Captown Hoedspruit March 2020

(translated with the help of google)

After the Stefanwagen2 was stored in Cape Town last year without any problems after our Kgalagadi tour, it was now time to bring it back to its usual surroundings, to Hoedspruit.
Since I had been in Cape Town since February 17, 2020 to learn Afrikaans, the rest of the travel group: Tatjana, Klausi and Maschder (Gerhard) arrived at our "Villa Surprise" accommodation with Rolf on March 1 with Lufthansa from Frankfurt . We have known the hotel since our first South Africa vacation in 2001. The Hoedspruit-Cape Town Tour 2019 ended here and so the tour back home in Camps Bay began

The next 3 days will be to explore Cape Town and the surrounding area including Robben Island.
Access to Robben Island is no longer as easy as it was when we last visited the island in 2001. Passport details are now required to book a ticket and are checked almost like on a flight before boarding the ferry.
When you arrive at Robben Island, you will be distributed to different buses and driven to different stations on the island. Through the cell blocks you are led by former political prisoners, and you get a first-hand impression of everyday life in captivity.
There were not only the political prisoners of the ANC and PAC like Sisulu, Mandela, Sobukwe, but also criminals who served your sentence here.
Since the prison has not been in operation since 1996, the number of living witnesses is reduced.

We bought a 3 day ticket for the Cape Town Hop On Hop Off Tour. One of the stops was right on Camps Bay beach, not far from our hotel. The tickets are not too expensive and you can get off at all important stations and leave your own car. Another advantage is the audio program, which is available in various languages on every seat and provides interesting information about the city.

This ticket also includes an approx. 30-45 minute harbor tour, which we then start after a well-kept lunch break in the Cape Town brewery.
A large shoal of fish had strayed into the harbor basin, so swarms of gulls and cormorants as well as sea lions and dolphins could be seen hunting these fish.
The day ends in one of Cape Town's best steak restaurants. Camps Bay Hussar Grill is around the corner from Villa Surprise. Reservation is essential.

After an excellent breakfast, we make our way to Cape Point today. It is not - as many believe - the southernmost point in South Africa. It is a few hundred kilometers east of Cape Agulhas. The Cap Point with its lighthouse and the view of the eastern False Bay and west of the Atlantic is one of the tourist attractions at the KAP. Via Constantia Neck it goes first to Simons Town. One of the 3 mainland African penguin colonies has been living here on Boulders Beach since 1985. Cap Point itself is located in the Table Mountain National Park and is a very touristy place. The entrance to the park took almost half an hour. The parking lots themselves were overcrowded. And of course everyone wanted to take a picture of themselves with the Cape Point sign. Tatjana and Klaus decided to walk from the lighthouse to the Cape Point sign, past ostriches and Eland antelopes. The stefan also wanted to see the Cape, so the Maschder and I drove there and waited for the hikers with a cool beer. We then reached our destination via Komatjie and Nordhoek with its white sandy beaches and the legendary Chapman's Peak Drive. We had reserved a table at the Wharfside Grill in Hout Bay for the evening. There you can enjoy the best fish with a view of the bay.

On the last day in Mother City, sightseeing is on the agenda. We take the Hop On Hop Off bus to Long Street in downtown Cape Town. We change Dor into the yellow line, which takes us past all inner city sights. We visit the District Six Museum, a museum that reflects the destruction and relocation of District Six during the apartheid era. At that time, living space for whites was to be created, the houses there were demolished and the residents relocated to the townships outside Cape Town (e.g. Langa, Gugulethu, Khayelitsha) that still exist today. District Six was never rebuilt to the extent planned by the apartheid regime and today you can still see the green patches of the district in the otherwise narrowly built Cape Town.
On the way we see the historic Castle Of Good Hope and the old town hall (Cape Town City Hall). From his balcony, Nelson Mandela delivered his first speech to over 10,000 people waiting in February 1990 after he was released from custody.
Another good opportunity to get to know downtown Cape Town is the Cape Town Free Walking Tour. We were able to book them at the main Hop On Hop Off bus office on Long Street. There are different tours. The guides are dedicated and you pay them at the end of the tour with what you think is appropriate.
Since the rush to get to Table Mountain was too big for us, we let the cable car go without us. Instead, we took another opportunity on the last evening and had an excellent view of Cape Town at night in the Bookap Komhuis with very good Cape Malay food. The majority of the population of the Bookap is Muslim and so this restaurant has no alcohol in the tap.

