Fever Tree Cottage, Houtboschhoek, Mpumalanga

Alignment of all things

These are a few of my favourite things – views down a valley, stone farm cottages next to a dam, Black Crakes (I know!), white décor and linen, freestanding deep baths and generous farm hosting. The stars have aligned and I find all these and much more at Fever Tree Cottage, Houtboschhoek in Mpumalanga. The perfect stopover, 10km off the N4 on my way to the Kruger National Park, I rather wished I had booked to stay here a week or more.

I arrive on an unusually cold, wet and misty night after a long day’s travel. A fire is lit in the gorgeous white open-plan cottage, warming the lounge, kitchen and pretty bedroom. Roasted pecan nuts, fresh milk, tea, filter coffee and fruit juice are provided in the cottage – rural hospitality at its best.

Someone with a keen eye for décor and texture has had a hand in the creation of this little haven, with the natural stone exterior of the cottage offset with whitewashed interior walls. A puffy white bed mirrors the uneven walls. Modern and stylish upholstery in the lounge references the rich bird and plant life outside the cottage, which has a private deck and overlooks the dam and valley beyond.

There is nothing dark or dingy about this cottage, and the open-plan design works well to give a fresh and modern feel in such a traditional cottage. Deep-set windows highlight the thick and lumpy stone walls in every room. The well equipped kitchen has also been done by a soul sister, with a butler’s sink, good coffee-making equipment and country style implements.

Accommodation Experience:

After a soft and cozy night’s sleep, I wander out early in the mist, walking around the cottage dam. I come across my said favourite waterbird, the shy Black Crake, swimming in the reeds. With an impossibly lime-green, elongated beak and neon pink legs, he is unaware of my presence. I have never before encountered one so happy and free as he splashes about, chortling and squeaking in delight. It quite takes my breath away and it feels like a rare privilege of belonging in this place. As soon as he becomes aware of me, he disappears in an instant into the reeds and the moment is past.

Amidst the stress and issues of life, this counts as a time in which everything in the world felt right and exactly as it should be. I hope you also have many moments like these where you can feel that rare alignment of all things, where life comes full circle back at you to give a glimpse of its beauty and imperfect perfection.

Tamboti Tented Camp, Kruger National Park

 

Satisfying Simplicity

The most rugged and spartan of the 3 tented camps reviewed this month by Characterstays, Tamboti Tented Camp is the real deal in terms of an African safari experience. The authentic canvas tents have 8 lovely large netted windows and a wooden door onto a private deck overlooking a riverbed. Each tent is set amongst indigenous trees and the dappled shade creates an endless play of pattern on the khaki-green canvas roof and walls. There are no bathrooms at the tent, but the forested walk to spotless and spacious communal bathrooms make up for this lack. Twin beds, a full size wooden wardrobe, electricity, a fan, a fridge and glossy wooden floors elevate this stay well above grovelling in the ground. There is an outdoor table and chairs and each tent has its own braai area.

Tamboti Tented Camp is situated near the Orpen Gate of the Kruger National Park. It is a productive game area, with the highly recommended Big Five tarred road to Satara Camp.

Accommodation experience:

This is as authentic as one gets in terms of a tented safari experience and I play my part well. I arrive wearing an oversized sun hat and three-quarter length linen pants, carrying an old leather duffle bag and my camera as rifle. In keeping with the safari theme, we drink gin and tonics on the deck in the evening, watching elephants pull down trees on the opposite bank of the river. A Genet cat jumps onto our deck with eerie stillness and a Honey Badger rifles through the bush next to our tent.

By now we have been in the Kruger National Park for almost two weeks, and we consider ourselves specialists. No longer content with the Big Five or calm sits in hides overlooking water holes, we are on the hunt for the most elusive finds. We have chosen the Orpen area specifically to seek out the rare wild dog, as this region has the highest concentration of the mere 200 wild dog in the Park.

We set out as the gate opens in the early morning, where open plains shrouded in morning mist set the scene for our hunt. We soon become distracted by four Ground Hornbills perched in a dead tree, performing a haunting dawn lament. This display is followed by a deep red African sunrise and a hovering Kingfisher perfectly catches the morning sun before diving down to a splashy breakfast.

Finally, as we have almost forgotten our mission, we chance upon them – a pack of 14 wild dog, running synchronised along the road in the golden light. We follow them for several kilometres, watching their antics and interactions. It is a beautiful privilege and once again the Park has not failed to deliver on its gentle surprises, calming and inspiring the mind and feeding the soul. 

