Marievale birding, Jan 2016

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In the first week of January, news filtered through of a Spotted crake seen at Marievale Bird Sanctuary. With no major plans yet for the year, we decided to take a day trip on 9 January. It was a very early start to drive the 140kms before dawn. We arrived just as the gates opened and met Owen Oertli who we’ve birded with before – he was also twitching the crake. Despite spending about four hours in the Otter hide at Marievale (from where it was seen) we never saw it. General birding was good though and we added over 80 birds in the morning’s birding before giving up and driving back home. We later heard that no-one else had seen the bird on Saturday either. However, on Sunday (10 January) a whole bunch of people saw it and on 11 and 12 January, another two Spotted crakes were seen at other places within the sanctuary. We decided to have another go at it. On 16 January we again started ridiculously early and arrived at Marievale to a large crowd of people already looking for it, including Geoff Lockwood. During the week, other cool birds like Western marsh harrier, Pectoral sandpiper and European honey buzzard were all recorded at Marievale so we had high hopes. We staked out the muddy wetlands immediately north of the Otter hide and occasionally wandered up and down the road to look at other birds. At around 7am the Pectoral sandpiper made an appearance and we happily ticked this one off. A distant Western marsh harrier was also seen but the crake remained elusive. After about four hours, with no-one having seen a crake, we decided to visit some of the other parts of the sanctuary. We drove around the back-end towards Duiker hide and also visited the pump station at the northernmost edge of the sanctuary. Apart from the common water and grassland birds, a definite highlight for us was a flock of Orange-breasted waxbills which Nicola managed to snap a quick photo of. On our way back, a passing vehicle informed us that the crake’s been seen and we rushed back to the Otter hide. It was there only about ten minutes before we got there but another hour and a half vigil produced absolutely nothing. Disappointed that we missed it again, we headed up towards Suikerbosrand for the afternoon. The weather was overcast and cool and perhaps because of this, birds were still very active in the afternoon. On top of the tourist drive we screeched to a halt when we saw a large black and white raptor fly past – it was a Pallid harrier! Another pair of birders soon caught up with us – it was Lia Steen and Fiona Wark Butchart who we saw earlier on at Marievale – they had seen the crake. We leap-frogged each other continuously throughout the afternoon and stopped at the picnic site to have a chat. We exited Suikerbosrand at 5pm having seen 67 species and returned to Nigel where we spent the night. On Sunday morning we left before dawn and were the first people to enter Marievale. This time Nicola got posted to the Otter hide while I sat outside looking around the mudflats on the northern side of the road. It wasn’t long before the first cars arrived and soon there were dozens of people around. Just after 6am I found the Pectoral sandpiper again and shortly after had great views of a Cape clawless otter that climbed out onto some reeds to sun itself. Just after 7am, my phone started ringing – it was Nicola. There was only reason for her to call so I jumped up and started running to the hide – they had just seen the crake! Nicola had a one-second glimpse of it before it disappeared and didn’t even have a chance to photograph it. I joined her in the hide and intently stared at the spot where it was seen. Half an hour later we were still waiting and Nicola decided to scour the other side again. More than an hour later I still haven’t seen a thing and very disappointed, we decided to bird the northern end of the sanctuary again. Nicola overheard that someone had seen a Black-tailed godwit at one of the other hides so maybe there was some consolation available. We did not find the godwit but did get fantastic views of two African quailfinches that came to sit in the road. With mid-day approaching we drove back to the Otter hide and discovered that a crake’s been seen again just ten minutes before we arrived. This time the hide was full so we sat down outside the hide and waited. Forty minutes later we still haven’t seen it and as it was now growing hot, we decided to call it a day. I’m happy for Nicola seeing the crake, however brief it was, but to me it was a major dip – I really hope we can pick this one up again with a weekend in Harare’s dambos in the next few weeks.

Polokwane birding Oct 2011

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Leaving home around 14:30 we immediately ran into problems. The N11 past Loskop dam was closed due to a truck overturning and we had to detour via Stofberg. When we finally got onto this road, we got stuck behind a queue of almost 2km long, caused by three trucks driving right behind one another and no-one being able to overtake them. It took us 30km to get to the front and overtake and we only arrived in Polokwane after 7pm. Luckily we had ready-made boerewors rolls for dinner.

