Tag: campsite

Johannesburg to Spioenkop Dam to Kloof

We flew back to Joberg from Italy arriving on the morning of August 8th. First job was to drive to Blue Hole where I had left the awning and seats for some sewing work. Blue Hole put on a new awning, with thicker reflective material, new awning bag, and made two new bags for the folding chairs, plus a couple of seat covers. They did a great job, and it was cheap at $A280.

Then it was of to Harvest Place shopping centre for supplies for the next few weeks.

The next day we went to lunch with Marion and David the couple that run the storage place Airport en Route. We went to the Shed and Silo about a kilometer away. It was packed out, we had to wait about 30 minutes for a table, but it was a nice lunch.

Next day we headed out at around 9am headed towards Durban in KZN. Traffic was light as it was a long weekend. It was a holiday on Friday for Woman’s Day in South Africa. 337km out at around 5pm we arrived at a campsite at Spioenkop Dam nature reserve. A few other campers at the reserve. We had power and reasonable ablutions.

Next day it was back on the road and back to the N3. We had lots of the traffic on the N3, it was the last day of the holiday weekend. A long stretch of roadworks that were tricky to navigate. After a bit over 200km we arrived in Kloof where we are staying for 6 days in an AirBnB.

Camped at Spioenkop Dam
Parked at the AirBnB in Kloof

Great Zimbabwe Hotel to Save River Conservancy

The next morning it was cold, but at last not raining. We got packed and drove the 30km into Masvingo, for more supplies, fuel, and water.  We found a Pick n pay supermarket, which would also take a credit card.

I went over the road to another supermarket to get water. They wouldn’t take a credit card, so I had to pay with USD. So the bill is USD$3.20. So they have no change less than a $1USD note. So what would I like. So I grab a couple of bottles of water out of the fridge. That leaves 22c changed owed, what do I want to do with that? I don’t care, keep the 22c. However the checkout attendant says, can I buy myself a chocolate bar for 20c. I say fine. We then go out both of us to be checked by the guards for my bottles of water, and her chocolate bar.

We try a servo for fuel with a credit card, no luck, but they suggest the Puma out of town. We go to the six month old Puma with attached KFC about a km out of town and buy fuel with a credit card. We are trying to conserve our supply of USD.

We drive east around 140km, decreasing in altitude and with increasing warmth. A couple of police road blocks, but they wave us through. We then turn onto the Save river conservancy, which is so big, that its a 60km drive from the front gate to the camping spot we have booked.

We drive past (and nearly collide with) Elephants. We also see Zebra, Giraffe, Kudu and other antelopes. After a river crossing we arrive at the Humani compound. We don’t know how to get to the campsite, eventually someone guides us out the 3km to the campsite next to the Turwi river.

We saw Elephants down river from us the first night. Occasionally we hear lions. The second day we spent the afternoon game driving down to the Save River, but didn’t see a lot. When we got back to camp, there was an elephant next to our campsite.

Camped next to the Turvi river
Plenty of wood provided for a campfire
The solar panels set up on the bank, because the campsite is under trees
Sunset on the Turvi river

 

 

 

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