Today is #MarketFriday, a project initiated by 
To learn more about this project and participate, visit today's post by
Last weekend I decided it was time to do what I'd been wanting to do for quite some time...to enjoy a nice cappuccino at the Forest Cafe in Umhlanga.
During May, we did head out there to enjoy a cup of coffee, but the place was packed and we ended up going somewhere else. You can read more about the outing of that day here.
On our last outing to this area, I said to my wife that I would like to come back early in the morning to get some photos at sunrise, seeing that you walk into the forest just above the beach and I thought it would make for some really nice photos.
The Forest Cafe is part of the Bike and Bean Group and it's 37.5 KM (a 30-minute drive) from where we are staying. It is situated at the end of the boardwalk in Umhlanga.
According to the Forest Cafe page of the Bike and Bean website, "The Umhlanga Boardwalk is managed by the uMhlanga Urban Improvement Precinct (UIP) and supported by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife who manage the uMhlanga Lagoon Nature Reserve."
We arrived just after 7 am. From where we parked the car, it is a walk of about 2 KM to get to the Forest Cafe.
You have to leave the car on the main road and then use a walkway, passing through some holiday accommodation and going toward the beach.
The first 1 KM consists of walking down toward the beach, then turning up left, and walking on the promenade along the beach until you arrive at the boardwalk.
As mentioned, by now it was just after seven and the sun has just made its appearance on the horizon.
Our first glimpse of the beautiful colors created by the arrival of a new day.
We arrived at the beach and took a left turn, walking up north, following the promenade until we would arrive at the boardwalk.
By now, this was the view to the right. Admiring the sunrise over the ocean.
A little further along, another breathtaking view...
Looking at the ocean, as if through a window...
Then an open, clear view of the ocean.
Finally, we arrived at the beginning of the boardwalk. From here we would enter the forest and although we would still be walking along (just above) the beach, we would be walking through the forest from here.
This is the beginning of the final 1 KM before reaching the Forest Cafe at the end of the boardwalk.
Starting our journey through the forest, in the freshness of the early morning.
Some dense areas along the way.
Then, at the end of the boardwalk, we find the Forest Cafe. In the freshness of the morning, surrounded by the calmness and beauty of nature, it didn't feel as if we have already walked that far. Yet, suddenly, we have arrived at our destination!
It was already busy, but we were able to find a space on the furthest end to the left.
The Forest Cafe, as seen from our table where we were seated.
Although all the tables were occupied, it didn't feel "busy". It was still a calm, tranquil, and relaxed, yet friendly and joyful atmosphere.
Just after I placed our order, a table was cleared at the front of the little building and we decided to move there as there was quite a chilly breeze hitting us from behind.
After moving to our new table, we started feeling the gentle heat from the sun in the east and having shelter from the wind with the building behind us, we started heating up a bit, being seated in a nice, cozy spot.
It was just perfect!
I decided to have a cappuccino, and my wife had a Chai Latte.
It came to exactly R60.00.
At the time of writing this post, the exchange rate is R18.02 for $1.00.
That means I paid $3.33.
After finishing our drinks, we discovered a trail continuing further into the forest behind the Forest Cafe.
But I'll share more about the rest of our walk in my next post this coming Wednesday.
So, that's all for today, folks!
Thank you for reading my post! I do appreciate it!