Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2015 i go!

Nxai Pan’s inventive ellies Elephants have given Botswana authorities many headaches over the years due to their craving for water, fruit and vegetables. Travellers are discouraged from carrying fresh fruit and veggies to areas where elephants are encountered. To prevent elephants from raiding campsites for fresh water, the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks has encased water pipes and taps in concrete. In Nxai Pan National Park, they’ve taken it a step further: The South Camp ablution block is surrounded by metal rods embedded in concrete to deter the thirsty ellies. There’s a separate well for the elephants (pictured above), and we were privileged to see a large bull come to drink. MARTIN BRIGGS, Onrus WINNING LETTER Martin wins two Mawu Aquasacs worth R195 each. The Aquasac is based…

KAROO PASSES & POORTS Ride two of Thomas Bain’s engineering marvels and see both sides of the Swartberg Pass: the undulating hills of the Little Karoo and the sun-baked plains of the Great Karoo. TOUR DETAILS Dates: 17 – 21 September 2015; 1 – 5 October 2015 How long is the tour? 5 days, 4 nights Average daily distance: 30 km – 50 km Departure point: Queens Hotel, Oudtshoorn Accommodation: You stay in hotels and guesthouses for two nights, and in special Dryland campsites for the other two nights. Rates: R7 950 per adult (single supplement extra 30 %); R3 975 per child under 12. ITINERARY Day 1: The tour starts at the Queens Hotel in Oudtshoorn. From there you’ll be transferred to the Chandelier Game Lodge for a short…

EXPLORE INSIDE THE DAM WALL From the outside, you’d never know that the dam wall is filled with passageways, stairs and even a lift! A team of about 15 Water Affairs people is responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the dam wall – they walk up and down these passageways to inspect and record any leaks. Joseph Alexander from Water Affairs meets me at the viewpoint (1) and we drive to where our tour will begin (2). Joseph lingers for a few moments in the warm sunshine – he spends all day inside the dam wall where it’s always cold, never mind whether it’s winter or summer. The building at the start of the tour (2) houses a crane that moves left and right on a track. It’s used during…

READER STORY LEONORE BOTHA Home town: Pretoria Occupation: Orthopaedic surgeon My husband Bernard and I had been dreaming about driving from Pretoria to Dar es Salaam forever – and last year we decided to actually do it. It took six months to plan our 30-day tour. On the trip, we’d visit places like Kasanka National Park to see the bat migration, Kapishya Hot Springs, Katavi National Park and the Serengeti. There was plenty of information available about most of the places we wanted to visit, except for one place: Gombe Stream National Park and its chimpanzees. After lots and lots of e-mails that achieved nothing, we decided to just drive to Kigoma, a nearby town, and take it from there. If we couldn’t get into Gombe, no problem, we’d just…

According to the so-called experts around the braai, you get only two kinds of people: Those who like this and those who like that. I prefer to think of life in multitude shades of grey: Sometimes you can agree with both opinions; sometimes you’ll agree with neither. And yet, the Opel Mokka and Chery Tiggo are making me question my own theory. Heaven knows, you can’t like both equally. Even though they are the same kind of vehicle they will definitely appeal to two different kinds of people. Opel is celebrating its 153rd birthday. Old man Adam Opel started the company back in 1862 when he began building custom sewing machines. He then expanded the business into the bicycle market and later began assembling automobiles. The Opel Mokka is a…

Garden Route Botanical Garden, George In the shadow of the Outeniqua Mountains is a small but hard-working green lung. Visit the garden for a late-afternoon stroll along paved walkways, past fynbos and succulents awash in beer-coloured sunshine. Despite being a dog-walking spot (mutts must be kept on leads), the garden remains relatively quiet, save for the drowsy hum of a lawnmower somewhere just out of sight. The garden is relatively young – it was established in 1996 by environmental NGOs concerned about dwindling local flora – but the site has evidence of much earlier human activity. Look for the centuries-old furrows and storage dams – George’s first water supply. A small dam and two wetlands are home to a flurry of birdlife, but sadly the bird hide was recently vandalised…

