Once we were beyond the second dam, the trail led us up a slight incline and once over this incline, the walk was relatively flat and the scenery absolutely breathtaking!.

We passed a third dam, on our left, but the majestic Giants Castle Range and the array of wild flowers almost diverted our attention away from this dam (until we saw the reflection), which on a calm morning like it was, was stunning!

At one point we took a slight detour from the path and climbed on to a small hill so that we could obtain an even better view of the incredible scenery we were enjoying.

The path continues to the top of the rise and then when you look down from this rise you can see where the cave is. The trail descends very steeply about 100m at an angle of about 45 degrees! This was mainly fine going down, but we knew the way back was definitely not going to be fun!

So as we looked down from the top of the hill, we had a split second where we looked at each other as if to say, are we sure about this!?

​Then we continued on. We would just face the uphill later! (And boy did we know about it then...)

​The scenery continued to be spectacular as we made our way towards the cave. 

The trail path came to an abrupt end by a large rocky outcrop, so we were not at this point 100% sure how to reach the cave that we could see down to our left hand side. We decided to scramble over a few rocks to see if we could find a path anywhere, and there is was. Pretty overgrown, but just about visible.

​We fought our way through the bushes and came upon Caracal Cave. It was not as large as Vulture's Cave and there was no waterfall or water pool, but the view was still incredible.

We had taken a picnic with us, so we enjoyed that in the cave and contemplated the walk back.
That hill was going to be an absolute killer!

And it was!

We had to have several stops on the way up. I was literally gasping! I know that i am definitely not very fit at the moment, but with the altitude of 2300m, we really did struggle.

Anyway...

We finally made it to the top, had a rest and then continued back along the same trail we had walked up. We were treated to a variety of wildlife and bird life, with a herd of blesbok, a mountain reed buck, what looked like a bush buck in the far distance and a large troop of baboons.

As we came around a bend in the trail, we gasped at the sight of two crowned cranes in the grasses ahead of us. They looked magnificent.

Unfortunately, i only had my short lens with me, but I had a go and managed to capture a couple of mediocre shots.

The same goes for the Widow bird that was flying around flashing his extremely long tail in the hope of attracting a female.

The rest of the hike was pretty chilled and after that hill, I have to say we were exhausted!

The hike to Caracal Cave is about 10kms. The majority of the walk is very easy, it is just that section of uphill that was not much fun!

The scenery is truly breathtaking and the opportunity to see wildlife and bird life just adds to the thrill of this wonderful trail. We thoroughly enjoyed 90% of the hike!

I would definitely recommend this walk, just be prepared! :-)

Yesterday was the perfect weather for a hike. The weather was dry, cool (about 20 degrees) and it was slightly cloudy. Bryan and I decided to try out one of the hikes in Highmoor Nature Reserve. We decided on Aasvoelkrans (Vulture's Cave) Hike. This is described as an easy hike of about 8kms.

The route is clearly marked and very easy to follow, (unlike the route we took to try and find The Roman Baths in Kamberg Nature Reserve). The scenery at first was rolling hills and we then came across a small river with a lovely waterfall. We have not received a huge amount of rainfall yet this year, so the river was quite low, but still extremely pretty.

So, after taking a couple of photos here (always a good excuse for a little break), we crossed the small river and continued along the narrow path with the river flowing on our right hand side.

We came across a couple of dung beetles (which we haven't seen around here before) and then as we came over the ridge, the view opened up and changed from rolling hills to a spectacular view of the Drakensberg across to Monks Cowl. Unfortunately with the overcast sky, it was't as clear as it could have been, but still looked fabulous!

After about 1 hour or so of walking, we came across the sign that pointed the route down to Vulture's Cave. There are two separate caves. One is the Upper Cave and the other is the Lower Cave. It is possible to stay overnight and camp in the caves, you just have to bring along everything with you. Firstly we decided to check out the Upper Cave.

The path down to the caves is pretty steep and a bit gravelly, so best to take it slow and easy.

Next we decided to head further down in to the valley to the Lower Cave. This path was extremely steep and narrow, so we carefully climbed down and are so glad we made the effort. From the lower cave we scrambled down to the crystal clear waterfall & pool. Bryan was brave enough to go for a swim, but after seeing his reaction, I decided it was way too cold for me, so I busied myself taking some more photos.

Once Bryan had dried off we decided to face the steep, narrow climb back up to the path and head to a little Kopje we had noticed before we took the path to the caves. The view across the valley was stunning and we also had a great view of the two caves.

