Listening to the call of the Fish Eagles and the other early morning sounds of the African bush, it’s extremely hard to believe that we are only 23kms away from the bustling chaos of the city.
We arrived after dark last night at Areena Riverside Resort, on the banks of the Kwelera tidal river, just east of East London’s city centre in the Eastern Cape. The girls are still asleep and I can’t wait to see their excitement when they observe what they are waking up to. I imagine Hannah eagerly scouting the area for a first sighting of buck, monkeys or dassies on the other side of the river, or perhaps of Areena’s new baby giraffe.
Arriving here yesterday was a classic example of do as I say and not as I do. We made the fatal mistake of leaving Mossel Bay too late in the morning and ended up getting here after dark. We just missed the last open shop a mere five minutes from the resort.
Areena’s owners, Ed and Karen Rathbone, were so friendly and helpful, checking us into our chalet and making sure we had every comfort we need. Our main concern was not having any food and Ed suggested we see if the restaurant up the road was still open. As luck would have it, it was. Carl bought some pizzas (they were so good, they could have come straight from Sicily) and the restaurant manager gave us a two-litre bottle of milk for free! I grew up in the Eastern Cape and still visit often. I have always maintained that the people here are incredibly welcoming. My two-year-old can skip a meal, but she cannot go without her milk. For her, the pizza was just a bonus.
Areena is mainly known for its caravanning and camping facilities. They have been awarded the SA Top 20 Caravan and Camping Resort for 2005 and 2009 as well as the Eastern Cape Tourism Board 2009 Award for Best Adventure Tourism Accommodation. In addition to the formal ratings, they have been voted by the readers of Caravan and Outdoor magazine as a top resort in South Africa every year since 2004.
We are staying in a beautifully appointed chalet, the exquisite furnishings quite removed from what you’d expect from a camping resort. The whitewashed interior has the feel of a beach house, with white linen and splashes of blue. There are five of these timber chalets, all set on the banks of the river, a few hundred metres from the main hub of the resort. Each one has a double bedroom with a lovely queen-size bed and a second room with two bunk beds. The view from our deck over the river is breathtaking. The mist is still floating like a summer sheet over the sleepy water. Carl and I will have about another hour of peace before the river is saluted by the intensifying sun and the girls awake from their sweet slumber. This is definitely our kind of holiday…
There are so many different types of experiences you can have at Areena. If you want to, you can stay here for a week and do nothing at all. You can wake up late, go for a swim, sip a glass of wine at sunset and perhaps pick up that novel you’ve been longing to read, but can never find the time to.
Or, if adrenalin’s your game, you can take a leap down their 50m abseil site. The view from the top of the cliff is (apparently) breath-taking, and the sense of achievement once you’ve abseiled down to the base is incomparable. So they say and I truly believe it. Maybe I’ll attempt this next time and find out for myself.
For the slightly less adventurous they offer paint-ball (great for kids’ parties if they’re over eight), archery, an obstacle course, pellet gun target shooting and hiking.
As a family with two small girls we are opting for the middle way.
After a very early visit to the convenience store up the road, and thus breakfast, we take the short drive up to the main centre of the resort. Along the way our path is crossed by the resident emus and ostriches. We head straight down to the river bank, paddles and life jackets in hand. Georgia is so small, she almost drowns in her bright yellow jacket and they squeal with delight as they run away from the giant tortoise on the lawn, just next to where the canoes are kept. We have many to choose from and eventually with some commotion get into our Indian-style, wide-bottomed canoe. Hannah is a bit anxious at first as we all clamber over each other to get in, making the vessel rock wildly from side to side. We all soon settle down, find our balance and off we go. This is a great way to explore the nooks and crannies along the river. It’s calm and peaceful and utterly beautiful. We paddle a few hundred metres past our chalet and find a spot on the rocks to climb out. Carl enjoys a refreshing swim in the cool water while the three of us lap up some sun like the dassies on the rocks above us.
