Rhino Paoching does not stop

So far over 138 rhino have been poached in 2011 across the country and 82 successful arrests have been made.
On Saturday, 23 Apr 2011 SANParks rangers and members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), came across two groups of suspected poachers while on patrols in the various parts of the Kruger National Park. Three rhino carcasses were also discovered during these patrols.
One of the suspected poachers was fatally wounded, one wounded and arrested and the third arrested. Three firearms were recovered during the arrests.

The Kruger National Park is 10 km from Dreamfields Guesthouse.

Source: SANParks

Happy Easter!

We wish all our guests, friends and family Happy Easter Holidays!
Neil & Tina - Dreamfields Guesthouse

Public sightings

We always like to remind you of the SANParks webpage: Public sightings. The winning pictures of each month of the year are just amazing! They were not taken in the Kruger National Park, close to Dreamfields Guesthouse, but we are positive that they will follow!

Highlights of the Panorama Tour

The scenery on the Panorama Tour, going from Hazyview via Graskop all the way up to the Three Rondavels is one of the main attractions when visiting the Lowveld. The best season to visit is winter, because of the clear sky but also in summer the views are incredible and because of the rainfalls the waterfalls are full.
Hazyview lies on the Panorama Route, if you want to visit the main attractions, like the Three Rondavels, Berlin Falls, Lisbon Falls, Bourke Luck Potholes and Pilgrims Rest it will be a full day tour from and to Dreamfields Guesthouse.

Creative Copper

Coppercraft Africa was established 25 years ago, their Authentic Copper Jewellery, Tableware and Corporative Gifts have a distinclty African flair, inspired by the rich history of the area. Coppercraft Africa is located between Whiteriver and Nelspruit, about 40 km from Dreamfields Guesthouse. The show rooms are open to the public and worth a visit, a factory tour can also be arranged.
You will find their products in many shops around South Africa but they are also on sale at the Curio Shop at Dreamfields Guesthouse.

X-Fest Weekend

Induna Adventures in Hazyview is hosting another outdoor event, the X Fest - taking place on Saturday 26th March. It is an Extreme Lifestyle Festival consisting of different categories: Mountain Bike Race, Trail Run, Duathlon and a Kayak Race.
Entries: Entrytime
To secure your accommodation for this outstanding event click here.

Rhino Poaching does not stop

The Chief Executive Officer of South African National Parks (SANParks), Dr David Mabunda, announced that to date (2011) South Africa has lost 71 rhinos. 46 of them were killed in the Kruger National Park, only 10 km from Dreamfields Guesthouse.

“This figure encompasses fresh and old carcasses which have been found in the various parks and nature reserves countrywide,” said Mabunda.

In the same period, 64 suspected poachers have been arrested. In 2010 South Africa lost 333 rhinos and arrested 164 suspected poachers.

Kruger Park bans liquor in its public areas

From now on, security personnel at all the gates to the Kruger National Park will search people for liquor and no day visitor shall be allowed to enter the park with liquor.
The restrictions will not apply to overnight visitors who will be allowed to bring in own alcohol for consumption in the privacy of their booked accommodation and the restaurants. Like day visitors, overnight visitors will be bound by the same rules of not drinking in public.

The decision to introduce this policy was made in order to eliminate the growing unacceptable behaviour by visitors who misbehave in the park when they are intoxicated. This is actually nothing new but just ensuring that the provision the country’s Liquor Act are also enforced in the park; says the KNP HOD: Public Relations, William Mabasa.

Although in operation throughout the year, the gate quotas are mostly reached on long weekends and public holidays. Secure your accommodation and book your game drives in advance.

Photo: Gallery of shame

Our staff

Neil and Tina, your hosts at Dreamfields Guesthouse, are always around to welcome you, serve dinks at the bar, make restaurant recommendation, book activities, cook and serve you breakfast and many more things.
But who is working behind the scenes to make sure that the house and the guestrooms are spotless clean, the garden is immaculate, the washing and ironing is done? It is the team of Dreamfields Guesthouse which is unchanged since the opening in November 2008: From the left: Letty – Elvis - Tryphina

Maintenance

Maintenance is always an issue, for every property owner. For us as the owners of Dreamfields Guesthouse it is essential keep our high standard and to constantly service the whole property to make sure that everything is intact and stays in very good condition. The thatched roof of the carport of Dreamfields Guesthouse was affected by the heavy rain falls at the end of last year and we are currently re-thatching it. The comfort of the guests is our highest priority, that`s why we are currently closed and will be open again from Thursday, the 03.March 2011.

