vont de l\u2019avant en n\u00e9erlandais) Boers <\/b>qui ont particip\u00e9 au Grand Trek <\/b>entre 1835 et 1852.<\/p>\n

Ces femmes attendaient donc leurs maris, partis \u00e0 la recherche d\u2019une route vers la baie de Delagoa.<\/p>\n

Ne les voyant pas revenir, et les croyant morts, elles donn\u00e8rent le nom de Treur<\/b> \u00e0 la rivi\u00e8re au bord de laquelle le groupe avait son campement.<\/p>\n

Elles partirent n\u00e9anmoins \u00e0 la recherche de rescap\u00e9s et par bonheur les retrouv\u00e8rent tous en bonne sant\u00e9 au bord d\u2019une autre rivi\u00e8re qu\u2019elles appel\u00e8rent Blyde<\/b>.<\/p>\n

La premi\u00e8re partie du parcours conduit d\u2019abord\u00a0 <\/span>vers le rocher du \u00ab\u00a0Pinnacle\u00a0<\/b>\u00bb.<\/p>\n

Cette roche de quartzite tr\u00e8s dure a r\u00e9sist\u00e9 \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9rosion et pointe fi\u00e8rement ses trente m\u00e8tres vers le ciel.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u00a0<\/i>start\u00a0<\/i><\/span>the <\/i><\/span>300 km panorama route<\/strong> along the Blyde River Canyon with the <\/i><\/span>30m high Pinnacle<\/strong>. Thanks to the particularly hard quartzite it resists to erosion.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Le \u00ab\u00a0Gods Window”<\/b> est le prochain sur le parcours.<\/p>\n

Cette \u00ab\u00a0fen\u00eatre de Dieu\u00a0\u00bb, magnifique point de vue ouvrant sur des falaises plongeant de leurs 700 m\u00e8tres de hauteur dans le Lowveld.<\/b><\/p>\n

Goods window<\/strong> opens a wide view onto the Lowveld 700m lower.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

C\u2019est ensuite le tour de deux cascades:
Les \u00ab\u00a0Lisbon Falls\u00a0<\/b>\u00bb d\u2019abord, la plus haute, avec leurs 94 m\u00e8tres de chute.<\/p>\n

The <\/i><\/span>Lisbon falls<\/strong>. 94m! (<\/i>named<\/i><\/span>\u00a0by\u00a0<\/i><\/span>Portuguese<\/i>\u00a0settlers)<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Et les \u00ab\u00a0Berlin Falls<\/b>\u00a0\u00bb ensuite avec 80 m\u00e8tres.<\/p>\n

The Berlin falls<\/strong>. 80m! (named by German settlers)<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

26 kilom\u00e8tres plus au nord, la rivi\u00e8re Treur <\/b>et la Blyde<\/b> se rencontrent et forment un tableau spectaculaire de chutes et de marmites patiemment taill\u00e9es par \u00e9rosion au fil des si\u00e8cles.<\/p>\n

Ce sont les \u00ab\u00a0Bourke\u2019s Luck Potholes\u00a0<\/b>\u00bb<\/p>\n

The Bourke\u2019s Luck potholes<\/strong> with hundreds of picturesque rock formations ground by the joining river Blyde and Treue.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nous allons nous arr\u00eater l\u00e0 pour aujourd\u2019hui et prendre une fin de journ\u00e9e et une nuit de repos m\u00e9rit\u00e9s au magnifique \u00ab\u00a0Forever Resorts Blyde Canyon<\/b>\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n

We stop at the Forever Resorts Blyde Canyon<\/strong>. A big family holiday resort with camp ground. Not really where we usually go but our hike for tomorrow with apparently great views over the Canyon\u00a0 <\/span>starts right here.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Jeudi 1er ao\u00fbt
<\/b>Directement depuis notre place de camping il est possible d\u2019acc\u00e9der \u00e0 divers parcours de randonn\u00e9es offrant des points de vue sur le canyon.<\/p>\n

Le Blyde RIver Canyon<\/b>, \u00e9tend ses 50 kilom\u00e8tres le long de la cassure du continent africain.
C\u2019est l\u00e0 que le supercontinent du Gondwana <\/b>\u00e0 commenc\u00e9 \u00e0 se fracturer il y a 160 millions d\u2019ann\u00e9es pour donner naissance \u00e0 l\u2019\u2019\u00eele de Madagascar et \u00e0 l\u2019Antarctique,<\/p>\n

C\u2019est sur le parcours \u00ab\u00a0L\u00e9opard<\/b>\u00a0\u00bb que nous allons passer 3 heures \u00e0 admirer ces falaises, dont celles en arri\u00e8re plan sont envelopp\u00e9es d\u2019une brume marine donnant un aspect mythique \u00e0 l\u2019ensemble.<\/p>\n

The 50km long<\/i> Blyde River Canyon<\/strong>\u00a0<\/i>apparently<\/i><\/span><\/span>\u00a0runs along the ridge where the original Gondwana<\/strong> continent broke apart<\/strong> 160 million years ago. From here Madagascar and Antarctica drifted away to where they are today. Amazing, no?<\/i><\/p>\n

We thoroughly enjoy our <\/span><\/em>3 hours morning hike (better to be home before lunch time. It gets really hot around these rocky cliffs). <\/i><\/span>
The morning light enhances the colors of the stones. The humid\u00a0<\/i>air from the east<\/i><\/span>\u00a0(Indian Ocean) softens the lines of the mountains in the\u00a0distance and builds up big clouds already. The atmosphere is magic!<\/strong><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nous suivons maintenant la route panoramique qui nous ram\u00e8ne en fin d\u2019apr\u00e8s-midi \u00e0 Sabie.<\/b><\/p>\n

Pour la troisi\u00e8me fois, nous retournons au Wild Fig Tree<\/b>, satisfaire nos estomacs affam\u00e9s et sommes \u00e0 nouveau enchant\u00e9s de la qualit\u00e9 du repas.<\/p>\n

We close the panorama road loop in the afternoon and arrive in Sabie just in time to go one more time… yes to the same restaurant (thanks to Michel\u2019s sporty driving<\/em> 😉).<\/span><\/p>\n

Michel has a fillet with cream cheese and avocado topping<\/strong> and I go for a delicious lamb curry<\/strong> <\/em>😍.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vendredi 2 ao\u00fbt
<\/b>En 2006, Jane Goodall<\/b>, c\u00e9l\u00e8bre \u00e9thologue et anthropologue britannique, sp\u00e9cialiste des chimpanz\u00e9s, a cr\u00e9\u00e9 le \u00ab\u00a0Chimp Eden<\/b>\u00a0\u00bb (Le paradis des chimpanz\u00e9s), au sud de la ville de Nelspruit<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Nous nous y rendons en fin de matin\u00e9e afin de faire le tour guid\u00e9 de 12h00<\/p>\n

Jana, <\/b>notre guide pour la circonstance, connait chacun des 33 chimpanz\u00e9s h\u00e9berg\u00e9s ici.
Elle nous explique par le d\u00e9tail, durant plus d\u2019une heure, l\u2019histoire de ces animaux rescap\u00e9s de cirques, de laboratoires ou de foires, au pass\u00e9 souvent tr\u00e8s malheureux, b\u00e9n\u00e9ficiant maintenant, gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 Jane Goodall<\/strong>, d\u2019une vie tr\u00e8s proche de celle li\u00e9e \u00e0 leur esp\u00e8ce.<\/p>\n

In 2006 Jane Goodall<\/strong>, famous British ethologist and anthropologist specialized in chimpanzees, created \u201cChimp Eden<\/strong>\u201d close to Nelspruit.\u00a0
<\/span>We enroll for a midday tour and are surprised that you can not walk on your own between the enclosures let alone get into any of them. Michel and I have the \u201cDaktari\u201d image of chimpanzees (remember Judy?), but are very quickly enlightened that these apes are extremely dangerous and would as a group kill any human that enters their space. Even any of the guards that bring their food and that they know since years.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

After this introduction we follow our guide around the enclosures and listen to the story of each of the 33 animals. Rescued from all sorts of sad destinies (laboratories, fun fares, as attraction in a bar or raised in a family until they became to big an dangerous) they are now save.<\/span><\/em>
Sadly, most of them still have socially difficult behaviors, or other damage. Never the less, all of them were finally, and sometimes only after years, able to integrate into one of the 3 groups in the sanctuary.<\/span><\/em>
We also learn that the natural habitat for chimpanzees is disappearing rapidly and that the are endangered.\u00a0
<\/span><\/span><\/em>Very sad all of this.<\/span> <\/em>😢<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ce soir, nous avons rendez-vous avec Andr\u00e9 et Nicole<\/b>, rencontr\u00e9s l\u2019ann\u00e9e derni\u00e8re dans les Drakensberg<\/b> et vivant \u00e0 Nelspruit.
<\/b>Retrouvailles chaleureuses que nous passons au Friend\u2019s caf\u00e9,<\/b>\u00a0 <\/span>\u00e0 \u00e9changer avec passion nos derni\u00e8res aventures.<\/p>\n