We were up just after 5am and as Polokwane Game Reserve only opens at 7am, spent about 20 minutes picking up a decent number of birds at our accommodation, including African palm swift. Driving slowly towards the reserve, we added Black-headed oriole and Amethyst sunbird. At the reserve entrance, Black-faced waxbills were flitting in a bottlebrush and just beyond at the picnic site, three Hamerkops were disturbed from their roost by noisy campers. Driving around the reserve we picked our way through the regulars but were disappointed not to hear any cuckoos. By 10am we had around 80 birds on the list, including Northern black korhaan, Coqui francolin, Wahlberg's and Steppe eagles, Greater honeyguide, Yellow-fronted tinkerbird, Ashy tit and Violet-eared waxbill. The reserve was obviously very dry and not producing any water birds so we drove out to Polokwane Bird Sanctuary for these. Our previous visit to the Bird Sanctuary produced little more than lots of flies but this time it was much more productive with Wood sandpiper, Ruff, African jacana, African snipe, a few warblers, Orange-breasted bush-shrike and African fish eagle added to the list. We ate lunch at the picnic site and a fly-by Yellow-billed kite became our 100th bird for the day. It was still early so we decided to head off to Magoebaskloof. Despite a Stop/Go roadworks section just after Zion City we started the Woodbush Forest drive shortly before 3pm. We didn't expect to find much so late in the day but the calls of African emerald cuckoo, Sombre greenbul and Purple-crested turaco made good ticks on our list. Doing the Forest drive in Nicola's Jazz was entertaining but going very slowly did the trick. It was a very scenic drive and having added also Olive woodpecker, Scaly-throated honeyguide, Swee wasbill, Grey cuckooshrike, Chorister robin-chat and Olive bush-shrike, we ended with 114 species for the day. Still 12 short of our record but a really nice day's birding. Arriving back in Polokwane after dark, we got some take-aways for dinner.

Despite a late night, we were up early again. Not wanting to spend money for entering reserves again, we birded the suburbs for an hour or so before making our way slowly back home. So unfortunately unsuccessful in our record-breaking attempt this weekend but it was a very enjoyable outing and we are looking very much forward to Mkhuze next weekend.

Barberspan birding - May 2011

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On Friday afternoon, after dropping cats off at Nicola's parents and having a quick meeting with a work colleague, we took the N14 through Krugersdorp and Ventersdorp to Barberspan 25km west of Sannieshof. Arriving before dark, we were able to do a quick spot of birding along the pan's edge outside the reserve, picking up Half-collared kingfisher, Great crested grebe, Squacco heron, White-backed mousebird, Little bee-eater and our first western race Common fiscal (Lanius colaris subcoronatus) among a few others. Inside the sanctuary we drove slowly and at the bridge crossing the outflow of the pan, picked up African purple swamphen, Lesser swamp warbler, Common moorhen, lots of African darters and both Reed and White-breasted cormorants. We found the reception area all locked up and deserted but when we drove over to the staff quarters, got some help and eventually got the keys to the Pelican guesthouse. It was very basic, but had a kitchen, bathroom, lounge, 3 bedrooms and was clean. I started a fire for a braai while Nicola packed out the car. After dinner we went to bed early with the intention of rising long before sunrise.

Saturday morning after breakfast we were on the go before sunrise. We drove south towards Peter's Pan but after less than a kilometer found the roads completely submerged and impassable. Back-tracking, we added a bunch of waterbirds at the bridge, including Black crake and the usual Darters and Cormorants. We exited the sanctuary and turned south, picking up Northern black korhaan, Acacia pied barbet, Namaqua dove, Bar-throated apalis and Chestnut-vented tit-babbler before we entered the angling area around the southern edge of the pan. Here we saw both Whiskered and White-winged tern (surprisingly for this time of the year), Grey-headed gull, Kittlitz's plover, Malachite kingfisher, Cape teal, Brown-crowned tchagra and Goliath heron among quite a few other species. Luckily there were not too many anglers about and the birding here was fairly pleasant. Exiting the angling area, we made a quick stop at the Holiday resort to find out accommodation prices for future visits. We then headed north and stopped just before the bridge on the road towards Vergenoeg, setting up the scope with views towards Leeupan. Unfortunately there was much the same on this pan and no Maccoa duck, pelicans or flamingoes could be seen. However, a Double-banded courser and both Sand and Banded martins made up for this. We followed the road back towards the N14, picked up a few more birds before entering the sanctuary again from the eastern side. We had lunch in the hide just before the bridge but added no new birds for the day. Back at the guesthouse we had some tea under the large trees outside and were entertained by a very vocal Fiscal flycatcher. Around 2pm we made our way to the fence road on the western edge of the pan. Cape longclaw, Spike-heeled lark, Plain-backed and Long-billed pipits as well as Ant-eating chats were pretty common and we drove as far as we could go before the flooded roads turned us around. While starting the fire for dinner back at the guesthouse, we ended our birding for the day with a Cape robin-chat.

