SOUTH AFRICA '26
                         South

   INFO & DIARY  1

In an effort to visit old friends in Bathurst, do a botanical survey in a private reserve, re-visit some absolutely awesome nature - and dodge the terrible Danish winter weather, I head back to South Africa once more. So far, I have spend 248 days here, but I feel the country still have so much to offer. I especially love the southern part, and this is an attempt to visit some of my favourite places.

Some facts about the country. (Jump to diary)
Republic of South Africa is a huge country in southern Africa. It is bound by Namibia to the west, Botswana and Zimbabwe to the north, while Mozambique and Swaziland is found to the east along with the Indian Ocean and to the east the Atlantic Ocean - and Lesotho within it! It covers 1,221,037 km², measuring roughly 2000 times 1000 kilometres, and it feels significantly bigger, driving its scenic roads!
The interior of South Africa consists of a vast plateau with an altitude of between 1000 meters and 2100 meters in the east, sloping downwards towards the west and north, and slightly less so to the south and south-west.
Despite a population of more than 55 million citizens, here are quite some nature. I have done numerous tours around mainly the desolated areas, and this time, I plan to go along eastern The Garden Route along the south-eastern Sunshine Coast.

MONEY: The currency is South African Rand. 1 DKK=2.64 ZAR. 1€=17.72 ZAR - at the time of this tour.
 
CLIMATE: South Africa is in a subtropical location, moderated by ocean on two sides of the triangle-shaped country and the altitude of the interior plateau. These account for the warm, temperate conditions so typical of South Africa. Over much of South Africa summer, which I hit, is characterised by hot, sunny weather – often with afternoon thunderstorms that clears quickly, leaving a warm, earthy, uniquely African smell in the air.

ANIMALS and PLANTS: Due to the share size, but also the altitude and climatic variations throughout the waste area, animal and plant life is numerous. Huge, semi-un-disturbed areas in national- and private parks, offers rich opportunity to enjoy it.
The plants in South Africa which I especially want to find, are some of the awesome and numerous caudiciforms, found here.

DIARY  7/1 2026. I leave the snow and frost by train at 12;20, giving me plenty of time to get bored at Copenhagen Airport. A 90 minutes’ flight with Luftwaffe brings me to Frankfurt, where it grinds to a painfully hold for six hours. And then additional one hour, as there is a line for the ice-removal. At 23;15, I finally continues towards Johannesburg, a ten hour night-flight with little sleep and a newer Mission Impossible movie.

8/1. I now have three hours to find breakfast at a airport's many restaurants from 10;30. Then, a 90 minutes’ additional flight with South African Airways brings me to Port Elizabeth, at three in the afternoon.

Here, I find my little car from Budget, and enters the rather warm South Africa for real. I just lean back, and enjoy the 190 kilometres drive to The Farm. Most are at 120 km/h by great roads, the second half from Port Alfred by gravel roads, all through the nice and lush landscape. I even spot a giraffe and some gazelles, along with countless cattle, goats and sheep. A single screw of white storks counts around fifty birds.

I reach The Farm just before dusk, were my good friend: Bo, awaits with great supper and tails from the farm. I do feel a bit used by now, and hit the bed quite early.

9/1. The peacocks are quite this time of year, and I get to catch-up with some rather needed sleep.
We chat all morning, then do a shopping tour to Port Alfred. Within the farm, we pass some of the vervet monkeys. A quick stop at the car fixer for patching on one of the huge wheels of the Land Cruiser. It costs 60 rands, equivalent to two euro.

We do the third graver road home, pass several game-farms. Back home, Bo make yet another great supper, and once more, I eat too much. Then we chat, till three in the morning, while a single shower passes.

10. I spend a better part of the day, exploring the waste and undisturbed area The Farm is made up by. Despite it is rather dry, here are still so many interesting plants. Actually a bit to many: It is impossible to penetrate the wilderness most places.
I find an old, only partly overgrow gravel road, along one of the ridges.
It leads over another ridge and kind of terminate at the river.
I get a bit lost on the way back, and due to the first ridge, I end up fighting my way back the bloody Lantanas.
The evening is spend on yet another great meal and more tails from our lives.

The highlights from the first days. The lot from the first days. (Both open in a new window)

11. Where the recent two days had scattered clouds and 25-26C, today offers no clouds but up to 36C. We find the little but cosy Bathurst Farmers Market before noon. Homemade things from jam over knitting, pocket-knives and bakeries. Real cosy and low-key, with quite some god laying on the ground.

The day is still young, and Bo leads me through the nice looking township, all the way up to the lookout point: The Toposcope:  A low wall on the giant hill's peak offers a great view to the surroundings. Around it have tiles, pointing to the old English and Boer farms, and large rocks outside the wall, point to African tribal settlements. The views are waste, but look like a line on the photos.

We head out some gravel roads, one leading to the oldest English church and burned-down municipal house, before it reach the old gunpowder storage house from 1821. A little stone building on a hilltop, with a great view. Again, the sea, 15 kilometres away are visible, and we head that way.

We end up at some real nice neighbourhoods, and pass the automatic gate and police car. We find the lagoon of both east and western Klein Monde rivers. The perfect white sandy beach are a hundred meters vide, and lead down to the huge waves.
We do more gravel roads, and pass some interesting plants and great looking trees.

Back through Bathurst and the oldest pub in South Africa: The Pig and Whistle Inn from 1832, but we eat lunch at another cosy place, with thatched roof. Home by the endless gravel roads.

Bo have hot water and boiling water in his shower, and I climb the roof and pull-off the one-way valve. Unfortunately, my tools are a gardener's scissors and an old thong, and I get to break off the corroded pipe. No more hot, nor warm water for now, but I clean the filters in the thermo-valves in all bathrooms, and hope it will resolve in sufficient water in my shower. I’ve been using one of the other five modern showers in one of the houses in Bo’s village. Way too much chatting in the evening, way to close to midnight before I get to bed.
The highlights from Day 4. The lot from Day 4.

Time to head on in Diary 2.