Hitgeheim Country Lodge

Finally, my daughter arrived at Johannesburg two days later than expected. It was a good thing that our plane tickets were easily rebooked for free (South African Airways). Our first adventure was down south of the capital, Port Elizabeth. We rented a car and drove off 2 hours to the town of Addo, where our first real South African hotel, the Hitgeheim Country Lodge is located.

Apparently the number 1 accommodation of choice in Addo, Hitgeheim is owned by a very friendly Dutch couple. Hitgeheim Country Lodge is situated on an eco-reserve in the heart of the malaria-free Sundays River Valley, only minutes from the Addo Elephant National Park. We decided on staying in this region for our safari, since it was more child friendly and as I've said, malaria free. 

The lodge has a small pool and lounge chairs that overlooked the Sundays River. The view was really fantastic from all angles.

Our host, Archie welcomed us with open arms literally. He explained to us what's in store for our 3 day stay. We got so excited after hearing Archie run down our list of activities, which are all included in the package that we took.

Afterwards, the attentive staff led us to a brick path that had magnificent views of tranquil citrus orchards and a sweeping countryside. of the countryside. I felt like we were in Tuscany.

My jaw further dropped when we entered our chalet, perched at the edge of the cliff. It was a stylishly appointed chalet, luxurious but not over the top. It definitely had a country feel to it, and even the smell of the wood was enticing. 

But the highlight of the room the bathroom. Really, this is one of the best bathrooms I have seen with a free standing Victorian tub. And it extends to the outdoors with another shower.

 

After taking in all the excitement, I decided to rest since I was already feeling bad. I actually had an instant fever, probably from all the excitement. But the weird thing was, after a short nap, my fever was gone, and pulled my daughter to explore the countryside.

So there we were, trekking down the hillside, going as far was the path would take us. Our trek ended where the path was blocked with run off soil. The path became so narrow, we needed to climb the rocks to get to the other side. It was quite dangerous, so we decided to head back. It was disappointing though, since we could already see the Sundays River from where we stood. 

We headed back to the lodge just in time to freshen up for dinner. We dressed up to have a late Christmas dinner celebration. Our gracious host, Archie, prepared an exquisite 6-course meal, which we enjoyed.

Having a bit of wine, we dozed off early, because we were to begin our real adventure in South Africa the next day - our first ever African safari. Can't wait!

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Hitgeheim Country Lodge and Eco Reserve

Telephone: +27 (0) 42 234 0778

Facsimile:  +27 (0) 86 523 9177
Mobile:      +27 (0) 82 565 2864
E-mail:       hitgeheim@agnet.co.za