Up again at 05:15, we were packed and on our way well before sunrise. A quick drive through the campsite got us two Spotted thick-knees and at Northern bay Blacksmith lapwing, Red-billed teal and Goliath heron. At the bridge heading out of the sanctuary, we added all the usuals, including the cormorants, Black crake, African purple swamphen, Little and Great crested grebes, Half-collared kingfisher and an over-flying African spoonbill. Outside the sanctuary we made a quick stop at Leeu pan and picked up the Sand and Banded martins again, but surprisingly, also Pearl-breasted and Barn swallows. We scrutinized the Crowned lapwings carefully and eventually found the Double-banded courser again. Heading back down towards the N14, we heard Zitting, Cloud and Levaillant's cisticolas, Malachite kingfisher, Red-capped lark and Swainson's spurfowl. A quick drive through the angling area got us Grey-headed gull, Purple heron, Great sparrow, Whiskered tern, Three-banded and Kittlitz's plovers and a group of Spurwing geese flying over the pan. It was 9am when we got back on the N14, making the long drive back home.

An excellent birding weekend considering the time of the year. On Saturday we saw 98 species and our total for the weekend came to 109! Although the guesthouse's ablutions are a bit limited, it was so cheap that we would certainly consider staying there again next time.

Marievale birding Mar 2011

While Nicola was visiting Rhona in England and collecting our Amazon orders, I visited Marievale Bird Sanctuary and Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve for a weekend of birding. After dropping Nicola off at the airport I booked into my accommodation for the night (Thursday) and got up before dawn on Friday to drive through to Marievale. The water levels were just right to ensure I got both waders and proper waterbirds and I managed to get nice sightings of Black heron, Maccoa duck, African rail, African snipe, lots of Wood sandpipers, Glossy ibis, African darters, Reed and White-breasted cormorants. After a bite to eat at the picnic spot, I drove on to Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve and completed the 66km tourist route where I added Red-collared widowbird, Rufous-naped lark and a few other common bush- and grass birds. I spent the night in the same accommodation and checked out before dawn again on Saturday morning to visit Korsman Bird Sanctuary. This was my first time here and I was very pleasantly surprised - 50 species in just over an hour's walk around the pan perimeter, including Glossy ibis, African sacred ibis, lots of Squacco herons, Purple, Grey, Green-backed and Black-headed herons and also a small flock of African olive pigeons in one of the gardens. I tried out several of the other pans mentioned in the Gauteng birding guide but felt so unsafe there that I left early and went to visit David and Nicolette where I also spent the night. Sunday morning I picked Nicola up from the airport and then we paid a quick visit to Delta Park and Johannesburg Botanical gardens where we added some common suburban birds. Early on Monday we dropped off our passports at the Indian consulate before making our way home.

