In Search of the Northern Lights. Day 3.

Every day that we spent in Iceland, I woke up in wonder, eager to see what more this incredible country can offer. Each day being impressed by it more and more.
The 2nd of January was spent driving the fjords of East Iceland. They really go on forever - there seemed to be no end to them. This time we had 350 km of winding fjord roads ahead of us before arriving in, arguably, the most beautiful of them all - Seydisfjord.
Although the East Fjords is probably the most underrated region in Iceland, driving through it make for a spectacular day. Every turn we made seemed to reveal yet another majestic vista.

All of a sudden, we came across some reindeers crossing the road further ahead. We were so busy looking at them that we barely noticed another trying to cross right in front of us and Michael had to hit the breaks hard to avoid a collision. Luckily, no one was hurt. And by the time, we got out of the car to see our first reindeers (Yeayy!!!), they had walked a lot further away from the road.



A little bit further on, we came across some Icelandic Horses too. Even though, they were quite a distance from the road.

Arguably, the most stunning section of road in the East Fjords is the one called Djupavogshreppur.  Here the road is built in the middle of a high cliff, rising high up above our heads with a dizzying drop beneath us, where black sand beaches stretch into the distance.

At the end of the daylight, we still had to get over mountains towards the town of Egilsstadir and then drop down to the coast to Seidisfjord and our accommodation there - Langahlid Seidisfirdi.
As we drove higher and higher into the mountains, the visibility became harder and harder. Until, we couldn't see the road ahead at all. Everything was completely white: the sky, the mountains, the road. I knew that somewhere on our right is a high cliff. But we could not see where it is and how far from it we are. In these sort of driving conditions, the orange poles that stick out of the snow are extremely helpful in locating the road. Without them it would be all too easy to drive off the road and plunge into a ravine.

Luckily, we managed to get across and down to Seidisfjord without an incident. As the light of dusk was disappearing, we drove the rather peculiar icy dirt track to our accommodation - Langahlid Seidisfirdi. This was the best place we stayed at on our trip to Iceland. Our three bedroom chalet offered the most spectacular views over the fjord. But the best of all, was sitting in it's outdoor Jacuzzi while the snow was falling down on us. That's an experience we are not likely to forget in a hurry.

The incredible Elephant Sands

There are elephants everywhere! Dozens of them are drinking from the waterhole right in front of the restaurant. More still are coming and going on paths in between the chalets and raised tents that are located in a circle around the waterhole, creating a constant traffic, which we need to negotiate to get to and from the restaurant. I’m in haven! The adrenaline that is pumping through my veins as I look around preparing to cross yet another pathway created by the elephants is exhilarating. Especially, knowing very well just how dangerous elephants can be. It’s quite miraculous, really, that there have been no serious accidents here. Our guide around Elephant Sands … tells us: “It’s because elephants become a lot calmer and more peaceful when they are near water. Any other time they are very aggressive and dangerous.”

Makgadikadi Salt Pans of Botswana

 

 

Jeremy, James and Richard from Top Gear might have crossed the Makgadikadi Salt Pans from one side to the other, but for everyone else it is advisable to stick to the tracks that cross this area, travel by 4x4 and undertake the journey with a convoy of a minimum of two vehicles.

If you haven’t got the ability or the inclination to do so, it is possible to get a taster of Makgadikadi area and what it offers in Nata Sanctuary.

Leaping salmon, stunning beaches and more

The sun was playing hide and seek with the clouds. Every so often it would shine bright through a gap. The diffuse effect of the clouds the rest of the time made the whole sky shine in a light pink tone that was also reflected in the sea below. On either side of the beach we were on, stood a small hill covered in pine forests, behind which stood another hill and another. The beach itself was littered with huge trunks of uprooted trees. They were everywhere. The roots stretching out and reaching up higher than any man.

Flying over the Okavango.

I was ecstatic when we booked a 1 hour flight over the Okavango Delta. Can there possibly be a better way to see this extraordinary place? In my opinion, no!
Even though we were travelling through Botswana on a small budget, a flight over the Okavango Delta was on my to-do list. We chose to go on a 1 hour flight with Mack Air.
My excitement was uncontrollable! When our pilot Sizwe said: "Who wants to sit in the front with me?" I jumped to it. How often do you get a chance to be a co-pilot flying over the Okavango Delta?

