Scott Rains travels KwaZuluNatal with Access2Africa Safaris

1. Travellers Stories
South Africa
(Forward Feb 2010)
The following article has been taken from the SIA Members’
magazine, forward and retains the original layout of the
magazine. Where possible we have removed advertisements
and other material not relevant to the content but we
apologise that in some cases this has not been possible.

2. 24
Visiting the
It’s not like I am a celestial
navigator. I couldn’t find my way
home from the corner pub
by looking at the stars even if all I
had to drink was Stone’s Ginger
Beer. Set me sailing out on the
ocean at night by the stars – well,
I’ve never been sailing at night so
I’m not certain – but I imagine
you would never hear from me
until I drifted up on a forsaken
beach somewhere.
So I kept the shades closed on
the 15-hour flight from the east
coast of the US to Johannesburg
and I didn’t see the night sky until
I was safely tucked away in a
wheelchair-accessible hut at
Hilltop Camp inside Hluluwe
Game Reserve – but that’s
jumping too far ahead in the
story.
Jennae Bezuidenhout of Access
2 Africa Safaris is an enterprising
woman. She is the reason I was
able to make this trip. She and
her husband J. J. live in the area
of Kwazulu Natal Province South

3. I travel a lot – more than
most other tetraplegics
that I know. Even so,when
I first look up at the sky
on every trip to the
southern hemisphere I am
temporarily disoriented. Elephant Coast
Africa known as the Elephant
Coast. Surrounded by about 400
game reserves, animal rehabilitation
centres, sporting, leisure, and
vacation destinations she lives and
breathes travel industry in a corner
of the country north of Durban.
Since her husband’s paralysis she
has taken what she has learned
from her personal and business
environments and woven them into
something unique. She has become
a provider of – and an evangelist for
– safaris that include travellers with
mobility impairments and other
disabilities.
Arriving on a connecting flight of
one more hour in the air, I met my
smiling tall blonde South African
hostess and the other specialist in
Inclusive Tourism who would be
part of this 11-day tour. Monica
Guy is a sparklingly intelligent
young British travel writer.
She came with a pedigree including
having written the first campus
accessibility guide for Cambridge
University, a prolific collection of
online and print tour guide writing,
forward february 2010
and experience as part of the
team that travels with
Dr Stephen Hawking. Introduced
to our driver Aubrey who would
accompany us throughout the
tour we used the tailgate lift to
enter the van provided by
Budget rentals and began the
journey.
Jennae’s wisdom was apparent
from the start. Rather than
rushing off to ‘relax’ in the bush
we spent some time settling into
a City Lodge in Durban.
We ambled through the adjacent
Gateway Mall purchasing the
odds and ends that inevitably get
forgotten when packing for a
month-long trip.
Well-provisioned – and
impressed by the indoor climbing
rock and standing wave surf
facility in the mall – we took a
day trip to North Beach and
Shake Marine World. Shake is
the largest marine theme park in
Africa and includes the fifth
largest aquarium in the world.
25
The park’s Zulu themes are
immediately apparent. So is the
good integration of accessible
paths of travel. Unifying design
themes were noticeable while
passing through shops lining the
first several blocks beyond the
entrance. I was captivated by my
first exposure to what I later
came to know as ‘wiremen’.
These are sculptures made of
wire (sometimes beaded) and
then illuminated.
The snorkelling pond was closed
and the surf a little too vigorous
so we watched the water world
rather than entered it. The park’s
aquarium is housed in what
looks like a beached shipwreck.
Charming – and easily
wheelchair accessible via the
same series of long ramps used
by all visitors.
From Durban our trip took us to
nearby Kloof and a stay at the
remarkable Macaranga Lodge
and Spa built in the 30-acre
continued overleaf