Mapungubwe NP and north west Limpopo Jan 2011

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26 Dec 2010 - Day count: 90, Trip count: 90
Our trip had an auspicious start when we left home at 4am, drove 2km before remembering the jerry can, turning back to fetch it and then lighting up a Spotted eagle owl on the side of the road. As dawn came over Groblersdal and then Roedtan, lots of birds were seen in the crisp morning, not least of these was a small flock of Abdim's stork - a lifer for both of us. Stopping for a leg stretch delivered another lifer - Chestnut-backed sparrowlark. We filled up in Polokwane around 7am, then drove onwards to Blouberg Nature Reserve. Blouberg itself is an impressive mountain, despite half of it being obscured by cloud. At the entrance gate we paid a small fee and entered. Very few people were around; in only saw a single other vehicle the entire time we were in the reserve. Blouberg delivered some good sightings: Striped kingfisher, Violet-backed starling, Red-headed weaver, Little, European and Swallow-tailed bee-eaters and White-crested helmetshrike among others. Unfortunately the roads in the reserve are in places pretty bad, either very sandy or very rocky and we couldn't access the vulture colony on the southern side at all. But the reserve provided really good birding and we drove onwards towards our accommodation. Langjan Nature Reserve appeared to be closed and desolated but we still picked up our third lifer for the day at the park entrance - Monotonous lark. Our accommodation was a few kms back at Wintervelde hunting lodge. The place looked decidedly dodgy when we arrived. Run-down, ill-kept, no-one around. A local care-taker eventually came out and showed us our room. We didn't mind that it was very basic, but we did mind paying a hefty price for it - certainly will not use this place again. We had leftovers for dinner before hitting the bed early.

27 Dec 2010 - Day count: 110; Trip count: 144
Up again at 4am and added Barn owl (lifer for Nicola) before we left at 5am. Southern carmine bee-eaters and Southern pale chanting goshawks were all over the place as we drove to Alldays where we filled up with petrol. Just before the Mapungubwe entrance we added Tawny and Brown snake eagle and then checked into the park. It was overcast but still hot and humid and the Mopani veld was rather quiet. However the drive alongside the Limpopo was lovely and yielded several new species for our trip, such as the Meves's starling, African Palm Swift and Common greenshank. Lunch at the Confluence viewpoint overlooking the Limpopo and Shashe rivers was spectacular and rewarded us with another lifer: Horus swift. The Tree Tops walk was a little noisy with workers repairing the deck but we did see and Broadbilled rollers really well. We took a leisurely drive back to reception to collect our keys and arrange access to the Den Staat wetlands. This proved to be a bit difficult and it took some talking to get access arranged for Den Staat. As our keys were not at reception but at Leokwe camp, we then drove to the camp and got into our huts - these are aesthetically well-designed and spacious. We immediately switched on the aircon, tested the outdoor shower and spent the hottest part of the afternoon reading before venturing outside again around 5pm. We drove slowly back to the Tree Tops walk where we saw the Broadbilled rollers again and just after dinner back at our hut, we also heard Freckled nightjar.

28 Dec 2010 - Day count: 122; Trip count: 189
Since my alarm didn't go off hits morning we overslept and had to rush coffee and rusks before leaving the hut at about 05:15. We picked up many of the usuals but also got a Shikra (first for Nicola) and spotted a Red-crested korhaan as it made its queer flight straight up in the air and then dropping like a puffed-up parachute. We reached the park gate just after 6am and drove over to the Den Staat wetlands. The gravel road to get there was shocking. Literally. Its easily the worst corrugation I ever had to drive but we had to grind our teeth and bear it. Just after crossing into the farm area we took our time identifying a Striped pipit as a lifer. At the first dam immediately picked up many water birds, including Black crake, Green-backed and Squacco heron, Giant, Pied anad Malachite kingfishers, White-winged tern and African purple swamphen. Further on we were stopped by a guy holding a receipt book who demanded R200 entry fee from us. Even after we explained we were jsu tbirding and already got permission from Mapungubwe, he still insisted and eventually we just had to pay up. Annoywed we drove on but sightings of Meyer's parrot, Bronze mannikin, Acacia pied barbet, African palm swift, African paradise flycatcher and the calls of Orange-breasted and Grey-headed bush-shrikes, soon made us forget about it. We drove up to the homestead which seemed to be run by the local community. No-one seemed to have a clue about what to do with us and we were stared at like zoo animals. Eventually a lady came out who said we could drive around anywhere if we paid, which we obviously did. So we proceeded to drive where we wanted and almost immediately were stopped by another man who said we're not allowed on this part of the farm, but we can go to the other side. We followed his directions and then turned off onto a very overgrown track running through the wetland. We eventually reached an old ruin where I decided not to drive any further due to the condition of the track. We locked the car and went on foot. Immediately we were extremely happy when Nicola spotted something landing at the water's edge which turned out to be a Yellow wagtail. Then we also picked up Yellow-billed and Saddle-billed storks, African mourning dove, Sanderling, Common greenshank, Hottentot teal, Goliath heron and Ruff. It was now blisteringly hot and we returned to the car to gulp down ice water. Driving back I spotted a Blue-cheeked bee-eater, thereby completing all the bee-eaters (six) we could possibly see here. From Den Staat we visited the Western section of Mapungubwe, once again driving some really horiffically corrugated gravel roads. This part was a bit disappointing, perhaps because it was now already well past 10am and very hot. We only added 7 new birds for the day of which the most interesting was Scaly-feathered finch. We ate lunch outside Maloutswa pan hide and I thought I spotted a Tropical boubou but couldn't confirm the call with either Robert's or Guy Gibbons's call recordings. After lunch we had enough of the heat, closed the windows, switched on the aircon and jarred our way back to the hut to a cold shower and an afternoon nap. We made early dinner, then drove out again just before 6pm for a quick visit to Tree Tops walk. We were on 110 birds for the day and added 11 more, including Broad-billed roller and Red-billed oxpecker, before driving to the main gate for our night drive. Although our guide drove all over the park, we only managed to add a Spotted eagle owl. We did scare up a nightjar but it was gone before we had time to ID it. The only other highlight was a large spotted genet. On our way back to camp, just after 10pm, my headlights picked out two more Spotted eagle owls.

