Hard to believe we’ve been in South Africa for a week already! Today we went on a boat cruise around the lagoon up to the Knysna Heads. It was amazing to see just how devastating the June fires were when you compare the left side (residential) to the right (Featherbed Private Nature Reserve). Before the fires, you could take a boat to a restaurant and/or hike around the nature reserve. The log restaurant burned down completely while another looked barely salvageable. Given the news this week of the devastation left by Hurricane Irma that hit many Caribbean Islands and Florida, this is yet another reminder of the power of Mother Nature.
If there is one thing that can lift your spirit, it’s getting up close to elephants! We visited the Knysna Elephant Park where they’ve rescued orphaned elephants that are now a happy herd of 10. There were researchers there recording the low frequencies (rumbles) that elephants use to communicate. We had no trouble telling they were happy to see us with our baskets of fruits and vegetable. The Matriarch – Sally, made sure she got the most food! If you want to see a video, check out my Instagram post.
We could have stayed all day but left with yet another memorable experience under our belts. We then drove back to Knysna and around Leisure Island where I’d love to buy a holiday home should I ever win the lottery! It’s such a lovely place and I hope they recover quickly.
Other blog posts from this tour:
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Days 8 & 9 | Days 10 & 11 | Days 12 & 13 | Day 14 | Day 15 | Days 16 & 17 | Day 18