In the evening we meet our friends<\/strong> Nicole<\/strong> and Andr\u00e9<\/strong>\u00a0who live in Nelspruit and who we<\/span><\/em>\u00a0had met last year during our Xmas stay in the Drakensberg.
<\/span><\/em>We spent such a lovely evening together in the garden of the \u201cFriends Caffe\u201d that we don\u2019t even think to take a photo. To bad we only have one evening<\/span><\/em> 😟<\/p>\n

Samedi 3 ao\u00fbt
<\/b>Hier soir, Nicole<\/b> nous a sugg\u00e9r\u00e9 de faire une jolie randonn\u00e9e \u00e0 partir d\u2019un petit village, retir\u00e9 au milieu des collines, du nom de Kaapsehoop.
<\/b>Construit en 1882 par des chercheurs d\u2019or, en bordure d\u2019une zone parsem\u00e9e de roches de quartzite, ce lieu est aujourd’hui principalement occup\u00e9 par des r\u00e9sidences secondaires.<\/p>\n

Today, recommend by Nicole we drive to the little village Kaapschehoop<\/strong>. It is a peaceful bohemian style village<\/strong> with friendly coffee and restaurant places, in the middle of green hills.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Ni une, ni deux, nous nous y rendons ce matin, et d\u00e9couvrons avec plaisir ce paysage tr\u00e8s particulier, cheminant sur un parcours se faufilant \u00e0 travers ces roches…..<\/p>\n

From here we go on a hike with great views<\/strong> over the surrounding landscape.<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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……et menant au bord d\u2019une falaise, d\u2019o\u00f9 nous b\u00e9n\u00e9ficions d\u2019une magnifique vue sur la vall\u00e9e de Kaap<\/strong>, situ\u00e9e 800 m\u00e8tres plus bas et butant dans le lointain sur les brumes de l’Oc\u00e9an Indien.<\/p>\n

Followed by …<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Apr\u00e8s cette jolie balade, un milkshake fait le plus grand bien !!!<\/p>\n

… a refreshing\u00a0milkshake<\/strong> of course!<\/span> <\/em>😆<\/p>\n

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Maintenant, direction \u00a0Mozambique<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Comme il est d\u00e9j\u00e0 4 heures de l\u2019apr\u00e8s-midi, nous nous arr\u00eatons \u00e0 Komatipoort<\/b>, village fronti\u00e8re, que nous passerons demain matin, frais et dispos et pr\u00eats \u00e0 endurer les \u00e9ventuelles tracasseries administratives.<\/p>\n

Nous trouvons \u00e0 nous loger au Kruger View Backpackers<\/b>, dont la Nikky<\/strong>, la propri\u00e9taire nous autorise \u00e0 occuper la cour int\u00e9rieure pour y passer une nuit tranquille.<\/p>\n

Later we drive the remaining couple of hours to the boarder of Mozambique<\/strong>. We get there at 4pm and knowing that the crossing will not be quick, we look for a place to stay for the night and will tackle the boarder procedures tomorrow morning.<\/span><\/em>
The local community camp site is getting ready for a party with immense speakers. Showers and toilets are filthy and broken. Ok. this is not for us! So we ask the near by Bag Packers if we can camp in their protected car park.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Dimanche 4 ao\u00fbt
<\/b>09h00: C\u2019est parti pour un nouveau passage de fronti\u00e8re !<\/p>\n

La premi\u00e8re \u00e9tape consiste \u00e0 s\u2019arr\u00eater \u00e0 la derni\u00e8re station d\u2019essence avant la fronti\u00e8re afin d\u2019y conclure une assurance RC<\/b> obligatoire et aussi changer quelques US$ en Meticals<\/b>, monnaie du Mozambique.<\/p>\n

La douane sud-africaine ne pose pas de probl\u00e8me particulier une fois que l\u2019on a trouv\u00e9 les b\u00e2timents o\u00f9 se trouvent les guichets.<\/p>\n

En pleine action de recherche, nous sommes m\u00eame invit\u00e9s par un fonctionnaire sympa \u00e0 rejoindre le bureau pour VIP, ce qui acc\u00e9l\u00e8re singuli\u00e8rement la proc\u00e9dure.<\/p>\n

Maintenant, on va voir ce qui va se passer pour entrer au Mozambique<\/b> quelques centaines de m\u00e8tres plus loin.<\/p>\n

Le chaos ne se fait pas attendre !!!
Des dizaines de noirs, dont certains portent un accoutrement tentant de les faire ressembler \u00e0 des\u00a0 <\/span>policiers ou \u00e0 des douaniers, nous intiment de nous arr\u00eater pour leur remettre le papier que nous avons re\u00e7u il y a une minute par un vrai douanier et qui sert de sauf conduit pour entrer dans le pays une fois les formalit\u00e9s effectu\u00e9es, avec pour argument de nous aider \u00e0 les acc\u00e9l\u00e9rer.<\/p>\n

Ils se mettent devant notre v\u00e9hicule les bras en croix pour tenter de nous stoppe, mais se retirent quand m\u00eame pour ne pas se faire \u00e9craser, vu que Michel, toutes fen\u00eatres ferm\u00e9es, continue d\u2019avancer au pas sans s\u2019occuper d\u2019eux.<\/p>\n

Il faut dire que si l\u2019on leur remettait ce fameux sauf-conduit, ils essayeraient de nous soutirer un maximum d\u2019argent avant de nous rendre le pr\u00e9cieux papier.<\/p>\n

Nous retrouvons le calme devant le b\u00e2timent de la douane et si ce n\u2019est une attente de 30 minutes, n\u00e9cessaires au fonctionnaire responsable des visas pour trouver une cartouche de toner pour son imprimante afin de pouvoir \u00e9diter les n\u00f4tres, tout se passe assez simplement.<\/p>\n

Il nous a quand m\u00eame fallu 3 heures <\/b>pour passer d\u2019Afrique du Sud<\/b> au Mozambique<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Sunday 9am we buy the obligatory third party car insurance<\/strong> for Mozambique and change some money<\/strong>.<\/span><\/em>
We proceed to the boarder where the <\/i><\/span>South African formalities<\/strong> are relatively <\/i><\/span>quickly done<\/strong> once we find the relevant buildings (signs are rare and\u00a0<\/i>rather<\/i><\/span>\u00a0confusing).
<\/i><\/span>We drive the short distance to the Mozambican border and suddenly a crowd of roughly 15 people appears. Most of them have name tags or even wear a (fake) uniform. They all wave their hands and shout at us, asking for passports or telling us that we need their help to get through the custom procedures. One or two even step in front of the car and make big signs for us to stop. It is total chaos <\/strong>and even feels a little threatening<\/strong><\/span><\/em> 😲
Luckily we were pre-warned by the South African custom people, so we knew that they only want our money and that we should not talk to anyone outside the official buildings!\u00a0
<\/span><\/span>We had already some of this at the Sambia boarder but not as aggressive as here!<\/span> <\/em>😬
We ignore all of them and slowly drive on to the buildings. Only very few of them follow us there and now want to sell us SIM cards, Gigabytes or exchange money.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

By trying to find the\u00a0<\/i>immigrations<\/strong><\/i><\/span>\u00a0office<\/strong> (no signes on the buildings) Michel ends up in an office for VIPs and diplomats<\/strong>.<\/i><\/span>\u00a0
<\/span>A big guy in a neat uniform and a very important facial expression invites Michel to take a seat inside his office and does the paperwork for the temporary import of the Azala\u00ef. After a mix of Portuguese and Spanish conversation the two depart as best friends<\/i><\/span> 😁
With his help we also find the immigrations office for the visa and passport check. The visa takes 40min including 30min waiting for the printer to be refilled with toner. The passport is quicker but still the officer needs some time to get the electronic photos and fingerprints (!) into the computer (looks like she\u00a0<\/i>doesn’t<\/i><\/span>\u00a0know the program very well?).<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Anyway, the whole took roughly 3 hours <\/strong>and we are slightly exhausted. <\/span><\/em>🥵<\/p>\n

Michel says \u201cI need a milkshake!\u201d<\/em> <\/span>😉
And I think: Europe and Schengen is great!!!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quelques mots sur ce pays dont voici la carte:
<\/b>A little introduction to Mozambique:<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Le Mozambique <\/b>est l’un des pays les plus pauvres du monde.
La moiti\u00e9 de sa population y vit sous le seul de pauvret\u00e9.<\/p>\n

