Firstly and foremost John and I wish you happy festivities wherever you are in the world .
2025 started slowly for us. John had two eye operations which slowed our travelling down. We also had a February deadline for another of our books – “50 Gems of Bedfordshire” it will be published February 2026 by Amberley Books. …I think this will be about Johns 30th book with Amberley Publishers…and my 2nd!
In April we headed to Norfolk with my Dad. We hired a lovely bungalow near Sheringham for a week. What a lovely week it was, meandering around our beautiful countryside.
May saw John and I heading to Portugal and Southern Spain….we fell in love with Praia de Luz ….wonderful apartment for a week, super beach, restaurants and “Jackson Mystery Tours” around the countryside….(that’s Johns name for exploring and getting lost).
A wonderfully relaxing and “chill out” time.
We travelled up to Spain and spent time in an intriguing village called El Rocio….a real throw back place on the edge of a national park which is home to the highest number of Iberian Lynx in Spain…needless to say we didn’t see one…but we did very much enjoy our time there.
We travelled on up to Seville for a week…hiring a strange apartment in a residential block. We enjoyed the Cathedral, horses and carriage sight seeing, a river cruise and a flamenco show.
Driving back into Portugal we stayed a week in a holiday complex apartment near Albuferia….ummm not one of our best accommodation choices…. But we made the most of it with beach days and exploring the area.
Back in the UK we had a variety of days out with Dad, such as a coffee on a longboat on the Grand Union Canal
The end of July we headed for Devon. A fantastic occasion which saw my sister as a truly radiant bride as she married Mark….a day which was such a happy occasion.
September came and yippee! we were off to South Africa…..
Much joy as we met up with good friend Gill and our dearest Cora
Then off to Kruger for 3 weeks of heaven…..this year we started at the most southern point and went right up to the northern tip……Mother Nature blessed us and we saw some truly magnificent sights…
Our cameras didn’t stop clicking…but we did take a few shots of people..
And of course there were some fantastic sunsets…
Back to the UK we went with Dad to the New Forest in mid November…although it was cold it was still fabulous to see the ponies and we sat watching them on several occasions from what was my mums favourite spot….a joyful occasion we repeat every year…
As we reach the end of 2025 there is nothing left to say except to wish all our followers a Very Happy 2026…we hope your year is filled with adventures, laughter and love.
Well! actually I’ll stat on Day 2 evening. We had an absolutely splendid meal at The Royal Oak HillTops, Beaulieu…. It’s a quaint, quirky pub/ restaurant.
On arriving we were greeted warmly by the lady who both waitresses and ran the bar. She seated us at a really nice table, gave us menus and pointed out the specials board. I took a photo of the specials board…a little trick my sister taught me to save everyone getting up to look…..
The menu was extensive and there was nothing on it or the specials board which cost more than £19.99…..what a pleasure so many places now charge the earth for just mediocre food. We all found something we fancied. I had the pheasant from the specials board. It was absolutely delicious, the mash was properly freshly home cooked and the pheasants breast very tasty and tender…pheasant legs are always more for decoration than eating and this one was no exception it had obviously walked a long way 🤣…a perfect meal leaving some wonderful tastes in my mouth …yummmy
Dad had his favourite Sea Bass with smashed potatoes and samphire, followed by ice cream.
John had Beef cooked in Guinness with a dumpling, parsnips, mash and carrots…followed by a large ice cream.
An absolutely great meal, with superb service…even with drinks the bill was only £81.00, very reasonable for what we had…needless to say we’ve booked again for tonight. It is only a 10 minute drive from our hotel.
Day 3
We started the day with a very similar continental breakfast to the previous day. The only difference was I asked them to make the coffee much stronger…this time at least I could taste that it was coffee…scoring it 6/10, John gave it a 7/10 and Dad a 5/10…. To be honest the beans blend was not too our liking they were very bitter…we prefer pure Costa Rica coffee beans which is strong, powerful and doesn’t leave you with a bitter taste like cheaper coffee beans and blends do …..yes we are coffee snobs🤣🤣
We set off to Hythe Marina, another favourite haunt of ours and one which Mum and Dad introduced us too. On the way we saw a couple of deer.
