Friday 19 December 2025
After a jolly good “long” night’s sleep we were ready to head to Fugitive Drift, a 4.5 hours drive away, but first breakfast and retrieve the cat from the garage.
Once we checked out we stepped into the carpark lift and once out headed to the car, but oh dear, no car!!! We were right by the entrance where we drove in so scratched our heads. Perhaps they moved it to the carpark on the other level so walked there and walked all around, no car!!! This is silly, let’s go back down and re-check, but no, not there. By now panic was beginning to set in so methodically went to every parking space to check, definitely no car!!! By chance there were a couple of workman who informed us there was another entrance going to a different floor!!! So up, or down, not sure which, we found this mystery floor and sure enough there was the car, just where we left it and low and behold, a different entrance which was concealed when we arrived!!! Panic over and we headed off.
We had instructions how to get to Fugitive Drift but they started at Durban airport and didn’t fancy going back so followed WAZE. Waze is very good if you can see the screen as well as listen to her but we don’t have a cradle for it so it sits on Christine’s lap making things awkward at times causing us to take a wrong turning and we did, right in the middle of major roadworks, compounded by heavy traffic caused by an accident!!! Good old WAZE, it sorted us out.
For the first hour or so it was wide roads, reasonably straight and minimal traffic, for the next couple of hours we were off the N roads and onto an R roads, here it was one carriageway in each direction necessitating overtakes, and there lays the problem. Quite a lot of traffic crawls along and much of the traffic is impatient and just wants to get going. Solid double white lines don’t seem to mean anything out here in the bush and if that isn’t enough, there are potholes everywhere, not to mention the cows, goats, pigs and a couple of sheep roaming about the road. It was like driving a “dodgem car” with so much being thrown at you!!!
Next the “cherry on the top” road, the “P” road, well we had over an hour on this un-made road, and the pot holes just got enormous and in places the rains had washed the roads away and we driving over ditches and exposed rocks, proper “4×4 territory”, our poor Toyota struggled, bottoming regularly and drive wheels spinning occasionally. At time we got up to the heady speed of 40-kph but many 4-kph. (Note to self, must drive a 4×4 next time). We drove through several very busy and bustling townships but decided not to stop as we were the only white people!!!
Eventually we arrived, in the middle of nowhere (of course) to a scruffy gate with a solitary security guard and his security hut, plus a good old fashioned clip board. He checked us against his list, gave us a letter from the office and asked us to write our details on his clipboard!!!
The letter was welcome news as It informed us we’d been upgraded to the lodge from the guesthouse, very nice.
Arriving at the complex we were surrounded by staff welcoming us, taking our bags and giving us a rundown of everything then showed us to our lodge. This is quite different from Shamwari, this is set amongst a lot of trees, quite tropical in fact but our lodge has a splendid view from the big patio door window.
Once established we headed for afternoon tea but we were alone, no one else came!!! Anyway everybody gathers around the “camp-fire” for social drinks and sundown; let’s hope we met other guests then🤞🤞
The main reason for coming here was for the battlefield-tours, more on that in next post. This is also a small game reserve so may see more Giraffes etc., but none of the big five!!
The drinks around the camp fire never actually materialised, Fugitive Drift only had four lodges in use so the 8-of us stayed by the bar before heading to the communal dining table. There was a Canadian couple, an English couple from Norfolk, a father and son from Johannesburg and us, plus the lodge’s hostess for the evening. Unfortunately being one long table, socialising wasn’t very good and we spent much of the time chatting with the Father and his 8-year old so son. He described it as a Father and Son “away weekend” as both were very interested in history and walking battlefields in particular. We will get to know them better tomorrow as only the four of us are doing the tour