29 Dec 2010 - Day count: 106; Trip count: 202
This time the alarm did go off at 4am and after we listened to teh pow-wow of Freckled nightjar, we were off at 5am. We stopped at the Tree Tops walk and added Broad-billed roller once again along with Meyer's parrot, Comb duck (Knob-billed duck), Retz's helmetshrike, Long-billed crombec, Yellow-billed stork, African mourning dove and a few more common ones. Then we followed the river road along the Limpopo and all the way back to the main gate, ticking Amur falcon, Fawn-coloured lark, Brown-crowned tchagra, Lesser kestrel, White-browed robin-chat and Red-headed finch. At 10am we were back at the gate and went on the heritage tour of Mapungubwe hill. It was ridiculously hot and we slathered ourselves with suncream. Our tour truck was packed with local and foreign tourists showing off their lack of knowledge quite admirably. Our guide talked at length at the main excavation site and although it was very interesting, standing around in teh searing heat was not fun. We then walked to the top of the hill where the guide explained where the Mapungubwe people stored grain and water, lived and had lookouts over the area. Just after noon we were back at the gate. Our guide from last night's night drive said we can go look for wetland birds at Samaria - a citrus farm recently bought by SANParks. At Samaria we added our fifth bee-eater for the day (Blue-cheeked) and also Giant kingfisher, Whiskered tern, Water thick-knee and a nice surprise: another Yellow wagtail. We had some lunch under the shade of a fever tree before switching the aircon to high and driving the 50kms odd to Ratho farm, west of Pontdrift. An unbelievably stunning setup with furnished tent accommodation, a beautiful thatch lapa and kitchen as well as a splash pool and deck looking towards the Limpopo about 100m away. Marabou storks circled their vulture restaurant and an African harrier-hawk flew in as we sat in the shade, trying to cool down. Just after 5, Susan Boshoff collected us for a short trip out to a small pan to view some birds. Plovers, stilts, geese, lapwings and a number of other water birds were present and we scanned the pan for about 20 minutes before driving back to the farm. A quick walk through the crocodile pens where some Water thickknee and Cattle egrets were getting ready for bed and then we also went back to the camp to start dinner.

30 Dec 2010 - Day count: 60; Trip count: 203
We were in need of sleep and for a change, we didn't get up until well past sunrise. After breakfast, while the temperature was still tolerable, we went for a walk down to the Limpopo. We've already seen or heeard most of the birds from our tent's deck so we added few birds but it was pleasant in the tall riverine trees and we were able to get reasonably close to some Marabou stork on the banks, who flew off into Botswana when we got too close. Just past the vulture restaurant we got both Cape and White-backed vultures. Back at the camp we went for a slow drive to a nearby koppie where a Black stork has apparently nested. Unfortunately it was now already 10am and if it was there, it was long gone. Back it camp it was now getting very hot with the temperature reaching for 40 degrees. We cooled off in the splash pool and then sat in teh shade for the rest of the day. Dinner consisted of crocodile steak, potatoes and sweetcorn.

