Wild 38 Autumn 2017

This autumn we are having the time of our lives on stand-up paddleboards, a new 4×4 eco-trail in Kruger, and the fabulously luxurious Dolphin Trail in Tsitsikamma. That’s just for starters.

Adventure and activity are our buzzwords right now. Get your Wild Card now or renew your membership, set some travel goals and get going! 

We flee the tourists in three of South Africa’s most heavily visited National Parks. Tsitsikamma is a Garden Route must-see, yet its lesser known corners offer secret hikes, secluded viewpoints and forest hideaways.

Table Mountain National Park is another park that sees hordes of visitors, yet offers peace and quiet in spectacular surroundings. Ever heard of Venus Pool?

If you would like to have Kruger all to yourself (well, almost) stylish accommodations at Punda Maria and Pafuri offer exclusivity in the far-flung northern section of the park.

The Drakensberg is a wonderful place to introduce toddlers to the great outdoors. On a road trip to Lotheni, Kamberg and Giant’s Castle, little people meet big mountains.

At the new Grootvadersbosch bungalows, mind and body connect with nature. Even the cosy kuierkamers enhance visitors’ awareness of the indigenous forest.

Wildlife

• Impala: Why it is the “Perfect Antelope”.
• Sparrowhawks: What goes on in their secretive world.
• Hornbills: How they use their giant beaks as an air conditioning unit.
• All Blacks: Animals who don’t need bright colours to make a statement.

Photography

Learn to use emptiness or “white space” in your shots to evoke a particular atmosphere and provoke emotions in the viewer.

Conservation

Every shadow, stone, leaf and twig in the vast 250-million-year old Karoo landscape tells a story. That is, if you’re Pokkie Benadie, South Africa’s most famous tracker. “I felt like a young child learning to read English and William Shakespeare is my teacher,” says Scott Ramsay, who joined Pokkie on his home turf for a few days. Read this riveting account and marvel at a genius.