Zambezi Canoe Safari
Tamarind Canoe Safari, Lower Zambezi, Chirundu to Mana Pools: 9 - 12 July 2001 Having eaten and drunk our way across Botswana and Zimbabwe, never having to lift a finger, we were quite keen to do something physical. The famous Lower Zambezi canoe safari (with Canoeing...
Botswana & Zimbabwe safari: Gorges Lodge, Vic Falls & Kariba
Gorges Lodge, Victoria Falls - Kariba 2 - 15 July 2001 Gorges Lodge, Victoria Falls In a word - gorgeous. The lodge clings to the rim of the Batoka Gorge about 20 k's downriver from the falls, high above and between rapids 19 and 20. For spectacle it is difficult to...
Botswana & Zimbabwe safari: Shinde
2 - 15 July 2001 I think this was one of the trips of a lifetime - a two-week odyssey through some of Africa's prime wildlife areas, a blend of luxury and adventure. Remarkably, the logistics of it went flawlessly, considering that the itinerary included: 6 scheduled...
Botswana & Zimbabwe safari: Muchenje & Chobe
Muchenje Safari Lodge, Chobe 2 - 15 July 2001 Muchenje apparently means "Jackalberry tree" in Lozi. The lodge, built in 1996, tops the ridge above the Chobe River near Buffalo Ridge, commanding a panoramic view of the Chobe and Caprivi. Located just south of the Chobe...
Botswana & Zimbabwe safari: Machaba
Machaba, Moremi Game Reserve 2 - 15 July 2001 Machaba is located on the north bank of the Khwai River in riverine forest, with its tents fronting the river across from the Moremi Game Reserve. The area is rich in game, a veritable menagerie, and the birdlife is...
Groot Winterhoek wilderness
"To Hell and back": 12 to 13 May 2001 Well, not really. It was more like paradise. A perfect autumn weekend in the Cape mountains above Tulbagh and Porterville.Big Ron and I followed the Groot Kliphuis River down to De Tronk, our mission to experience "Die Hel". We...
Napi Wilderness Trail
Southern Kruger Park: 25 to 28 March 2001 Once again Marion and I were privileged to participate in a wilderness trail (FAQ), this time the Napi Trail midway between Pretoriuskop and Skukuza. Napi was the newest of Kruger's seven wilderness trails and its location at...
Grootlandsvlakte – Cederberg
November 2000 Once again Peter and I headed off into the mountains above Algeria to find silence and isolation, accompanied by a lone Finnish traveller. But this time the weather stayed cool, and on the Sunday became even windy and rainy. The idea was to overnight at...
Oorlogskloof hiking trail
The Oorlogskloof River flows into the Doring River from the north, draining the Nieuwoudtville plateau. The 5-day Rock Pigeon Route winds through spectacular canyon-land and has been designed to take the hiker up chimneys, behind waterfalls and over great boulders....
Running the Orange River
Photos of Orange River canoeing trips through the Richtersveld over the years Orange River canoeing trips have become a great South African family adventure since the 1980s when commercial canoeing and rafting commenced on South Africa's longest river. The classic...
Ralph’s Wilderness Trail FAQ
Many people from all over the globe email me about what to expect on a "wilderness trail" in the context of Kruger National Park (note that in this context I am not referring to a wilderness hike in a wilderness area such as Cederberg). So here's a collection of...
Wolhuter Wilderness Trail
Southern Kruger Park: 1 to 4 March 2000 The "wilderness trail" is a concept unique to Africa in that it has evolved to imply a walk in the company of a game ranger or conservation officer, usually armed, through big game country. Aspects of the ecology of the area,...
Cederberg – Wuppertal to Algeria
11-12 December 1999 Our judgement impaired by a few beers and a bottle of red wine over dinner one night in the Strand, Ron, Peter and I resolved to try the Cederberg Traverse from Wuppertal to Algeria again - in the heat of December (a previous attempt was...
Boosmansbos Wilderness Trail
November 1999 This trail represented a reunion of sorts for those who had walked the Tsitsikamma Trail. Unfortunately, the whole group couldn't make it, but Watty, Peter, Big Ron, Charlotte, Lorette and Nico did. Boosmansbos Nature Reserve straddles the Langeberg...
Nyalaland Wilderness Trail
Northern Kruger Park: July 1999 The Nyalaland was our first Kruger wilderness trail (FAQ). It's one of the less popular trails in Kruger, but it has a special place in our hearts. Some low-res photos follow...
Crystal Pools – Cederberg
June 1999 The Cederberg is probably my favourite wilderness area. Little can compare to the remoteness, the silence and timelessness of those mountains. Ron and I resolved to tackle one of the classic wilderness routes - Algeria to Wuppertal, by way of Crystal...
Tsitsikamma Trail
30 April to 5 May 1999 The night before the hike proper was spent in Kalander Hut, within the De Vasselot area of the Tsitsikamma National Park, on the bank of the Groot River. It was a dark night, punctuated by plenty of snoring and characterised by awkward...
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