Ease into the holiday spirit and pull over at Adamsview, halfway between Joburg and Cape Town. At Adamsview you can stay in a luxurious selfcatering unit while enjoying the breath-taking views of the Gariep Dam in the tranquil setting of the Karoo. But why not make Adamsview part of your holiday and stay a few days? Relax in one of the spa baths overlooking the dam or light a fire in your own fireplace when the weather turns chilly. There's also a Jeep available if you fancy a game-viewing excursion before heading back to the highway. If you're just passing through and you're pressed for time, book one of the standard units. Snacks and braai packs are available on request or you can pop into one of the nearby restaurants.…

Licence to kill I stayed at Skukuza with a friend in March this year. We hadn’t seen much one morning and were heading back to camp around midday, when we came across a herd of impala running in the road. We followed them for a while. All of a sudden this leopard pounced from behind a bush on the side of the road. Everything happened so quickly, but I somehow managed to get this shot of the leopard’s face as it suffocated its kill. That’s the beauty of the Kruger Park: On any given day, the sighting of a lifetime could be waiting around the next bend. SHAUN JENKINSON, Mtunzini Be gone, dirty elephant! During a visit to the Kruger in April, we came across this elephant rubbing itself against…

3 – 12 JULY Pick n Pay Oyster Festival, Knysna This is one for the fitness freaks and the foodies. Eat oysters and chocolate, drink sparkling wine and enter the fish braai competition. Then do a full or half marathon through the Knysna Forest to balance it all out. You can also enter the Big Five Sport Challenge: participants compete over five days in mountain biking, trail running, road running and open-water swimming events. (There’s also a Big Five Lite competition with shorter distances.) Cost: Half marathon R115 per person. Marathon R125 per person. Runners not affiliated with a club need a temporary licence (R38). Big Five Sport Challenge R2 200 per person; Lite R2 000 per person. Contact: 076 195 4832 (Marianne Brown); 044 382 5510 (Knysna tourism office);…

This month there will be two full moons – something that only happens “once in a blue moon”. (Yup, that’s where the saying comes from.) When two full moons occur in the same calendar month, the second is known as a blue moon. The phases of the moon recur on the same calendar dates every 19 years and there are seven blue moons in each of these cycles. On average, a blue moon occurs every 2,7 years. The last blue moon occurred in August 2012. When a blue moon occurs in January, there will be another one in March of the same year – and no full moon in February. This is the case when our next blue moon comes around in January and March 2018. But don’t expect the…

Clara looked at me. “Why don’t we go to Knysna next week?” she asked. She was smiling, her eyes lit up with some fantastic idea. I knew that look; it’s the look of someone thinking about adventure. “Why?” I asked, carefully. “Igor’s band’s playing next Thursday. It’s the last time they’ll play this year.” “But I have to work. I can’t take time off now.” We both sat, thinking. It was a Monday evening. Clara shook her head, frowned and began tapping away on her laptop. “Look,” she said. I leaned over. There was a caravan on her screen, parked under a spreading pine; a caravan that had taken root in a forest with a porch and a braai and a lake sprawled out in front of it. “We could…

GARIEP DAM 1 Forever Resorts Gariep Anyone who regularly travels through this part of the world will know about this big resort near the harbour section of the dam. A six-sleeper chalet costs about R1 120 per night; the rate is lower from Sunday to Thursday and more expensive during holiday periods. A standard camping stand with power costs R200 per night for two people or R380 per night for six people. No pets. GPS: S30.59659 E25.50170 Contact: 012 423 5600 (bookings); 051 754 0045 (resort); forevergariep.co.za 2 De Stijl Gariep Hotel This is one of my favourite hotels in the country. It has a prime location, high above the dam. At sunrise, the plains, koppies and glinting water go all the way to the horizon. There’s also…

Best time to go? July to October during the dry season. The hiking in the park is relatively easy and the chimps tend to forage in the lower-lying areas. Accommodation The best places in Kigoma are next to the lake. Jakobsen Beach and Guesthouse has two private beaches. Camp or stay in a safari tent, a self-catering chalet or a guesthouse with communal bathrooms and two kitchens. We stayed in a safari tent for about R250 per person per night. The tent is fully equipped with a gas stove and a bathroom. The lights are solar powered, but you can plug stuff in to recharge at the office. Contact: 00255 768 11 9449; kigomabeach.com GOMBE STREAM NATIONAL PARK This park is only accessible by boat and there are…