26 millions d\u2019habitants se partagent un territoire grand comme 19 fois la Suisse.<\/p>\n

Le manque d\u2019infrastructure, la corruption et la forte pr\u00e9valence du SIDA (qui a dramatiquement r\u00e9duit l\u2019esp\u00e9rance de vie), ainsi que la pr\u00e9sence de conflits arm\u00e9s ou d’instabilit\u00e9s civiles \u00e0 ses fronti\u00e8res, ou des troubles locaux subsistent encore de fa\u00e7on sporadique \u00e0 la suite de la longue guerre civile, sont des freins au d\u00e9veloppement.<\/p>\n

Toutefois, la d\u00e9couvertes en 2010 de gisement de gaz le long de la c\u00f4te septentrionale du pays et le d\u00e9veloppement du tourisme font na\u00eetre l\u2019espoir d\u2019une progressive am\u00e9lioration de l\u2019\u00e9conomie et de la condition de vie pour ses habitants.<\/p>\n

Mozambique <\/strong>is 19 times the size of Switzerland<\/strong> with 29 million inhabitants.\u00a0It lays in the very south east of Africa and its subtropical climate<\/strong> is strongly influenced by the warm Indian Ocean current that flows along its long coast line.<\/span><\/em>
Portuguese<\/strong> is the only official language<\/strong>, which is spoke mostly as a second language by only about half the population.<\/span><\/em>
After over four centuries of Portuguese rule<\/strong> and a 10 years independence war the country was liberated only in 1975<\/strong>. This was followed by 15 years of civil war<\/strong>.<\/span><\/em>
Since a first elections in 1994 the country is politically relatively stable (apart from recent conflicts with Islamic extremists in the north). Its GDP is steadily growing. However, it is still one of the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in the world.<\/strong>
<\/span>Sadly two violent hurricanes hit the centre and the north of the country earlier this year and destroyed much of the slowly growing economy. Only the south of the country was spared and profits today from a growing tourism along its pristine coast.<\/span><\/em>
The latter is where we will focus on for our beach\u00a0<\/span>holidays<\/i><\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/i>😁<\/p>\n

C\u2019est \u00e0 Maputo<\/b>, la capitale, que nous rejoignons par la nationale 4 en une petite heure,\u00a0que nous allons passer nos deux premi\u00e8res nuits en dehors de l\u2019Azala\u00ef car nous avons trouv\u00e9 plus pratique de dormir dans une Guest House pour visiter la ville.<\/p>\n

Comme l\u2019une des connaissances rencontr\u00e9e pr\u00e9c\u00e9demment\u00a0 <\/span>nous a recommand\u00e9 la \u00ab\u00a0R\u00e9sidence Palmeiras<\/b>\u00a0\u00bb nous nous y rendons directement.<\/p>\n

We start with the capital Maputo<\/strong> that lays right at the southern coast.\u00a0<\/span>We stay at Residence Palmeiras<\/strong>, a guest house near the city centre so we can tour the city without the car.<\/span><\/em>
Hidden behind fence and wall the guest house is a very tranquil place and it is a nice change for us to stay in a spacious room with our own bathroom<\/span><\/em> 😀
Outside the city is lively and colorful. A mix between new and old, well maintained and run down.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Filet de thon cru et Sauvignon Blanc pour notre repas au restaurant Zambi<\/strong> en bord de mer.<\/p>\n

We decide to have fish for dinner<\/strong> at \u201cZambie\u201d and the Asian style tuna fillet<\/strong> (mal passado) is delicious!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

N\u2019\u00e9tant pas recommand\u00e9 de se promener \u00e0 pied dans les rues la nuit venue, et comme tous les taxis sont apparemment occup\u00e9s, le personnel du restaurant nous met \u00e0 disposition un garde du corps qui va nous accompagner \u00e0 un h\u00f4tel proche, dont la r\u00e9ceptionniste s\u2019occupera de nous faire venir un v\u00e9hicule de type Uber, \u00e0 partir d\u2019une application sur son t\u00e9l\u00e9phone mobile, pour que nous puissions rejoindre notre r\u00e9sidence en toute s\u00e9curit\u00e9.
Sympa !!!<\/p>\n

We had walked to the restaurant since it was still daylight, but our guest house and the restaurant strongly recommended that we do not walk home at night. Since there is no taxi in sight one of the restaurants night guards accompanies us to a big hotel nearby where we dont find a taxi either. But the receptionist helps out with a\u00a0Huber-<\/i>style<\/i><\/span>\u00a0app and we are picked up by our taxi a few minutes later. A little complicated but we made it!\u00a0<\/i><\/span>
Thank you everybody!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Lundi 5 ao\u00fbt
<\/b>Promenade visite de la ville de Maputo<\/b> au programme aujourd\u2019hui.<\/p>\n

Maputo<\/strong>, anciennement \u00ab\u00a0Louren\u00e7o Marques<\/strong>\u00a0\u00bb \u00e0 \u00e9t\u00e9 fond\u00e9e par les colons portugais\u00a0 <\/span>et rebaptis\u00e9e par les autorit\u00e9s de la nouvelle ind\u00e9pendance en 1976.<\/p>\n

La ville elle m\u00eame compte 1 million d\u2019habitants alors que 2,7 millions peuplent l\u2019agglom\u00e9ration.<\/p>\n

Le contraste entre les immeubles d\u00e9labr\u00e9s et les constructions luxueuses d\u00e9montre une ville habit\u00e9e par une population h\u00e9t\u00e9roclite.<\/p>\n

Maputo founded by the Portuguese<\/strong> has today roughly 1 million inhabitants. The suburbs count another 2.7 millions!<\/em><\/span>
Today we walk through the inner city.<\/em><\/span>
Rich and poor live close together<\/strong> and we see a mix of more or less renovated colonial buildings, run down multistory buildings and brand new skyscrapers.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Le traditionnel c\u00f4toie le b\u00e9ton.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

L’h\u00f4tel Polana Serena, le plus luxueux de la ville
The 5 star hotel<\/strong> Poland Serena from early 19 hundred<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Le quartier de la gare
The old colonial downtown<\/strong><\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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La gare de style victorien a \u00e9t\u00e9 inaugur\u00e9e en 1910 et a \u00e9t\u00e9 construite selon les plans d’Alexandre Gustave Eiffel.
The Victorian<\/strong> style train station<\/strong> from 1910 designed by G. Eiffel<\/strong>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

La “maison de fer<\/strong>“, \u00e9galement con\u00e7ue par Gustave Eiffel<\/strong> \u00e0 la fin du XIXe si\u00e8cle, \u00e9tait destin\u00e9e au gouverneur g\u00e9n\u00e9ral du Mozambique.
Une fois achev\u00e9e, elle se r\u00e9v\u00e9la inadapt\u00e9e \u00e0 cause de la chaleur qui y r\u00e9gnait et ne fut jamais habit\u00e9e.<\/p>\n

The \u201cIron House\u201d<\/strong> also designed by Eiffel<\/strong> and build as residence for the governor of Mosambik late 19th century. However du to the heat build-up inside it was never used as such.<\/span> <\/em>😁<\/p>\n

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De temps \u00e0 autre, de jolis parcs permettent de s’octroyer un moment de d\u00e9tente.
The Central Park<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Chaque espace est occup\u00e9, ci ce n’est par les voitures c’est par la foule.<\/p>\n

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Un magnifique pont suspendu \u00e0 pris le relais du ferry pour traverser la baie vers le sud.<\/p>\n

A brand new toll bridge<\/strong> brings us to the south side of the bay where we will start our holidays at the beach<\/em><\/span> 😍<\/p>\n

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De l\u00e0, une vue d’ensemble de la ville vaut un arr\u00eat photo.
View from the bridge over Maputo.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Mardi 6 ao\u00fbt
<\/b>Ces prochaines deux semaines, nous allons profiter du fait d’\u00eatre ajust\u00e9 bord de l’Oc\u00e9an lndien<\/strong> pour prendre un peu de vacances.<\/p>\n

Tout au sud du pays, \u00e0 quelques centaines de m\u00e8tres de la fronti\u00e8re Sud-Africaine, un endroit nomm\u00e9 \u00ab\u00a0Ponta do Ouro\u00a0<\/b>\u00bb se pr\u00eate particuli\u00e8rement bien pour une premi\u00e8re \u00e9tape le long de cette c\u00f4te.<\/p>\n

Our first beach<\/strong> Ponta de Ouro<\/strong> is as far south as you can go in Mozambique and literally only a few meters away from South Africa.
<\/em><\/span>We stay 3 lazy days<\/strong> at a cool eco camp<\/strong>. Long Beach walks interrupted by drinks and seafood snacks at tropical beach bars are our strenuous program<\/span> <\/em>😎<\/p>\n