5. March
Today we leave Cape Town and head for the Robertson Valley. When planning the tour it was already agreed that we would not want to leave the Cape without a wine tasting. This gave rise to the idea of combining this with a good meal and so we booked an overnight stay with wine tasting and a 3-course menu at the Excelsior winery. A pleasant side effect was that after the feast we could fall straight into our bed without having to take part in the traffic afterwards.

The Excelsior Wine Estate is located at Ashton in the Robertson Valley.
The shortest route from Cape Town to Ashton is via the N1 motorway and the R60 federal road. The weekend before, I had already turned off the N1 in Paarl on a "discovery tour" and drove over Welington and the Bainspass to the N1. The Du Toitskloof Pass was closed due to bush fires and the Bain Pass impresses with an almost southern Italian-style landscape. However, a break of just under an hour at the foot of the pass was announced, since the pass itself was blocked for a bicycle race. Via Woucester and Robertson we reach the Excelsior Wine Estate in the early afternoon. It was then clear to me that it was the Excelsior winery, known for its wines, and not just a guest house called Excelsior Wine Estate. The well-known Arabella Wine Estate is right next door. The Excelsior guest house is decorated in a colonial style. The hosts are very friendly and the wines are very good. Klausi and especially the Maschder immediately fall in love with the Excelsior Merlot, which from now on should be a constant companion on our trip.

6th March
The goal is Oudtshoorn in the Karoo. For one thing, we didn't want to make the route to our next destination, Knysna or Brenton on Sea, too long. Second, Tati had read that you could see meerkats in Oudtshoorn.
After Swellendamm we cross the Tradouwpas and drive on the actual Garden Route, the R62 past Ronnies Sexshop via Carlitzdorp to Oudtshoorn. The search for meerkats is not going as planned. We learn that there are meerkats on a farm that you can only visit at 6 a.m. after registration. Even better, you spend the night there. Since our accommodation has already been booked and is almost an hour's drive from the meerkats' quarters, we set off at our old Mill Lodge & Restaurant at 40 ° C. As it turns out, it lies halfway between Oudtshoorn and Cango Caves and even houses an attached ostrich farm. The restaurant is highly recommended with good South African cuisine.
Since we're not going to see meerkats now, the question is what do we do instead.
For the next morning we book a visit to the Cango Caves, 28 km away.

7th March
The Cango Caves: I hadn't visited stalactite caves for a long time. As for this cave system, it's amazing and overwhelming what you can find and admire underground. A real experience and absolutely recommendable. We booked the normal tour. There is also an adventure tour, but you have to go through very, very narrow passages. Nothing for our male bodies. Tatjana could already join in, but stays with us. And something else amazes us. On our way here we have already noticed that the “Garden Route” is not entirely, but almost in German hands. Here at the Cango Caves it becomes clear again. The group of visitors has to be divided because of their size. One group is conducted in German, the other in English. We join the English speaking group.
After visiting the underground and the pleasant coolness there, it's time to go to the sea. There are 2 ways to go to Brento On Sea. The N12 and N2 over George, or the N12, then over the R62 / N9) and then over the Prince Alfred Pass to Knysna and Brenton On Sea. The decision falls on the Prince Alfred Pass. And we don't regret it. We need more than 2 hours for the almost 70 km of the pass, which was planned by Thomas Bain. It is said to be the longest pass in South Africa that can be used for public transport and at the same time the 2 oldest that has not been changed in its originality. An alternative to today's trip would be to drive it later on our way from Brenton On Sea to Graaff Reinet. Because of the good weather, we decide to cross it today.
In Brento On Sea a comfortable bungalow with 3 bedrooms and sea views awaits us in a well-kept holiday complex.