4. 26
grounds of a botanical garden.
The owners have augmented the
beauty with a collection of Shone
stone sculptures. From regal to
playful these works of art set
throughout the grounds are only
part of the personal touch.
Each room has original artwork
collected by the owners. One
half of the rooms are wheelchair
friendly. Even the pool can be
rolled into in a wheelchair.
Macarena is a rare find among
high-end lodgings.
The overland portion of our
adventure began with the drive
to Hluluwe Game Reserve.
I transferred to one of the narrow
jump seats and gained a view
out of the side window. The hut
at Hluluwe was spacious and
convenient. Situated at a
distance from the restaurant and
forward february 2010
its imposing view, the hut was a
quiet retreat in an already relaxing
environment.
A side trip to Ilala Weaver’s
Co-op store was a feast for
someone with a strong desire to
support local craftspeople and
indigenous arts. The business
model is fair trade with works
purchased from local artisans who
are in turn compensated fairly.
In turn they have the guaranteed
income that allows them to
mature in their art form.
The results were obvious on every
shelf. If there are any regrets
about my trip it is that I did not
have a few hundred more dollars
on hand to purchase the
beadwork, wood carvings, and
Zulu baskets that so captivated
me.
But the heart of the trip were the
game drives! It would be tedious
to read in print the long list of all
the animals we saw. Of course the
‘big guys’ were there: giraffe,
Cape buffalo, rhino, and
wildebeest. So were colourful
birds, tiny steenbok, humorous
wart hogs, moody hyenas, and
majestic leopards. Just driving
from one place to another was an
adventure of ‘firsts’! Tour Guide,
Dave Davies, of the nearby
Hluluwe backpacker’s lodge was
superb.
Later, our nights in the accessible
hut at Bonamanzi Game Reserve
were very enjoyable. We had more
food than we could eat and a
permanent show of inpala and
wart wogs grazing on the lawn.
A whole new set of skills and
senses are awakened in the bush.
The ranger amazed us by spotting
a chameleon no larger than my
index finger clinging to a bush
during a night drive – pitch black
with only a lamp to see by.
Before returning to Durban and
another delightful stay at
Macaranga Lodge we had two
other adventures.
We got a warm welcome at
Dumazulu Cultural Village.
We watched the athletic Zulu
dancers. Then I sang a capella
with them (in Zulu!) wearing an
animal skin hat with a tail flopping
behind. It reminded me of the
raccoon-skin caps we used to call
‘Daniel Boone’ hats.
We also headed to St Lucia and its
World Heritage estuary network.
Literally risking life and limb to get
from the inaccessible dock to an
Advantage Tours cruise I was
immediately rewarded when we
came upon a fish eagle, a colony
of brilliant yellow weaver birds, and
a family of hippos. I was later
impressed to see Advantage Tours’
new wheelchair-friendly boat
waiting on land for permission to
launch.
South Africa’s Elephant Coast is
an under-explored tourist gem.
With the slower pace,
professionals like Jennae and her
Access 2 Africa Safaris can offer
close personalised service.
The area’s ‘hidden secret’ identity
is about to change however.
The new Durban airport with direct
inbound international flights will go
online in time for the 2010 World
Cup.
There is a story that circulates
around the Rains’ family.
It surfaced as we did some digging
into our genealogy recently.
continued from previous page

5. 27
It generally starts with the
lines, “The Rains came over
the mountain (the Cumberland
Gap during the westward
expansion in the US) with
Daniel Boone.”
Maybe it’s just a rationalisation
for my wanderlust. Still, I
sense a kinship of spirit with
Daniel Boone who is reported
to have said, in answer to the
question, “Have you ever been
lost?” – “No, but I was once a
might confused for a few
days.”
I recommend taking a chance
on a few confused nights
under South African skies.
Get lost if you are so inclined.
If you run into one of those
cool Zulu ‘Daniel Boone’ hats,
send me one, ok?
Scott Rains
forward february 2010
Find out more
Access2africasafaris
Website: www.access2africasafaris.co.za
Email: info@access2africasafaris.co.za
Tour Guide: Dave Davies, Hluluwe Backpacker’s Lodge
0027 35 5620357
Email: info@hluhluwebackpackers@lantic.net