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Apr\u00e8s la plage, d\u00e9tente dans le jardin de \u00ab\u00a0Gala Gala Eco Resort\u00a0<\/b>\u00bb qui va \u00eatre notre refuge pour les 3 prochains jours.<\/p>\n

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Vendredi 9 ao\u00fbt – Dimanche 11 ao\u00fbt
<\/b>Nous allons rejoindre aujourd\u2019hui l\u2019extr\u00eame pointe de la presqu\u2019\u00eele abritant la R\u00e9serve Naturelle de Machangulo,<\/b> juste en face de Maputo.<\/p>\n

Il nous faudra\u00a0 <\/span>4 bonnes heures pour remonter les 70 derniers kilom\u00e8tres de la presqu\u2019\u00eele, sur une piste de sable creus\u00e9e de profonds sillons.<\/p>\n

A deux reprises, il a fallu utiliser toutes les options de l\u2019Azala\u00ef (4×4 + vitesses lentes + blocage des diff\u00e9rentiels arri\u00e8re et avant) pour se sortir du p\u00e9trin.<\/p>\n

Il faut dire que le ciel, qui nous avait habitu\u00e9 \u00e0 \u00eatre v\u00eatu de bleu et \u00eatre parcouru d’un soleil radieux a, pour la premi\u00e8re fois depuis notre arriv\u00e9e en Afrique le 1er mai, rev\u00eatu sa robe grise et nous a arros\u00e9 d\u2019une pluie fine tout au long de notre parcours.<\/p>\n

La cons\u00e9quence en est un sable collant, rendant certains passages assez acrobatiques.<\/p>\n

Our next beach is on the peninsula opposite to Maputo<\/strong>. The only way to get there is a 1.5h boat ride from the city, or 70km (4 hours!) sandy 4×4 track trough the Nature Reserve Machangulo. No surprise we go for option 2.
<\/span>The weather is cloudy today and half of the time it is raining<\/strong> (first time since we arrived in Africa on May 1!!). The sand becomes very heavy and sticky and driving is hard work<\/strong>.\u00a0Twice we have to use all the car can give to not get stuck (I.e. 4×4, gear reduction and differential lock).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Doutant , apr\u00e8s 4 heures de piste \u00e9puisantes d’\u00eatre sur la bonne piste, nous d\u00e9bouchons soudain avec ravissement sur une superbe lodge qui s\u2019offre m\u00eame le luxe d\u2019un restaurant fort chaleureux, que nous adoptons instantan\u00e9ment avec un plaisir non dissimul\u00e9.<\/p>\n

4 hours later we are at Bemugi\u2019s Place<\/strong>, our camping right at the beach. We are tired and hungry and are very happy to see that the place has a wonderful restaurant!<\/span><\/em>
Grilled fish, prawns, calamaries and a bottle of South African white wine<\/strong> is all we need before we go to bed!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

L\u00e0 aussi, une plage magnifique invitant \u00e0 la balade au petit matin alors que les nuages sont en train de se dissiper.<\/p>\n

Early next morning we go for our first walk.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Le soleil ne tarde pas \u00e0 nous arroser de ses rayons bienfaisants rendant toute sa beaut\u00e9 au mariage de la mer et du sable.<\/p>\n

And discover a very beautiful coast.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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La vie animale grouille de partout et ce crabe \u00e9tait tr\u00e8s content de poser pour la photo.
With animals we know…<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Etrange cr\u00e9ature non identifi\u00e9e d’une forme g\u00e9om\u00e9trique parfaite.
…and animals we dont know (anyone a guess?).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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A mar\u00e9e basse, les roches laissent appara\u00eetre un tapis maritime joliment d\u00e9cor\u00e9.
Another Long Beach walk.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Certaines lodges occupent des positions de premier rang.
Hard to admit, but some lodges are better positioned than our campaign \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

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En fin d’apr\u00e8s-midi, une partie de p\u00e9tanque ensabl\u00e9e nous occupe un moment …
And finally we find the right environment for a P\u00e9tanque!<\/span><\/em>
… or maybe not?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

…..avant un passage au bar de la plage afin d’accompagner les derniers instants de cette chaude lumi\u00e8re dispens\u00e9e par un soleil couchant.<\/p>\n

And here the best spot for the sundowner!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lundi 12 ao\u00fbt
<\/b>C\u2019est le moment de quitter cet endroit paradisiaque pour aller en d\u00e9couvrir un autre toujours en remontant la c\u00f4te.<\/p>\n

Avant, il faut toutefois refaire en sens inverse les 70 kilom\u00e8tres de piste de sable mou pour rejoindre la route goudronn\u00e9e qui va nous ramener le long de la c\u00f4te du Mozambique.<\/p>\n

En chemin, les occupants d\u2019un v\u00e9hicule arr\u00eat\u00e9 sur le bord de la route nous font signe qu\u2019ils ont besoin d\u2019aide.
Le d\u00e9marreur refuse tout service, ce qui les voit immobilis\u00e9s sans autre solution que de d\u00e9marrer le v\u00e9hicule en le tractant.
Ni une, ni deux, nous accrochons leur corde au pare-choc de l\u2019Azala\u00ef et tr\u00e8s vite le v\u00e9hicule r\u00e9calcitrant reprend vie.<\/p>\n

Really we could have stayed here for MUCH longer. But we wanted to see some of the coast further north. So we leave paradise after only 2 days.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

First we have to return to the road via the 70km sandy track. This time no rain and lower tyre pressure make the trip easier and a little shorter. Close to the park exit we make two guys very happy by tow-starting their vehicle.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nous quittons deux personne arborant un large sourire et heureux de pouvoir reprendre la route.<\/p>\n

N\u2019ayant pas encore de but fix\u00e9 pour la journ\u00e9e, l\u2019id\u00e9e nous prend de repasser une nuit \u00e0 la \u00ab\u00a0R\u00e9sidence Las Palmeiras<\/b>\u00a0\u00bb \u00e0 Maputo<\/b>, surtout pour refaire une visite au restaurant Zambi <\/b>qui nous avait tant plu la derni\u00e8re fois.<\/p>\n

Rapidly thereafter we are once again in the area of Maputo<\/strong>.
To keep it simple we stay another night at the friendly guest house in the city and have dinner at the same place<\/strong> with the same delicious half raw Asian style tuna (I even suspect that Michel\u201ds only motivation to spend one more night in Maputo was this very tuna 🤔).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Mardi 13 ao\u00fbt – Mercredi 14 ao\u00fbt
<\/b>On remonte la c\u00f4te en traversant quelques villages typiques de ce pays.<\/p>\n

We have another 450km direction north along the coast to get to our next destination. The road is not too bad but the traffic is very slow. So we plan two days for it.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

A typical village<\/strong> on our way.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ce qu\u2019ils arrivent \u00e0 charger sur leurs v\u00e9hicules ou remorques nous \u00e9tonne toujours.<\/p>\n

A typical vehicle<\/strong> on the road<\/span><\/em> 😉<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Apr\u00e8s 4 heures de route, un contr\u00f4le de police tous les 5 kilom\u00e8tres (heureusement pour nous, ils contr\u00f4lent en majorit\u00e9 les v\u00e9hicules locaux) et 230 kilom\u00e8tres parcourus, nous arrivons \u00e0 \u00ab\u00a0Sunset Beach\u00a0Lodge <\/b>\u00bb pr\u00e8s de Chidenguele<\/b>.<\/p>\n

4 hours and 230 km later we have enough and stop at another lovely place.<\/span><\/em>
Sunset Beach Lodge<\/strong> close to Chidenguele.<\/strong><\/span><\/em>
We are on our own at the campsite. Sundowner at the swimming pool and fresh see food platter for dinner with a bottle of Vinho Verde (imported from Portugal!).<\/span> <\/em>😋<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Soir\u00e9e restaurant et nuit paisible car nous sommes les seuls dans le camping.<\/p>\n

Jeudi 15 ao\u00fbt
<\/b>200 kilom\u00e8tres plus au nord, toujours le long de la c\u00f4te, en face d\u2019Inhambane<\/b>, se trouve un petit village du nom de Tofo<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Another 4 hours and 200km further we are at Tofo<\/strong>, a little fishing and holiday village close to Inhambane<\/strong>.
<\/em><\/span>Relaxed atmosphere, a few cosy beach bars and restaurants, a colorful market, some diving operator posters and the endless white beach with breaking waves welcome us.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Il para\u00eet qu\u2019ici, on peut nager avec les requins baleines !!!<\/strong>
C\u2019est encore une chose que l\u2019on a jamais faite et tout de suite nous sommes tr\u00e8s int\u00e9ress\u00e9s par l\u2019id\u00e9e.<\/p>\n

