Capturing the Moment

Stuck in the Sand: Sodwana Bay      It is slow season for diving in Sodwana right now so we scored a great deal for accommodations at Triton Dive Lodge . The attached dive shop gained fame for being the ones to find the once thought extinct Coelecanthe. They found it 113meters (that’s nearly 350ft!) down in caves at a site named Jesse’s Canyon. While we did not plan to do extreme tech diving here to those depths, we did come to see the beautiful coral reefs at recreational diving depths. I dove here once before about 6 years ago and saw dolphins, a whale shark, nudibranchs, and all sorts of fish among the reef. So I was eager to come back. But first we had to get there. Deep sandy roads in Sodwana     We saw the Triton Dive Lodge sign, but looked for any other way to get there. Our little Ford Fiesta would not like the deep sand of the road past the sign. But after a few failed attempts at finding another route including accidentally drivin...

Lighthouses and Sulphur Springs on The Wild Coast of South Africa Lighthouse Keeper and me From East London to Durban Highway 2 winds its way through rolling green hills dotted with colorful houses as it travels a thousand kilometers through the lesser traveled parts of South Africa. Towns like Port St John dot the rugged coastline here which has been nicknamed the ‘Wild Coast.’ This is where the famous Sardine run happens in June and July. Exploring around Port St Johns I made my way up to an old lighthouse overlooking the coast and was told by the lighthouse keeper that when the sardine run happens he can see it all from his window; huge schools of sardines, dolphins, whales, birds, and even sharks. But in all the other months of the year the Wild Coast is more famous for its network of hiking trails.  Wild Coast of South Africa The transkei hike follows the coastline and connects the small port towns. It is a very popular hike with backpackers and comes com...

Best way to visit Addo Elephant National Park in South Africa   Close encounter Tip 1: Stay overnight at the parks rest area . They have tent camping options for $20 or fancier bungalow type chalets. This lets you enter the game drive area at 5:30am in the morning as opposed to when they open the main gate at 6am for people staying outside the park. You can also have dinner at the restaurant there until 8:30pm, visit the hide overlooking the waterhole at any time, and listen to hyenas howl or lions roar deep into the night from your campsite. There is also a swimming pool for overnight guests only. This is perfect for the hot middle part of the day in between game drives.  Lion with his kill Night Game Drive Success Tip 2: Go on a night game drive . At $35 it is well worth being able to see the park after dark. This not only gives you a chance to see the nocturnal animals in the park, which there are many, but also gives you access to a park ranger who...