5 Weeks in Tallinn, Estonia and the Baltic States.

#thelazycampers #kellysinestonia #estonia #travellingthebalticstates #amonthoflivingineurope #tallinn @visittallinn @visitestonia @getawaymagazine

Panaroma of Tallinn, Estonia.

 It is not often that you find yourself in the fortuitous situation of living in another country for a short period of time without actually having to move there. So when we got the chance to spend 5 weeks in Tallinn, Estonia, it was difficult to turn down. Estonia is not somewhere I ever thought I would spend 5 weeks of my life but how glad I am that I got the chance. My husband was sent to work in Estonia for 2 months and so we discussed me joining him for 5 weeks. We realised that there is never an ideal time and so after a little consideration we decided this was a once in a lifetime adventure, an opportunity not to be missed.

Tallinn is a gorgeous, charming city and although we were visiting in the wrong season (summer is far more vibrant, the weather is a lot warmer and the days considerably longer) it was still a stunning place to be. We experienced the first snowfall at the beginning of November so if you are visiting at this time of year make sure that you are well prepared for the cold, and wet.

Estonia is an interesting place with a wealth of fascinating history because they have been under Danish, Swedish, Soviet, German and even Polish rule on and off and back and forth since the 13th century. The Estonian people are very proud people and even in today's fashion driven world you will still find Estonian people wearing clothing with traditional patterns on or even the odd accessory that dates back 100s of years (like the mittens with pointed ends and scarves with traditional Estonian patterns). Estonia also boasts some of the largest cultural singing festivals in the world like The Estonian Song and Dance Festival which is held every 5 years in July, dates back to 1869 and is one of UNESCO’s world cultural heritage events. 2017’s festival boasted 30000 performers and attracted roughly 100000 visitors according to the “Visit Estonia” website.

Our accommodation in Tallinn was great, we found a lovely Air BnB apartment with the perfect location: walking distance to work for my husband; a view of the harbour so we could watch the cruise ships come and go; near to two of the entrances to Old Town; close to many shops and restaurants and a short distance to the start of the Hop-on hop-off bus route. This made the 5 weeks in our new home central to all the action.

Tallinn harbour area.

 The language spoken in Estonia is Estonian as well as quite a bit of Russian due to the fact that 30ish percent of the population is of Russian descent. Although the two languages sounded very similar to us, we were informed that they are in fact very different, especially since Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet whereas Estonian is based on the Latin alphabet. Luckily for us many people in Tallinn speak English and so this made getting around fairly easy, many restaurants even have an English menu. I will be honest though, and feel a little ashamed to say that because so many people speak English, we only learned one word of Estonian on the entire trip: “Terviseks”, which means “Cheers”!

Tallinn is the most connected city I have ever been to. There is free WiFi almost everywhere, in every restaurant, every mall, on the bus, on the ship, even in the streets if you are in the right area. As a traveller this is fantastic because you don't have to wait to get back to your accommodation to get connected. It also makes navigation and fact finding more accessible.

Tallinn has some amazing museums and sights to see and a month in Estonia gives you ample time to really get to see everything. Some of my highlights:
Tallinn Old Town (with its medieval castle walls, underground bastion tunnels and artillery towers) is obviously on the top of the list of things to see in Estonia, especially if you are from a country like South Africa where we do not have an Old Town. Other than all the magnificent buildings and museums in Old Town, the viewpoints are a must. The panoramic view of the city of Tallinn below is something to behold.  Of all the Baltic Old Towns we visited, Tallinn’s was by far the most beautiful and is consider to be one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe.

Tallinn Old Town.

The Sea-Plane Harbour museum with its wonderful display of everything ocean, from exploring a submarine to boarding an Ice-breaker ship, is magnificent. When visiting this museum don’t forget to stop and take a walk around the outside of the old Patarei Sea Fortress Prison, next door, built during the Russian Empire of Nicholas I. 

Sea-Plane Harbour Museum - Tallinn.

The Open Air museum introduces all tourists to the traditional, Estonian, way of life and is nestled in an enchanting ocean-side forest and should not be skipped.

Traditional Estonian housing, windmills and fishing gear - Tallinn.

The underground Bastions at Kiek in de Kok (which translates to “Peep in the Kitchen” from the ability of tower occupants to see into the kitchen of nearby houses) is a must see and you need to explore the tunnels as well as the museum where you will learn about the different times of rule over Estonia as well as all the interesting uses for the Bastion tunnels dating back to 1475 when they were built right up to present day.