On arriving at The Marina John and I got out of the car and I took a very bracing walk along the promenade…..it was bitter and I had to jog back fearing that my watering eyes might freeze on my cheeks….
John took a variety of pictures ..
Dad very sensibly stayed in the car…it was 1 degrees Celsius….a tad chilly.
We carried on to Calshot …another favourite “walk down memory lane” for me….when I was 18 I had spent three weeks at the activity centre before going off to college. The first week I had been taught the basic skills in a variety of activities..cycling in a velodrome, skiing on a dry ski slope, rock climbing on a wall, canoeing/kayaking, skating etc…then the following two weeks I had been a carer/ mentor/ coach and general dogs body for 2 different groups of disabled children….i still remember my fear as I taught a blind boy to rock climbing and took a wheelchair bound girl in a sledge down the ski slope, they loved it but I was petrified …I bottled the velodrome because I couldn’t peddle fast enough to stop the bike slipping down the wall, I’ve never been any good on a bike….but I was a superstar on the skates safely taking my protégés around and I managed the kayaks without drowning anyone🤣🤣🤣 They were days I shall always remember with immense fondness and consequently Calshot spit holds a special place in my heart…..but today it was cold and inhospitable and non of us ventured out of the car.
Driving back along the Spit we saw an egret in the stream
We drove back along the Lepe waterfront, past the lighthouse.
Having picked up petrol and sandwiches we headed for Horseshoe Bottom carpark. Today we had all the correct components to make coffee. We ate our sandwiches in the car, snug and warm, while watching the ponies, dog walkers, riders and generally just enjoying my mums special place and a little Robin kept us entertained …
After a nice relaxation, people, pony and robin watching we headed on towards Nomansland…another quirky village at the edge of the forest. We past by many New Forest Ponies and some Shetland Ponies and of course the off spring of The Grey Stallion.
It’s a lot more foresty than moorland on this side of the forest.
Whilst going through one of the picturesque villages we came across a group of donkeys…they are the first we have seen this trip. This is unusual as we usually see a lot. But we are later visiting this year and during the winter many of them are taken into farms for protection.
We were just commenting that we were unlikely to see any free roaming pigs at this time of year, because the pannage was over – that is when the pigs are let out free roaming so they can eat the acorns which are poisonous to the ponies – Then suddenly walking down the edge of the road was a massive pig…
Wow! now the only thing we haven’t seen, which we usually do is free roaming cows…We headed back to our hotel. Parking up we were about to return to our rooms when we caught sight of 4/5 cows just coming out of the wooded area opposite the hotel…
…Our checklist was complete…we can rest up in peace. This evening we are going back to the Royal Oak, I’ll blog about it tomorrow. Tomorrow we are returning home…it is also our 11th Wedding Anniversary…
Several years ago we came across this absolute gem of a Game Lodge…….it was Johns first time on Safari and I really wanted him to fall in love with the bush. I couldn’t have chosen better….
Masodini Private Game Lodge is ideally located in the 40 000-hectare Balule Nature Reserve. It is situated in the Greater Kruger National Park, and offers visitors a true feeling of Africa. It is in a Big 5 Conservation area. It is a bush lover’s paradise and the lodge is surrounded by fever trees and evergreen African date palms which create a perfect oasis. Guests of the lodge can immerse themselves in the untamed beauty of the African landscape while enjoying superb amenities and fantastic service.
The camp overlooks the waterhole it is safe and fenced-in, providing protection against unwanted animal intruders. This was the view from our chalet veranda.
We could have opted for game walks but we preferred to enjoy game drives with an experienced ranger…..there were wonderful birding opportunities as well as getting up close and personal to a range of wildlife…..
