After freezing in Golden Gate we decided to stay at the Protea Hotel in Bloemfontein as we were just stopping over for a night.  Imagine our surprise when we opened the curtain to find a buffalo looking at us.  Turns out the hotel backs on to the zoo.  So there we were in Bloem, being lulled to sleep by the sound of roaring lions……

We weren’t sure what to expect from Mokala or Kimberley.  We had vague recollections from 15 years ago of there being very little in Kimberley and that it wasn’t particularly clean.  Well, all that has changed. Kimberley is thriving, clean and has more to offer than just the big hole.

The hole now has a new mining museum and tour which is quite enjoyable if you are in the area but we wouldn’t recommend making a trip to Kimberley just for this.  In case you are curious, here is the hole….

We weren’t expecting much from Mokala either as it has only been open a few years.  Turns out, Mokala is a little gem.  There are only 6 camping sites around a watering hole surrounded by a small buffalo fence, so you get a great feeling of being in the bush.  There is no electricity but each site has its own kitchen and ablution block which is a win.

The park itself is lovely with a fair number of animals, including rhino, springbok and gemsbok.  The birding here is also good and we managed to add a few lifers.  The weather had also perked up and whilst a wee bit chilly in the morning it was definitely and improvement on Golden Gate.

The great thing about Mokala is that you really do feel like the only people in the bush.  Although, you sometimes have nosey neighbours as this photo will show…. haha

Mokala is definitely worth a trip to Kimberley and we have every intention of returning but for now, it was off to Augrabies.