Mpumalanga, Bourke’s Luck Potholes, & God’s Window
Day One - South Africa & Swaziland - 2017
After departing Johannesburg, we made our way to Bourke’s Luck Potholes and God’s Window before settling down in Hazyview.
Map Credit: OpenStreetMap
1. Mpumalanga Scenery #1
Mpumalanga (meaning, “place of the rising sun” in multiple languages, including Xhosa and Zulu) is a province in northeastern South Africa.
Saying that South Africa takes a long, long time to get to from the United States is an understatement. I flew overnight to Amsterdam, then another 11 hours to Johannesburg. After a transfer to the pre-tour hotel (where I missed the travel briefing, as per the usual!), I fell asleep something fierce, awaking early enough to make sure I could get a few cups of coffee and meet my fellow travelers. They seemed like a great, albeit very tired, group of folks. I was confident it was going to be a great journey.
Afterwards, we headed east from the Johannesburg area towards Kruger National Park. Almost the entire first day was spent on the road, which gave me a chance to check out the scenery in the province of Mpumalanga. Six more Mpumalanga photographs follow.
2. Mpumalanga Scenery #2
3. Mpumalanga Scenery #3
4. Mpumalanga Scenery #4
5. Mpumalanga Scenery #5
6. Mpumalanga Scenery #6
7. Mpumalanga Scenery #7
8. Bourke's Luck Potholes #1
Bourke’s Luck Potholes are named after a prospector, Tom Bourke, who thought he discovered gold here (he didn’t); the “potholes” themselves are formed by swirling river water.
Our first stop of the day was the Bourke’s Luck Potholes at the source of the Blyde River Canyon, one of the world’s largest canyons (South Africans say it is the third largest, but -honestly- how can you possibly quantify that?) This was a fun site to check out, and it was certainly nice to be outside the truck (don’t call it a van) for a while. However, we passed up the pull-off for the Three Rondavels viewpoint - I was hoping we would stop there so I could check it out real quick, but -alas- we did not. Can’t win every battle while traveling, and it was probably the only significant tour-related blemish on the entire journey. Two more Bourke’s Luck Pothole photographs follow.
9. Bourke's Luck Potholes #2
10. Bourke's Luck Potholes #3
11. God's Window #1
God’s Window is an escarpment which looks 700 meters (2300 feet) down to the valley below. On a clear day, you can see across Kruger National Park and even into Mozambique.
This is obviously not God’s Window (that’d be disappointing….) but rather a view along the trail leading up to it. This dry desert scrub stands in contrast with the vegetation at the top viewpoint of God’s Window and in the valley floor beneath.
12. God's Window #2
The internationally-popular film “The Gods Must Be Crazy” was filmed here - God’s Window is where the main character arrives “at the end of the world.”
Looking east, you can see some gently rolling, green hills, the other side of which give way to Kruger National Park. Four more photographs taken in and near God’s Window follow.
13. God's Window #3
14. God's Window #4
15. God's Window #5
16. God's Window #6
Looking west back across South Africa’s Central Plateau. God’s Window sits at the very eastern edge of this highland.
After concluding our visit to God’s Window, we made our way to the town of Hazyview, just outside the gates of Kruger National Park, and checked in to our campsite for the evening. That night, we learned a few things: 1) Some folks have no idea how to put a tent up, bless their hearts, 2) My snoring is prolific enough to wake up half a campsite (apologies, team!), 3) I was, comfortably, the oldest traveler in the group (the honorary “Trip Dad”), 4) Despite my “advancing years”, I can still drink young folks under the proverbial table, 5) South African food is fantastically delicious, and -most importantly-, 6) A group of people of different ages, from different backgrounds, and from different countries can gel almost immediately under the right circumstances as we all did.
This was only my second group tour, after Egypt. I generally prefer to plan my own itineraries as I like flexibility to spend as much time as I think appropriate at each location, but -in this case, at least- it was certainly nice to sit back and let someone else take the wheel for once. Unlike the Egypt trip, this journey was a bit more “hands-on”, meaning the entire group shared tasks such as preparing dinner, cleaning dishes, and assembling / disassembling the campsite in the evening and the morning. I think 1) being placed in a truck (again, don’t call it a van) for nearly eight hours the first day bring people together quickly, and 2) being involved in the tasks of traveling gives travelers a sense of camaraderie. Naturally, having a great tour leader as we did helped tremendously.