Unfortunately the fish were playing hard to get and other than a couple of bites, Bryan didn't manage to catch, however, I was happy to capture a couple of shots of this beautiful dragonfly!

So, at the end of another fabulous day spent in Highmoor Nature Reserve we headed home for a cup of tea! (How very civilised)!

I would definitely recommend the hike to Aasvoelkrans to any guests visiting or staying at Kamberg Valley Hideaway. The majority of the walk is very easy and clearly signposted and the changing landscape is a pleasure to enjoy, however, the path down to the two caves is definitely a little tricky! Steep, narrow and in parts quite gravelly, so if you do decide to check out the caves, please do take care!

At the beginning of last week a late cold front hit most of South Africa.

On Monday 9th October, the Gauging province received hail stones the size of tennis balls and then on Tuesday 10th October, Durban was hit by a huge rain and wind storm, rendering the N2 flooded for much of the day and many people loosing trees and roofs. Very scary indeed!

Some of this rain ended up falling across The KZN Drakensberg as snow, so Bryan and I decided on Wednesday that we would head to Highmoor Nature Reserve for the afternoon, taking a picnic lunch with us, to see what Giants Castle was looking like (obviously Bryan wanted to spend a bit of time fishing too!)

Wow! it was really looking quite stunning. Although some of the snow had already melted, due to Wednesday being such a glorious day, it was still a beautiful view!

Bryan hooked up a fly and set to a spot of fly-fishing and I got my camera out and took a few pics of the stunning Highmoor Nature Reserve with Giants Castle Mountain Range in the background.

And whilst I was happily enjoying taking a few photos, Bryan hooked a really great sized rainbow trout, so we were both very chuffed and it really was a beautiful afternoon! We are so lucky to live close to such a beautiful, unspoilt and un-touristy part of The Drakensberg.

Now that all our building work is finished, Bryan and I decided to take off to Kamberg Nature Reserve on the 3rd October 2017 to hike to The Roman Baths that we have heard so much about.

We packed a picnic, put on our walking shoes, Bryan grabbed his fishing rod and me, my camera and we were ready to go. There was a big storm forecast for the following two days, so it was pretty warm and the skies were clear. A perfect day to explore one of the trails available at Kamberg Nature Reserve.

We had heard that is was an easy 4km walk to The Roman Baths and with slight trepidation (due to the lack of walking we have done), we set off!

We parked our car just past the Trout Dams at the "No Entry" sign and the first part of the walk was very easy. We followed the jeep track across a couple of dry stream and up a slight incline past an old farmhouse, where the only thing left is a toilet seat. Then things got a bit tricky! The jeep track ended and we had been told to take the left-hand trail from there. After following the trail a short way, it promptly ended, so whilst we contemplated our next move, I took some photos of some of the views and wild flowers growing in Kamberg Nature Reserve (oh and Bryan took a couple of photos of me, the intrepid hiker!)

We decided to continue walking a little higher to see if we could see any trail that might lead to what was becoming the elusive Roman Baths. After some bush-whacking and lots of puffing we stopped and searched the view. We could see a trail in the far distance but we had already walked about 4kms and there was no sign of The Roman Baths and if the trail we saw was the correct trail there, then we definitely had a lot further to go! So, we contemplated a bit more and i took a few more photos!

Once we had caught our breath, we made the decision to abandon our search for The Roman Baths and head to what looked like a lovely pool along the Mooi River for a spot of fishing, photography and a picnic. It was now almost mid-day and we were getting pretty hot, so the thought of a quick dip in the river and chilling beside it was very appealing. After a bit more bush-whacking we reached our chosen location and it was absolutely stunning!

What an idyllic spot! We saw a couple of fish cruising around, so Bryan was hopeful of a catch but after we jumped in to the water (which i hasten to add was freezing), I think the fish departed quite rapidly! So after drying off and having a divine picnic, with my favourite wine, we started the tough walk back to the car!

The Roman Baths alluded us this time on our hike in Kamberg Nature Reserve, but we will be back to search another time! This truly is a stunning part of The Drakensberg, and so peaceful and quiet. We didn't see another person all day!

I highly recommend visiting Kamberg Nature Reserve when staying at Kamberg Valley Hideaway. It is a short drive (12kms) away and a totally unspoilt part of the Drakensberg! The views are spectacular, and the bubbling, rushing river, just adds to the beauty!

