There’s a driverless boat behind you. This is drinks trolley. And very welcome it is too. At around lunchtime you’ll come upon a feast spread out on a group of rocks next to canal. Scotch eggs, asparagus wrapped in ham, chicken wings, quiche, salad, fruit, and cheese. The lunch fairy’s been and gone.

After lunch you move into Weenen Game Reserve. The sharp, mountainous Drakensberg terrain has given way to undulating thornveld valleys. The canal rejoins a now fairly sluggish and narrow Bushman’s River. You need to paddle a little, and duck under odd tree as you drift through a spectacular gorge. There’s a huge diversity of bird life and antelope. Buffalo and black and white rhino. Being on water means you’re less noticeable, and less of a threat to bird-life and animals. So you can get close without startling them. And you don’t need a $10000 lens.

Once through Game Reserve, you disembark just before main road into Weenen with tall thatching grass glowing orange in fading light. Your river guides have arranged transport back to your starting point.

This is different.

Zingela Safari and River Company (+27363541962) organize this day-trip. And it’s only available in winter months. During summer they use rising levels of mighty Tugela River (which also has its source in high Drakensberg) to operate white-water rafting adventures.

Officially, Oktoberfest starts when Munich’s mayor, known in German as Oberbürgermeister, taps first beer keg and yells O'zapft is! (meaning, literally, “it’s tapped!”) at noon on first Saturday of event; travelers from around world come just to see this! And as always in German culture, everything has a name, and this date is no exception; travelers will hear first day of Oktoberfest called Wiesn-Samstag. Nowadays, festivities start on a Saturday in September, and end on first Sunday in October.

Families aren’t left out of loop either at festivities; travelers to German Oktoberfest can attend two Tuesday afternoon events designated just for families, called Familiennachmittagen. From 12:00 to 6:00 on these days, German travelers can take advantage of special prices for public transportation and entry rates as well.

Since Oktoberfest is held in Munich, language primarily used is Barisich. Because this Bavarian dialect is a bit strange, travelers to Germany and Germans alike sometimes have a hard time understanding die bairische Sprache (Bavarian dialect), so it’s a great idea to brush up a bit on your terms before heading to event. This link will help you learn some of more familiar words you’ll encounter on your travels to Gemany’s Oktoberfest, as well as Bavarian words used on streets to help you navigate your journey. http://oktoberfest.sat1.de/en/.