Our evenings were spent enjoying the company of the other guests, eating superb food and watching the semi tame, shy bush babies come and go…all of which took place in the boma.
We had dinner bed and breakfast, now their package is Full board + 2 game drives a day….during the day we sat on the viewing platform watching wildlife come and go at the water hole or we went out and visited a local attraction.
There are so many places to visit using Masodini/ Zazu as your base, such as the Kruger National Park, Khamai Reptile Park, Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre, the Cheetah Project, the Panorama Route and local villages to name a few. We visited the Cheetah Project and on another day we went to the Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre….and we still managed to fit in the morning and sunset drives at Masodini.
All accommodation is in private, secluded and elegantly furnished chalets. Since our visit all the chalets/suites and communal areas have been upgraded and the Safari vehicle has also been replaced, its name has changed to Zazu. However …when we stayed it was all very nice indeed…we can only imagine that the upgrades will have made it even more magical… Masodini is both private and intimate, the staff provide guests with a very warm welcome all guests can use the camp facilities. They only have a maximum of 14 guests at a time, which makes it feel very exclusive.The accommodation was really nice with a traditional African theme ….
Our visit was perfect….the price per night for full board including two game drives a day is:
RACK RATES
FEB ’25 TO JAN ‘26
Adult Rate PPS R5 900.00
13 years and under R3 540.00
3 years and under R1 770.00
Single Adult Rate R8 850.00
FEB ’26 TO JAN ‘27
Adult Rate PPS R6 400.00
13 years and under R3 840.00
3 years and under R1 920.00
Single Adult Rate R9 600.00
Prices can of course occasionally fluctuate when circumstances beyond the lodges control occur…..but this is a guideline to help with holiday budgeting.
……for something so private and so personal with a maximum capacity of 14 guests, this is a superb price ….we loved it and sometime in the near future we will be returning ….
What Zazu Private Bush Lodge has to offer…
Chalet-Style Accommodations and Privacy
• Zazu Private Bush Lodge offers 5 Individual Chalets, of which, 2 are Family Chalets (accommodating four guests), and 3 are Double Chalets (ideal for two guests). Each chalet ensures privacy, surrounded by the natural beauty of the African bush.
Family-Friendly Experiences
• At Zazu Private Bush Lodge, they pride themselves on creating a family-friendly environment. They welcome children and offer safaris where children can join Big 5 game drives when accompanied by a parent.
Included Experiences
• Enjoy 2 game drives per day and the freedom to explore the bush in a Big Five reserve, all while guided by expert rangers.
• Venture outside of the fence line on a guided daytime bush walk to track wildlife and discover the hidden wonders of the bush.
• Full-Board Dining: Indulge in an English breakfast, lunch, and a three-course dinner prepared by Chef Bianca, served around the campfire or on our scenic viewing terrace.
• Zazu offers excursions and outings into the surrounding areas allowing guests to experience all that Limpopo has to offer, including the famous Kruger National Park.
Additional Details
• Conservation Fee: A once-off fee of R115 per vehicle and R285 per person applies at the gate. (subject to changes by the reserve)
• Check-In: 2:00 PM | Check-Out: 10:00 AM (flexible by arrangement).
For more information, please contact the bookings team:
Email: bookings@Zazubushlodge.co.za Call or WhatsApp: +27 73 187 0882
This definitely is “A piece of paradise”….a little bit of heaven which has fallen to earth….if this falls within your budget we totally and thoroughly recommend staying here…be spoilt, be pampered and enjoy a real safari experience…thank you Masodini….you hooked my husband on the African bush.
Pestana Lodge Hotel, Malalani Gate KrugerNational Park.- The price of Bed and Breakfast in a deluxe room is about £120.00 for 2. This is far more a hotel than our other two recommendations. It is superbly situated within a 2 minute drive of Krugers Malalane gate. The deluxe rooms all over look the river, bridge and the far banks of the river are in Kruger …
View from our deluxe room balcony.