Holiday season ahead

March and April are usually busy months - not only because of the public holidays. The Human Rights Day, on the 21.March, falls on a Monday and lots of South Africans will use the long weekend to visit the Kruger National Park, the Blyde River Canyon or do some of the other activities, Hazyview has to offer.
April this year offers even more opportunities for a holiday at Dreamfields Guesthouse. Easter is followed by the Freedom Day (27.Apr) and the Workers Day on the 01.May.
Secure your accommodation for the upcoming Public Holidays!

Kruger National Park: Phabeni Gate

Dreamfields Guesthouse is close to 3 entrance gates to the Kruger National Park. The closest gate is Phabeni Gate, which is still called “the new gate”. Phabeni is already open to the public since December 2002, and offers an easy access to the entire southern region.
Phabeni Gate is situated 10 km east of Dreamfields Guesthouse, on the Phabeni River close to where this river joins the Sabie River.
The name Phabeni is a Sotho word meaning “place of shelter or cave”. Made to simulate a Swazi kraal, the central focus of the gate complex is the main hut, where the gate’s reception area is located.

Best season to visit the Kruger National Park

Many guests of Dreamfields Guesthouse ask about the best season to visit the Kruger National Park. It depends, although many people will tell you that the dry season is best for game viewing, this is not necessarily the case. Both wet and dry seasons have advantages and disadvantages:
Dry season (May-October)
The dry season in Kruger has several advantages – temperatures are generally very pleasant, few insects are present, vegetation is not too dense, allowing for easier game viewing, and waterholes and river pools attract large quantities of animals and birds. The disadvantages of the dry season are shorter days, cold nights, dry and dull landscapes, and fewer bird species and young animals present.
Wet season (November-April)
Although rainfall is very unpredictable in the Kruger National Park, November to April are generally considered the wet months. Despite the heat, these months can be very productive and enjoyable. Many animals give birth to their young, migrant bird species visit the Park, the vegetation is lush, green and very colourful, making it ideal for photography. Days are longer than in the dry season, giving you more time to search for animals. Obvious disadvantages of this time of the year are the high temperatures, large quantities of insects, and thick vegetation which can make game viewing difficult.

You reach the Kruger National Park within 10 minutes from Dreamfields Guesthouse.

Source: Go!

Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport

Most of our international guests arrive and/or leave from Johannesburg, OR Tambo International Airport, and drive the 400 km to Dreamfields Guesthouse, Hazyview. The first 200 km of that trip are not very interesting but after that it is a really scenic drive.
Many guests use the Kruper Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) also know as Nelspruit Airport, to save time and to avoid the long trip. KMIA is a beautiful, modern and small airport and offers several flights from/to Johannesburg, Durban and a daily flight to Cape Town. All major car rentals like First/Sixt have branches there as well. The scenery around the airport is beautiful and the distance to Dreamfields Guesthouse is only 50 km. Please let us know during your booking process which airport you will be using and we will send you the directions accordingly.

What an experience

After our visit to Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre last week we took the chance and went to see Jessica the hippo. We were not sure about what to expect, but it was a fantastic experience! Jessica is 11 years old now and still loves beetroot and sugared tea. To feet and touch the most dangerous animal in Africa is indescribable! We highly recommend visiting her, about 1.5 hours drive north of Dreamfields Guesthouse.

Happy Birthday Baby Rhino

We always recommend our guests to visit the Rehabilitation Centre Moholoholo near Hoedspruit, about 90 km from Dreamfields Guesthouse because it is a very special and educational experience. The rescued rhino which was found last year is celebrating its first birthday today. We had the chance to meet her yesterday and even though she is only 1 year old, she is very impressive and powerful when she walks up to you! We wish her a Happy Birthday!

