Wild dogs gone wild

We had wanted to see wild dogs quite badly as there are none in Phinda. Wild dogs are expensive to maintain because of the amount of prey they kill. Unlike other pack animals, wild dogs hunt individually and share the food at the end. For example, a group of 10 wild dogs would split up to hunt, not all would be successful (our guide tells us that on average, 3 would come back with food) but they would still not be able to finish their meal. As a result, prey is wasted and thus it is not economically viable to keep wild dogs unless they bring in a significant amount of visitors. (An impala would cost about 500USD, if a pack kills 3 a day, that would be 1,500USD lost).

So, wild dogs are pretty hard to see. Even in Kruger they are very elusive. We stumbled onto this group after someone nearby radioed in saying that spotted a pack near a watering hole. 

When we arrived they were all gathering around the edges of the waterhole. Trying to catch a duck who had been just chilling in the middle of the lake. I watched this for a while, laughing at the impossibility of the situation. They do realize that the duck is just going to fly away, right? Must have been a slow day.

Just before anyone committed to an attack, one member of the pack leaped in, face covered with blood. He had made a kill.

Spared from the embarrassment of trying to catch a duck in the middle of a pond, everyone followed the one with the bloody nose. 

And off they went!

They went into some bushes and we lost them for a while but we managed to regroup with them only to be greeted by this gruesome sight. 

It was an absolute frenzy. One of them had brutalized the impala and were now ripping the poor thing apart. Our vehicle let out a synchronized “Ugh” when one of them tore off the impala’s ear and ate it. Brutal.

They completely disregarded the presence of the vehicle and continued feeding. One was even startled when its tail brushed against the wheel of the vehicle. He literally jumped in fear, but obviously he continued with his meal.

A close-up to see the mesh of bodies feasting on the bloodied impala.

What was really touching though, was that that there was actually one wild dog who was nursing inside their wild dog cave. Reports say that she had given birth only a week ago and couldn’t leave the pups alone for fear of predators. As the frenzy continued, one of them actually left the group to take over the pup-watching responsibilities of the nursing mother. It was really heartwarming to see the mother arrive and greeted by hugs and licks from everyone in the group. As she started feeding on the mutilated prey I had a strange sense of respect for these animals who could really take care of each other but also a strong gagging feeling of disgust from the sputter of blood, bones and flesh. Wild dogs fascinate me.

Hanging out with Hyenas

Hyenas have almost become like a dirty word in the animal kingdom. Thanks to The Lion King, we all associate hyenas with hysterical, dim and just not that pleasant. But how can you say no to this irresistible face?!?

A smile of an angel.

What could this face possibly do to you?

Did I mention that the babies are even cuter?!?!

Kind of reminds me of my pet Samoyed at home.

Ok but it wasn’t for 5 minutes to realize how wrong I was. These hyenas are ferocious little things that would eat almost anything. The babies started attacked the tyres of the vehicle thinking that to was something to eat. Uck.

When they approached, I thought that they were just curious and wanted to make friends. How wrong was I when they savagely attacked the tyres? Our guide assured us that if we stuck our foot out, we could say goodbye to pedicures.

There was one exceptionally mean hyena with a strange scar on its forehead that went around attacking everyone. The guide theorised that it could have been the work of wild dogs. Apparently hyenas don’t care too much about pain and are happy gnawing on a bone even if being attacked by other animals. Hyenas often fight with wild dogs over food and prefer to scavenge rather than hunt. On the other hand, cheetahs are known to eat only what they kill. Noble.

Hyenas have matriarchs rather than patriarchs like lions but everyone hunts together. Because hyenas are smaller than most predators, they would need numbers to cut down prey and to defend their meal from others. As a result, they don’t allocate tasks and hunt in packs. A little like a group of piranhas. Not pleasant.

They also live in old termite dunes. As I’ve mentioned, everything in Kruger is much larger than in Phinda, even the termite dunes. This one that the cackle (yes, a cackle of hyenas) appropriated was about 1.5m tall and 4m wide.

So yes, maybe the rumors are true and hanging out with hyenas might not be such a bright idea after all. 

Ngala tented camp

An honest review

Pronounced ann-ga-lah, trust me I had been telling everyone that we would be staying in na-la tented camp much to my own embarrassment, Ngala was really quite an unforgettable experience. Ngala is also an &beyond property, like Phinda Mountain Lodge. 

The lodge itself was clean and modern, the furnishings make you forget that you’re actually living in a very well-equipped tented. No, they’re not kidding about the tent part. There was no concrete in our villa(?) tent. 

