Insta Gallery - Firefly the Travel Guy

fireflyafrica

Every year around August the veld next to the N10

Every year around August the veld next to the N10 between the Olifantskop Pass and Middelton in the Eastern Cape puts on a brilliant display of flowering Coral Aloes. Field upon field of bright orange flowers light up the landscape like fire. If it doesn't turn your head driving past then I don't know what would.

#karoo #karooheartland #easterncape #encountereastcape #ecyours2explore #easterncapetourism #aloes #flowers #karooflowers

The Blue Hole (Blougat) at Eersterivier in the Tsi

The Blue Hole (Blougat) at Eersterivier in the Tsitsikamma is the perfect swimming hole. At low tide, the spot is calm and protected from the waves and wind. Just watch out for the sea urchins on the side of the rock when you get in and out.

The first time we went to Eersterivier I didn't know where it was but the second time around I had a look on Google satellite view and knew exactly where it was. It shows how important doing your homework before going to a new destination is.

#tsitsikamma #rediscovertsitsikamma #tsitsikammatourism #gardenroute #gardenofthegardenroute #easterncape #encountereastcape #tsitsikammaseaside #eersterivierstrand

Instagram post 18148323775339604

Instagram post 18148323775339604

I’d like to think I know most of the western par

I’d like to think I know most of the western part of the Eastern Cape very well. Places like the Tsitsikamma I know like the back of my hand, so I couldn’t figure out why I have never been to the Moravian Church in Clarkson when I saw a couple of photos of it on social media recently. Well, it was time for a detour.

The village of Clarkson is a former mission station of the Moravian Mission Society. It was founded in 1839 by Bishop Hans Peter Hallbeck with five coloured families from Enon and a Fingo chief with his entourage of farmers. William Wilberforce received 200 pounds from his friend Thomas Clarkson to set up the new mission station that was named after Clarkson. Clarkson spent his adult life working to abolish the Transatlantic Slave Trade and slavery itself.

Rev Halter of Enon laid out the station with Church Street as the only street with the Coloured people on one side and the Fingos on the other side of the street. In December 1840 the first church building was consecrated.

The missionaries initially also worked as teachers at the station and often offered their services to the surrounding farmers as well. This meant that the farmers’ children were baptised by them and given medical help. Good wheat harvests, indigenous wood and the use of the water mill by the white farmers of the surrounding area generated enough money so that a school could be built in 1864.

During both world wars, the German leaders of the mission station were interned. After the Second World War, problems with poor church attendance, livestock theft, alcohol abuse and liquor smuggling started to increase. In 1970 the Moravians withdrew from the control of the village and in 1996 the ownership was transferred to the community. The Fingos who had to move to the Ciskei in 1976 due to Group Areas Act, returned to Clarkson and the surrounding farms in 1994.

#clarkson #tsitsikamma #tsitsikammatourism #rediscovertsitsikamma #easterncape #encountereastcape #missionstation #moravianchurch #moravianmissionstation

We were camping at @sitrusoewerrivercamp outside K

We were camping at @sitrusoewerrivercamp outside Kirkwood for a weekend not long ago. I was busy going through the photos I had taken so literally had my camera in my hand when this Brown Hooded Kingfisher landed right next to me. At least he gave me a chance to get a couple of shots off before flying away.

#sitrusoewerrivercamp #kirkwood #sundaysrivervalley #addotourism #amazingaddo #easterncape #encountereastcape #kingfisher

I'm not much of a drinker. Definitely not a brandy

I'm not much of a drinker. Definitely not a brandy and coke or whiskey (with or without the e) guy. But I will never say no to a gin and tonic.

One of the many activities that @pabalaprivatenaturereserve between Loerie and Hankey offers is a Gin Tasting Experience. They've also included it on their new Pabala Day Visit program and that is where I recently learned a whole of of gin stuff I never knew.

Pabala doesn't just promote somebody else's gin with their branding on it, they distill their own on site. Their seasonal gins are crafted from locally sourced fresh produce like citrus from Patensie, strawberries from Hankey, honeybush harvested in the Baviaanskloof and Pabala’s very own Prickly Pear.

So here is what I learned during the tasting. When you smell the gin neat and smell it again after adding ice there is a difference in the fragrance. You then add the tonic and have a taste before adding your choice of fruit and herbs and tasting again.

There's a definite immediate change is taste and flavour and even more so depending on what you add.

The most disappointing part of the gin tasting? When it was over.

Oh and I had to borrow a photo from Pabala's gin bottles cause I was enjoying the tasting so much I forgot to take one.

#pabala #pabalaprivatenaturereserve #pabalagin #gamtoostourism #kouga #kougatourism #easterncape #encountereastcape #gin #gintasting

I absolutely love honey. As in I can eat it with a

I absolutely love honey. As in I can eat it with a spoon. But I always just thought honey was honey was honey and it all basically tasted the same. Not!