8th of March
Today we want to enjoy and relax in the Indian Ocean. But the weather is putting a spanner in the works. Instead of sunshine, it rained at night and the sky is full of deep clouds. So we decide to go for a walk on the beach. Past snails and many jellyfish, which were probably washed up on the beach due to the heavy swell, we end after more than 6 km on the other side of the lagoon in Buffelsbay. There we take a small snack to run back 6 km strengthened. A 12 km walk along the beach is a good Sunday outing. The Butterfly Blue Restaurant, in which we ate in the evening, was not convincing despite all the praise on Trip Advisor. Our favorite was the Nautilus.

9th March
Let's go to Graaff Reinert. Almost 500km are ahead of us and the weather is anything but beautiful, cold and rainy. It's a good thing that we drove the Prince Alfred Pass the day before yesterday when the weather was fine, because otherwise it would be a pain now. We are glad when we finally arrived at the very nice Whyte House B&B. Graaff Reinert is the 4th oldest city in South Africa after Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Swellendam and has many historic buildings. A stone's throw away is the Camdeboo National Park with the Valley Of Desolation, which we want to visit tomorrow.

March 10.
The breakfast is delicious and extensive, the weather is still very bad. We have to go shopping since we will spend the next 4 days in the Mountain Zebra National Park with little infrastructure. However, the supply of meat here is rather poor, although the area is said to be a center for animal husbandry.
When we drove into Graaff Reinert yesterday, the Maschder discovered some vintage cars in a shop. It turns out that there is an entire museum with old cars and motorcycles and that there is a historic gas station and other objects from the past on the other side of the street.
We continue to Camdeboo National Park. Our main focus here is on the Valley Of Desolation. At the park entrance we are apparently the only visitors of the day. The further we drive into the mountains, the foggy and drizzle the weather gets. The Valley of Desolation is in the clouds and even a hike falls into the water in the weather. At the foot of the mountains, the weather allows a short game drive with a view of lyre antelopes and blesbucks.
Then it's back through Graaf Reinet in less than 2 hours via N9 and R61 to the Mountain Zebra National Park.

The Mountain Zebra National Park was created in 1937 to protect and save the Cape mountain zebra. The park is 65 km2 and partly very mountainous. There are now a large number of zebras in the park. But also caracal, cape buffalo, black rhinoceros, eland, black wildebeest, lyre antelope, oryx and reed buck can be seen. As well as a wide variety of birds such as the blue crane, Cape eagle or Cape vulture. South African cheetahs were reintroduced to the region in 2007, and three lions were released in 2013. An electric fence prevents the large predators from reaching neighboring farmland. There are now 8 cheetahs and 22 lions in the park, which are extremely difficult to find. We haven't seen any.

In the park itself there is a camp with various hut categories as well as the remote mountain camps. We were able to rent a rock chalet and when we moved into it, we were once again positively surprised by the booked accommodation on our trip. Two chalets were built on a rock high above the camp. A long balcony and a large dining / kitchen / living area invite you to a stunning view of the valley and the mountains beyond. On the right and left is a spacious bedroom with a bathroom and an outdoor shower with the same view of the valley.
As during the past few days, the weather is still very volatile. It doesn't rain all day anymore. However, the storm clouds pile up from late noon and there are sometimes heavy rains. These weather conditions are impressive and the rain is good for the country. Our last trip from Hoedspruit to the Cape in November 2019 was still under the impression of drought and drought, but this has now changed completely. Even if it gets drier the further we get to the north on this trip, with the extensive rain there is now a colorful and cheerful nature around us. The disadvantage, however, is that not all routes are accessible due to the damp and slippery surface. Our planned Cheethatracking, which is offered in the park at an early hour, literally falls into the water, since you can not only look for the cheetahs by car, but also on foot. It is understandably too dangerous for the guide if one of the clients then slips and is damaged. So we explore the park for almost 3 days in search of lions and cheetahs. Klausi is doing very well on the 4x4 drive with the Stefanwagen (it is a bit more demanding here than the 4x4 drive in the Kruger National Park two years ago). Again and again we see mountain zebras, blue wildebeest, Eland antelopes, springboks but also bat-eared foxes (Bat-Eared Fox) - if only very briefly -, meerkats, jackals. Unfortunately - despite an intensive search - no lions and cheetahs.

March 13
We leave the park and our fantastic accommodation with great regret to continue our journey further north. The next destination is the Golden Gate Highland National Park. Since the route is far too long and exhausting with 4 people in the car, we make a stop in the 3rd capital of South Africa, Bloemfontain.