Southern Drakensberg to the Wild Coast The landscape that stretches from the Southern Drakensberg to the cliff-lined coast of the Eastern Cape has had many names, and many battles have been fought over its ownership. But the beauty of the area’s rolling hills, clear streams, greenery and wild mountain passes is indisputable. Join us on a journey into the frontier countryside of the Eastern Cape – from Rhodes to the Wild Coast. TOUR DETAILS Dates: 20 – 26 September 2015 Duration: 7 days, 6 nights Departure point: Rhodes, Eastern Cape End point: Coffee Bay, Eastern Cape Accommodation: Lodges and guesthouses Rates: R9 850 per adult. Single supplement additional 30 % THE TOUR IN A NUTSHELL Day 1: We meet in the late afternoon at Walkerbouts Inn, in Rhodes. Day 2:…

1 Hammelhoek Private Game Reserve If you drive from the Tankwa Karoo National Park towards the Gannaga Pass, you’ll see a small house with a green roof at the foot of a mountain in the distance. This is the main house in the Hammelhoek Private Game Reserve and there are six farm gates between you and it. About 40 minutes later you’ll stand on that very stoep, with a view of the plains you’ve just driven across. The only sounds will be the hum of a great emptiness and the fluttering of birds in the sky. Facilities: The main house sleeps seven and has a big deck, a splash pool and a fireplace. It’s the best option. There are also two safari tents to stay in, which come a close…

Rust-Oleum will help you get those jobs done thanks to its great innovative products like Deck & Concrete Restore. Deck & Concrete Restore can be used to resurface old and tired wooden and composite decks at home, in the Bushveld or at the coast. Its durable protective coating seals wooden decks in such a way that even the tough African sun and harsh elements will have a hard time wearing them down. What's more, Deck & Concrete Restore adds a non-slip layer and takes care of nasty splinters. This DIY product is also a great way to give weathered concrete patios and decks a facelift. Rust-Oleum will soon launch Restore Extreme, which means you'll even be able to fix up your concrete driveway. Whether you have a wooden deck that…

The story of the historic Toringkerk in Paarl is also the story of the birth of Afrikaans as an official language separate from Dutch. In 1858, a certain dominee GWA van der Lingen opened the doors of Paarl Gimnasium primary school, which he’d help to establish. The children would be taught in Dutch, not English. This happened less than a year after an association called the Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners (GRA) had been formed to advance Cape Dutch, an early form of Afrikaans, as a written language. Dominee Van der Lingen was friends with one of the GRA founders – Arnoldus Pannevis – and Pannevis was appointed as a teacher at the primary school to encourage the growth of the young language. Van der Lingen passed away in 1869 and…

Oakly Farm Stall, Eastern Cape Oakly Farm Stall – a favourite stop for breakfast-run bikers from PE – is a welcome sight on the R72 coastal road between Colchester and Alexandria. Buy a hot, home-made chicken pie or sit down to a light lunch. Roosterkoek, mutton soup and continental breakfasts are all on the menu. There’s also a shop that sells all things farm fresh, from raw honey (R28 for 150 g) to enamel mugs (R18). Where? On the R72, about 20 km west of Alexandria. Contact: 046 653 0690; oakly@mweb.co.za…

-18 6 The lowest temperature (in degrees Celsius) on the coldest day ever recorded in South Africa: 28 June 1996 at Buffelsfontein near Molteno in the Eastern Cape. Molteno is the coldest place in the country, with an average temperature of 11,3° C and an average low of 2,8° C. The highest temperature ever recorded in South Africa was 50° C, measured on 3 November 1918 at Dunbrody in the Sundays River Valley. Letaba in the Kruger Park is the hottest place in the country, with an average temperature of 23,3° C and an average high of 35° C. 186 The strongest wind (in km/h) ever recorded in South Africa. The gust was measured in Beaufort West on 16 May 1984. The people there had to lay low or be…

Why go barefoot? After the annexation of Natal in 1842 by the British, a certain Susanna Smit declared that she would rather walk barefoot over the Drakensberg than live under colonial rule. Another woman with amazing fighting spirit was Helen Harder, who lost her battle against breast cancer two years ago. My trek was in aid of the Helen Harder Foundation. How did you prepare? I did regular barefoot hikes with about 15 kg on my back. I also did some trail runs barefoot, including the Two Oceans (22 km). I should have practised carrying 20 – 25 kg… Did you ever think of giving up? As the days went on, my feet deteriorated. On day five, after scrambling over sharp rocks, the skin on the balls of my feet…