This was out tent. Since it was winter, our rooms were overlooking a dried river. I’d imagine it’ll be roaring in the wet season.

What was really interesting that the campsite is not actually fenced off from Kruger National Park—animals actually live and roam around the area where you sleep. There was once when I was having a reaaally relaxing massage when the therapist woke me up to tell me that elephants were passing by. Half awake, I looked up and there they were, elephants! Right outside the massage room.

One of the nights Ma woke us up, frightened “There are lions outside! I can hear them!”

“It’s probably nothing go back to sleep”

“No! They’re right outside the tent!”

Obviously I was too tired and not brave enough to have a look outside. We thought nothing of it and went to sleep. The next morning, however, our ranger kindly told us that some lions had decided to sleep in the dried river right outside our tent for the night. Ma was not wrong and I was very pleased with my decision not to go have a look outside. Surely, the incidents of lion attacks are very low but we must take into account that these are wild animals.

The only problem we really had with Ngala tented camp was that the showers are outdoors. It didn’t help that our guide had told us that a leopard lives in a tree close to our tent. “Y’know, she could just pounce down from the tree at any second.” Luckily for us, she was away on vacation too. The main gripe with outdoor showers is that it can be really cold at night. I had forsaken my evening showers and had made peace with the dust I have accumulated from game drives but Pa being an obsessive Germaphobe simply could not go to sleep with the knowledge that there was safari dirt in his hair. Bravely, he jumped outside to have a shower, in the cold. Obviously he fell sick and ruined the rest of the trip. I was just glad that this was our last stop. 

I would recommend staying in Ngala tented camp simply for the fact that is an entirely different experience. The price tag that comes with it though, is another question altogether. 

Kruger National Park

Kruger national park is one of South Africa’s largest game reserve, with an area of 19,485 square kilometres or 7523 square miles. As a reference, Singapore is only 719.1 square kilometres big.

The main difference between Kruger and Phinda is that there are no fences in Kruger which means that animals are free to roam. While this means that you are more likely to see bigger herds, game watching is also very unpredictable. In Phinda, the rangers knew where most of the animals were because the animals can’t go beyond the fences. In Kruger, however, there are animals who have never seen people before. Our ranger in Kruger national park was telling us stories about how refugees fleeing from Mozambique were eaten by lions in Kruger. He also told us that he had been threatened by a group of lions that he had never seen before and never saw again. 

On the last day, we saw a huge herd of buffalo who were very, very smelly.

What this means is that game viewing in Kruger is highly unpredictable. For example, on the first day we saw wild dogs, hyenas and herds of elephants. But on the second, we spent over 3 hours looking for a leopard and only saw its butt. What’s more, I didn’t even take a picture because our vehicle got stuck in a trench. Yay. This is also the reason why I don’t have as many photos of Kruger as compared to Phinda. Simply because, there were no opportunities for photos. I hardly think you’d be interested in me chronicling how we didn’t see a leopard for three hours. 

We did see some impala foolishly fighting for a mate even though the herd of females have already left. In mating season, male Impala become easy prey for predators because they are so testosterone fueled that they don’t know what is happening around them. Like how you can easily get pick-pocked in ladies night at a club. Same thing.

To be honest, I much rather prefer game viewing in Phinda in Kruger, not only because our ranger in Phinda was AMAZING but also because of the landscape. Kruger didn’t have varied landscape unlike Phinda and was mostly Savannah. Meh.

What’s good about relative flatness of Kruger is that we can have wine out in the open whilst keeping a look out if anything’s amiss. In our 4 nights there, this ostrich was around for our sunset viewing most of the time. 

Apparently he is the only ostrich in the area and his mate was eaten by lions or something like that and just disappeared. Poor guy.

Tips: 1, Kruger is for those of you #adventureseekers #offthebeatenpath kind of people. Its wild and untamed, maybe that’s what you’re looking for in a safari, maybe not. For me I quite liked seeing such huge herds of animals but having a full day of almost seeing nothing? Maybe not. 

Where to Stay in the Winelands

Franschheok, La Cle des Montagnes

An honest review

Le Cle des Montagne, a fabulous hotel in Franschhoek, was our home the 3 nights we were at the winelands. I cannot tell you enough how AMAZING this place is. The décor is simply stunning and the service immaculate. The fireplace was such a cosy thing to have even though it wasn’t that cold out in May. Alas, I am a Singaporean who has never actually used a fireplace before so this was really a memorable experience for me. I really wish I could live there forever.

Did I mention that they also have a pool attached to every villa? Again, like in Cape Town, it was too cold to swim. 