14-16 March
The destination is the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, 300 km away. The route N1 and N5 to Bethlehem. Continue on the R712 to Clarens at the entrance to the park

The Golden Gate Highlands National Park is located in the South African Freestate near the Lesotho border. It covers an area of 340 km2. The most notable features of the park are its golden, ocher and orange, deeply eroded sandstone rocks and outcrops, especially the Brandwag rock. Another feature of the area are the numerous caves and shelters in which San rock paintings are exhibited. Wildlife featured in the park includes moongos, eland, zebras and over 100 species of birds. It is the only freestate national park and is more famous for the beauty of its landscape than for its wildlife. Numerous paleontological finds have been made in the park, including dinosaur eggs and skeletons.

Here, too, we live - randomly booked - another highlight.

After checking in at Glen Reenen Rest Camp you will receive the Highlands Mountain Retreat card. Via a single-lane road - which can only be used by residents of the retreat - it goes up to 2200m above sea level. The retreat consists of 6 spacious huts with 2 bedrooms / bathrooms (family cottage), equipped kitchen, oven, grill and above all a very large balcony to enjoy the view and the phenomenal panorama at this height.
However, there is not really much to do in the park, the R712 crosses the park as the official street, only 2 loops go off as official park streets. The focus here is more on hiking, riding, sports. And so we move on the 2nd day along the rock formations on one of the 2 hour hiking trails.

March 16
A day of special importance
However, it begins quite relaxed. To shorten the travel time to our actual destination, the Kruger National Park, we booked the African Rock Hotel in Kempton Park Johannesburg as a stopover.
I have known Otij, the owner, since 2004, when my brother and I did our first guided self-drive tour through Botswana through his then company African Unlimited. In the meantime, Otij has sold the company and converted his home into an exquisite boutique hotel in 2010 for the Football World Cup. Whenever we stay in Johannesburg, we try to stay there, which is not always possible due to the booking situation. Last November (2019), on the way to Kimberley, we spent the last night at the African Rock Hotel and enjoyed the hospitality and the excellent food.
So it should be now. We drive to Kempton Park in less than 4 hours via the N5 and N3.
After we had no internet access in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, we now suddenly receive new worrying news. We noticed the beginning of the Corona outbreak in Europe, but it was far away. But now President Ramaphosa had declared the State of Disaster in South Africa, which led to various restrictions. The most important thing for us was the fact that the entry to South Africa was no longer possible and thus the air traffic was restricted. Since all Lufthansa hotlines were occupied, we drove to the airport. There, however, we were informed that nothing had changed in our booked departure dates and that we would be informed of any changes. After a few deliberations, we decided to continue as planned, but with mixed feelings. In order to stay up to date, I bought a data card for my old i-phone. We were able to use this in areas without internet such as the Kruger National Park, our next destination, receive important messages without expensive roaming fees. For an "ordinary" Africa vacation, I am happy to forego this information option, but unusual things became apparent here.

In addition to the data card, we also buy groceries for the next 4 days in the nearby shopping center and enjoy the hospitality of the African Rock Hotel.

7-20. March

Kruger National Park Byamiti, Talamati

After a great breakfast we make our way to Nelspruit (today called Mbombela). The Stefanwagen has received its first laundry at the African Rock Hotel since we left Orlando in November 2019. In Cape Town a car wash was not possible due to the water restrictions. On the way, the rain has already washed away the dirt. The next cleaning was planned for Hoedspruit at the end of the trip. But Orlando, who was responsible for the vehicles at African Unlimited, didn't want to let us drive like that.
Thanks Orlando!
I slept badly and had a headache. And so we change the first row. Klausi takes the wheel and I the passenger seat. (As it turns out later, a good decision, because this way Klausi can get used to driving on the left and South African traffic).
It is again almost 400 km from the African Rock Hotel to the Malelan Gate on the Krüger.
But they pull out today. Perhaps also because everyone is pursuing their thoughts and wondering how to proceed.
Klausi and I, the co-driver / navigator, miss the junction from the N4 to the R36 / 39. The R36 / 39 is bad to drive for trucks and would have been our choice. There is heavy truck traffic on the N4 that we drive, which is difficult to overtake on. Construction sites lead to further delays. And so we are only at the gate around 3 p.m., check in and go to the camp on a game drive. Byamti is one of the 5 Bushveld Camps in the Kruger.

