Tuesday, October 7, 2014

MIMI's SOUTH AFRICAN ADVENTURE: (Part 3): Mpumalanga, South Africa

After spending three wonderful days at the beautiful IMBALI SAFARI LODGE in the famous KRUGER NATIONAL PARK , South Africa, we left with heavy hearts. Our time in the bush seemed God-ordained; almost as if the Maker Himself had laid out the animals specially for our guest. We'd had wonderful sightings, including all of the Big 5.  The Kruger Park is certainly one of the most beautiful places on earth and our stay there was wonderful, truly wonderful!

On our way out of the park we were treated to yet another display of Mimi's all-time favourites - the beautiful elephants.

This time, we were able to stop and marvel at their antics; including a baby playing leisurely in the sand of the river bank.

Finally it was time to leave and we made our way out of the Paul Kruger Gate.  We stopped outside the gate to take a photograph of the statue which pays tribute to the man who played such a large role in preserving this amazing heritage. Usually there are monkeys which romp all over this statue, but they were absent this day.
I couldn't resist taking a photo, however,  of one of my favourite birds which was searching for nibbles on the ground:
THE BLUE WAXBILL

Our next goal was to show Mimi some of the views from various points along the Mpumalanga escarpment, and to stay over at the little town of Graskop.

After sleeping over at one of the comfortable "Bed & Breakfast" establishments in the town, we made our way to the 
BOURKE's LUCK POTHOLES.

"Water’s power to shape a landscape is spectacularly displayed at Bourke’s Luck Potholes in Mpumalanga, where centuries of river activity have carved out 
a dramatic and intricate series of natural rock formations and pools."

If you want to read up more about this amazing place please click

I managed to take a short video to show you the beauty of the place:


It was here that Mimi finally found her elusive 'Dung beetle' with its precious roll of poop:


Next, we took Mimi to see the view of the incredible:
BLYDE RIVER CANYON:
Looking down towards the Blyde River far below...

Mimi and I appreciating the view
 
Here is a video I took some years ago of this incredible place:


After soaking up the sights, we made our way back to Johannesburg
(4 hours).
There is no place like 'home' and the opportunity to relax and recuperate - 
ready for our next adventure.

Sending lots of love
Please look out for the next blogpost: Part 4 in this series:. 
This time, we will be visiting the beautiful "Mother City" of CAPE TOWN, South Africa.

Are you enjoying these series of blogposts? 
 If you have missed any of my posts, please look in the LH Toolbar of this blog  for
"MIMI's SOUTH AFRICAN ADVENTURE" 
and click on the various links. 

5 comments:

Molly the Airedale said...

Absolutely beautiful! What a truly fun experience for Miss Mimi!

Love ya lots♥
Mitch and Molly

Two French Bulldogs said...

It's National Geographic right before our very eyes
Lily & Edward

My Dog Sam - Ruptured Disk said...

Wow, this is really cool. Thanks for taking us along.

Millie and Walter said...

Thanks for sharing another beautiful post.

Louisette said...

Wonderfull landscapes, beautifull videos and fotos, greeting from Belgium.
http://louisette.eklablog.com/mes-autres-blogs-p842116