We can't wait for our next foray!

Back in November 2016 we started working on a Photography Tour to South Africa for some Photographers from the UK. These photographers are all members of a Photography Club around Birmingham in the Midlands, UK.

​They requested a trip that included Cape Town and parts of the Cape Peninsula, Kamberg Valley Hideaway in the Drakensberg and Northern Zululand for some incredible game viewing.

Working with Lori Kelly from Zulu Sun Safaris and Elaine Bradshaw, we put together this trip and on the 1st September 2017, these adventurous photographers arrived at Kamberg Valley Hideaway for a 3-night stay!

Lori had spent the previous week guiding our photographers around Cape Town, Hermanus and part of the Western Cape in search of the Cape Flowers. By the sounds of it they had an extremely busy week and had captured some wonderful shots. Now they had arrived at Kamberg Valley Hideaway for a slightly more relaxing stay with the hope of adding some landscape and birding shots to their collection of photos.

The photographers arrived just in the Golden Hour of light before sunset and were very quick to unload their bags (and of course their cameras) from the car and head to the dam for some photographs.

The first sunrise was stunning. There was a heavy frost, mist rising off the dam and a clear blue sky! Every photographers dream!

Dinah also captured a beautiful shot of a kingfisher on the reeds around the main dam that first morning.

​After breakfast, we headed next door to the Cheese Farm and then took a walk down to the Little Mooi River at the end of our property.

The second morning saw our photographers heading out for sunrise again and then after breakfast we headed out to a location to photograph some of the Mountain Bikers that were taking part in the annual Kamberg Classic MTB event. Our enthusiastic photographers enjoyed capturing some shots and trying out a few different techniques, including panning!

Next we decided to visit Highmoor Nature Reserve for a picnic lunch and to see what other shots we could capture in this stunning Nature Reserve that is only 8kms from Kamberg Valley Hideaway.

​There were a few wild flowers coming out in the areas that had been burnt earlier in the year which was great to see. A splash of colour amongst the dry grassland. Also it was clear enough to get a full view of the Giants Castle Mountain Range.

The next morning the sunrise was different again. More mist and some frost again. I captured this time-lapse shot from the warmth of our sunroom, but our intrepid photographers were out braving the cooler morning air again!

Cheryl captured a great shot of several common waxbills adorning the reeds in the river that feeds our smaller pond.

Sadly our wonderful group had to leave that morning, but they were heading to Northern Zululand for more adventure and for some wildlife viewing. I hope they had some incredible sightings at the various game reserves they visited.

Dinah, Cheryl, John, Mike, Peter and Barry, it was an absolute pleasure having you all visit us at Kamberg Valley Hideaway. I look forward to seeing some photographs and if I get their permission, I will share them on another blog update.

Also, thanks to Elaine and Ken for bringing the group to Kamberg. It was a pleasure having you both to stay too and I hope the following week was a huge success with lots of great wildlife to be seen!

A couple of weeks back I posted saying that it felt like Spring had arrived, well this week I was certainly eating humble pie on that statement!

A huge cold front crossed what seems like the whole of South Africa and we woke up on Thursday morning to these views!

It was extremely stunning, but bitterly cold and there was a lot of rain around in the morning, which meant all the snow had vanished by the afternoon!

As a result of the snow and rain, our TLB work had to be suspended during Thursday, which was disappointing, but it wasn't a major problem. It just means we still have a bit of work for it to do this coming week!

The plus side of the snow and rain was that the blesbok herd have obviously found some new grass shoots peeking up on the areas where we did the fire breaks in July, and they have been feeding a lot at Kamberg Valley Hideaway the past few days!

This week has also seen the progress on the new cottage come on in leaps and bounds! We knew that rain was forecast from Wednesday, so Beaven decided to get the roof on the new cottage on Monday! That also meant that even if it did rain, the builders could carry on with the work on the inside of the cottage. Fortunately (from a building point of view) we were only hampered with rain Wednesday morning, so the painters and tilers were able to push on! Here are some photos showing the cottage as it stands today!

It has been another extremely busy week, but we knew it would be and it feels like we have actually achieved two weeks work in one, so we are edging closer to completion!

We have another hectic week coming up, but the photos next week will show even more impressive progress. I'm looking forward to posting them!

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

This past week we have again been busy with guests, but our builders, Ezweni Construction, have also been able to continue with our new self-catering cottage.

They have now finished plastering the entire building, inside and outside. Also, the floors have been screed and are now ready for the tiler (whom we think is going to be starting this week).

