I have to say that the Blue Cottages web site does not do the place justice: I was expecting a quaint little inn--and it is that--but it is also situated in some of the most stunning country I have ever seen.

Minutes after leaving Eastgate Airport in Hoedspruit, I knew there was magic in the air. Owners Maria and her husband (who's name I unfortunately forget) came to pick me up and we weren't driving for 10 minutes before we saw a herd of buffalo staring out from behind a fence. Without me even having to ask, they stopped the car for me, reversed it, and I had a chance to get out and snap a picture. The owners are very enthusiastic about where they live, and about their Afrikaneer heritage, and are full of information about the sights, history, and people of the region. They made me realize that I was coming into a special place.

The guesthouse itself is also beautiful, full of flowering gardens and a farmhouse that was built in the 1800s. Down a dirt road is a... more