Punda Maria Tented Camp, Kruger National Park

Gently Slowing

With soft twin beds, an en-suite bathroom, ceiling fan, a private viewing deck and an outdoor kitchen, Punda Maria Tented Camp is both pleasingly simple and satisfyingly comfortable. The tents are situated on the perimeter of the Punda Maria National Parksboard gate camp at Kruger National Park, overlooking natural, open bushveld. The spacious canvas-enclosed shower has views overlooking wide, green Fever Trees. Located in the far North of the Park, the setting offers a fascinating array of migrant birds, Baobab trees and a viewing site of the great Limpopo River and border to Mozambique.

The camp itself has a forest walk through indigenous bush, a welcome relief after time in the car. In the surrounding area we find the elusive Grey-Hooded Kingfisher, various colourful Rollers and Bee-Eaters, the Saddle-Billed Stork, Ground Hornbills and the cutest little Scops Owl. We also happen upon a leopard just outside the camp and cheeta further South towards Shingwedzi.

Accommodation Experience:

We had started our safari in the game-rich Southern and Central areas of the Park. And after the initial frenzy of the hunt for the Big-5, we began to slow down and appreciate the smaller, rare sightings. We were ready to move North. We watched the landscape change, becoming more lush, with greener trees and bluer waters. Finally the pace slowed, the zoom-lens envy settled and we became content to simply drink in the sounds, sights and smells of the wild. We spent ages at water holes and river bends, content to watch the animals go about their interesting interactions.

This is the power of a game reserve – to bring about a gentle slowing. It can be difficult to move from a very busy life straight into the abyss of free time, and game viewing offers a helpful transition into stillness. While speculating and hunting for wildlife, one can initially be busy, both physically and mentally action-oriented, but in a way that takes one completely away from the everyday stresses of life. This leads naturally into a mindful attentiveness and a quietening. Until finally one is calm and a quieter, better version of oneself - allowing a renewed reconnection and appreciation of oneself, one another and the natural world.

Welgelegen Manor, Balfour, Mpumalanga

An invitation to old world splendour

Driving out of Gauteng, it surprises me how quickly enters a different era – a world of sunflower fields and cosmos, of dusty roads, traditional houses and small villages with classical shop-front signage. One of the prestigious Portfolio Collection establishments (see www.portfoliocollection.com), Welgelegen Manor is situated near Balfour in Mpumalanga, but close to the Gauteng border. I arrive in the late afternoon when the sun is low enough to light up individual strands of grass, their heads full of seeds and purple colour. And driving through old avenues of trees, one’s senses heighten at the privilege of entering a different time in history.

The sensitively restored Herbert Baker manor house is both imposing and welcoming, and the friendly host wins many bonus points by allowing me ample time to view every room in Welgelegen Manor. Of quintessential Herbert Baker design, the manor house has many different wings maximising the views in different directions. Baker’s high ceilings with large sash windows and beautiful double doors invite plenty of light, while dark wood panelling surrounding impressive fireplaces balance the light with grandeur.

I am shown to my chosen room, situated at the far corner of a herb-filled courtyard. The outside wall is lined with lavender and rose bushes and the room has four wide stable doors facing different directions. I had been nervous that such an old building would be stuffy and smell musty and dusty. But there is no Miss Haversham feel here. The room is elegantly decorated in pale blue-grey, using matching plush fabric for the chairs, headboard and blinds. Even the oak furniture, while traditional, is not heavy and stolid, but clean-lined, light and stylish. A vase of freshly cut roses stands on the dressing table in the bedroom. Home-baked cookies warm the graceful lounge area of my suite and I sink into the comfortable chaise lounge with a fresh cup of tea.

Accommodation Experience:

I am surprised to find that my favourite time in the room is dusk. This has to do with the many soft lights in the suite. The two pretty chandeliers complement the four stylish side-board lamps on either end of the expansive suite, while the bedside lamps cast a gentle glow onto the crisp white linen.

As I move through to the bathroom, I notice the moon rising in the bathroom window and I run a luxurious moonlit bubble bath in the large ball and claw Victorian bath.

From my bath I notice that there are no curt signs asking one to not do this and that, and one has a sense of being welcomed into a time of comfort and care that was reserved for a privileged few. To this one naturally responds with an appreciation for how far we have come since these days, and a sense of guilty gratitude for being able to briefly experience a particular way of life. I am left with an awareness of my own current day privilege of having this taste of the past and of being invited to participate in the artful preservation of little corner of the country which still reveals a bygone era.

What I loved about Welgelegen Manor:

• The vast grounds with big skies, old trees and interesting relics of the past
• It’s a Herbert Baker designed original manor house!
• Being given time to explore the whole of the manor house at one’s leisure
• That each spacious suite is splendid and has its own unique features, such that there is no sense of unfairness or disappointment in whichever suite you choose
• Elegantly restored suites with beautiful furniture, upholstery and lighting
• Modern thoughtful conveniences like plenty of accessible plug points with multiple adaptors
• Deep baths in huge bathrooms and plentiful large fluffy white towels
• The cinema room with elegant chaise lounges contrasting the modern technology