The Kwelera River (pronounced Kwelega) is a very beautiful untouched estuarine system. Its waters make for great fishing and you can expect to catch cob, Cape stumpnose, white steenbras, spotted grunter, garrick, shad and blacktail. The birdlife is abundant amongst the dense riverine vegetation and you should look out for bushbuck and Cape clawless otters as they are quite common here.
The canoe trip is a fantastic experience, another great notch on the pole of our family travels. It’s hot though, so we make our way back to the resort’s centre for some fun time in the pool. It’s a magnificent salt pool and the water is warm enough to be comfortable yet cool enough to be refreshing. We swim for hours before heading back home for lunch.
In the afternoon, Carl takes the girls to the play park while I get some much-needed work done on the peaceful deck of our chalet.
Another swim late afternoon and it’s finally time to get ready for dinner. We have a booking at the resort’s local restaurant. After canoeing and swimming and going for walks we are all hungry and can’t wait. First we try the outdoor shower with a little hesitation from me at first. There is no shelter or cover or shield between the shower and the bush. No guarding of your natural self from any wild onlookers. I concede to remaining in my bathing costume but it’s quite an experience nonetheless. Carl, of course, goes completely au natural. I’ll rather stick to the safety of the bathroom inside.
The restaurant at the slipway, Areena Quays, serves delicious meals. It’s great to be able to take a break from self-catering. If you’re a big sports fan you definitely won’t miss out on anything with their pub and big screen TV. The best part of dinner? The ostrich that pays a visit to our table, its long neck moving up and down like a periscope as it moves in to take a closer look. First at Carl and I and then down to Georgia just three feet off the ground. The peacocks strolling leisurely amongst the outside tables, peck-pecking at the ground near our feet.
The next day is another hot summer’s day at Areena and we’re embarking on new adventure. Quad biking is apparently Areena’s most popular activity and we are up for the challenge to do this with our two- and four year-olds. Ed has assured us that small kids will pose no problem. Most, if not all, enjoy it thoroughly.
It’s a bit of a negotiation to get both girls seated comfortably and securely. Hannah with Carl and Georgia with me. I sort of ‘pinch’ her body between my legs and tell her to hold on tight. She’s a bit nervous at first but soon relaxes. It’s a guided game drive, so there will be someone to lend a hand if we need any assistance. She shows us how to use the semi-automatic quads and once we’re comfortable, we’re off into the bush.
The drive is wonderful. We manage to get quite close to various species of buck, zebra, wildebeest, ostriches and giraffe. Oh wow, the giraffe! His name is Abby, so named because he was an abnormally big baby. We stop to watch him and are amazed at the sheer size of him. I look up and have to close my eyes for a second to shield them from the brightness of the burning sun. When I re-open them I look with shock and amazement straight into Abby’s eyes. He’s come over to say hello and is slobbering all over Georgia as she sits dead still on my lap, not sure if she should move. I push Abby’s chin gently upward and he relents for a few seconds, just to come straight back down with his head in front of me, gently “kissing” Georgia’s head. I think he must like children, because he moves along to make Hannah’s acquaintance. She allows him at first, but then he overdoes it a bit and she gets very nervous. She wants out, she’s had enough but the friendly giant doesn’t understand and doesn’t take no for an answer. It’s time for us to move on. After a bit of a struggle, we manage to get away and enjoy the rest of our drive in peace, with Hannah constantly looking over her shoulder at Abby – who follows us!
The affair with Abby quickly turns into an adventure. Is he still following us? Where is he now? Please, let us see him again.
The great thing about the quad bike game drive is that you are likely to get closer to many animals than if you were on foot, or in a vehicle.
Back at the chalet we spend a few hours milling about the riverbank. The girls have loads of fun chasing the crabs, which are extremely shy and keep burying themselves in the mud at the first sight of our little explorers. I’m sure they will all be very relieved to know that we’ll be on the road early in the morning to go back home. The rest of us, unfortunately, won’t share the same sentiment.
Contact:
Tel: +27 (0)43 734 3055
Fax: +27 (0)43 734 3312
Eastern Cape Wild Coast
East London-South Africa
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.areenaresort.com