Nous nous rendons \u00e0 la \u00ab\u00a0Turtle Cove Lodge<\/strong>“, situ\u00e9e \u00e0 15 minutes \u00e0 pied du centre du village pour y passer ces prochains jours.<\/p>\n

A peine arriv\u00e9s, nous partons \u00e0 pied en vue de r\u00e9server notre sortie \u00ab\u00a0nager avec les requins baleines\u00a0<\/strong>\u00bb.<\/p>\n

Nous trouvons notre bonheur \u00e0 l\u2019agence \u00ab\u00a0Peri-Peri Divers<\/strong>\u00a0\u00bb qui nous inscrit pour la sortie de demain matin, qui para\u00eet id\u00e9ale car peu vent\u00e9e, ce qui apporte l\u2019avantage d\u2019une mer relativement calme.<\/p>\n

We have read that this is one of the few spots around the world where you can swim with whale sharks<\/strong>. We are definitely interested!<\/span><\/em>
We park the Azala\u00ef at our new campground Turtle Cove, walk back to the waterfront and sign up for a so called \u201dOcean Safari\u201d with Peri Peri Divers<\/strong>.\u00a0
<\/span>No guarantee to actually see one of these wale sharks but the wind will drop for tomorrow which makes good conditions to snorkel in the open see (less waves and better visibility).<\/span><\/em>
It is also the best season to see wales and maybe Manta rays .<\/span><\/em>
We will see.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

We wander through the village and along the beach and really, really, really feel on holidays.\u00a0
<\/span>To complete the picture we sit down for a drink and a Japanese seafood dinner. The owner, a Japanese woman, tells us that she came here 8 years ago as a student to do some marine research and never left again. We understand.\u00a0 <\/span>And while we enjoy our absolutely delicious Japanese seafood we decide to eat here at least one more time<\/span><\/em> 😊<\/p>\n

La plage est encore une fois magnifique et les rues tr\u00e8s anim\u00e9es.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Au d\u00e9tour d\u2019une ruelle, un \u00e9trange v\u00e9hicule vient \u00e0 notre rencontre.
En y regardant de plus pr\u00e8s, nous reconnaissons ce qu\u2019il reste d\u2019un \u00ab\u00a0Toyota Land Cruiser\u00a0<\/b>\u00bb qui, malgr\u00e9 son \u00e9tat avanc\u00e9 de d\u00e9labrement, r\u00e9compense son propri\u00e9taire de ses bons et loyaux services.<\/p>\n

A marimba player<\/strong> at the market makes everybody clap their hands and some dance. He is paid by fruit and veggie donations and some pence.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Look at this Toyota Landcruiser<\/strong>. We knew they run forever<\/span><\/em> 😁<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Peu apr\u00e8s, sur la plage, un Land Rover Defender a aussi une longue vie derri\u00e8re lui.<\/p>\n

And a Landrover<\/strong> about the same age!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Vendredi 16 ao\u00fbt
<\/b>Nous avons rendez-vous \u00e0 10h00 pour cette sortie d\u2019exception.
Apr\u00e8s avoir \u00e9t\u00e9 d\u00fbment\u00a0 <\/span>instruits du comportement \u00e0 avoir envers ce plus grand\u00a0 <\/span>poissons des mers, nous rejoignons la plage et le bateau pneumatique qui va nous emmener dans cette aventure.<\/p>\n

Here we are with Peri Peri Divers.<\/span><\/em>
After an introduction on how to behave close to the biggest fish on earth and how to launch de boat from the beach we start our Ocean Safari<\/strong>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Cela commence tr\u00e8s fort avec la mise \u00e0 l\u2019eau et le passage des 4 \u00e0 5 premi\u00e8res barres de vagues d\u00e9ferlantes.<\/p>\n

Fermement agripp\u00e9s aux lignes de vie qui courent le long de l\u2019embarcation, nous subissons les ruades du dinghy propuls\u00e9 par ses 180 chevaux, pointant son \u00e9trave\u00a0 <\/span>au ciel pour monter sur le rouleau et retombant derri\u00e8re avec brutalit\u00e9.<\/p>\n

The <\/i><\/span>beach launch<\/strong> of the boat<\/strong> is the first adventure. A tractor pushes to boat into the waves. We are in the water either side of the boat and push it a little further, just until the two 90 horse power engines\u00a0<\/i>propellors<\/i><\/span>\u00a0touch the water and hold the boat more or less straight into the waves. We are asked to now jump into the boat. Not an easy task with the waves and water up to the belly. But every body makes it more or less pulled by the crew.<\/i><\/span> 😅
The helmsman gives full power and propels the boat in huge jumps over the breaking waves. We all cling to the life line as told during the introduction. We then wiz over the water in full speed.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Up to now the trip is a little more sporty than we had imagined<\/em> <\/span>😉<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dix minutes s\u2019\u00e9coulent \u00e0 peine apr\u00e8s avoir rejoint des eaux plus calmes que le pilote nous crie:<\/p>\n

Requin baleine droit devant! Pr\u00e9parez vous \u00e0 vous mettre \u00e0 l\u2019eau!<\/p>\n

En moins de 30 secondes, tout le monde met ses palmes, son masque et son tuba et se laisse glisser doucement dans l\u2019eau comme nous l\u2019avons appris afin de ne pas effrayer l\u2019animal.<\/p>\n

Notre regard se portant vers les profondeurs, nous apercevons alors, directement en dessous de nous, ce majestueux poisson pouvant atteindre jusqu\u2019\u00e0 20 m\u00e8tres de longueur pour un poids de 34 tonnes.<\/p>\n

Le n\u00f4tre, d\u2019une longueur estim\u00e9e de 4 \u00e0 5 m\u00e8tres, \u00e9volue avec lenteur \u00e0 quelque 7 ou 8 m\u00e8tres sous la surface, nous laissant tout le loisir de d\u00e9tailler ce corps \u00e0 large t\u00eate et \u00e0 la robe joliment tachet\u00e9e.<\/p>\n

N’ayant pas de cam\u00e9ra \u00e9tanche, cette image a \u00e9t\u00e9 emprunt\u00e9e \u00e0 internet mais repr\u00e9sente assez fid\u00e8lement ce que nous avons vu,<\/p>\n

At a slightly lower speed we get ready with tuba and palms<\/strong>. The idea is to get into the water as quickly as possible (but still smoothly) when the crew tells us to.
<\/span><\/em>Only 10min later comes the call \u201cwale shark!<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cget ready!<\/strong>\u201d and then \u201cGo!<\/strong>\u201d <\/span><\/em>
The 8 passengers on board all glide into the water more or less smoothly. The idea is not too frighten the animal but the boat is a actually quite high over the water and the swell moves the boat around. So the first time we get into the water we improvise a bit …<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

We are lucky and immediately see the spotted giant!<\/em> 🤩😍😄<\/span>
She is roughly 4 meters long and advances relatively slow. Without the palms we would not be able to follow through.<\/span><\/em>
Later we get back on board (another exercise that needs some practice<\/em> 😅) the marine expert that is with us explains that she is probably 10 years old and that fully grown wale sharks can be up to 20 meters an weigh up to 34t.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Nous aurons encore le loisir de faire 3 sorties suppl\u00e9mentaires avant de lui dire au-revoir et de nous diriger un peu plus vers le large pour y voir cette fois, non pas un poisson mais un mammif\u00e8re marin qui croise dans les parages.<\/p>\n

C\u2019est ainsi que nous avons la chance de c\u00f4toyer et d\u2019accompagner 4 baleines \u00e0 bosse durant cette m\u00eame sortie.<\/p>\n

FANTASTIQUE<\/strong> !!! C\u2019est ce que tout le monde se dit apr\u00e8s avoir v\u00e9cu ces moments d\u2019exception.<\/p>\n

Apr\u00e8s \u00eatre rest\u00e9 2 bonnes heures sur l\u2019eau, il faut maintenant rejoindre la plage et repasser les fameux rouleaux dans l\u2019autre sens.<\/p>\n

Cette op\u00e9ration se fait avec beaucoup plus de douceur car le pilote laisse le bateau surfer sur la vague avant de mettre plein gaz \u00e0 quelques m\u00e8tre du rivage\u00a0 <\/span>et de propulser l\u2019\u00e9trave droit sur la plage jusqu\u2019\u00e0 s\u2019\u00e9chouer tranquillement, frein\u00e9s par le sable.<\/p>\n

Two more times we get into the water to snorkel with her (gettin off and on board becomes significantly smoother and more elegant too 😉).<\/span><\/em>
Our guide then decides to move on.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

WOW!!!<\/em> SOO COOL!!!<\/strong><\/em> 🤩😎😍\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

