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Irene, Keith, Margaret, Warwick andamp; Brenda headed off early on Friday 26 May for the Mziki Trail.
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We checked in at the office at Mission Rocks to get all the information andamp; then hiked up to the ex-Air Force concrete accommodation at Mount Tabor 2 km away, which is the base camp.
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The trails are separate day hikes and we opted for the lake trail on day one. There were very fresh hippo tracks everywhere through the forest – there had been a dramatic storm the night before – so all dung andamp; tracks were very clear, andamp; although we could hear the hippo, we did not have any close encounters!
We did see many reedbuck in the open grasslands.
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Day two saw us heading off on the 18km trail and, it being the longest, seems less used andamp; not as well marked so we did a lot of walking andamp; wondering where we were headed! Our leader found a way to the beach where we lunched andamp; enjoyed the solitude andamp; pristine beauty. The 8km along the beach ended up as about 1km so we did some extra walking to compensate!
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On day three we completed the more southerly coastal stretch andamp; then headed for a visit to Cape Vidal where the road was badly under water in one place andamp; the Sani made an interesting bow wave as we nosed out of the “river”.
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Highlights of the Trail were the glorious sunrises over the sea viewed from the beacon at Mount Tabor; the magnificent sunsets over the lake; the fat little red duiker darting into the forest from the beach; the very well equipped andamp; comfortable accommodation andamp; the wonderful “throne” from where we could view (singly of course) a pair of fish eagles. Truly a Loo with a View!
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Brenda Keating