Kiek in de Kok museum and Bastion tunnels - Tallinn.

The Energy museum is a great museum for big and little kids to explore, we had an absolute blast in the mirror section and seeing the Tesla coil.

Tesla coil and mirror trick at the Energy museum - Tallinn.

Alternative sights are always intriguing and Tallinn has quite a few of these:

Look out for the #Mextonia murals all over the city. They were painted by artists from all over the world, highlighting the “Freedom of Cultures” and are in celebration of the first centennial of the Republic of Estonia. These paintings can be found on the harbour wall, in the city centre, near to the harbour, in the Telliskivi district as well as other locations around Tallinn. The murals are quite stunning and really something every tourist should look out for.

#Mextoina Murals - Tallinn.

Linnahall is a concert and sports venue that was built in 1980 and closed in 2010 that is now covered in the most stunning graffiti as well as one of the #Mextonia murals. Situated right next to the sea this is a must-see sight and is a great place for photographs.

Linnahall graffiti - Tallinn.

Tallinn’s TV tower, originally built for better telecommunications for the sailing summer Olympics of 1980, at 314m is the tallest free-standing building in Estonia. The observation deck on top offers a great panoramic view of Tallinn. For those who are a little more daring, you can do the 20-minute edge walk on top of the tower where you get harnessed up and do a panoramic walking tour along a 175m dropoff.

Edge walk and Tallinn TV tower.

The food in Tallinn was delicious and diverse. If I had to begin naming great restaurants the list would go on and on. In general, on the whole trip, in almost every place we visited, the food was fantastic. Unlike in South Africa, a lot of the restaurants brew their own beers and so brewery restaurants are very common and not a novelty. A few places, however, that are a must would be Kochi Aid situated in an old building near the harbour, Beer House where you can enjoy their home brewed beer in a old city scene, Washoku Story which is a small Japanese restaurant that had just opened when we got there and serves fabulous Ramen and Edamame. Finally, a must-do-stop is to have coffee and cake on the Old Town wall at Kohvik Dannebrog (Tower Cafe) where you can enjoy the view of Old Town while listening to traditional Estonia music.

The beauty of being located in Estonia was that there were so many opportunities to travel Estonia’s surrounding countries with ease. Of the 5 weekends we spent in the Baltics we spent 3 in Estonia and the other 2 visiting the neighbouring countries.
We took a 4 hour bus ride to Riga, Latvia for a weekend where we tasted hot Balzam (Riga’s equivalent of hot wine) and experienced a medieval themed restaurant for the first time, and loved them both.

Bridge over the Daugava River, Old Town, Lasite medieval restaurant - Riga, Latvia.

We boarded a ship and cruised to Stockholm, Sweden in the middle of the week for a whirlwind 36 hour trip to Stockholm and back to Tallinn, just long enough for a taste of what Sweden has to offer.

Old Town Square, Mural, Cruise ship - Stockholm, Sweden.

On another weekend we climbed on a train and sped to Tartu, Estonia where we ate deer and drank beer in a bar under the Bastions and behaved like children in an upside down house.

Old Town square and the Upside down house - Tartu, Estonia.

On our final weekend in the Baltics we embarked on a 7-hour bus ride to St Petersburg, Russia where we were wowed by two of the biggest museums we have ever seen (the Russian Artillery museum and The Winter Palace of Catherine the Great) and were completely overwhelmed by the amount to see and how the royals (Tsars) over time just squandered their country's money on fancy buildings that they never even got to live in because they died before their completion.

Artillery museum, Church on Spilled Blood and a bridge with Christmas lights - St Petersburg, Russia

We really enjoyed how effortlessly we were able to travel the Baltic area. Buses, trains and ships are so easy to book, board and travel and once in the EU you can get between countries without any extra visas. As South Africans we did not require visas for Russia either and so travel was simple. You still have to show your Schengen visa at all stops but no other visas were required, that being said though, when you do show your South African passport the authorities page back and forth and back and forth scrutinising every empty and filled page.