Is that a statue? No, it's a rhino!

"Look at that, they have put a statue of a rhino here", my husband exclaimed, pointing at a rather large 'statue' drinking from Khama Rhino Sanctuary's restaurant's swimming pool. As I am filming 'the statue', it moved. From then on the video keeps bobbing up and down as I was too busy pointing at the rhino :)

Trying for babies and Mr Cheap of Gambia

When me and my husband went for a week to the tiny country of Gambia, lying by the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded completely by its neighbour Senegal, I was not in a very good state emotionally. I had just suffered a miscarriage and even though it was only in the early stages, it was hard to get through. I wanted a baby and my fear was - what if that was it? What if I don't get pregnant again? What if I keep having miscarriages? Reality was that these things just happen and it did not reflect on my health or ability to carry pregnancy to term, but at the time it was hard to keep telling myself that, even harder to believe and trust in it.
After a miscarriage, the advise is to not try for a baby for a couple of months to let the body recover. So we booked ourselves for a trip to the rather unusual destination - Gambia.

What to do in Curonian Spit, Lithuania

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Curonian Spit is 98km long and separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. It varies in width from 400 m to 4 km. The southern part of it lies in Kaliningrad, Russia, the rest is in Lithuania, which is where we spent a couple of days.

The ups and downs of Swaziland

‘The King of Swaziland has fourteen wives and 27 children’, I was informed at the car hire while I was sorting out the required letter of authority for entering Swaziland from a car rental company at South Africa.

There is really very little information about Swaziland. Although it’s a fairly popular destination among South Africans, everyone else seems to rarely venture into this tiny kingdom, giving preference to its bigger neighbours of South Africa and Mozambique.

However, those who have been there, claim that it is better in every way – safer, nicer, with animal parks to rival South Africa’s ones.

Bontebok National Park, South Africa

Bontebok is a name of a very rare antelope. So rare that when the first Bontebok National Park was established by a handful of farmers in 1931 there were only 17 individuals left. Currently the worldwide figure measures between two and three thousand, although the park can only support around 200.

Why I love travelling with my family.

I love travelling with my family. It's a great joy to share these experiences with them and a great satisfaction to know that my 3-year-old daughter understands more about the natural world than most of adults.

Agulhus National Park, South Africa

The real southernmost point of Africa, Cape Agulhus is the place were the Indian and the Atlantic Oceans meet. It is located in Agulhus National Park about 200 km south-east from Cape Town that covers an area of 20,959 hectares. This is a windswept, rugged place, feared by seafarers. And for a reason, since many shipwrecks dot the area. This area is also known for its birdlife with a choice of fynbos, wetland and coastal birds like flamingos, Damara terns, Blue cranes and African oystercatchers. It is rich in marine life and contains more than 1750 botanical species.

Addo Elephant National Park

Malaria-free Addo Elephant National Park is situated in South Africa's south, close to Port Elizabeth, and it is the third largest national park in the country.
As the name suggests it is primarily and elephant reserve. It was created to protect the last remaining 6 elephants in 1931 and since their numbers have grown to over 600. You, most certainly, will not drive through the park without seeing large herds of these giants. Other animals found here include lions, kudus, zebras, warthogs, cape buffalo, Black rhino, spotted hyena, dung beetle and many others.

Snæfellsjökull National Park, Iceland

Snæfellsjökull National Park was the first National Park in Iceland and it also is the only one in Iceland to extend to the sea.
The main attraction to the park is the Snæfellsjökull volcano which is actually called Snæfell but since there are other mountains/volcanoes in Iceland by the same name, it is referred to as Snæfellsjökull. The volcano is an active one and its' summit is covered by a glacier. Mostly it is known worldwide due to Jules Vernes' book "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" as the entrance into the world beneath.

Þingvellir National Park, Iceland

Pingvellir National Park is where democracy was born in 930 AD when the first Parliament in the world, the Althing, assembled here for the first time. The Law Speaker used to read out new laws every year from the Law Rock here (a tradition that has only remained at Tynwald on the Isle of Man - a place where the oldest continuous Parliament still gathers annually). It met here until 1789 when an earthquake caused the Parliamentary Plain to slip by a metre (3 ft) and the Parliament was moved to the current capital, Reykjavik.