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.

A different kind of wedding registry for those who love camping.

#thelazycampers #camping #weddingregistry #outdoorwarehouse

Your wedding is fast approaching and there is so much to do! The pressure is on and one of the things on your very long list of things-to-do is to put together a wedding registry at your local home store. The problem is that the thought of wandering down aisle after aisle of crockery and cutlery and platters and all the kitchen utensils you supposedly need but have not idea what they do, is exceedingly boring. And now you have to drag your soon-to-be-husband with you as well whose dislike for these aisles is greater than yours. The thing is that you have been living together for a few years and to be honest, most of the kitchen/dining/home paraphernalia that you need, you pretty much already own.

So what to do?

Well, if you are outdoor people like we are, you drive straight to the nearest outdoor store and begin the browsing. There are so many more exciting things to find at an outdoor store and even though some of it might be crockery and cutlery the exciting adventures that these utensils will accompany you on is more than enough motivation to keep you browsing.

My fiance and I found ourselves roaming for hours through our local Outdoor Warehouse deciding what we would really like (and need) to add to our camping kit. As we browsed, the conversation was about what trip we would use each item for and the value each item would add to our future adventures. We came up with new places we would like to see and the many activities that these places would open up for us. As we drifted around the store our list started to grow: crockery, cutlery, steak knives, braai tongs, a cooler box, a flask, a water/juice cooler, camping lights, camping stove, gas, and so on. We left the store very excited, perhaps not so much about the items we had just put on our wedding registry but for the places we would take these items.

The day of our wedding arrived and it really was everything we hoped it would be. All our friends and family had joined us, the venue (Sand River Getaway) was stunning and rustic and reflected who we are as a couple so well. Perhaps this is because my parents own Sand River Getaway and the wedding venue was built just for us but has been cherished by other love-birds too. The outdoor chapel and reception deck with a view of the valley make for a peaceful yet breathtaking backdrop to a wonderfully romantic occasion.

Our wedding at Sand River Getaway

The day after our wedding we headed up to Hogsback in the Eastern Cape for a mini honeymoon with a car filled with two very excited newly-weds and gifts from all our loved ones. That night we we sat in front of a warm, crackling log fire inside our misty mountain cottage with a fine glass of red wine and excitedly opened our gifts. We were delighted to find everything we needed for our future adventures - camping accessories.

My in-law’s close friends were very generous and bought most of the crockery and cutlery items on our Outdoor Warehouse registry and then cleverly packaged them in a plastic stackable box for easy transport. We were also very excited to receive a large cooler box from my boss, a smaller cooler bag from my husband’s aunt and uncle, as well as vouchers for Outdoor Warehouse which we used to buy the last few items like the gas stove and camping lights which we packed into another box the same as the one with the crockery and cutlery. It was here our camping boxes were born and these boxes are very special to us and go with us on every camping trip: be it Mdumbi in the Transkei, Kgalagadi in the Northern Cape or the Western Cape coast to Namaqualand.

Camping boxes

The very first place we used our camping boxes and other camping accessories was on our real honeymoon, to Blyde River and The Kruger Park, which makes these wedding gifts even more special and a real part of our life together. Every time we take these boxes with us on a camping trip we take with us the love of friends and family. So if you cringe at the thought of dragging your feet down the aisles of your local home store perhaps a trip to the local outdoor store will quicken your step.

Bushbaby Lodge

#BushbabyLodge #camping #thelazycampers Camping R120pp

Location: D49 Rd, Hluhluwe/Duma Zulu, South Africa

Situated in the savanna landscape of the northern section of KwaZulu Natal is a marvellous little bush lodge that offers wide open camping spaces, plenty of shade and wildlife on your doorstep. Bushbaby Lodge is located only 20min from the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve and is a fantastic place to setup up camp.

Getting there

Drive the N2 northbound out of Durban (for about 2-2.5 hours), take the off ramp after the Hluhluwe Total Petrol Station onto the D566 and turn right to go on the bridge over the highway (the road turns to dirt almost immediately but the road is easily accessible by all cars). At the T-junction, you will turn right and then take your first left and very shortly after you have turned you will come across Bushbaby Lodge on your left. Be sure to watch out for game (Giraffe, zebra and impala) while you drive the dirt road, you could have your first game sightings before you even venture into any of the reserves.

The Campsite

Bushbaby lodge offers fabulous campsites, one of the top campsites we have stayed at. The lodge offers two different camping areas but if it is available I recommend that you ask for the campsites near to the game fence and waterhole. The property has zebra, wildebeest, nyala and bushbuck on it. In the evenings the animals come to the watering hole to get water and food and the campsite is right next to the fence. One highlight was getting up in the middle of the night to go to the loo and seeing the zebra and nyala standing near the fence, what a treat to have game-viewing in the middle of the night on your doorstep (or tent-step).

The campsites are very spacious and sport plenty of shade as well as electrical points (you need a caravan plug), there is a communal braai area, communal kitchen with sinks, fridge, drinking water and bathrooms all neat and cleaned daily. The lodge also has a beautiful swimming pool to cool down in on those hot summer days (and they can get very hot!) and a little shop that sells curios and ice-cream (no ice though) and wood by the wheelbarrows (the boys thought this was fantastic). There is also a cozy restaurant where you can order meals.

Things to do

- Walk: take a leisurely walk around the property. Follow the multiple foot paths and do some game viewing by foot. Look out for antelope and birds as well as some of the exciting creepy-crawlies like ant-lions.

- Bushbaby viewing: every night at 7-7:30pm the owners of the lodge feed the bushbabies and you are invited to watch the feeding and meet their wide-eyed visitors. After the feeding the bushbabies make their way home through the campsite and screech and shout in the trees above you making it easy to spot them with a torch. This was a real treat, there are not many places where you can see wild bushbabies up close. -Swim: Bushbaby lodge has a sparkling swimming pool in the centre of their venue which is available to everyone who is staying at the lodge. This was a lifesaver as the temperatures in December were already reaching 30℃ and it was wonderful to be able to cool off in the pool. This kids who were staying at the lodge had a wonderful time playing games in the pool as well.

- Meals at the restaurant: situated near the pool under a majestic tree is the lodge’s intimate restaurant which serves 3 meals a day. We had a lovely breakfast which included eggs and bacon as well as fruit salad, yoghurt and cereal.

- Visit Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve: the reserve is only a 20min drive from Bushbaby Lodge so it is close enough for a day trip. Hluhluwe does not offer camping and so if you are planning to camp then Bushbaby lodge is a great place to set up basecamp and then drive to the park every day. Entrance into the park if you are South African is R105 per person (be sure to have ID documents with you) and well worth it as the park has the Big 5 on offer. We had a beautiful morning driving around the park: we saw vultures, zebra, elephant, a few rhinos, lots of buffalo, and were treated by an up-close-and-personal sighting of 3 lionesses and 1 male lion; so close in fact that we had to roll up our windows so that we did not become lunch.

I highly recommend a stay at Bushbaby Lodge. The venue is beautiful and peaceful, the owners are friendly and welcoming and the food was lovely (breakfast was delicious and dinner smelt fantastic). We thoroughly enjoyed the sightings of the bushbabies, who are so cute, and it was wonderful to have sundowners in our campsite and watch the animals right next to the fence. There are very few places where this type of experience is available and at such a good price.