One of the best parts of spending an extended period time in one place is the small observations that you make: everyone walks everywhere really quickly, maybe it’s because they have an urgent purpose or maybe it’s just to keep warm. At some stage I noticed this little tag hanging from a lot of people’s clothing and found out that you are required to wear a reflector on your clothing when walking on the streets to ensure that you are seen by cars. This is because in the winter there are so many hours of darkness. Tallinn is spotless, almost no litter lying around and it is quite refreshing to see. Many people in Estonia speak 2 or 3 or even 4 languages fluently, unlike a lot of English speaking South Africans who speak English and dabble in another language: Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa. We were told that in order to work in Old Town you are required to speak Estonian, Russian, English and preferably some Finnish because it is a tourist hub. The landscape in Tallinn is so flat that the clouds seem almost animated and stand out like tufts of cotton wool - it is really beautiful and makes for great photos.

Our last night in Tallinn was magical, just spectacular and picturesque! We made our way into Old Town for the last time and as we arrived in the centre of Old Town in the main square there was a huge Christmas tree lit up with twinkling lights and sparkling decorations surrounded by a traditional Christmas Market. An already perfect setting was then topped off with a downpour of snow which coated the entire square in white and turned Tallinn Old Town into an enchanted, winter, Christmas wonderland. What a fantastic end to a wonderful adventure.

Winter wonderland Christmas scene in Tallinn Old Town Square.

If I had to pick my favour spot of all the places that we visited in the Baltic sea, it would have to be Tallinn. It is a gorgeous city with friendly people, it is easy to get around, festive in all seasons, has amazing museums and architecture and a wealth of very interesting and challenging history. Tallinn is a place that many South Africans have never even heard of but should most certainly put near the top of the places in the world to visit.

Tartu, Estonia

#thelazycampers #kellysinestonia #Tartu #Estonia #tagurpidimaja #eestirahvamuuseum

Distance from Tallinn, Estonia: 185km, +- 2 hrs
Transportation from Tallinn: Train (Elron €26 for 2 ppl,one way)
Accommodation: Looming Hostel (€36 for 2 ppl, 1 night, double room)
Accommodation tip: there is a BnB/ Hostel in the centre of Old town called Terviseks, they have a much better location but were full when we tried to book.

Tartu, Estonia is the second largest city in Estonia and is considered to be the university town of Estonia. Only a quick 2 hour train ride from Tallinn made Tartu an easy weekend away with a one night stay. We boarded the train at 10am and were in Tartu by midday. Travelling by train is such a relaxing way to travel and I love watching the countryside whiz by.

Tartu is a cultural and arts place with lots of museums and monuments. We had heard from the tour guide at Kiek in de Kok Bastions (underground tunnels built for war times) in Tallinn that there is a pub in the Bastions in Tartu and so after disembarking the train we headed straight for lunch at the Gunpowder Cellar (Pussirohukelder) nestled in the Bastion in Tartu Old Town. This place was great, the atmosphere was warm, the food delicious, the hot wine had a serious kick and the beer was large - 1L large.

The streets around the centre of Old Town are buzzing with a multitude of cafes, bars and restaurants and there are so many great options: Tea and cake at Armastus Cafe Amore, over 100 options of beer from around the world at Keller (Ruutli Korp Ou) or a delectable breakfast of pancakes and omelette at Cafe Truffe. Also don’t miss the Leaning House of Tartu next door to Cafe Truffe, you might miss it if you don’t know it is there - we almost did.

1. Gunpowder Bastion Bar; 2. Old Town Square; 3. Breakfast at Cafe Truffe; 4. Leaning house of Tartu

The one and only night we spent in Tartu we decided we had eaten way too much during the day and that we would skip dinner but at 9pm Ross was craving chicken wings and so we went out on a hunt. After about a 45min search, in the freezing cold, we stumbled across a gastrobar called Willy & Rudy and had the most amazing sticky-chili chicken wings and a hummus/guacamole/salsa bread board. The restaurant was beautiful and so worth the roaming in the cold. We sat at the window and stared out into the Old Town square enjoying our wings and watching the people walking by and teenagers dancing in the square. This was a brilliant find!

We did not have loads of time to see every museum and monument that Tartu has to offer but the places we visited were well worth the stop. Not knowing too much about the KGB, other than they were not the friendliest people, we decided to visit the KGB prison cells. This was not as good as we had hoped mostly because we were hoping to gain more insight into the KGB in general but there was not that much information about them, however, if you are wanting to see what it must have been like to be down in one of these prison cells then this is good, short, stop.

