Day 1

Monday morning began with a very early rise (4:30am) to make it in time for a sunrise breakfast and hike. As Neuras is based in a canyon we didn’t have to drive far to our hiking spot. We offloaded the car, and huddled in our blankets, we sipped some tea and watched the sun come up, before eating some breakfast. Once the sun had risen a good bit and there was enough light, we started making tracks up the mountain. It was a relatively easy hike so we made it up in good time. 

The remainder of the morning was relatively relaxed considering how tired we were,but we did have to sort through some camera traps that were collected the previous day. We then got to nap and build up our energy for wine tasting in the afternoon. After a good lunch, we got a tour of the vineyard, learned about how the natural springs are fed into the vineyards, and the various wines they produce. We then, of course, got to taste some of the wines alongside a cheeseboard, adding to the luxurious experience of the day. 

That night, we had dinner and played some more games as a group until we were interrupted by the team who desperately needed plasters. Me and another girl got ours and entered the kitchen, where the chef stood with a very bloody finger, the tip of it held in his other hand, and a bread cutting apparatus stood beside him. Safe to say the rest of the night was spent mopping up blood and not red wine…

Day 2

On Tuesday, we had a bit more of a lie-in compared with the previous day, thankfully. As our guide had driven to the nearest town to bring the chef to the hospital, we were assigned some different tasks that would keep us busy for the morning. We were tasked with sorting out the plant nursery, separating the living plants from the dead and making sure all the plants were watered. It was a very hot day and the work was tough, but we earned our swimming and tanning time at lunch. 

In the afternoon, we had to clean a waterhole before having a bit more downtime. This has been great for my reading progress – I’ve been ploughing through We Don’t Know Ourselves and I would very much recommend. That evening, we had a sundowner. We all bought a few drinks at the bar and headed to Honeypoint Canyon where we all watched the sunset, shared some drinks and crisps and had great chats, before a good dinner back at the Lappa. We all had an early night because tomorrow was a big day – Deadvlei!

Day 3

We had to get up very early as we had a long drive ahead of us to the desert. Thankfully, I could snooze for much of it. 

We arrived at Sossusvlei a little after sunrise, and the drive through the national park was already incredible, passing deep red sand dunes and bright green trees. We approached the foot of the Big Daddy, the fifth highest sand dune in the world, and our hike for the day. The Big Daddy is an absolute giant and is surrounded by many other dunes, so you can’t quite see Deadvlei from the car park. The only way was up. 

Sand is very difficult to hike. We had to stick to the fine ledge of the dune, but it meant if you placed your foot poorly you would quite easily slip. So the challenge was to stick with the footprints of the person ahead of you. It was really windy, and while it meant that sand was getting absolutely everywhere, we were also kept relatively cool, which was a bit of a live saver for that climb. We made it to the top in good time (1hr ish) and then had the fun part – we got to run down the dune and into Deadvlei – super duper fun and would definitely recommend. 

Walking through Deadvlei was mad. It’s been a bucket list item for quite some time and seeing these dead trees and clay fields against the backdrop of the Big Daddy was a big pinch me moment. 

That afternoon, we were treated to a fancy lunch in a nearby lodge, which was very needed after the morning activity. The afternoon was then ours to spend – more swimming and tanning!!

Day 4

On Thursday, we were tasked with water hole cleaning. We drove to 4 different holes across the reserve and gave them all a good scrubbing so the zebras and kudus could enjoy some clean water again. It took a while and ate up most of the morning, so by the time we got back we didn’t have to wait too long for lunch. 

That afternoon, we had to clean up the cheetah enclosure by removing bones and poop. Yes, I have touched cheetah poop! The reason we have to do this is because things take incredibly long to decompose in the desert, so we try keep things relatively neat and avoid any big build up of gunk. I also got the opportunity to drive the 4×4 alongside the cheetahs, which was probably one of the coolest experiences I have had yet. 

That evening, we had another sundowner, followed by pizza and many drinks, followed by a quiz. It was team Dutch vs Team Neutral (Ireland and Switzerland, the American joined out of guilt). It was a quiz based on all we have learned that week, from plant species, to animals, to everything in between. Unfortunately, Team Neutral lost very badly (I think we were very tired, our reaction to the question was always delayed). However, it was really great fun as our group was more functional than ever!

Day 5

For our last day, we had another early start. Today we would be taking on the Olive Trail in Naukluft Park – a 10km hike through the gorges of Naukluft. We naively thought 10km wouldn’t take too long, but it took quite some time, though it was absolutely worth it. I would love to see this park during the rainy season as there are so many crevices and dried up streams that fill right up when it rains, which I assume must be very beautiful. After the hike, we had a picnic nearby some natural springs. The lunch was 10/10 and we felt a bit more revitalised to take on the springs. 

As we started walking, we started hearing thunder and dark clouds rolled in. Saya recommended we turned back, but our group was determined to see the springs and tick them off our bucket list. However, as we walked on we met another group who were on their way back and warned us to turn back because the springs and gorge would fill up really quickly once the storm arrived. We didn’t listen and decided to walk on. Then the rain started, and it was heavy. As we were in a tiny valley, we could see that it was going to fill up very quickly and Saya kept insisting that we should turn back. A few people felt uncomfortable with the idea of pursuing ahead so we all agreed it was safest to go back, so unfortunately no springs for us. The storm did look pretty bad though, so I think it was the right decision. 

We arrived back at Neuras mid-afternoon, so we each took a nap before the evening. Saya offered that we could each paint a rock to ‘leave our mark’ and us girls took him up on the offer. It was a very cute evening as we sipped and painted. I did a masterpiece of a wine glass, after which I wanted to paint a shamrock against an orange background. However, I forgot to paint the shamrock, so now there is just an orange rock sitting around somewhere in Neuras, the wrong colour to mark the Irish presence in Neuras…

The night ended with the classical braai, which was amazing, followed by some tense debates between us and the staff (relationships, feminism, and religion – some things we did not agree on). Nevertheless, it was all good fun and a nice way of us all getting to know each other a bit better before we would depart. 

Day 6

It was departure day, so not too much to say on that. We drove for a few hours before getting lunch in a hotel and meeting the rest of the group who would then be going on to Kanaan and Neuras. It was great fun getting to see familiar faces again (including an Irish lad!), and catching up for what would more than likely be the last time, so I think we all enjoyed it. I then parted ways with my new little family and made my way back to N/aan Ku Se. I already miss them very much…

That night, I got to catch up with some of my old group, including Lin, who was leaving on Sunday. This meant it was a late night as a sizeable group of us gathered around the main camp fire with Rudy (the owner – who is also a Guinness World Record holder, having competed in the world championships in both cricket and rugby). We exchanged stories, ate good food, drank good cider, and listened to good music – all amounting to a very good (and late) night. There was also another Irish girl – extra good. We laughed a lot before saying our very sad goodbyes – but there’s already plans to meet in the near future. 

Day 7

On Sunday, I was very lazy as me and a few other volunteers took to the pool for the majority of the day. Again, I made great progress with Fintan O’Toole’s book, so I was very content. The night was spent saying even more goodbyes as friends would fly home over the next few days and I was to depart for Harnas the following day. It meant that the whole weekend was quite sad because we had all grown to be really good friends over the last few weeks and this weekend marked the end of the trip for many of us, while some of us would continue but all on different projects. It’s the bad side of meeting lovely people – you have to say goodbye at the end of the trip 🙁

But enough sadness, we are on to Harnas now!