The restaurant is mediocre…in that the buffets are like most places luke warm and unappetising. However the A La carte menu was very reasonably priced and the food was pleasant enough…it’s the deluxe room view and the convenience to Kruger which makes this a good place to stay….we will use it again…just remember not to go for the £30 a night cheaper option of £90 because your room could end up overlooking a construction site…
Another benefit of Pestana Lodge is that you can book a Kruger Parks Sunset drive and it will pick you up and return you to the hotel.
Kruger Park Camp Accommodation- the accommodation throughout Kruger is very basic…not for the faint hearted or even those who have to have 4 star plus facilities …ummmm may be 3 star plus….Kruger camp accommodation isnot this sort of standard…having said this some camps are better than others….always go for the huts with a kitchen, utensils, bathroom…for 2 people go for a 3 bedded accommodation then you’ll have somewhere other than the floor to put your bags. Berg-en-dal has good, well maintained chalets. As is Lower Sabi ….. at lower Sabi our chalet had a Kitchenette…..it was a separate room to the bedroom..a kitchen and dinning room with a third bed…great for the cases, it opened out on to the veranda…very comfortable. Shingwedzi Camp has newish chalets which we were told were lovely…our old one was nice enough everything worked and it was well maintained. The accommodation in Kruger is about £80 per night depending on the style you book…get the more expensive ones as they are in better condition.
Well that’s our only recommendations……we’re happy recommending the ones we have…secure in the knowledge that if you pick the one which suits your budget you won’t be disappointed.
Every year John and I produce a calendar for ourselves🤣, family and friends. This year we’d like your help in selecting your favourite photos….hopefully we will also have some for sale. Please send us an email to 2jsworldofadventure@gmail.com with your selection
Or send your selection to us in comments, or on messenger……
I’ve numbered them….we would like you to select your favourite 13 photos. Just tell us the number of the ones you like the most.
Number 1Number 2 Number 3Number 4 Number 5Number 6Number 7Number 8Number 9Number 10Number 11Number 12Number 13Number 14Number 15Number 16Number 17Number 18Number 19Number 20Number 21Number 22Number 23Number 24Number 25 Number 26Number 27Number 28Number 29Number 30Number 31Number 32Number 33Number 34Number 35
Thank you for helping us with our selection…we need just 13 pictures…..please make your choice as soon as possible because we need to get it sent off to the printers.
We are at present compiling our actual itinerary and what it cost us. We are also putting together an accommodation recommendation for the full range of budgets …5 star to budget…..we’ve done them all and our experiences can help you decide on what’s right for you and your bank balance 🤣 so keep an eye on our blog.
We woke up after a very comfortable nights sleep in the Protea Marriott Midrand hotel….our deluxe room was mega comfy…even managed to get the temperature right… I forgot to mention that on our way yesterday we saw the fairly magnificent waterfall mosque…
We had a really nice breakfast of bacon, sausage, egg, toast followed by yogurt and fruit and a nice cup of coffee. Returning to our room we packed up and loaded the car before heading to our friend Gill’s for the night.
It was an easy trip, having got a bit lost yesterday my dearest Cora had given me strict instructions last night .. … “Mum! Do not go any other way ….get on to the N1 Johannesburg, where it splits stay N1 Bloemfontein take the first off ramp to Rivonia, head towards Morningside clinic ( my son had been born there) and take the turning to Gills just after the massive billboard….then you’ll know where you are”…… “yes darling” I meekly replied…….i followed her instructions to the letter and 11 minutes later we were at Gills.
We unpacked the car, gave Gill all the bits we hadn’t used…which was quite a bit as due to quite a bit of cold damp weather we hadn’t cooked as much as we had anticipated doing… we stashed the pillows back upstairs in the spare room cupboard and prepared the cool box with all the cooking stuff in it to be stored in Gills garage. At this point John came in from the garden as it started to rain heavily.
