Magnificent Mountain Sanctuary

Some folk are sea people, their perfect holiday is spent on the beach, swimming, watching the waves, sand between their toes, eating ice cream and soaking up the sun.

Other folk are bush people; they spend any free time on game drives, at bird hides and sipping sundowners on wooden decks overlooking watering holes.

And then you get those mountain people, whose greatest pleasure is to hike off into the mountains in the early mornings, to sit beside a burbling steam, to climb until their legs ache and their lungs burn.

I am definitely one of the latter. Spending time in the mountains makes me deliriously happy.
Whether it’s the Drakensburg, Magaliesburg, Maulti, Kamiesberge or just a small hill on an empty plain, that’s where I’ll be heading come holiday time.

We are lucky enough to have a beautiful mountain retreat not far from home.

Mountain Sanctuary Park is a privately owned nature reserve in the Magaliesburg mountain range. It caters for all people, from avid mountaineers and nature lovers to families who just want a break away. It’s about an hour and a half from Joburg, just far enough to feel you’re getting away, without having to travel for hours. They have quite a variety of accommodation options to cater for all needs: Log cabins, Chalets, Cosy huts, camping and caravan sites.

I was lucky enough to be treated to some time there as a birthday gift and it was amazing! We packed Red Rocket to the hilt (as is always the case, with way more stuff than was needed) and spent four days camping, relaxing, laughing, hiking and swimming.

Red Rocket…and its katundu.

We arrived on a Wednesday and had the camp nearly all to ourselves for two and a half days. I would recommend going during off peak times if at all possible, it’s exquisitely quiet (travel mag journalists aside).
Falling asleep in a tent to the eerie sounds of nightjars calling, interspersed with lonely yowls of the jackal, is something worth experiencing. It leaves one with a strange sense of venerability; your thin tent is the only thing ‘protecting’ you from ‘the great outdoors’. It makes you realise what sheltered lives we live in town, where we are used to falling asleep to the sounds of cars, sirens and alarms.

I’ve always been one for early mornings, and so was up early to catch the sunrise. The park has numerous superb vantage points.

We didn’t have to go anywhere to see some wildlife, during the morning a troop of baboons came rambling through the rest camp. Followed not long after by their cheeky cousins the Vervet Monkeys, who came to turn over trash cans and cause general havoc. I was blindly enamored by these sweet little monkeys until the little f*#@ers managed to make off with the last of my birthday cake, grabbing it from the table in the center of camp, whilst our backs were briefly turned. Needless to say I was not impressed and my views toward monkeys changed dramatically.

Hmmm

They do pose a problem at MSP, but mainly due to some naive people who feed them. They have no fear of humans and constantly stand at the edge of your campsite scanning for opportunities. Once something is spotted they dash in and are off! One has to lock up EVERYTHING of value.

Whilst we were drinking our morning coffee, we kept hearing this ‘tap tapping sound’. It went on and on in short bursts. Eventually after some confusion, we found the culprit!

A Golden breasted Bunting!

En garde!

It had a wonderful time attacking the intruder it found in the cars mirrors and windows. I don’t believe either of them won the duel though.

MSP is a hikers paradise, you can follow their marked trails or head off the beaten path. The sun was up, the sky was blue and we took a trail up to the “Grotto” a lovely cool enclave in the mountains. The rock formations on the trail have to be seen to be believed, reminded me of some spaghetti western scenery.

Admiring the cliffs and trees at the Grotto.

We followed the stream back to base camp and came across this stunning view at the Slide Pools.

The next day we tackled the West pools, which are an absolute treat in summer, after the hike to get to them, taking a dip in the ice cold pools is such a pleasure. Pack a picnic lunch, hike, swim, laze on the rocks, explore.

MSP even has mountain bike trails, for those brave enough to attempt them…

Our evenings were spent around the campfire, under heavy star laden skies, chatting, braaiing, cooking marshmallows  and sipping on Amarula.

Then only down side to our stay (besides those thieving Monkeys) was some journalists who really managed to get up my nose.
How do you know journalists from a specific travel magazine are around?
Well basically that boils down to one simple answer. You’ll hear them.

These specific ones arrived at MSP in a whirl of dust, overtaking us on the way in, in a hurried attempt to get to their destination and fly over the bumpy road. Dressed in chic ‘boho’ clothes, broad floppy hats, boots that weren’t made for hiking and toting large cameras, you couldn’t mistake them. Their conversation drifting across the camp site was loud and unambiguously self-involved. Each trying to outdo the other in the game of “I’m so many times cooler and more grounded than you”
The rules of the reserve were completely and utterly ignored by them. Repeatedly. Yet they didn’t seem to care in the least.
They threw a hissy fit (which was audible to the whole campsite) when they found out after returning to their chalet from a late evening walk, that the gate gets locked at a certain hour. (Very clearly noted in the office and on the pamphlet that is handed out on arrival) This being “completely unacceptable” they phoned the owner and undoubtedly requested special permissions seeing as they are reviewing the reserve for a certain magazine. One wouldn’t want a bad review would they? (I wonder if they paid the R150.00 non-emergency fine?)

They arrived back camp later that night, even louder than before, once again with no concern for any of the other inhabitants.
At least we gained some laughter from them when they drove off to the ablution block (did I mention they don’t stick to the rules) and got lost on the way back. Continuously taking wrong turns and backtracking. I’m not sure if this was due to too many drinks at dinner or just a general lack of direction. This was made even funnier by the fact that MSP has only the one ring road, from which all the campsites / chalet roads branch off of and it’s not at all difficult to navigate. It was a sight to witness this little car bumping around in the dark, reversing, doing 5 point turns, going back the way it had come had come, in the end looking a bit frantic. It must have taken about ten minutes for them to get back to their chalet which should only have taken them a minute. None the less these antics made the annoyance of having noisy inconsiderate people around slightly more bearable.

It’s quite strange that the reviews that have appeared in the magazine, after our run in with the journalists, do not do MSP justice. They are brief and thinly littered with vague details. I guess expecting more from such self-involved individuals is asking a little too much.

But being there when all the families and friends arrive on a Friday evening has its own kind of charm. The campsite is abuzz with the sounds of tent pins being hammered into the ground, couples bickering over how to set up the tent and children boisterous in their freedom. It has a very villagey vibe, which was quite cool to experience.
Some families are adept at setting up a camp, they must do it regularly. They act like a well-oiled machine and camp is usually set up within half an hour. You don’t hear any bickering or snarky comments from them. Their main aim seems to be to set up as quick as possible, so they can still manage to get a hike and a swim in before it gets too late.
Then there are those people, who are not umm, as adept as the ones above. Watching them is a comedy act one doesn’t even have to pay for. I commend them for going camping, they are out of their element, but their hearts are the right place. They want to get outdoors and be in touch with nature, yet unfortunately for them, they are not too sure how to go about this. Some things just don’t come easy, the task of setting up camp being one of those things. Setting up camp is a challenge, a remarkable test on those who think they’re a good team. I must admit, the townies try really hard and luckily succeed (usually helped along by copious amounts of alcohol) in having a good time.

And essentially that’s why we all go, to have a good time.
It’s an affordable break away, not too far from Joburg and as their slogan says “if you can’t relax here, you need medical attention”

For more details on Mountain Sanctuary park check their website out here.