Whether you want to create an impressive Facebook gallery or decorate your lounge with eye-popping prints, join us for a weekend of all things camera-related. WEEKEND WORKSHOPS WHERE & WHEN Tulbagh | 18 – 20 September; 2 – 4 October 2015; 19 – 21 February 2016 Dullstroom | 21 – 23 August; 9 – 11 October 2015 Drakensberg | 4 – 6 March; 11 – 13 March 2016 COST R2 690 per person including hands-on tuition, comprehensive course notes and dinner. Partners are welcome. For an additional R500 they can join us for dinner on the Friday and Saturday night. TIME The workshops start at 4 pm on a Friday and end at noon on a Sunday. NOT INCLUDED Accommodation and drinks are for your own account. ONE-DAY WORKSHOPS WHERE…

It’s autumn in the shadow of South Africa’s highest mountain range. The mielie and sorghum fields have been harvested and baled, every cow has a cattle egret on its back and the cosmos flowers wave as you drive past. Yes, there’s lots of human activity in the foothills, but it gets wilder the closer you drive to those towering summits. And if you climb to the top of the escarpment, you’ll be lucky to encounter one or two other hikers in a single day. The so-called Central Berg has some of the most impressive mountains in the range: at the end of the R600 from Winterton you’ll find Champagne Castle (3 377 m), the second highest summit in South Africa. To the north is the equally photogenic Cathedral Peak (3…

I grew up in Cradock in the Eastern Cape and we travelled north almost every winter to visit family in the old Transvaal. The first leg of our trip always took us to the viewpoint overlooking the Gariep Dam, then known as the Hendrik Verwoerd Dam. At the dam we’d stretch our legs and have a sandwich and some coffee while looking at the view. The dam plays an important part in the lives of the South Africans who live in the central parts of the country. Its influence goes much further than its 374km² surface area, on the border between the Eastern Cape and the Free State. Water from the Gariep Dam is channelled via a complex system of tunnels and canals to the Fish River near Cradock and…

BESSIE VERMEULEN Nikon D3 Nikkor 200 – 400 mm lens with a 1.4x converter BESSIE WRITES: I was in Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana, waiting for these lions to get up and move around, but all I got was a yawn. Still, the sun backlit them nicely and bathed the scene in amber light. I shot in aperture priority mode. My settings were: aperture f5.6, shutter speed 1/80 second, ISO 200. TOAST SAYS: This photo isn’t about action; it’s about light and how Bessie put it to good use. It was around 5.30pm. Bessie was at eye-level with the lions, which makes them stand out against the background. She’s lucky the photo is as sharp as it is, because her shutter speed of 1/80 second is slow for such a…

INTABA THULILE The Magaliesberg is the closest mountain range to Joburg and it’s just what you need if you want to escape boom gates and traffic for a weekend. Intaba Thulile is a 460-hectare guest farm and nature reserve on the southern side of the range, which is part of the Magaliesberg Protection Association. The owners take their conservation duties seriously. Facilities: There are six identical wooden chalets in a poplar forest. The chalets are spacious and clean, and each has two bedrooms (one double and two single beds), a bathroom with a shower, a small lounge and a kitchen with everything you’ll need. Double doors open onto a veranda with a fire pit to the side. Braai wood is refreshed daily. Things to do: Zebra, giraffe and various antelope…

Believe it or not, the Karoo has its own Picasso. This artist, when he was alive, went by the title “King Ferd the Third”. More commonly, he’s known as Walter Battiss, South Africa’s eminent abstract painter and eccentric. The Walter Battiss Art Museum is the tourism focal point of Somerset East, a picturesque town in the Eastern Cape. Battiss grew up here, learning to draw in his family’s hotel on Paulet Street, which later became the museum. But the Battiss museum isn’t the only art house in town. In fact, Somerset East is much like a giant gallery itself. Scenes compose themselves in the frame of the car window like fleeting paintings: the sun-gold coat of a palomino horse next to the powder-blue church on Henry Street, or the purple…