Gills garden is a hive of bird activity. There is a Southern masked weaver making a nest right outside her patio.
After the rain stopped we went to Chillies Mall. There’s a great car wash in the underground car park …150 rand (£6) for an SUV inside and out …. pensioners rate…so we dropped the car off and went upstairs for lunch at ocean basket.
Great seafood platter for 3 …yum, yum…needless to say we ate it all….
After lunch we collected the car and went back to Gills for a restful afternoon, chatting late into the night.
Morning came all too soon. The packing was completed two cases, two hand luggage’s and a Woolies back with our fleeces in. ……a little story about the cases….. last year after we came back from Sri Lanka we treated ourselves to 2 new suitcases …our old faithfuls which we’d brought at Tesco 10 years ago had finally expired with a hole in one and the wheel broken off on the other….so we purchased at reasonable expense two new bright yellow ones from John Lewis….we took them to the Caribbean last Autumn and the wheel collapsed on one and the zip burst open on the other….they had a 5 years ago guarantee so I went to Milton Keynes (45 minutes away) …. I showed them the pictures of the damage ..we had hearty discussion about whether it was poor quality goods or rough airline handling eventually they agreed to change them…I selected two others, silver ones, but they said I should have brought both the old ones back …I had only taken one as parking was a distance away and I couldn’t see how I would manage two….so I asked them to put the silver ones aside and I’d go back the next day with the other one…when I returned with the second one the following day they had sold the silver ones…I was not amused…. They agreed to waiver the delivery charge so I paid the extra £120 …they were each £60 more than the original one but I was told they were far better quality….sure enough they arrived the following day…We used them in Portugal and Spain and then this trip….oh dear…. One of them came off the plane dented and the plastic was cracked open. Since then the zip on the other has opened at the end you can’t see and it won’t zip closed….so once again we will have to have them wrapped at the airport to get them home and once again I shall be taking them back to John Lewis…these cases are not fit for purpose…surely a suitcase should be able to withstand a trip on a plane and why give them a 5 year guarantee if they are so badly made…..they weren’t super cheap at £140 each …….grrrrrrrr
Anyway back to reality….we had a very nice breakfast with Gill…thank you very much…then we sat chatting in the garden while John took loads of pictures of Urban wildlife and nature …
All too soon it was time to say goodbye to Gill…it’s always sad. We headed back to the Protea Marriott Midrand and booked into the same room.
Cora had said she would call and have tea with us. It was a wonderful surprise when she breezed through the door and joined us in the bar…..that lady brings an aura of positivity wherever she goes….her smile forces everyone around her to smile …she is beautiful inside and outside… we were so privileged, she had lunch with us and we spent all afternoon chatting until 6.00 pm ….How she managed to clear her diary and make so much time for us is beyond me….it was a very special time…then it was time for another goodbye…
After a rest we had a light supper and retired to bed.
The morning brought sunshine. We had a lovely breakfast again and then chilled in our room until checkout time. John took some pictures around the hotel.
We booked out and sat in the lounge area…writing this blog…in an hours time we head for the airport, drop the car off and fly home…Stuart has already WhatsApped me to say he will meet us at the airport….our holiday will then be over…..what a fabulous time we’ve had….i’ll blog how the flight went tomorrow….then we will blog our sightings data, our final costings and our accommodation reviews over the forthcoming week.
Thank you to everyone who has followed us…if you have any questions or need help with bookings feel free to contact us at 2jsworldofadventure@gmail.com
For flight and accommodation contact Maisie Morton or Sean at DialAflight
+44 1618418179
If you mention us Jenny Jackson and 2jsworldofadventure they will give you a really good rate.
Finally once we have sorted the photos we will be asking you to rank them so we can select your 13 favourites for this years calendar ….this year if you are in the UK you will be able to order one of these……more about that in future blogs💕
2 J's World of Adventure 