On top of that, we also now have the windows in! The cottage feels like it iS taking shape.

Here are a couple of photos!

This coming week is going to be a big progress week (we think)! The builders are going to put the roof on the new self catering cottage, the tiler is due to start the tiling of the floors and the plumber is likely to get the toilets in. There may even be some paint going in (we will have to see)!

We also have the TLB coming to clean out our small feeder pond and we also plan on getting help from the TLB to move the tree trunks from around the cottage, so hopefully the next photos will look less like a building site!

This week I also attempted to prune our fruit trees! Not sure how good a job I did, but they do look a ,to neater. Just like having a haircut really!

So this week August arrived and it definitely feels like Winter is leaving us behind and Spring is arriving. The evenings are a bit warmer (we didn't even have a fire last night) and it has started to get a little bit windy. A sure sign of the changing seasons. No doubt we will still have a few cold snaps, but even our plants and trees seem to think it is time for them to show their colours!

These week has also seen Ezweni Construction plaster the entire inside of the new cottage and about 80% of the outside, so we are very excited. Next week we should have the doors and windows in and maybe the roof on!

Also next week, once our guests have departed, we are going to be starting the work on cleaning out the smaller feeder dam. We had hoped to be able to do one last fire-break to burn the reeds in the area that has now dried up, but since there has been such little (well no rainfall) for months, we are unfortunately not allowed to burn anymore, so that meant some manual work was required!

Fortunately we borrowed a couple of guys from Beaven and they worked with Henry to chop the dead reeds from the area of the small dam that has successfully dried out. Once again the guys were incredible! We thought they might get through half of the reeds, but no, they chopped and raked and removed them all in one day! It has made such a difference and now we are ready for the TLB to come and work its magic!

It is hard to believe that we are already at the end of July! It has been a fabulous month for our self catering cottages at Kamberg Valley Hideaway.

​In fact, it has been our busiest month so far, which has obviously been great from the point of view of our guests and bookings, but it has meant that the progress on our new accommodation (Sunset Cottage), has had to slow down.

With guests booking to enjoy our peaceful and tranquil hideaway, we could hardly have them disturbed by builders, electricians and plumbers now, could we!

We also had our fabulous neighbour, Rowan, come and burn our fire breaks for us, so our self catering accommodation (and us) are well protected!

​It is incredible to watch Rowan and his team at work on the fire breaks. They are so quick and so efficient and it is a huge help for us to have them do the burning for us. We just do not have the man power to do it ourselves. We are very lucky to have such a great community here in Kamberg Valley!

So, as far as Sunset Cottage is concerned, whilst there have not been any obvious changes to the building, we are pleased to say that the electrician and the plumber have now finished chasing in all their pipes and conduit, so Beaven's team started plastering the inside walls yesterday (Friday 27th July), they will continue with this on Monday and Tuesday and then we are hopeful that the roof will be on by the end of next week, which will be very exciting!

The new kitchen has been ordered and that is being installed on the 21st August, so our aim is to have our new 2-bedroom self catering cottage (which as you have guessed, will be called Sunset Cottage) finished by mid-September!

You may think that looking at the photo below, this is a big ask, but... watch this blog for more regular updates. We are pretty confident with this time line!

It has been a little while since I wrote a blog update, this is basically because Bryan and I have been away! We headed over to the UK for a break to see my family and also managed to squeeze in a week in The Azores! What a truly stunning place! Incredible scenery, largely unspoilt and extremely friendly people! I would highly recommend it!

Here are a couple of photos of Sao Miguel island!

Whilst we were away, work did continue at Kamberg Valley Hideaway and we also had plenty of guests visiting. We were so grateful to Lori Kelly for coming to house sit for just over a week whilst we were away. It gave us a real break knowing that she was keeping an eye on things for us! Thank you so much, Lori, you are an absolute star!

The rest of the time Zinny and Henry did a fabulous job. Looking after guests as well as our home and the property. We are so pleased that they managed perfectly and to be honest, I think they probably enjoyed having Bryan and myself out of their hair for a while!

In terms of the building work, here are some photos of Sunset Cottage now.

Beaven and his team are ready to continue with the roof, etc., but first we need the electrician and the plumber to come and chase in their cables and pipes, so that is the next stage, then it is the roof and the plastering!

It really is going to be a beautiful cottage and the view will be spectacular! We kind of want to move into it ourselves!