Sanparks writes:
Bush camps offer accommodation in smaller, more remote rest camps .... There are no shops or restaurants in Bushveldcamps. Access to all Bushveld camps is restricted to overnight guests with reserved accommodation. ..

 Byamiti is one of the most popular bushveld camps in the Kruger. It lies on the Byamiti River, which also carries water from time to time. In addition to the view of the river bed, Byamiti offers a 21 km “private” road, which is only accessible to overnight guests from Byamiti. Due to the booking situation, I had to book 2 different bungalows for our two nights. The friendly camp manager can arrange this, however, so we don't have to give up our bungalow by 10 a.m. the next day in order to be able to move into the other bungalow at 2 p.m. The only point that deprives us of the joy of this night / evening is our neighbors, who start playing the guitar around the campfire in the evening and thus transform the African night with all its sounds into a youth hostel. After we complained to the Camp Manager the next day, the next evening there was silence. We have enough of driving for today, so all you have to do is start the grill, then enjoy gin, beer and steak.
As usual, we don't get up too early the next morning. The plan is to go to Lower Sabie today, buy drinks there, have a bite to eat, check the internet, and then drive back to Byamiti.

On the way to Lower Sabie we can see fighting giraffes. A spectacle that I have heard about a lot but have never seen. Various birds sit everywhere. Migratory birds, like the European bee-eater, are preparing for their upcoming return flight. Two cars stand in front of us and the occupants stare into the bushes. On request we learn that there is a leopard. Of course we want to see him too. When the others give up, you can see him come out of the bushes to hide in the tall grass. The first leopard for today. Except for giraffes, zebras and now and then a wildebeest, we see little due to the high grass and the full water holes off the public roads. Not even a few elephants, let alone lions, that Klausi absolutely wants to bring to the camera.
It gets warmer and warmer and so we enjoy the stop in Lower Sabi, where the first corona effects can already be noticed. Significantly fewer visitors and now you have to disinfect your hands everywhere.
After shopping, toilet, internet, we go to the bridge over the Sabie river to watch hippos and birds. Later on at Sunset Dam we discover a giant crocodile. We want to go back to Byamiti via H4-1 and S21. Shortly before the turn-off to S21, we are stopped by a collection of cars. Leopard # 2 has settled in the branches of a jackelberry tree. A bit difficult to see, but still quite stately, as he is lying on the branch. The occupants of a safari car make a lot of noise, since the vehicle in front of them, which was certainly there in front of them, does not move away to give them a better view of the leopard. Not only is noise the worst means in this environment (the leopard is not deaf and there is a great risk that it simply disappears and is therefore no longer visible to anyone), but also the selfishness of our society becomes visible again. I wonder what the safari car driver would have done if he were in the first place. Would he go away to make room for the other one? After a few words in the direction of the guide we leave the place.

One of the reasons why I like the south of the Kruger National Park, but I also have my resentments against it, is the fact that the south is now quite crowded compared to the northern part. Due to the proximity to major cities such as Nelspruit, White River, Hazyview, the number of day trips to the park has increased massively. Ten years ago, when we started visiting the Kruger regularly, we came across a safari car every now and then. Today you have the feeling that there are more guided safari tours from the outside than other visitors here in the south. Sometimes with a very aggressive demeanor, because every guide naturally wants to offer his guests the best. A good tip is also expected. And the excursion market in the tourist strongholds is very competitive. The further north you go in the park, the fewer these problems become. Guided tours are very rare to the north of Satara. This is e.g. also at the connection of this part to public transport, at the opening of the Krug itself (there are more public roads in the south than in the north) and also at the possible animal sighting, which is larger in the south than in the north. Therefore - I did not want to believe it for a long time, but now I also believe this - most Krüger connoisseurs and lovers prefer the north over the south.
We make our way back to Byamiti via the S21, past buffaloes, zebras and birds.
There is no hippo on the Byamiti Dam this afternoon. The dam is very suitable for a look into the hippo eyes, because the road leads below the concrete crown of the dam. Sitting in the Hillux, you have a view directly over the top of the dam into the water stowed behind. Today, however, there are only a few woolly neck storks standing in the water there.
As soon as we are in the "private" way to Byamiti, which turns S139, we finally see elephants. A large breeding herd slowly moves left and right of the road.