We are all super excited about our luck!!!\u00a0
<\/span>While we still cheer about it the boat wizzes along until the call: Wales!<\/span><\/em>
Over the next 30min or so we see 4 different wales quite close and quite BIG compared to our suddenly rather small boat! (No snorkeling with wales).<\/span><\/em>
The final excitement is the full speed arrival at the beach. The helmsman advances the boat a little faster than the waves and lifts the big motors out of the water only at the very last second and we slide surprisingly softly over the sand.\u00a0
<\/span>Uff, the man knows what he is doing<\/em> 😅<\/span><\/p>\n

What an experience! <\/span><\/em>We loved it!<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Le bateau est ensuite pris en remorque par un tracteur, pour l’amener hors d’atteinte de la mar\u00e9e montante.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Samedi 17 ao\u00fbt
<\/b>Journ\u00e9e tranquille que nous passons \u00e0 nous balader le long de cette plage sans fin avec en prime une petite trempette dans cette eau limpide d\u2019une temp\u00e9rature fort agr\u00e9able de 24\u00b0C.<\/p>\n

Next day: \u201cfare niente\u201d at the beach.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

En remontant \u00e0 notre camping, nous longeons la partie du village habit\u00e9 par les locaux.
The traditional part of Tofo where most of the locals live.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Dimanche 18 ao\u00fbt
<\/b>On h\u00e9site entre rester l\u00e0 un jour de plus ou monter jusqu\u2019\u00e0 la Pointe de Barra,
<\/b>une vingtaine de kilom\u00e8tres plus au nord, pour cette avant derni\u00e8re journ\u00e9e sur cette c\u00f4te du Mozambique<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Finalement, on d\u00e9cide de s\u2019y d\u00e9placer, avec pour objectif de se baigner dans la lagune \u00e0 l\u2019abri du vent.<\/p>\n

Une fois de plus, le destin va se charger de nous fournir une activit\u00e9 encore plus int\u00e9ressante.<\/p>\n

Arriv\u00e9s au petit village de Praia da Barra<\/b>, nous nous arr\u00eatons pour acheter de l\u2019acc\u00e8s \u00e0 internet.<\/p>\n

Ce faisant, nous faisons la connaissance d\u2019Hakuna matata<\/b> et de Rasta<\/b>, son cousin.<\/p>\n

Au cours de la discussion, plut\u00f4t que d\u2019aller juste nous baigner, ils nous proposent d\u2019aller faire du snorkeling sur un r\u00e9cif, seulement accessible en bateau.<\/p>\n

C\u2019est avec plaisir que nous acceptons l\u2019offre malgr\u00e9 un timing un peu serr\u00e9 car c\u2019est uniquement\u00a0 <\/span>faisable \u00e0 mar\u00e9e basse, ce qui va \u00eatre le cas dans une petite heure.<\/p>\n

Hakuna matata<\/b> prend son t\u00e9l\u00e9phone et appelle son fr\u00e8re qui poss\u00e8de un boutre<\/b> (bateau \u00e0 voile arabe) qu\u2019il utilise pour la p\u00eache, et lui demande s\u2019il pourrait nous prendre \u00e0 son bord pour nous amener sur le site du snorkeling.<\/p>\n

La r\u00e9ponse parait positive car nous nous rendons directement au bord de la lagune, emportant les deux comp\u00e8res sur les marche pieds de l\u2019Azala\u00ef.<\/p>\n

For our last day at the beautiful Mozambican coast we hesitate to stay another day at Tofo beach or go to visit the Punta do Barra<\/strong> 20km further north where we can swim in the wind protected lagoon<\/strong>.<\/em><\/span>
We decide for the latter.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

At the entrance of the village Praia de Barra we buy one of the big, delicious Papayas and some tomatoes that the women sell at the roadside. Michel also buys a few more Mb Internet access for the Mozambican chip we got for his phone.<\/em><\/span>
While doing so we meet Hakuna-Matata<\/strong> and his cousin Rasta<\/strong> and accept their offer to takes us snorkeling at a reef<\/strong> in the middle of the lagoon. It is too far to swim there so the idea is to take us there with one of the traditional wooden sailboats<\/strong> the fishermen use here.<\/em><\/span>
Sounds great!<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n

The tight is ideal right now so we leave immediately direction lagoon with both of them standing on the footboard either side of the Azala\u00ef.<\/span><\/em>
On the way Hakuna-Matata calls his brother to join us with his boat. (last minute organisation).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Parqu\u00e9s sur le sable et entour\u00e9s de palmiers\u2026\u2026
We leave the Azala\u00ef right at the beach.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2026.Rasta scrute l\u2019horizon en vue d\u2019apercevoir notre boutre.
and wait…<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Pendant que Sylke attend tranquillement \u00e0 l’ombre d’un palmier.
and wait…<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Quelques minutes plus tard, propuls\u00e9 par sa voile arabe, le voil\u00e0 qui arrive.
Here it comes!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Embarquement imm\u00e9diat\u2026.
And off we go!
<\/span><\/em>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2026. et nous voil\u00e0 en route pour rejoindre le r\u00e9cif, pr\u00e8s de Survival island.<\/p>\n

It is low tight, the best time for snorkeling here, and the boat has to slalom around various sandbanks. Luckily the brother knows the lagoon well and steers the boat nicely.<\/span><\/em>
It is a beautiful boat. There are no waves and the wind moves the boat swiftly along.\u00a0<\/span>We really enjoy the ride!<\/span><\/em>
The boat is entirely made from natural material. To the question how old such a boat can get the owner says: these boats never die you just exchange the broken parts.<\/span><\/em>
Very environmentally friendly, no!!\u00a0
<\/span>(So why did we ever develop things where this does not apply? E.g. a new mobile phone every 2 years\u00a0<\/span><\/em>😉).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Apr\u00e8s une bonne demie heure de snorkeling, les yeux pleins de poissons de r\u00e9cif color\u00e9s \u00e0 souhait, nous remontons \u00e0 bord du boutre qui va nous ramener \u00e0 notre point de d\u00e9part se faufilant entre les hauts fonds \u00e0 coup de virements de bord.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Quelle belle journ\u00e9e !!!<\/b><\/p>\n

The reef for snorkeling turns out to be rather small but with surprisingly many many colorful fishes and one long yellow moray<\/span><\/em> 😃<\/p>\n

What a great outing!<\/em> <\/span><\/strong>🤩😀<\/p>\n

Lundi 19 ao\u00fbt
<\/b>Des bruits de voix attirent notre attention pr\u00e8s de notre emplacement.<\/p>\n

Nous allons voir de quoi il retourne et voyons toute une \u00e9quipe de travailleurs affair\u00e9s \u00e0 couvrir la charpente du toit d\u2019une hutte en construction.<\/p>\n

Il est 08h30.<\/p>\n

Our camping is situated in the middle between the lagoon and the Indian Ocean. There is only sand and palm trees. The ultimate getaway and we are the only guests today. We are (again) in paradise 😊<\/span><\/em>
Had we not booked for the Kr\u00fcger park we would stay a few more days.\u00a0
<\/span>However, since there is alway something that spoils paradise:\u00a0
<\/span>In the morning Michel\u2019s legs and arms are full of sandfly bites 😱.<\/span><\/em>
Ouch! This will itch really badly for a week! So finally we are not unhappy to leave. 🥴<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The campground also has hatched chalets<\/strong> and their roofs are being redone. We see a group of\u00a0 <\/span>people start to work on one roof at around 8:30 in morning<\/strong>.<\/span><\/em>
The first layer is made of weaved palm leaves. This is to give the roof some structure and also for the appearance of the ceiling. Then two layer of reed are added.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Une demie heure plus tard.
30min later:<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Midi,<\/b> le toit est couvert d\u2019une couche de feuilles de cocotiers tress\u00e9es sur laquelle on va fixer \u00e0 l\u2019aide de ficelle v\u00e9g\u00e9tale deux couches de roseaux.<\/p>\n

This is how it looks at 12pm<\/strong>. Not bad! Now the reed will be cut into shape and the edges will be braided. A roof like this is totally waterproof and can keep up to 20 years!\u00a0 <\/span>Unless there is a hurricane like the one that has damaged this roof earlier this year.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Avant de quitter cet endroit enchanteur, nous faisons une derni\u00e8re promenade le long de la lagune.<\/p>\n

A last walk along the lagoon.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

And then we say Goodbye beach holidays<\/strong><\/span><\/em>😥<\/span>! …
only to say hello Kr\u00fcger Park <\/span><\/em>🤗<\/span>!
<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Mardi 20 ao\u00fbt
<\/b>Adieu les belles plages, adieu la c\u00f4te mozambicaine, nos vacances baln\u00e9aires touchent \u00e0 leur fin !<\/p>\n