31 Dec 2010 - Day count: 92; Trip count: 213
Notching up the usual birds while eating breakfast, we decided to pack and try and escape the heat. By 06:30 we were on our way and drove all the way to Polokwane, picking up a few roadside birds along the way. In Polokwane we made a quick visit to Polokwane Bird Sanctuary which had a serious shortage of flycatchers, considering the over-abundance of flies. We stayed only long enough to pick up the obvious birds before heading off to Polokwane Game Reserve. Here we added our first Scaly-feathered finch for the trip and then picked up another lifer - Short-clawed lark. Black-faced and Violet-eared waxbills were expected and it wasn't long before we saw these pretty birds. We finished our short trip here with two African hawk-eagles and then drove to our accommodation for the night. We had rolls for New Year's Eve dinner and went to bed early

01 Jan 2011 - Day count: 64; Trip count: 221
We popped in to Polokwane Game Reserve again and ticked off similar birds compared to the previous day's visit but also added a single Lizard buzzard before deciding its time to go home. The drive home was uneventful and we arrived back around 2pm, tired but satisfied with our trip.

Marievale, Grootvaly and Suikerbosrand birding Jan 2010

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Friday the 22nd we drove to Nigel in Southern Gauteng via some very confusing roads in Springs. We arrived at Seldre Guesthouse around 6pm and Darrell and Liza joined us shortly after. We went to bed early as we wanted to be up and gone by 05:30. The next morning we got going as planned and started our birding by driving to Marievale Bird Sanctuary, only about 10 minutes away. Expecting a lot from Marievale's reputation for producing rarities, we were not disappointed when Nicola spotted a Little bittern as soon as we entered the wetland area. We notched up a few common water birds but the Otter hide was so covered in grasses that there was much better viewing from the road. African purple swamphen, Black crake, Black and Squacco herons soon followed before we started driving north into the reserve. The area was soaked from good rains in the season and we had to drive slow through the water. Towards and at the Flamingo hide we added Cape shoveler, Great crested grebe, Whiskered tern and Goliath heron. we continued north to the Duiker and Shelduck hides and drove through patches of deep water. Glossy ibises abound along with Yellowbilled duck and Redbilled teal but because of the high water levels, the only wader we added was Wood sandpiper. Back at the Otter hide we met up with Darrell and Liza who left a little later than us. We were sharing our sightings when Darrell spotted a long red beak poking out of the grasses. Excitedly we rushed about and then it came out in full view - African rail! A lifer for all of us! Nicola and I drove to the southern section of the park but only added Common ringed plover before deciding to drive to Grootvaly for lunch. At Grootvaly, we were eating lunch at a picnic table when we spotted a low flying brown bird in the distance. Careful observation and field guide consultation convinced us that it must be Western marsh harrier - quite a rare bird but apparently sighted now and again in the area. For the afternoon we drove to Suikerbosrand and ticked Mountain wheatear, Redcollared widowbird, Anteating chat, Bokmakierie, African redeyed bulbul, Greywinged francolin and Redthroated wryneck among the rest. Back in Nigel, an African olive pigeon provided our last tick for the day to come to a total of 106 for the day - not bad at all considering the poor weather and terrific afternoon showers we had. Over dinner we shared birding and hiking stories with the Newings before heading for bed.

Sleeping "late", we were gone by 06:30. The weather was dark and ominous but we decided to quickly pop into Marievale first. We added nothing new for the trip but were delighted to once again see a Little Bittern and the African rail, and this time managed to get some pictures, despite the distance. Onto Suikerbosrand again we saw more or less the same birds as the previous day and as the weather turned for the worse, we left just before noon to drive back home. Our total tally for the trip was 114 and although the Western marsh harrier was certainly the rarest of the ones we saw, the Little bittern and African rail were far better sightings.