The three most exciting stops and things that should be at the top of things to see in Tartu are the Toy museum, the Upside Down house (Tagurpidi) and the Estonian National museum.
The toy museum is a large museum showcasing toys from all eras from around the world as well as Estonia. This was a great trip down memory lane with lots of “Ooo, remember this”, “I had this” and  “I always wanted this”. The Toy museum is a great place for adults and kids but if you are planning on taking your kids remember to leave a little time for them to play in the play area, otherwise there might tears.

The Upside Down House was a fantastic stop and not to be missed. It is the perfect opportunity to get some goofy photos and have good laugh. The house is very well done and entertaining for the whole family. Even walking around the house is amuzing as the floor (well ceiling) is tilted at a 7° angle.

The Estonian National Museum is a fairly new museum and requires quite a few hours to really  make the most of this stop. The museum is spectacular and looks at the history of Estonia in an extremely interactive and technologically advanced way, as far as museums go. All information at the exhibits is on a tablet and when you enter the museum you are given a card for your language, when you get to the exhibit you touch your card to the sensor and the information will appear in your language...brilliant! There is so much to see in this museum so it is not worth the trip if you don’t have the time to really appreciate it. We ate a buffet lunch in the museum cafe as well which was delicious and gave us a chance to experience some traditional Estonian food. Don’t forget to top off your lunch with an ice-cream, I would recommend the Vana-Tallinn - Yum!

Upside Down House

Estonian National Museum

Although Tartu might not be on the top of your list of places to go in the world, if you are spending an extended amount of time in Estonia then Tartu is definitely worth a visit. There is a lot to see and I would have made the stop just to go to the Upside Down house.

36 hour cruise to Stockholm

#thelazycampers #kellysinestonia #stockholm #Sweden #BalticQueen #cruisingthebaltic

Distance from Tallinn, Estonia: +-430km, 14h30

Transportation from Tallinn: Cruise Ship (Tallink €68 for 2 ppl,return, on a weekday)
Accommodation: The Ship

Tallink, Baltic Queen cruise ship

When looking for options for travel to Stockholm from Tallinn I was shocked to discover that a ferry would be quite a pricey venture at roughly €355 return for the two of us...Ouch. And then I made the mistake of converting that into Rands (roughly R5850) and I cringed. That is a lot of money for just transport for a quick weekend away. How could it be so expensive? We were definitely not doing a weekend in Stockholm. Then after a conversation with a few people who know how things work in the Baltics we were told to rather hop on a cruise to Stockholm. A cruise? Surely if a ferry is €355 a cruise will be exorbitant! To my surprise it wasn’t! A cruise to Stockholm from Tallinn was only €68 (for up to 4 people) and once in Stockholm there would be no accommodation costs because we would be staying on the ship, this sounds like a great way to quickly see Stockholm.

There is one big catch to the cruise, you cannot choose how long you stay in Stockholm, you have only 1 day (well 6 hours to be precises) to see as much as you can. Challenge accepted!

We boarded the ship at 5:30pm on Wednesday evening and set sail at 6pm. Because of the time of year we exited the harbour in the dark and watch the lights of Tallinn disappear into the distance and before we knew it we were out in the pitch black of the Baltic Sea, not a star in the sky and quite an eery feeling.

After a rather expensive and really tiny dinner we headed to the on-board supermarket to find some food to fill the gap, then on the the shows. We spent the evenings watching dance shows and the band in the Starlight Palace and then listened to the individual singers in the bars. We thoroughly enjoyed our evenings roaming the ship, soaking up the entertainment and enjoying each others company.

We reached the Swedish coast at about 8am Thursday morning and for the next 2 hours we watched the tiny islands with their quaint houses and little lighthouses slide on by. Although it was 0℃ out on deck, we sat outside and soaked up the picturesque scenery while enjoying a cup of coffee and a light breakfast. This was, for me, one of the highlights of the cruise.

With only 6 hours to see as much of the city as possible we needed a game plan. The hop-on-hop-off bus made sense but was a little out of our budget at €30 per person (it is roughly €20 in other cities) , we decided against going into the museums because of the amount of time required to really enjoy them and so we used an walking-tour app to see the city. The cruise ship does offer a 2 hour bus trip coupled with a one hour walking tour but it is only in Russian, and our Russian is non-existent. We hopped of the ship and jumped onto the metro to get to our starting point , the metro was an easy and quick way to get around, the staff were very helpful and friendly and a ticket is only SEK43 per person for 75min.  