Noua allons retrouver la savane en remontant vers le Parc Kr\u00fcger<\/b>, en passant toutefois d\u2019abord par le lac de barrage Massingir,<\/b> et en traversant le Parc National du Limpopo.<\/b><\/p>\n

Des \u00e9tendues de plantations de l\u00e9gumes et de bananes jalonnent le parcours, et aussi, en alternance, des zones envahies par les termiti\u00e8res.<\/p>\n

The Kr\u00fcger Park<\/strong> sits in the north-east of South Africa<\/strong> along the border of Mosambique. By going north-west we will cross the boarder where the Mozambican Limpopo National Park connects to the Kr\u00fcger Park.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

We leave the coast and drive through a very green agricultural area<\/strong>. Cabbage, maize and tomato feels as well as bananas, papaya an Mango trees are plentiful along the river.. further away the\u00a0<\/span>landscape is dryer with lots of termite mounds<\/strong> and the villages look dustier and poorer.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ici, pas besoin de supermarch\u00e9 pour faire provision de fruits et l\u00e9gumes, il suffit de s\u2019arr\u00eater au bord de la route et les marchandes viennent en nombre proposer leur r\u00e9colte.<\/p>\n

We buy lots of bananas<\/strong> and a big papaya<\/strong> along the road.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Juste apr\u00e8s l\u2019entr\u00e9e du Parc National, le Campismo Albufeira <\/b>nous sert de refuge pour la nuit.<\/p>\n

Mercredi 21 ao\u00fbt
<\/b>Voil\u00e0 un passage de fronti\u00e8re comme on les aime!<\/p>\n

The Giriondo border post<\/strong> is a big gate and a small office building in the middle of nowhere.<\/span><\/em>
The paperwork is very quickly done on both sides. Our car is very briefly inspected for weapons and then the officer leaves us alone happily munching away on the handful of nuts Michel has offered to him<\/span><\/em> 😉<\/p>\n

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Nous sommes les seuls \u00e0 ce moment \u00e0 nous pr\u00e9senter et tout se d\u00e9roule dans la bonne humeur.<\/p>\n

C\u2019est ainsi, que l\u2019on passe du Mozambique en Afrique du Sud<\/b>, en quittant le Parc National du Limpopo pour entrer dans celui du Kr\u00fcger.<\/b><\/p>\n

N\u2019ayant pas trouv\u00e9 d\u2019emplacement libre \u00e0 l\u2019int\u00e9rieur du parc pour aujourd\u2019hui, car c\u2019est la haute saison et tout est complet du sud au nord, nous optons pour la petite ville de Phalaborwa<\/b>, situ\u00e9e juste de l\u2019autre c\u00f4t\u00e9 du parc pour y passer la nuit.<\/p>\n

Michel en profite d\u2019ailleurs pour prendre rendez-vous chez un dentiste<\/strong>, car la m\u00eame dent \u00e0 couronne, qui a d\u00e9j\u00e0 n\u00e9cessit\u00e9 une intervention en septembre de l\u2019ann\u00e9e derni\u00e8re, alors que nous \u00e9tions \u00e0 Robertson<\/strong>, s\u2019est remise \u00e0 bouger de mani\u00e8re anormale.<\/p>\n

Soir\u00e9e restaurant \u00e0 l\u2019excellent \u00ab\u00a0Buffalo Grill & Bistro\u00a0\u00bb<\/b> ou l\u2019on nous sert \u00e0 chacun un succulent filet de boeuf saignant de 300g, fait au grill, avec garniture de frites maison et l\u00e9gumes, accompagn\u00e9 d\u2019une bouteille de Shiraz et termin\u00e9 par un caf\u00e9 espresso pour une facture finale \u00e9quivalente \u00e0 41 CHF.<\/p>\n

By entering South Africa we also enter the Kr\u00fcger Park. But only to travers to Phalaborwa<\/strong> for today since all the campsite in the park were full for tonight.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Michel uses the opportunity to fix an appointment with a dentist, we do some food shopping and find a good stake house in TripAdvisor. The name \u201cBuffalo Grill and Bistro doesn\u2019t sound very exciting but the 300g (!) fillet stakes we order with home made fries and veggies are exceptionally tender and tasty. Together with a bottle of excellent red wine, coffee and desert we pay 41CHF!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Jeudi 22 ao\u00fbt
<\/b>Nous avons finalement trouv\u00e9 \u00e0 nous loger \u00e0 l\u2019int\u00e9rieur du Parc national Kr\u00fcge<\/b>r pour les deux nuits suivantes au Satara Rest Camp<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Ce camp a une capacit\u00e9 de 100 places de camping<\/strong> et de 173 chalets<\/strong> et la seule possibilit\u00e9 disponible pour 2 nuits qui s\u2019est offerte \u00e0 nous a \u00e9t\u00e9 un chalet.<\/p>\n

On commence avec \u00e7a et on verra pour la suite !<\/p>\n

En 1898, Paul Kr\u00fcger,<\/b> alors pr\u00e9sident du Transvaal cr\u00e9a un premi\u00e8re r\u00e9serve dans la zone du parc, la \u00ab\u00a0Sabie Game Reserve<\/b>\u00a0\u00bb afin de commencer \u00e0 mettre fin \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9limination progressive de la faune par les chasseurs.<\/p>\n

S\u2019ensuivirent d\u2019autres r\u00e9serves au fil du temps, qui ont finalement toutes \u00e9t\u00e9 rassembl\u00e9es en un grand parc en 1926<\/strong>, Le Parc national Kr\u00fcger.<\/b><\/p>\n

Aujourd\u2019hui, d\u2019une superficie de la moiti\u00e9 de la Suisse, il voit affluer chaque ann\u00e9e plus de 1,3 millions de visiteurs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

On y d\u00e9nombre entre autres, 147 esp\u00e8ces de mammif\u00e8res<\/b>, dont bien s\u00fbr les fameux \u00ab\u00a0Big Five<\/b>\u00a0\u00bb qui sont le lion<\/strong> (1500), le l\u00e9opard<\/strong> (1000), l\u2019\u00e9l\u00e9phant d\u2019Afrique<\/strong> (17’000), le rhinoc\u00e9ros<\/strong> (5000 blancs, 350 noirs), et le buffle d\u2019Afrique<\/strong> (25\u2019150).<\/p>\n

Le terme de Big Five <\/b>(les cinq grands) a \u00e9t\u00e9 utilis\u00e9 pour la premi\u00e8re fois en 1936<\/strong> par Ernest Hemingway<\/b> dans sa c\u00e9l\u00e8bre nouvelle “Les neiges du Kilimanjaro”,<\/b>\u00a0d\u00e9finissant les cinq animaux les plus recherch\u00e9s \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9poque par les chasseurs de troph\u00e9e<\/b>.
Ce sont aussi les cinq animaux consid\u00e9r\u00e9s comme les plus difficiles \u00e0 chasser \u00e0 pied.<\/p>\n

Les agences touristiques ont repris le terme pour l\u2019appliquer cette fois \u00e0 la chasse photographique.<\/p>\n

Chaque touriste vient ici avec l\u2019id\u00e9e d\u2019immortaliser le plus possible de ces 5 animaux, ce qui fait que vous en avez certainement d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu tout plein.<\/p>\n

Nous avons donc pr\u00e9f\u00e9r\u00e9, pour cet article, donner la faveur \u00e0 une partie des autres animateurs de ce fabuleux endroit.<\/b><\/p>\n

For the next two nights we finally find a self catering chalet in the Satara Rest Camp<\/strong> that is well positioned in the middle of the park<\/strong>. Quite a big camp with 100 cmp sites and 173 chalets! Never the less we are very happy to have found something and the camp turns it to be very well laid out and does not feel crowded at all. Our little chalet is cosy and very well equipped with a little kitchen on a covered terrace.
<\/span>We will improvise for the next days.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The Kr\u00fcger Park<\/strong> is one of the largest game reserves is Africa<\/strong>. It covers an area of half of the size of Switzerland in northeastern South Africa and extends 360km from north to south and 65km from east to west. A smaller park was initially created, under the initiative of the former president Paul Kr\u00fcger in 1898, to control hunting and to protect the diminishing number of animals in the area.\u00a0It then became South Africa\u2019s first National Park in 1926<\/strong>.<\/span><\/em>
Today 1.3 million people visit the park every year.\u00a0<\/span>We are here in peak season but it doesn\u2019t feel crowded at all and further in the north you hardly see anybody.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