You get some stunning views of a quintessential winelands backdrop as well. Apt, since le cle des montagnes means the key to the mountain. No, it is not a brand of chocolate.

We stayed in villa gallerie where there were two adjoining bedrooms. This time I had no real excuse to squeeze in between my parents so I let fate decide and sprawled across the huge king size by myself. 

Tea by the fireplace. How cosy is that?

Now is probably a good time to mention that breakfast is actually cooked in the kitchen, in the villa, by your own two personal butlers. Yes you read that right, someone will actually come and cook breakfast for you. The joy of waking up to the smell of scrambled eggs is unimaginable. Mmm.

However, la cle des Montagne is really quite expensive and there are plenty of other cheaper options like airbnbs out there for the budget conscious. We stayed in Franschheok which was a charming little town. It was originally a French settlement so you can find many French influences there, like le cle des Montagne. I really did enjoy Le Cle des montagne but due to the price point, I would probably leave it as a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Tips: 1, There are three main areas in the winelands to stay in: Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl. We only really explored Franschheok and enjoyed it but I suggest you have a look see at these other areas to see which you’d prefer.

2, while accessible via day trip from cape town I would recommend you to spend a few days in the winelands to really #livelikealocal (I’m joking) and get the essence of the wine culture. I found that the style of wines while predominately French, occasionally had some local character. For example, I tried a wine from Spice Route that was aptly named Chakalaka, the traditional South Africa spice blend. To really know and say that you’ve been to the winelands, I’d recommend staying there for a few days rather than a day trip.

3, accommodation can be expensive so for the budget conscious, there are some really amazing airbnbs in the winelands. For example, holy guacamole :O

To get $30 off your first booking, use the link here

7 Reasons to love Winelands, South Africa

What? Wine in Africa?

1, There are over 700 wineries, the sheer volume of wineries means that it’s more likely that you will find something that you would enjoy! 

The main grape variety planted is the Cabernet Sauvignon. It is important to note that while the main focus of wine production in the winelands was quantity and not quality in the past, many have shifted their focus to quality today. As a result, you can find some internationally recognized brands in South Africa as well. 

The tasting culture in South Africa is a little different from the tasting culture in other parts of the world I have been to (Margaret River, Barossa Valley, Rioja), I suspect it stems from the fact that there is an university nearby and they don’t want students to take advantage of the wine tasting system. To be fair, if I studied there I would totally go to all 700 wineries for a “tasting”. Unlike Australia, tastings are NOT free but are available for a token amount of ~2USD. Alternatively, if you buy a bottle at the winery, the tasting would be free. This is quite amusing because the wine itself wasn’t very expensive; so, my guide, Lesley went around buying a bottle of wine at every stop we went to. At the end of our 2 day tour I was quite sure that she had acquired 5 bottles at least.

It is also different from Rioja where most of the tasting experiences come with a tour an you have to pre-book in advance, making it extremely difficult to do plan a wine tour on your own. In South Africa, it is possible to go on your own, we did decide to pop by some wineries last minute as well. I also went for a “guided” tasting in Waterford estate where they took me around the different plots to have a look see, really amazing stuff! 

The cellar in Waterford estate is certainly something as well. 

I remember being to about 10-12 wineries in the Winelands during our 2 day tour but unfortunately, none of the particular wineries stuck out.

Many of the wineries are passion projects of really rich people so they are beautifully decorated. For art lovers, I think there were many places where we spotted paintings which called over 1 million in auctions. I remember Lesley telling me a joke “How do you become a millionaire?” “Well, you first become a billionaire and then buy a winery”. 

2, The views are simply SPECTACULAR.

We went in autumn and the leaves were in brilliant hues of red, orange and brown.

What’s more, the mountains in the backdrop make the winelands absolutely incredible.

Look at that. 

Nature is a wonderful painter.

Some of the wineries that we visited had unique views of their own as well. 

Stark-Conde wines had their tasting room in the middle of the lake. They also have a café (The Postcard Cafe) which is a great stop for lunch. 

What a wonderful place to spend with you love ones and contemplate about all the good things in life.

3, The food is amazing. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures (other than drunk pictures of myself which really shouldn't see the light of day) but I do remember that the Tasting Room was something extraordinary. Pa and Ma had a wildebeest fillet which was kinda traumatic but interesting at the same time. I didn’t have it though, yay animal rights. Another restaurant we went to was Overture (for lunch) and they took ridiculously long to server 3 courses (2 hours), but it was also where I had the best souffle of my life. So. I guess good things come to those who wait.