Mpumalanga

This video of Mpumalanga gives you a good idea about all the attractions you can reach with ease close to Dreamfields Guesthouse and shows you all the main attractions of this beautiful province:

Valentines at Dreamfields

Spoil your Love with a romantic and fun filled Valentine`s Weekend. Stay at Dreamfields Guesthouse Hazyview, enjoy a scenic balloon flight and get pampered at the local SPA. For the more adventurous – try some of the 14 different activities of Induna Adventures! And it is always worth to go on a Safari in the nearby Kruger National Park. To book your special Valentine`s weekend click here or send us an email to find out more.

Kruger National Park Day Tours

We thought we might share a few pictures we received from guests staying at Dreamfields Guesthouse last week. Through us they booked a Kruger Park Full Day Safari with Frank Watts, the guide of “The Battle at Kruger”, one of the most popular videos on YouTube, and had some amazing sightings (not everyone is as lucky!)!
Thanks to Vicki & Sean

Rhino poaching: A bleak start to 2011 after a dark year

The Chief Executive Officer of South African National Parks (SANParks) announced that in 2010 South Africa lost 333 rhino with 162 suspected poachers having been arrested in relation to the crime.
“The year 2010 will always be remembered as being one of the worst years for conservation in the Republic of South Africa because of the ruthless assault on our rhino populations by merciless criminals”. The worst hit area was the Kruger National Park, only 10 km from Dreamfields Guesthouse, with 146 rhino lost.
In the first 10 days of 2011 the country has lost five rhino already! The same amount of poachers have died when Rangers acted in self-defence after poachers opened fire on them at Crocodile Bridge and Pretoriuskop. The country would have preferred these suspected criminals to have their day in court and explain to the nation why they would commit such an unforgivable crime.

Another day in the Kruger National Park

The peak season is over and after all the guests of Dreamfields Guesthouse checked out we took the chance and went for the whole day to the Kruger National Park. Unfortunately we have not been lucky with cats but we saw the rare Black Rhino!














And we had to wait until a small herd of elephants left the road, they were taking their time but we love watching these amazing creatures. Watch out for the little one that is protected by the older ones!

Not rainy at all!

Good that the weather forecast is not always right:
The guests of Dreamfields Guesthouse woke up this morning having blue sky and sunshine and no clouds at all!

Rain, Rain, Rain

The weather forecast for the next few days is not looking great. Even though it usually clears up during the day, we have to expect some rainy days. There are flood warnings for Mpumalanga but we are positive that it will not rise to the level of the present floods in Kwazulu-Natal.
And bear in mind, it is worth visiting the Kruger Park in bad weather, where the animals are more active, one often sees nocturnal animals on dull days.
Dreamfields Guesthouse wishes all their guests a safe journey.

Kruger National Park History

Obviously the Kruger National Park is the main attraction for the guests of Dreamfields Guesthouse. A good reason to find out a few facts about the history of the finest Game Parks in the World:
The Park was first proclaimed in 1898 as the Sabie Game Reserve by the then president of the Transvaal Republic, Paul Kruger, to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld. He first proposed the need to protect the animals of the Lowveld in 1884, but his revolutionary vision took another 12 years to be realised when the area between the Sabie and Crocodile Rivers was set aside for restricted hunting. This area remains at the core of today's Kruger National Park.
After the Anglo-Boer war Scottish born James Stevenson-Hamilton was appointed the park’s first warden on 1 July 1902. In 1903, Stevenson-Hamilton oversaw an extension of the Sabi Reserve twenty kilometres or so back towards the Drakensberg Escarpment. He was also put in charge of a new Reserve established that year, the Shingwedzi, comprising an additional half a million hectares of land to the north of the Sabie. On 31 May 1926 the National Parks Act was proclaimed and with it the merging of the Sabie and Shingwedzi Game Reserves into the Kruger National Park.

In 1927 three cars entered the Park. Two years later there were 850 cars visiting. Over the next 50 years some 150 000 people visited the Kruger National Park annually. Today there are 700 000 wildlife enthusiasts who visit the Park every year!

Picture and more information: Kruger2canyons.com