147 species<\/strong> of mammalians are present in the park<\/strong>. Included are of cause the Big Five<\/strong> which are the lion,<\/strong> the leopard,<\/strong> the rhinoceros,<\/strong> the elephant<\/strong> and the buffalo.<\/strong><\/span><\/em>
The term was coined by big-game hunters, and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. In literature this term was first mentioned by Hemingway in his famous novel \u201cThe Snow of Kilimanjaro\u201d.<\/span><\/em>
The tour operators have adopted the term and now each tourist hunts for a photo of each of the Big Five and you have probably seen plenty of them on face book.<\/span><\/em>
So we decided to show more of the other animals for a change<\/span> <\/em>😉<\/p>\n

Tout au long des 120 kilom\u00e8tres s\u00e9parant Phalaborwa <\/strong>de Satara<\/strong>, nous faisons nos premi\u00e8res rencontres animales.<\/p>\n

Comme ce H\u00e9ron<\/strong>\u00a0Goliath<\/strong> faisant sa r\u00e9v\u00e9rence.<\/p>\n

On our first day in the park we start to learn how to spot the often well camouflaged animals.<\/span><\/em>
Here a relaxed Goliath Heron<\/strong> (practicing yoga or meditation?).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ce gnou z\u00e9br\u00e9<\/strong> pose juste au bord de la route.
A beautiful striped wildebeest.<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Assez dr\u00f4les ces hippopotames avec leur bikini de lentilles d’eau.<\/p>\n

Smiling flower-power hippos<\/strong><\/em><\/span> 😄<\/p>\n

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Et plein d’autres encore…..<\/p>\n

Nous allons rester une bonne semaine dans le parc et chaque jour nous donnera l\u2019occasion d\u2019assister \u00e0 des sc\u00e8nes magnifiques improvis\u00e9es par les occupants de cette nature sauvage.<\/p>\n

Les \u00e9tourneaux m\u00e9talliques<\/strong> sont partout et s’int\u00e9ressent particuli\u00e8rement \u00e0 notre petit d\u00e9jeuner.<\/p>\n

We stay a good week in the park and each day we discover something new<\/em> <\/span>😀
Breakfast company:<\/span><\/em>
A great Blue-Eared Starling<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Comme d’ailleurs ce tout bariol\u00e9 Barbican prom\u00e9pic<\/strong>.\u00a0
And a Crested Barbet<\/strong><\/span> <\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Celui qui a eu le plus de succ\u00e8s aujourd’hui c’est ce singe Vervet<\/strong> qui est carr\u00e9ment venu se servir sur la table avec une rapidit\u00e9 et une agilit\u00e9 qui nous a laiss\u00e9s sans r\u00e9action.
Et en plus, il se permet de nous tirer la langue, comme pour dire:
Je vous ai bien eu !!!<\/p>\n

A Vervet Monkey<\/strong> that steals a banana right from our table<\/span><\/em> 😲<\/p>\n

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Les vautours<\/strong> sont en attente d’une carcasse \u00e0 nettoyer.
Vultures…<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Apr\u00e8s le festin, c’est l’heure du bain….
… Taking a bath<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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….et de la phase s\u00e9chage des ailes.<\/p>\n

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A d\u00e9faut de rocher, un dos d’hippopotame fera bien l’affaire pour ces deux tortues.
Two turtles<\/strong> that take a hippo<\/strong> for a rock.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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La rivi\u00e8re Letaba<\/strong> offre une abondante nourriture pour les antilopes de tous genres.<\/p>\n

The river Letaba.<\/strong> One of the very few rivers here that still carries water at this time of the year.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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De nombreux crocodiles<\/strong> sont \u00e0 l’affut d’un faux pas.<\/p>\n

C<\/i><\/span><\/strong>rocodiles<\/strong>\u00a0trying different types\u00a0<\/i>camouflage<\/i><\/span>.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

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Concentration de girafes<\/strong> au petit matin.
How many giraffes<\/strong> do you count?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Papa hy\u00e8ne<\/strong> se fait les dents sur un reste de buffle sous le regard int\u00e9ress\u00e9 de quelques vautours.
Not much left of the buffalo…<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

… Is probably what the vultures<\/strong> think.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lui, aussi attend son tour.<\/p>\n

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Maman hy\u00e8ne<\/strong> quand \u00e0 elle fait la discipline….<\/p>\n

And at home there is also an order to respect for food. First the small ones (in black), then the older ones (already light brown and speckled).<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

……et allaite ensuite sa prog\u00e9niture.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Un Water\u00a0Buck<\/strong> dont la l\u00e9gende dit que l’un de ses anc\u00eatres \u00e0 voulu s’essayer sur des toilettes humaines sans se rendre compte qu’elles venaient d’\u00eatre fraichement peintes.<\/p>\n

A beautiful Water Buck<\/strong> with the typical white marking on the bottom. (Looks like he sat on a freshly painted toilet seat 😂).<\/span><\/p>\n

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Un Kudu<\/strong> m\u00e2le accompagn\u00e9 de son oiseau antiparasites.<\/p>\n

An elegant Kudu<\/strong> with his \u201canti parasite\u201d bird.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Et encore le “Njala<\/strong>“, assez proche du Kudu mais facile \u00e0 diff\u00e9rencier avec ses pattes toutes beiges.<\/p>\n

And finally a Nyala<\/strong> with similar face paintings but much smaller, darker in color, and horns are not twisted.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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Dernier soir, dernier coucher de soleil \u00e9l\u00e9phantesque.
Our last sunset in the park.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mercredi 28\u00a0 <\/span>et jeudi 29 ao\u00fbt
<\/b>C\u2019est par la porte Pafuri<\/b>, la plus au nord, que nous quittons le parc Kr\u00fcger.<\/b><\/p>\n

Peu apr\u00e8s la sortie, Nthakeni Lodge<\/b> est l\u2019endroit id\u00e9al pour un jour de repos, sans passer 4 heures par jour dans l\u2019Azala\u00ef \u00e0 traquer la vie sauvage.<\/p>\n

We leave Kr\u00fcger<\/strong> at the most northern gate Parfuri gate and spend the next day at Ntakeni lodge<\/strong> literally in the middle of nowhere. No electricity, no telephone, no internet<\/strong>. Super friendly owners, beautiful arranged grounds and facilities!
<\/span><\/em>Very relaxing.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

for a change we go for a hike instead of contemplating animals from the inside of a car<\/span><\/em> 😉.<\/p>\n

Definitely another place where we could spend many more days!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Vendredi 30 ao\u00fbt<\/strong>
Premi\u00e8re \u00e9tape aujourd\u2019hui jusqu\u2019\u00e0 Mopane Bush Lodge\u2026\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n

Une petite sieste apr\u00e8s l’ap\u00e9ro.<\/p>\n

A one night stop now on our way to Botswana at Mopane Bush Lodge<\/strong>.<\/span><\/em>
After a light lunch and a drink at the pool, Michel needs a nap.<\/span> <\/em>😴\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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C’est sous ce magnifique baobab que nous passons notre derni\u00e8re nuit en Afrique du Sud.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The campground is built around a mighty Baobab tree<\/strong>.<\/em> <\/span>😲<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Samedi 31 ao\u00fbt<\/strong>
Nous rejoignons le passage fronti\u00e8re de Pont Drift<\/strong> qui va nous permettre de passer d’Afrique du Sud au Botswana<\/strong> et ainsi entreprendre la derni\u00e8re \u00e9tape de ce p\u00e9riple africain de 5 mois, en nous conduisant \u00e0 la d\u00e9couverte de ce pays durant les 5 semaines \u00e0 venir.<\/p>\n

C’est ici que se termine cet \u00e9pisode, que nous esp\u00e9rons vous a fait plaisir \u00e0 suivre, et nous nous retrouvons fin septembre pour une aventure botswanaise.<\/p>\n

Boarder crossing at Pont Drift<\/strong>: We simply drive through the big but dry Limpopo river bed to get to Botswana.<\/strong> In the rainy season this boarder is closed for cars since the river is too big\u00a0then. There is only a small cable cabin for pedestrians that can be pulled across then. 😃<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Botswana we are told is the best of all countries for African wildlife. We have 5 weeks to see if this holds true 😃
<\/span><\/em>Before returning to Switzerland mid October.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Amiti\u00e9s de Milke<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

Modifier l\u2019article \u2039 Zambie & Botswana 1 \u2014 WordPress.webloc<\/a>T\u00e9l\u00e9charger<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Jeudi 25 juilletApr\u00e8s un passage de fronti\u00e8res servies par des employ\u00e9s souriants et sympathiques, nous\u00a0 faisons directement route vers Pretoria, la capitale administrative d\u2019Afrique du Sud. D\u00e8s notre arriv\u00e9e, nous nous rendons \u00e0 l\u2019agence Toyota afin de prendre rendez-vous pour … Continuer la lecture →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5491"}],"version-history":[{"count":61,"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5491\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5796,"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5491\/revisions\/5796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milke.fr\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}