That I learned last week at @pabalaprivatenaturereserve. Pabala has just launched their day visit experience which kicks off with a honey tasting session. You can also book a honey-tasting session on its own.

Pabala introduced bees to the reserve as part of their nature conservation efforts to try and increase pollination and about three years after they started setting up bee boxes they could start to commercially harvest honey.

Johan Cronje, Pabala's bee guy, provided us with some interesting facts about bees, their importance to our daily lives, their impact on the reserve and the honey they produce.

We got to taste three honeys and this is where I realised for the first time how different the taste can be. The light, almost yellow, honey was summer flowers, the slightly darker orange one was a fynbos honey while the very dark one was winter, or aloe, honey.

Pabala also offers a half-day Bee Experience where you join a beekeeper in the field servicing the bee hives and learning more about bees. Something to try next time perhaps.

#pabala #pabalaprivatenaturereserve #gamtoostourism #kouga #kougatourism #easterncape #encountereastcape #ecyours2explore #easterncapetourism #bees #honey

This week I was invited to the launch of the @paba

This week I was invited to the launch of the @pabalaprivatenaturereserve day experience. I arrived early and chilled over a few coffees at their new Padstal restaurant.

My eye wandered a bit and I spotted a couple of birds. No, not the female dress-wearing kind, but the feathered kind.

The whole time I was there I watched a pair of Striped Swallows busy building their nest on a light fitting in the restaurant. They kept sweeping in and out with mud in their beaks working on the entrance to the nest.

My eye caught sight of a Wagtail disappearing into a bush right by the railing and I slowly made my way with my camera in hand. Mommy bird flew off but I did get a shot of her nest with three eggs under a canopy of leaves and thorns.

Right outside the front door to the Padstal a huge racket also caught my attention. There's a whole colony of Cape Weavers nesting in the tree by the door and just about every nest has little ones in it. It means that every time mom or dad came flying in a couple of hungry beaks shouted out the entrance. Lots of big smiles to photograph.

The last of my birds for the post wasn't at the Padstal but rather on the game drive where we got to see the biggest bird in the world. The Ostrich. Not something we as South Africans find as unusual as international visitors to the country, but hey, always nice to see them close up.

#pabalaprivatenaturereserve #pabala #easterncape #encountereastcape #gamtoostourism #kougatourism #kouga #birds #birdsofinstagram

I'm fascinated by the different types of fungi gro

I'm fascinated by the different types of fungi growing on dead logs in the Tsitsikamma forest

Whenever I visit a new town the first thing I do i

Whenever I visit a new town the first thing I do is to go and find the town’s Dutch Reformed Church. In most small towns they are the oldest church in a place and often a beautiful and interesting building. I did just that the first time I drove into Somerset East. These days I visit Somerset East a couple times a year but I still stop by the church every time to try and get a different angle.

The Somerset East Dutch Reformed Church is the fourth oldest congregation of the Dutch Reformed Church in the Eastern Cape and the 15th oldest in the entire South African denomination. The congregation was founded in 1825 but construction of the first church only started in 1830. Construction of the second (and current) church building started in 1869 and it was dedicated in 1871 although construction wasn’t completed yet. The church was declared a National Heritage Site in 1979.

Read my whole post here - https://fireflyafrica.co.za/somerset-easts-dutch-reformed-church/

#somerseteast #somerseteastattractions #kwanojoli #karooheartland #cometothekaroo #ecyours2explore #encountereastcape #easterncape #somerseteastunexpected

What are your favourite flowers to see while trave

What are your favourite flowers to see while travelling?

Mine? Aloes, proteas and lilies growing and flowering in the wild.

The aloe was photographed outside Pearston in the Karoo Heartland, the protea in the Tsitsikamma National Park and the lily in Storms River Village.

#flowerstagram #flowers #easterncape #encountereastcape #protea #aloe #lily #bees

When you take a break on a walk through the Tsitsi

When you take a break on a walk through the Tsitsikamma forest, take a phone pic of your camera and then a camera pic of your phone pic of said camera. 🤷‍♂️

Scenes from a trail. The 2km long Goesa Trail in

Scenes from a trail.

The 2km long Goesa Trail in Storms River Village is perfect for an early morning walk to stretch your legs, a midday forest meditation or a late afternoon stroll to catch the golden hour.

It's also perfect for some forest photography with so many forms, patterns and textures, sunlight and shadows, and all kinds of interesting nooks and crannies.

Guess what I was doing on my walk last visit?

#tsitsikamma #rediscovertsitsikamma #stormsriver #stormsrivervillage #gardenroute #gardenofthegardenroute #easterncape #encountereastcape #tsitsikammanationalpark #gardenroutenationalpark #trail #hiking #hikingtrail #nature

When the aloe candle lights up on the Jbay beach i

When the aloe candle lights up on the Jbay beach in the morning.