4pm, we were broken! We had walked as much of Stockholm as we could in one day and had seen as much of the city as was possible in 6 hours: the Palace, parliament, Old Town, Sodermalm, churches, Katarinahissen viewing deck and had lunch at a fantastic restaurant (Corner Cafe) where we sipped hot wine and shared a viking burger and unless you are in fact a viking, I suggest you share this burger with someone. The darkness had started to set in so we boarded the ship and had an hour lie down before the ship departed for Tallinn. On departure we went back out onto the deck to watch the islands go by but this time the islands were elegantly lit up and twinkled as we drifted by. The beauty of the islands was like something out of a movie a I felt a little like a moth drawn to the lights. We stayed outside as long as we could and once frozen to the core we found a window seat inside the ship and continued to marvel at the lights dancing past us over a refreshing drink. A romantic end to a whirlwind cruise.

We had so much fun on this lightening cruise and I can imagine that in the summer months this cruise must be quite something else to experience with the sun only setting round 11pm and rising again at 3am. You might not get to see the dazzling lights of the houses on the Swedish islands but you will be able to see out into the vast ocean for hours on end and really enjoy time outside on the decks.

Nice to know for the cruise:

- This cruise was a great way to get to see Stockholm especially if you are short on time. The cruise experience coupled with the day in Stockholm is a lot of fun.
- If you are travelling in the off-season (like we did) don’t make a booking at any of the restuarants, wing it, when you get there read all the menus, visit the cafeteria and see what tickles your fancy.
- You can take your own food and cooldrink onto the ship with you. We took our own water and breakfast goodies but ate dinner in the restaurants and cafeteria.
- You can buy food and alcoholic beverages in the on-board supermarket and enjoy them out on the ship decks and in your room, just not in the bars/restaurants. We had a few drinks in the bars and a few on the decks.

Riga, Latvia

#thelazycampers #kellysinestonia #riga #latvia

Distance from Tallinn, Estonia: 315km, 4h30
Transportation from Tallinn: Bus (Ecolines €66 for 2 ppl,return)
Accommodation: The Naughty Squirrel Backpackers (€57 for 2 ppl, 2 night, mix dorm)

City Skyline of Riga's Old Town

Travelling the Baltic States in October/November is not the best time of year: the days are short, the weather is a little frigid and the rain and snow can put a dampener on a day outside, however, we have still managed to have a fantastic stay. To be honest seeing the snow was a bit a of highlight and not so much a downer. We are staying in Tallinn, Estonia for a month and travelling the Baltic area on the weekends. This past weekend we spent two days in Riga, Latvia.

We booked our bus during the week after asking around which bus companies we should use and although Ecolines was not the highest recommended bus it was one of the cheaper ones and perfect of the 4.5 hour drive. We packed our dinner in a backpack, boarded the bus at 5pm and were off.

We arrived in Riga at 9:15pm and made the short walk to our accommodation, The Naughty Squirrel Backpackers. The location of the backpackers is perfect: only a few blocks from the bus station, situated in Riga’s Old Town, close to restaurants and near to the starting point for all the bus and walking tours. The backpackers is quite large with many options for accommodation, we opted for the mixed dorm. The backpackers was very well kept, the staff were very friendly, speak good English and were very knowledgeable about the area. After a quick intro and a shot of traditional black Latvian Balsum we deposited our bags in the dorm and were ready to explore.

The beauty of being in the Baltic is the general safety of the area and being able to walk everywhere, even if you are on your own; so walking around the streets until well after midnight is not uncommon and not unsafe. This is a refreshing situation, especially coming from South Africa where we would never saunter around the streets until all hours of the morning, at least not anyone in their right mind and especially not in small groups or alone.

Even in October Riga is a bustling place. Locals and tourist are jovially roaming the streets moving from pub to pub to club and the restaurants are filled with people enjoying a fine meal and the company of friends. Old Town, Riga, is beautifully lit up and there is a myriad of bars so finding a place for a drink is not difficult. After roaming the streets for about an hour we settled on the Oldest Bar in Riga, AKA, and warmed up inside with some Latvian beer and a glass of red wine. A great start to our weekend.