A typical herd of elephants (breeding herd) is led by a female matriarch and consists mainly of female relatives and their young animals. Male elephants are expelled from the herd around the age of 14. They then join other bachelors in so-called bachelor herds. There they receive their "further training" from an experienced older bull elephant. Later, as a full-grown bull, they roam the bush alone or in small groups and they are the real kings of the wild. As a rule, adult bull elephants are only found in the herds or nearby during their breeding season, the so-called MUSTH.

Back at the camp, Klausi and Tatjana decide to join the evening game drive, while Maschder and I cheer on the grill and prepare dinner with beer and gin. The two return with great enthusiasm. For Klausi there were no lions but Leoprad 3, 4 and 5, as well as various other mammals and birds.

Our complaint in the morning was successful and Cat Stevens, Joan Baez and the accompanying guitar have a day off tonight.
The next morning we leave Byamiti after breakfast. So far we have no news from Lufthansa or anyone else. However, we are still ready to change our plans at any time.

So we make our way north. Again on the S139 to the Byamiti Dam. There is relatively little animal and bird life to see up to the dam. It is said that the dry winter season is approaching, but there are still water points in the bush, green leaves on the trees and bushes and tall grass. The thick bush and tall grass in particular hinder animal sighting. And you should also consider: If you take the area of all streets of the Kruger (including those that are not open to the public, and this is the majority of the streets in the Kruger), they are only about 2% of the total area of the Kruger National Park. The ratio is certainly better in the south of the park than in the north. However, a large part of the parking area is still not accessible or visible. On the dam itself there is the promised picture face to face with the hippo (over the dam wall described). We decided to stop shopping in Skukuza on the way to Talamti. Until then, there were few animal sightings.
In Skukuza it is a bit crowded. Skukuza is the headquarters of the Kruger National Park, where many day visitors also stop. On the way north we first move along the Sabie River (h4-1, H12) before we take the S36 and S145 to Talamati.
We are the only vehicle in the normally well-visited Nhalanguleni rest area. Here it is allowed to leave the vehicle to stretch your feet, take a pee, etc. The two rest area attendants tell me that no one would have stayed here for a long time and whether I had a cigarette for them. Unfortunately I had to disappoint them because we are all non-smokers.
The grassy landscape along the Talamati to the camp is overgrown, so it is very difficult to see anything that is more than 10 m from the road. After moving in and taking a nap, the 3 try to find lions while I grill a delicious fillet of beef. But there are still no lions. Only late in the twilight do we hear the roar of lions from the undeveloped part of the park, which is north of our camp.

The last day in the park: we decide not to go directly to Hoedspruit, but to take the Sweni Loop (S129) to get to Satara. There we eat and drink a little something before we go to Hoedspruit. We also initially find little on the otherwise quite active S129. Only at the end of the road, before going on the H1-3 tar road, does the game population on the river bed increase. On the H1-3, at the junction to Nawentsi, there is even a brief traffic jam. As we notice, a powerful bull elephant lives up to its name and uses the H1-3 as its road as KING of the Road. Everyone has to avoid him! Fortunately, at some point he decides that the Sweni River has more food to offer than the tar road and disappears into the bushes. Satara itself is almost extinct. If you got almost no space in the restaurant at lunchtime, there is now almost complete emptiness. However, this does not make the service any better. After an ice cream and still no lions, we leave the Kruger National Park through the Orpen Gate and drive to the Raptors Lodge in Hoedspruit.

20-23 March

It is slowly becoming interesting: we are back in civilization and notice that Corona creates more and more effects. In the restaurant, only alcohol can be served until 6 p.m. Everywhere you have to wash your hands with disinfectant BEFORE entering the shop and you can't avoid it because there is an employee with a spray bottle in every entrance.
James and Sonja went into self-quarantine, so we avoid almost every contact. Sausage Tree (like all other lodges in South Africa) no longer has guests. Only South Africans are allowed to travel within the country, and less and less are doing that. The crisis begins. There are few visitors in the evening in the restaurants. Thirsty Giraffe, usually THE meeting point on a Friday evening, only has 3-5 tables. We will see the same thing at Hat & Creek over the next few days. Since Klausi has still not seen any lions, we booked a game drive with Sonja's daughter Jessica (Ntombi Safari) on her parental farm Tsukudu. There the sighting of lions, cheetahs and elephants is almost guaranteed.

