Empty camps in southern Africa
July to September is the peak safari season in southern Africa, as I remember it from my days in the safari tourism industry. It is winter, but dry, which is good for viewing wildlife and the days are warm - shorts and t-shirt weather. Malaria risks are also low....
The ill-fated voyage of the Malachite
Perhaps the fact that the houseboat Malachite Imfant is currently wrapped up in the recently-deceased owner’s estate was a harbinger of things to come. As it puttered out of Marineland at Kariba in balmy conditions however, the group had the distinct feeling that...
Canoe meets hippo at Mana Pools
There we were quietly enjoying the tranquility of the Zambezi from our Mana Pools campsite. As is so often the case, tranquility is an illusion in the wild. Suddenly there was a commotion upstream of us. A canoeing safari group had rounded the bend and one canoe had...
Sisyphean torture at the border
Crossing into Zambia at the Kazungula Ferry took upwards of 2 hours. Not that there was a queue for the ferry because we literally drove in and on board. By contrast there was a truck queue of kms, where truckers can stand for up to 5 days (the ferry can only ship...
Overland safari 2015: Bowing to Baines
"Yesterday was epic. After a great drive across the pans and stay at Kubu Island, our convoy weaved through the woodland following myriad sand tracks, some drivers paying more heed to the instructions of Doris on the GPS, who I am sure had no clue which of the next...
Mountain pass descent hyperlapse videos
These three short hyperlapse videos of mountain pass descents on our recent Karoo MTB Tour were made by passing the GoPro Hero 4 Black clips through Microsoft's Hyperlapse Pro software. Descent of Holgat Pass in the Baviaanskloof: Descent of Bosluiskloof Pass on the...
Finding and losing the old Limietberg Trail
Many years ago I "introduced" my young daughters to overnight hiking on the old Limietberg Trail from Hawequas to the old trail hut near Bainskloof village (day 2 of the trail continued to Tweede Tol). A hot February day and a long trail conspired to turn that...
Karoo MTB Tour 2015 – epic
"Epic!" "Unforgettable!" These were some of the descriptions my co-conspirators (5 riders and 2 drivers) offered to describe this 8-day cycle tour along the back roads of the Baviaanskloof and Swartberg Karoo. Almost perfect weather, breathtaking scenery, no crowds,...
Cape coast riding
As we prepare for what is becoming an annual, backroad cycle tour through the Baviaanskloof and Karoo, we have been cycling the Cape's coastal roads, roads of unrivalled beauty. Here are two videos of recent Sunday-morning rides shot with the GoPro Hero4:
Kayaking to Duiker Island, Hout Bay
Deon and I resumed our double sea kayak trips off the Cape Peninsula after a break of more than a few years. We intended to launch at Three Anchor Bay but some or other mass walking/running event had sealed off any access to the sea between there and the Waterfront....
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