19th April
Up and after yet another brilliant breakfast we headed off on a self-guided hike. The day started out nice and mild with a bit of cloud cover and a climb up to a rock cairn. The countryside is a combination of grassland with weathered granite and sandstone cliffs.
Once you get to a plateau it is very pleasant walking but getting there and indeed off into the valleys can be challenging. After having left the plateau we headed down into the gorge where the GX river flows down into the Sani Valley. On our way there we passed through a cave with a waterfall and then travelled alongside the river with its pools rapids and huge rocks.
We had some challenges on the way crossing the river and going through gorges down nearer the river.
We got to the final leg with three river crossings and then hiked through a Eucalyptus forest just like home. At this point just as we hit the road, the flood started and we arrived back at the lodge looking like drowned rats. Anyway another 12 km walk under our belts which is getting us fit again.
Sani Lodge has been great-they seem to practice what they preach with local people running the place and a real commitment to organic farming and recycling. They in fact received a Fairtrade Tourism Award so they appear to be the real deal in an industry that talks about sustainability but doesn’t always deliver.
Back with the Mzansi bus team tomorrow to return to Jo’burg.