4, I was too drunk to take down any other details. Which is also the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th reasons why you’d love it. Imagine. Wine, beautiful scenery, amazing food. What’s there not to love?  

Cape Peninsula Day Tour

Hout Bay harbour, Cape Point and Boulders Beach

Hout Bay harbour, a newly revitalized space for tourists and locals alike. We had stopped to take in the beautiful scenery and some fresh air before heading on our way to Cape Point. 

Calm ocean’s day. Mmmmm… 

Wait what’s that?!?!?! OMG A SEALION. The dog of the ocean. By then I was already missing my three babies at home so I had some serious withdrawals. One thing led to another and soon we were on the ferry to seal island, just off hout bay. It was really quite entertaining to see these sea lions (see lions, haha geddit) frolicking on the rocks, I have to admit that I was a little jealous of their hakuna matata lifestyle. 

“I am King of the Seals, First of his Name, Caller of the Waves, Master of Seabirds and the Mother of Seadragons!”

Fair warning though, there was quite a big group of tourists so it was nightmarish trying to vie for a photo spot. That being said, I think it was well worth the time to go and have a look. 

Seagulls flying over the horizon.

The next stop, was an ostrich far where we stopped to have tea. I was feeling a little sick from the boat ride, preemptively and needed something to eat. We headed into the Ostrich farm, hoping for some snacks but alas, an ostrich farm only serves ostrich meat. We should have known.

Pa was not too keen on the Ostrich farm though. There is a little backstory to this. Well, apparently, this was not our first time to an Ostrich farm. We had been to one before in Australia. And apparently, Pa was viciously attacked by one.

Since then, he has had an intense and understandable dislike for ostriches.

I would like to think that the feeling is mutual on their end too. 

Unamused Ostrich is unamused.

This would not be the last we will see of ostriches however, they are endemic to South Africa and also live in Cape peninsula where we were headed next...

The Ostriches in Cape Point are not friendly at all though,  under no circumstances should you go and bother them. Example 1:  

I repeat. DO NOT BOTHER THE OSTRICHES.

Ostriches aren’t really the top concern though. Although e did not see them, Baboons have been an inconvenience to visitors of the Cape Point peninsula. Our guide was telling us an incident when a group of tourists were trying to take photos of baboons on the roadside when suddenly, the baboon decided to pull a GTA and hijacked the car. It literally jumped in from the front seat. Frightened, the tourists evacuated the car and more baboons decided to join in on the fun. Our guide must have had quite a sight to see with tourists standing around a baboon infested car. I’d imagine it was something like this: 

It’ll certainly be quite hilarious to watch but I certainly wouldn't want to be stranded outside a car and risk getting attacked by baboons. Always respect nature, guys. 

After some giggles regarding baboons and ostriches, we finally arrived at Cape Point. The views were obviously stunning.

We climbed up to the lighthouse at the very top. There was an option to take the tram but we walked because hey, how hard could it be? Arrogance is never a virtue, especially when it comes to physical activity. Don’t let the running children fool you, I was quite out of breath by then time we saw this:

Truly, truly breathtaking.

We did stop by the Oceans restaurant for lunch which was highly recomeded on tripadvisor. I can hardly recall the food so I assume it was ok. I do remember seabirds swooping in and stealing food from other diners so perhaps indoor seating would be preferred.

ONWARD TO BOULDER’S BEACH. 

AHHH PENGUINS. The beach was literally littered with penguins. These penguins were also smaller than the average ones you see on TV which makes them a lot more wobbly and stubby. It was also 6 months after breeding season so we saw many chicks with their parents. Feeding time was a little gross as the parents regurgitated their food out of their gut and into the mouths of their chicks. Uck. 

Bulimia for a cause. 

Penguins also mate for life. Which is really sweet. I managed to snap a photo of these two literal lovebirds cuddling as well <3

Our last and final stop was the Kirstenbosch gardens, which is like their national botanical gardens. 

DUCKLINGS OMG. SPOT THE LITTLE ONE STICKING OUT ITS LEG. 

One cool thing about the Kirstenbosch gardens is that actually have an opiates garden. I don’t know where is it but if you do, you could literally go over and pick out some weed. I suspect its in some secret corner of the garden but nonetheless, could you imagine if some stoner found it.

The kirtensbosch garden is a nice place to watch the sun set over Cape Town. Surreal.

Our day trip to Cape peninsula was certainly a fun-filled day. You can actually follow the exact same route by renting a car. The itinerary wasn’t overly rushed and was paced nicely. The Ocean restaurant is a good place to stop for lunch as well. So, farewell for now Cape Town! Till next time!