Due to the limited amount of time we had to see Riga we decided a 2 day pass for the hop-on-hop-off sightseeing bus was a no-brainer. Thank goodness we got the bus tickets because it rained the whole day Saturday and so we sat on the bus with our coffee and enjoyed the sights of Riga from our dry seats on the top floor of the bus. This gave us an opportunity learn a little about Riga as well as determine where we would like to get off and explore. After completing the green loop once and the blue loop twice, we decided to brace the rain and get off the bus to soak up the beauty of the architecture of the buildings around us. This is much easier done from the ground than from the bus. Riga has so much to offer, the buildings and monuments are grand and the rich history is so evident in all the buildings and parks - especially in Old Town.

Riga sights

There are many restaurants and bars that come recommended in Riga but it is always such a treat to discover a hidden gem that was not on the suggested list. On our second evening in Riga the rain had stopped and so we took a lovely walk down the streets of Jauniela and Rozena (as recommended online) which are lively streets of quaint little restaurants and we stumbled upon a gorgeous little underground restaurant call Balzambars in Torņa iela. We tried Hot Balzam for the first time which is a very tasty hot red wine with spices and Latvian Balsam, this warmed me very quickly after being out in the cold. We had a delicious meal in a fantastic atmosphere and this was a brilliant end to a rainy day.
On our last day in Riga we happened upon a medieval restaurant, Lasite, where we drank Latvian Cherry and wheat beer out of traditional black ceramic mugs and ate our scrumptious soup out of black ceramic soup bowls. Another gem where the food was great and the atmosphere even better.

4pm Sunday came upon us so quickly and we had to draw ourselves out of the medieval times and back to the 21st Century so that we could catch our bus back to Tallinn. We reluctantly collected our bag from the backpackers and made our way to the bus station, but not to despair, Stockholm and St Petersburg still await.

1. Hot Balsum, 2. Beer in the Medieval restaurant

Orange River Rafting Trip 2017

#thelazycampers #camping #orangeriveradventures #gravityadventures

Trip cost in 2017: R5300pp
Tour company: Gravity Adventures
Location: Onseepkans, Northern Cape, South Africa

Durban to Onseepkans and back again: 2836km
Distance on the river: +-30km

View of The Orange River.
Picture credit: Shelly Fraser.

After years of talking and “We should...”  “When will we?” and “We really must…”, we finally made the great trek from Durban all the way across South Africa to Onseepkans to do the Orange River rafting trip. We woke up early Friday morning so that we could get a start on the day: 3 weary travellers, excited for an adventure.

The drive from Durban on Onseepkans (where the adventure would begin) takes about 14 hours. This trip is do-able in one day but no one wants to start off an exciting holiday with a such laborious journey. The trip was broken by an overnight stop in Griekwastad. Where you ask? Griekwastad, and you are excused for never having heard of it. Griekwastad is a tiny town right bang in the middle of South Africa’s Northern Cape where not a whole lot is going on. Step one on arrival was to find salad and rolls for the braai that night - no such luck. Step two, phone a friend to bring salad and rolls for the braai that night - success! We made our way to our accommodation (we were sceptical as to what it was going to be like since Griekwastad did not have much going for it at this point) and were very pleasantly surprised when we arrived at a beautiful guest farm, Koekais Guest Farm, with a gorgeous little cabin that sleeps 6: en-suite bathrooms for everyone, a homely kitchen and a fantastic outdoor braai area with braai and fire-pit. We cracked open a beer while we waited for the others to arrive. After a jovial evening, a magnificent bonfire and a scrumptious meal we were off to bed as we still had to travel the next day.

Koekaise Guest Farm outside Griekwastad.
Picture credit: Oliver Rivett-Carnac

Our initial party of 3 slowly started to grow as we made our way closer to our final destination. At Griekwastad we became a party of 5 and by the time we reached Upington on Saturday morning we were a party of 13. A quick stop at Augrabies Falls, because we could not pass up the opportunity to be all the way on the other side of the country and not visit one of South Africa’s largest waterfalls, then on to Onseepkans.

Augrabies Falls
Picture credit: Oliver Rivett-Carnac and Diane Schultz

Saturday afternoon we finally arrived at Onseepkans, at Gravity Adventures, where we met up with the rest of the rafters (who were not part of our party of 13) as well as our very enthusiastic guides. We set up camp for the first night on the river bank had a refreshing swim in the river and watched baboons playing on the bridge. After a scrumptious braai prepared by our guides we spent the evening catching up with old friends and meeting new friends and speculating what we thought the next 4 days had in store for us.