Maletsunyane abseil, Lesotho Dec 2009

On Christmas eve we (Nicola, Gordon and I) left from Gauteng and drove to Clarens via Golden Gate. We had luxury accommodation at Next2Heaven. On Christmas day we entered Lesotho at Caledonspoort and drove up the stunning Mafika Lisiu pass (3090m). At the top it was windy, overcast and cold but we descended back into the sun. On the way down, my car's front brakes started smoking and the rest of our trip I had to use engine compression to break.

Katse dam then appeared below us and we had a leisurely drive all along the shore until we finally got to the very impressive dam wall. Then it was onto gravel for 30km, at the end of which we heard a knocking from the right front wheel - shock absorber. Fearing that it might be serious, we decided to drive straight to our planned accommodation in Roma, without lingering further. As soon as we turned west from Thaba Tseka, we had a lovely tarred surface. Pity it only lasted 20km. We reached a section where they are obviously in the process of tarring as well, but the primary rock layers laid in preparation made for such horrible driving that we couldn't exceed 20km/h. Hoping that this won't last too long we asked the first vehicle from the opposite side how far it was still gravel. 5km came the answer. Only 30km later we reached tar again!

We made much better time back on tar but we only reached Roma at 17:00. Relieved to have a rest we attempted to check in at our booked guesthouse, only to be told that we have beenbooked into another guesthouse. 40km down the road! Dismayed we left again and drove to Ramabanta where we discovered that the owner of the place had no booking for us! Luckily there was still place in the backpackers room and we settled down for a well-deserved rest.

Next morning (26 Dec) we had a local mechanic quickly checking the car. He confirmed there was nothing seriously wrong so we decided to continue to Semonkong. The road there is 55km long and took us a full 2 hours to drive. The road was pretty bad in places but the spectacular scenery made up for it - this must surely be some of the remotest parts of the world I've ever seen. Arriving at Semonkong lodge, we were warmly welcomed and spent the rest of the morning lounging next to the Maletsunyane river. Later in the afternoon we were invited to see the local horse races. Intrigued, we joined a whole group of tourists driving a fair distance to a high plateau where the Basothos held regular races, betting and bookies included!

On the morning of 27 Dec 2009, we still had to get in a few practice abseils and we were on the cliffs next to the lodge at 7am. We first practiced locking and adding a bar to the 5-bar rack abseil device, then did another with the entire 240m rope hanging on the rope at the bottom to simulate the weight we will experience on the big abseil. Then we were off! We drove to above the falls by 4x4 where a horse and owner was patiently waiting to take all the ropes and gear down to the top of the falls. We hiked behind them and promptly arrived at the jump-off. The setup was done quite quickly and before long Nicola was hooked up and ready to go. I took a few pictures as she went over the edge and only 12 minutes later the rope went slack - she did it! It was my turn now and although nervous, I was not nearly as scared as with the previous long abseil I did. I went over the edge and soon was sliding happily along - what a magnificent sight! As I turned around on the upper section I scanned below and around me - a truly indescribable view! About halfway down, the spray from the waterfall started getting very wet and with 20m to go, I was soaked. Arriving at the bottom, a guide in oilskins helped me get off the rope while I was getting drenched. A short scarmble over very slippery rocks got me to where Nicola and the main guide (Jonathan) were waiting. We got pictures taken and then waited for Gordon to come down. He managed perfectly fine and when he joined us he was all eyes and teeth! We waited for a fourth person to complete the abseil before a guide led us out of the gorge back to the top. Back at the lodge we received certificates for completing a Guinness World Record highest commercial abseil in the world - 204m!

It was now after 4pm and we drove the 55km back to Ramabanta where we spent a night in a tent at the same lodge before returning home via Ficksburg the next day. A marvellous trip and an abseil to remember!

Platberg summits Feb 2008

I drove down to Harrismith on my own and spent the night below Platberg. The next morning a hiked through some plantations to an obvious grass ramp leading to the top of Platberg. The grass was wet with dew and soon my boots were soaked. However, I made it to the first trig beacon quickly and then walked on a jeep track across the entire Platberg, past a small dam where workers were busy repairing the dam wall. A semi-detached buttress at the very end of Platberg had another trig beacon I was aiming for and by lunch I stood on top. I descended Platberg via the steep concrete road that accesses the dam and spent the night in Harrismith caravan park. The following day I drove on to Memel for some birding, then Chelmsford dam and finally Wakkerstroom before heading back home.