A round up of the pictures and events that have made it onto the Facebook page for our accommodation in Kosi Bay.
And Christmas is over!
You will be pleased to hear that the Christmas and New Year madness is starting to slow down, this means we will soon have bookings available!
But, we are already taking bookings for the next school break, so don’t miss out, enquire soon at info@kosibay.net !
Students in Kosi Bay!
It is that time of year again, the students are taking over the beach at Kosi Bay – although, as it is winter the locals aren’t really swimming anyway… (but the water is still warmer than some of our UK students are used to!).
White Faced Owl Update
Our regular followers may remember that back in August 2010 we rescued a young white faced owl who had strayed from the nest and landed in a fire.
At first, he was a regular sighting at our sister lodge in Hluhluwe. However, for the last few months we have neither seen nor heard him, a few feathers have been found here and there by people walking along the trail, but no sightings.
But then, last night as we drove into the gate at Hluhluwe with Les Stroud, there he was.
There he was sitting above us, and then when we stopped to look at him he turned his head to watch us.
He waited patiently for us to get our shots and let him get back to his hunting
A fantastic afternoon at Kosi Bay!
Spot the fish...
...spear the fish...
...clean the fish...
...cook the fish (traditionally)...
...eat the fish...
...and... relax!
Kayak Exploration!
My! What a busyweek it has been, first we have a full lodge, completely packed out!!
Then we get our Kayaking concession from parksboard meaning that we can now explore not only the lovely blue lakes of Kosi Bay, but also the many winding channels amongst the reeds and sand dunes of the Kosi Mouth Estuarine system.
But, we had no photos of these areas! So, as disappointed as we were at pulling ourselves away from work, we went to do some exploring.
Check out the video below – don’t worry, no sound, so it’s safe for work!
Video – Snorkelling at Kosi Bay
Check out the snorkelling at Kosi Bay!
Green Amangwane!
The environment means a lot to us and we know it does to you too, so, as we are situated in the UNESCO World Heritage site of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, we thought that we would do our bit to help preserve it.
Kosi Bay, part of iSimangaliso Wetland Park
So…
What have we changed?
The first thing we have changed is that we now run on solar power!
The new solar panels take pride of place atop the chalets
This means; no generator needed, no noise pollution, no waste of fossil fuels, no pollution and most importantly, no impact on the environment.
But, there is a downside…
…we do not have our fairy lights at the moment, we are working on a way to make them compatible though!
No trees were harmed in the installation of our solar panels
Each unit now has its own solar panel, this feeds to a USB charging point in each room – perfect for point and shoot cameras, mobile phones and anything else that charges via USB.
This solar battery is good enough to power not only your mobile phones, but also the room lights, all night!
Kosi Bay has no shortage of sun, so, no shortage of light!
Everything on the camp is now solar – from gate to boma.
We have also settled our Jo Jo (water tank) on a platform 5 metres off the ground – this means that (drum roll please!) we now have continual water pressure to all chalets 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and all without the need for any generators. These gravity fed showers are even better than they were before on generator power!
As if this wasn’t enough, we have been working like beavers to improve the facilities we already have at the camp. So far we have re-reeded most of the chalets to keep out the creepy crawlies and the kitchen has been extended, we also now have a second stove and sink so that our self caterers have more space. And now by the fire pit we have a brick built braai giving us some where to keep the firewood dry and enough room for 2 people to braai at the same time.
Pictures coming soon!
Find us at Responsible Travel.
Beachtime!!
A beach day at Kosi bay!
Stephanie was more than a little happy at this prospect, although in truth we all were. It was hot, and the mere thought of swimming was making us all eager to get to the beach.
Even Tommy was eager to get to the water!
Tommy was all set for his day at the beach
The visit to the fishtraps is first. this sustainable fishing method is as much a part of conserving the area as preserving the traditional Tsonga culture.
Elmon explained how the fish trap worked to us and gave us spear fishing lessons to show us how hard it is, then it was time to walk/splash out to the fishtraps to take a look for ourselves.
Elmon shows us how it's done
Run away!
Elmon leads us into the trap
Adrian shows that leaf who is boss!
We were in luck, one of Elmons fishtraps had bream, grunter, mullet and even kingfish! So we got to test our wits against that of the fish and try our hand at spearing dinner.
Looking for fish at one of Elmons traps
Fighting over who will be first to spear
Stephanie speared her fish on the first try… Sleep with one eye open Adrian…!
Steph shows us all how it is done on the first throw of her spear
Adrian teaches the fish a lesson
We all emerged from the handmade cage triumphant. We would have a feast tonight!
But no time for smugly posing with our catches…
…oh, ok then just a little…
Mr and Mrs Crusoe won't be hungry tonight!
Adrian plays the man card and pretends he caught them all
What now? Snorkelling!
