The views were immensely wide. Everything that you saw made for greatness and freedom, and unequalled nobility" . - Karen Blixen . . Expedition: #BeyondLockdown Timeline: Day 13 Distance: 5 372km Province: Mpumalanga Region: Hoedspruit Destination: #mariepskop . . Today, we stood atop Mariepskop, named for the Pedi Chief, Maripi, and as in Karen Blixen's 'Out of Africa', we felt the energy of this remarkable continent seep deep into our bones. And once again, we could only marvel at the rich diversity of our intoxicating country. . . This raw and uncharted collection of gritty peaks, eroded ridges and looming sandstone walls slab up from the #Lowveldt plains, and is technically part of the northern #Drakensberg. This - and the hide-away village of #Phiring - was our 7th provincial stopover on this year's #BeyondLockdown #Expedition with Isuzu South Africa and it is a section of South Africa that I recall vaguely from family road trips to #KrugerNP many a decade ago. . . Mariepskop itself is terra incognito for all of us, though. A rutted track winds from Lowveldt plains via first scraggly plantations and then dense, primary #afromontane forest, before you boom onto the unexpectedly vast #fynbos summit. The protea, restios and heather seem completely out of place, and you could as well be lost in the Groot Winterhoek wilderness. We were joined by ecologists from Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region and Conservation South Africa . . There are many stories to tell, with our visit to #Phiring community tourism project a real highlight. The hike into a wild Kloof with the enthusiastic young From the Region for the Region eco-monitors rate as unforgettable. but we will share all of this in due course. Right now, we are back in the #isuzuMUX cruising the tarmac curves to the east in anticipation of ocean time at iSimangaliso Wetland Park in #KZN π΄ππ . . This 9000km #BeyondLockdown journey was made possible by @isuzusa with support from @dunloptyres π . . #ISUZU #WITHYOUFORTHELONGRUN #DUNLOPTYRES #FRONTRUNNERZA #SPOTAFRICA #POLARSA #BALEIAWINES #coremerino #BEYONDEXPEDITIONS #KZN #OZONEAFRICA #ANDBREATHE (at Kokkariba Guest House) https://www.instagram.com/p/CD9lW4gpnuU/?igshid=1tpps2bewm0tk
