Aquila Online

Resting In Dullstroom

// February 14th, 2005 // Photos // 1,708 views

If you’re looking for a bit of rest and relaxation, Dullstroom is the place to be. I took the missus to recharge the batteries a bit this past weekend and it did us wonders.

For those who don’t know, Dullstroom is located approximately 2.5 hours drive from Johannesburg in Mpumalanga and is considered to be South Africa’s premier flyfishing capital.

We stayed over at the Critchley Hackle Lodge, which was absolutely stunning. The service was above expectation and our hosts went the extra mile to arrange things like massages in the privacy of our suite.

With views like these from your suite, how can you not take a load off and relax?

We saw a couple of unusual things during our leisurely stroll through town.

Firstly, the townsfolk must have had a sense of humour in naming their streets, such as Beelaerts van Blokland?

The, probably the flattest Fanta I’ve ever seen – including straw. Think the last tour bus that came through was the last straw for this can. Obviously nothing to do with run-flat tyres.

A quick visit to the Dullstroom memorial site, we encountered a rock formation that was constructed during the 150-year Great Trek festivities in 1988. This formation now holds within, messages for the year 2038. On closer inspection, it did look like someone already tried to break into the rock formation, but has subsequently been covered up again.

With all the fresh air, one works up a bit of an appetite and you’d be doing yourself a great injustice not to sample some trout while being in the area. So a hearty breakfast with peppered trout fillets, eggs, bacon, mushrooms, grilled sausages, a banana and some fried tomatoes sure did the trick.

We never got time to go horseback riding or view the area from an airplane, but we sure had a blast and will definitely be back to one of our favourite South African destinations.