SAA has been bankrupt for some time. On behalf of SAA, Airlink flies from Hoedspruit to Johannesburg twice a day and once in between SAA Express. SAA Express, a direct subsidiary of SAA, is now also under the bankruptcy wheels and the flight was canceled or Klausi, Maschder and Tati changed to the Airlink flight. But that's all too uncertain for me. If the 3 are not in Johannesburg by 5 p.m. on the 23rd at the latest, the onward flight to Germany is at risk.

On our evening safari on Tsukudu we finally see lions, can even approach the two cheetahs on foot and meet the Tsukudu elephants.

On Sunday we even managed to meet our friends Lucca and Erica, who now manage a lodge in Balule Nord.

In the morning on the 23rd, Klausi and I pick up the ordered car from Hoedspruit airport at AVIS. A nice Toyota Fortuner will be handed over to us with enough space for people and luggage. After packing, our ways separate. The 3 go to Johannesburg, I will stay as planned until March 25th. in Hoedspruit and move to Mike in the Moya Safari Villa. For this afternoon I have already rented a car from Europcar. Who knows what's coming. During the day, I still do everything as planned: check the tires, wash the car and have it checked by Hannes. And I even have the opportunity to get a haircut. (The last one for the next 6 weeks or more, because as it turns out, paid hair cutting is not allowed in Corona Germany.)
Moya Safari Villa is a superbly equipped accommodation at the Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate. Unfortunately I am the only guest due to the Corona location. The service and the food are fantastic.
With Tati, Klausi and the Maschder everything went well. You are now on the plane to Frankfurt.
A speech to the nation by President Ramaphosa is announced for today. It is postponed again and again, but around 7:00 p.m. local time the important words are spoken: because of Corona, the Landesgren will be closed on March 27th from midnight and the whole country will be put in the lockdown !!! Phew, that was close. In spite of the difficult statement for everyone, but especially for tourism, a stone falls from my heart, because my plane goes to Frankfurt on the 25th evening. I quickly book a hotel near the airport because I want to go to Johannesburg tomorrow.

The next day I leave Moya Safari Village and Hoedspruit with a queasy gut feeling. When will we see each other again? In August, as planned with friends, or only in November or later ???
Thankfully, the Stefanwagen comes under the supervision of Hannes, our mechanic friend, because Raptors View has already taken measures and it is difficult to park it at Spike.

The traffic to Johannesburg is as usual. At the airport, however, where I drop off the rental car, you can already see the empty corona.
Likewise in the Protea Airport Hotel. Almost only people are checked in there who are going to take off in the next few hours / day or who still have to take care of a seat back home. How good that I am already booked.
In the late afternoon of March 25th I take the shuttle bus to the airport. You are not used to the prevailing emptiness here. Wherever else passengers jostle to check in at Emirates, British Airways etc. EMPTY. At the Lufthansa counter itself, things are very chaotic. Everyone tries to get it and the check-in staff looks a little overwhelmed. But in the end everything works. Of course there is no longer a flight from Frankfurt to Nuremberg. There is neither an explanation nor an apology on the part of Lufthansa. You are simply faced with the fact. I have already reserved a rental car in Frankfurt. In security control, everything happens very quickly today because the queues are missing. Empty behind the security and passport control. Quickly buy something in the duty free, eat something in the lounge and then board. Everything is different on board. The stewardesses walk through the plane in almost OP-suitable equipment, there are few drinks and that - otherwise very good business class food has evaporated to a fast food restaurant. In Frankfurt the aircraft is parked on an outside position. We now expect at least one temperature screening, but nothing happens. Take the bus to the terminal, enter, pick up your suitcase from the assembly line, take the rental car and off you go on an almost empty highway to Nuremberg that is only used by trucks.

What a nice vacation PRIOR CORONA.