The Fiance got time off work for good behaviour so we got to go on a little mini-holiday. We road-tripped it up the Garden Route and got to do some pretty cool things and see some pretty amazing animals.
For our two nights away, we stayed in the Elephant Lodge on the Knysna Elephant Park. The park is a safe haven for nine elephants. As we were being led to our room we walked through the communal lounge only to look left and realise that the lodge is literally built into the boma (the place where the elephants are fed and sleep in). The lounge has couches on which you can sit and watch what the elephants get up to at night. We had a delicious dinner at Zinzi on our first night and then got back to the lodge where we were greeted by the sound of an elephant trumpeting.
Monday's to-do list included this:
Pancakes for breakfast at the restaurant on the park, where a kitty named Felix tried to steal the cream.
A visit to the Wolf Sanctuary, which is home to two wolf packs, wild dogs, jakkals, ostriches and a few farm animals.
A drive down to Knysna town centre where we ambled around the waterfront and then boarded a boat for a trip out to the Knysna Heads, along with lunch and drinks.
Back to the Elephant Park to visit the elephants out on the fields and feed them some fruit. As guests at the lodge you are welcome to unlimited drives out to the elephants during the day. Then dinner at The Grand Cafe in Plettenberg Bay before going back to watch the elephants in their boma while drinking tea on the cozy leather couches.
On Tuesday we woke up super early to watch the elephants leave the boma and joined the walk with them out to the fields where they roam (and eat!) all day. It was really interesting to learn more about them and hear the stories of each animal. I particularly loved Sally, one of the first elephants to find a home on the park and who became the "mother" of the herd. She's the same age as me and she only ever grew one tusk.
After another delicious breakfast at the restaurant we checked out and then headed to our last stop before the long drive home. Monkey Land, a monkey sanctuary in Plett is home to over 400 hundred monkeys. I was in my monkey-loving element. The monkeys roam freely in the park and guides take you on hour long tours. There was one little guy called Monster, a howler monkey, who followed our tour through most of the park. A few of the monkeys were carrying their babies around too, I had to refrain from squealing like a kid in a candy store.
Getaways are grand but there's is nothing quite like being at home in your own bed, which is where I'm currently sitting, typing this post :)
I've also put together a little video with some clips over here.