Night 1, base camp at Gravit Adventure, Onseepkans
Picture credit: Oliver Rivett-Carnac and Shelly Fraser

4 days on the river, no cell reception, no civilisation, nothing but the peaceful flow of the water, the melody of the wilderness and the company of friends - Yes please!

Before we could embark on our 4 day journey down the river, however, there were a few crucial things that needed to take place: pack our dry-bags (this was tight, only 1 per person and everything has to fit in it), stock our cooler boxes with drinks (essential), load our boats, blow up Ron-Swanson the inflatable flamingo and finally attend the safety brief. Ian and his crew walked us through all aspects of safety for the trip, rule number 1: don’t behave like an idiot, the nearest hospital is 8 hours away.

Ron Swanson the Flamingo and packing our boats for the journey.
Picture credit: Oliver Rivett-Carnac

Each day on the river was new and exciting and each campsite was different to the last: from rocky banks to sandy beaches, from narrow banks flanked by a high mountain to wide open spaces. The variety was refreshing and meant that every day of the trip was unique. Days on the river were peaceful and the paddling pace fairly easy for everyone to keep up. There was plenty of time to swim and enough time to relax on the boat. King fishers fished near the reeds on the river’s edge and legavaans sunbathed on the rocks. The scenery constantly changed and the river widened then narrowed then widened again as the gentle current nudged us along. As we expeditioned down the river the rapids got progressively more exciting, day by day the guides coached us through each rapid and slowly prepared us for the slightly larger rapid we would tackle the following day finally culminating at the biggest rapid on day 3.

Rafting down the Orange River
Picture credit: Shelly Fraser

Evenings, after bathing in the river, were spent huddled in a circle reliving the day, reminiscing the past and talking about the future. One specific night we had two really interesting visitors: a solifugae (spider that looks like it has 10 legs but in fact has 8 legs and 2 pedipalps) as well as the largest firefly I have ever seen and they both hung around long enough for us to have a really good look at them. Ian gently picked up the solifugae for us all to get a closer look and the firefly was kind enough to perch on someone's arm and we all huddled round to marvel at its enormous, glowing bum.

What makes this trip so appealing and such a great holiday is not only the river and outdoors but the fantastic service of the guides. Mornings started off slowly and each day we woke up to a warm and welcoming breakfast prepared for us; lunch time was spent on the river bank under a marquee where a spread of food was laid out for us; and dinners were wholesome, homely meals beautifully prepared in rustic river-side conditions. Each meal was delicious and so much care was taken in the preparation, right down to gluten and lactose intolerances as well as allergies being taken into account. One evening we had climbed to the top of the rocky mountain surrounding our campsite to enjoy the panoramic view and as we were drinking in the sights one of the guides arrived at the top of the mountain with a decadent cheese and biscuit platter - now that’s what I call above-and -beyond service.

Fun on the river.
Picture credit: Shelly Fraser and Michael Tucker

After the relaxing rafting trip we made our way back towards Durban and were back to our initial party of 3, but broke the trip into 2 stops so as not to ruin our lovely, rejuvenating holiday. We drove from Onseepkans to Bloemfontein and spent the afternoon and evening at Isabella’s Guest House, a beautiful guest house and a relief for the back and hips to be sleeping in a bed rather than on the floor for the first time in 5 days. One of our biggest mistakes of the rafting trip was not taking something decent to sleep on; 5 days of sleeping on a yoga mat is not conducive to good sleeping conditions. After a good cleaning, a change of clothes and a cup of tea we made our way out for a lovely dinner and then flopped into our comfy beds.

Early the next morning we are up and on the move again, making our way towards Clarens. Back again, almost exactly a year after our month long South African trip of 2016 . After a beautiful drive and a stop at the cutest padstal, The Cabin and Farm, we arrived at yet another gorgeous little guest farm: Linwood Guest Farm. An intimate, rustic cabin with place for 4 to sleep, a lounge with an indoor fireplace as well as a cosy patio with braai area. We spent the next 2 days wandering around Clarens town square, drinking craft beef and absorbing the artsy vibe before we headed home to Durban.

A great trip, with great friends and a fantastic experience. September is a great time of year to embark on this adventure, the days are lovely and warm (around 30℃) the evenings are mild but lovely for camping and the water warm enough to swim. This is a holiday that I would highly recommend and is a great opportunity for family bonding or time with friends. We had an awesome experience under the guidance and care of the staff at Gravity adventures.