#jbay #jeffreysbay #kouga #kougatourism #easterncape #encountereastcape #sunrise

Travelling is about exploring, discovering, and ex

Travelling is about exploring, discovering, and experiencing. Often places that most people want to go and see. Places being promoted. Places that are posted about on social media.

But every now and then I like to discover a hidden gem. Somewhere generally unknown. Often overlooked. Hidden in plain sight.

I'm a Geocacher. @geocaching is a worldwide GPS treasure hunt game played by people all over the world. It's basically using multi-billion dollar spy satellite technology to find Tupperware in the woods. Or roadside. Or towns and cities. A lot of them are located at non-descript spots but often the game takes you to interesting locations. Even better, hidden gems.

I was looking for one of these caches when I first discovered this beautiful spot next to the Elands River in the Tsitsikamma. The N2 highway literally passes over about 100m away and it's a short walk down from the old bridge on the R102.

Quiet, tranquil and relaxing. Plus if it is a hot day it's the perfect spot to cool off in the river pool.

Bonus, the original cache was archived so I now have a cache at this location.

https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GCAKD7K_under-the-elands-river-bridge

#tsitsikamma #rediscovertsitsikamma #gardenroute #gardenofthegardenroute #easterncape #encountereastcape #geocaching #caching #geocachingsouthafrica

I took a detour over the mountain to Kareedouw fro

I took a detour over the mountain to Kareedouw from Oudebosch the last time I was in the Tsitsikamma and swung past the Dutch Reformed Church. The Kareedouw congregation separated from the Humansdorp Moedergemeente in 1906.

The sandstone rocks used in construction came from a hill on the southwest side of the church building and were brought in by oxcart at 25 cents per load. The original wood for benches (now on the galleries) was donated by A Witcher from the Tsitsikamma. The cornerstone was laid on 10 February 1908 and the church was consecrated a year later on 14 February 1909.

The town developed around the church building and in 1910 there were only 8 houses in Kareedouw. In 1929 the church building was enlarged with additions to the galleries and church tower with a new layout and entrances. The church’s two Morrison automatic generators provided lights for 50 other buildings in the town in 1951.

In front of the church is a monument commemorating the Great Trek Centenary celebrations with the Piet Retief wagon visiting from 3 to 5 September 1938.

Balthazar Johannes “B. J.” Vorster (13 December 1915 – 10 September 1983), better known as John Vorster, was buried out of the church and laid to rest in the hero’s acre next to the building. Vorster served as the prime minister of South Africa from 1966 to 1978 and as state president from 1978 to 1979.

Blog post - https://fireflyafrica.co.za/the-beautiful-stone-dutch-reformed-church-in-kareedouw/

#langkloof #kareedouw #church #ngkerk #dutchreformedchurch

Footprints in the mud I took a walk along the Goe

Footprints in the mud

I took a walk along the Goesa Trail in Storms River Village and right at the start of the trail spotted these footprints in a shallow puddle after the previous day's rain. My guess is that they're Guinea Fowl prints. Don't just look at the bigger picture but keep an eye out for the smaller details as well.

#footprints #guineafowl #birds #birdsofinstagram

Last night was a big night for us. What an evening

Last night was a big night for us. What an evening! We won the Photography/Videography (using photography to promote tourism) category at the Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism Awards! And I had a suit on for the first time since 2019.

It's really fantastic to receive recognition for the hard work and perseverance over the years. The last two and a half years since being retrenched and going solo has been tough but I'm stubborn. 26 years in tourism and about 16 of that creating content online through blogging, my social media channels, and various websites, and now also curating content for our clients' social media platforms, has paid off. Good things come to those who wait.

If you're looking for someone to look after your establishment's social media needs, please get in touch.

We welcome @whistlewoodsa to the Firefly portfolio

We welcome @whistlewoodsa to the Firefly portfolio.

Whistlewood is situated in the leafy suburb of Walmer and was built around 1875.
Originally influenced by Victorian and Dutch architecture and owned by wealthy prince merchants of the period, the house has been restored and oozes Victorian charm and character. The guesthouse has three beautifully appointed and spacious en-suite rooms and a self-help complimentary light breakfast is available in the ‘Blue kitchen‘.

The Hannah Function Room at Whistlewood is the ideal room for small meetings, training or special functions with high-speed fibre WiFi and caters for 10 to 12 people with a media-smart 50-inch screen. Catering and refreshments can be arranged.

We are very excited to now also include a PE/GQ establishment.
https://whistlewood.co.za/

If you are interested in working with Firefly the Travel Guy,
contact Jonker at 0828892459 or jonker@fireflyafrica.co.za.

Driving along the Elands River Road near Uitenhage

Driving along the Elands River Road near Uitenhage I just couldn't pass by this scene looking up the valley towards the Cockscomb Mountain.

#portelizabeth #uitenhage #gqeberha #nelsonmandelabay #easterncape #encountereastcape #blueskies

Load More Follow on Instagram