Sundays River

Read more about the article The historic Mackay Bridge over the Sundays River
Firefly the Travel Guy / Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

The historic Mackay Bridge over the Sundays River

Back in the early 1800s the first river crossing across the Sundays River going east from Algoa Bay was a drift situated near Addo. As traffic increased there was an urgent need for a more direct route as the route via Addo was a bit of a detour to Grahamstown and the Albany DistrictBy the mid-1800s the Colchester area was a very busy spot as it had the only punt over the Sundays River on this main route between Port…

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22/10/2022
Read more about the article Moonlight cactus flowers in the Sundays River Valley
Firefly the Travel Guy

Moonlight cactus flowers in the Sundays River Valley

I recently attended the opening of the revamped Sir Percy FitzPatrick Lookout in Sunland hosted by Addo Tourism and was amazed by the beautiful flowers blooming all around it. I knew it wasn't indigenous but had no idea what it was, so I just took loads of photos of it anyway. A little research with the help of Google Lense later and I now know that this is the Moonlight Cactus, (Selenicereus grandiflorus), also called Moon Cactus. It is a…

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03/06/2022
Read more about the article Percy’s Place – the most scenic view in the Sundays River Valley
Firefly the Travel Guy

Percy’s Place – the most scenic view in the Sundays River Valley

I'm sure most South Africans have read, or at least heard, of the book Jock of the Bushveld. The book was written by Sir Percy FitzPatrick, (24 July 1862 – 24 January 1931) who in his younger years was involved in gold and diamond prospecting in Mpumalanga where Jock of the Bushveld also plays off. He also had involvement in the Anglo Boer War and politics. Not many may realise though that the Sundays River Valley has very strong links…

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27/04/2022
Read more about the article Swallows planning their winter travels
Firefly the Travel Guy

Swallows planning their winter travels

I visited the Sundays River Valley in early April and while enjoying the view from the Sir Percy Fitzpatrick Lookout noticed a couple of swallows on an aloe. It looked like they were having a conversation and I imagined it to be about their upcoming trip north. I'm no bird expert so as soon as I got home I had a quick look in my bird book to see what they were, and they turned out to be lesser striped…

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21/04/2022
Port Elizabeth Daily Photo

Weekend fun on the Sundays River

The day before the president announced that all beaches and rivers will be closed under the adjusted level 3 regulations, we spent the day in the Addo Elephant National Park. After coming out the south gate we took a drive around Cannonville and watched the holiday makers enjoy the river and shoreline. It makes you wish you had a boat to cruise up and down the Sunday's on.

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05/01/2021
Read more about the article Darlington Dam
Firefly the Travel Guy

Darlington Dam

A few months ago we spent a weekend on a friend's farm near Darlington Dam and he took us for a quick drive to see what the dam looked like. Unfortunately we didn't get to go to the dam wall itself, so my picture is of the runoff below the wall. Darlington Dam, also referred to as Lake Mentz is located off the main road between Kirkwood and Jansenville and was completed in 1922. The primary reason for the dam being…

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04/09/2020
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So many activities to do around Addo

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytr7JafvP7o]When you mention Addo, most people think elephants.  They wouldn't be wrong though BUT, these days Addo is so much more than just elephants.  Crisscross Adventures is a tour and adventure activity company based in the Sundays River Valley and they offer a wide range of activities from tours to the Addo Elephant National Park to quad biking, canoe safaris on the Sundays River and sand boarding.  Check out their new promotional video and tell me you don't want…

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21/07/2017
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Sand Sledding at Sundays River Mouth video

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJGnvnEwN44&w=500&h=400]The guys from Chasing the Rainbow went cruising on the Sundays River Ferry and topped off the trip sand sledding on the Colchester dunes near the river mouth with Captain Les.  Check the video they made doing this awesome activity right here on our doorstep. 

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23/06/2017
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Approaching front

I was on the Wild Coast for a meeting this morning and drove back this afternoon with rain just about all the way.  As I was approaching Port Elizabeth there were more clear sky around and coming down the hill towards Colchester and the Sundays River the clouds looked like an approaching front. With my phone mounted on the dash I just pushed the camera button and clicked a pic.  A totally "wrong" picture in anybody's book. Skew horizon, bad…

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16/01/2017
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Reading the travel book one page at a time – Tree lined lane

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page - St AugustineVery true words indeed.  But I also believe that while travelling you need to go off the beaten track every now and then as well otherwise you will just keep seeing what everybody else sees.  There really isn't anything wrong with that, it's just nice to see a little more sometimes as well.  And often it's something simple, like driving along this tree…

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03/11/2016