We made it down for breakfast around 7:30 at the Benjamin in Durban, and had checked out and on the road by 8:30.
Our goal was to get to our hotel on Underberg with enough time to go for a little trek in the afternoon.
The GPS was good and took us straight to the Malachite Manor, arriving well before noon. The roads were in excellent shape the whole way.
The Malachite is 4km outside Underberg, very close to the Drakensberg, a popular place for hikes. The access road was like driving to a fancy cottage. The lodge is just a year old, built by the owners who took great care with all the details.
We were met by the owner, Carrin. I had emailed her a couple days ago about half day hikes and she had printouts all ready for us! First was a quick lunch. We also placed our orders for dinner, steak for me and lamb for Heather.
Then we looked at the hiking options, and decided just to walk down the marked trail by the river near the hotel instead of driving to a starting point.
It was hotter than normal for Underberg, about 33C, but after 40+C in Sabi Sands it didn't feel so bad.
It was a nice little walk, with views of the Drakensberg in the distance, and lots of bird life by the river. We walked for about 4km and then turned around. It was good to get out walking after sitting around in safari vehicles the past couple weeks.
We cleaned up and relaxed in the common area. Had a drink near sunset, and then moved over to the dining area for dinner. There's lots of cattle raised in the area and so the meat was really good. I preferred the lamb and will probably order lamb the rest of the way. The steak was tasty, however the most common cut we've seen is rump steak which is not my favourite.
Another couple returned to the lodge (they had had dinner out in town). We chatted with them for a few minutes and then went to bed.
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