by Ralph Pina | Jun 2, 2024 | cycling, safari travel, Swartberg Nature Reserve
Completed by Thomas Bain and his team of convicts in 1888, the Swartberg Pass is now 136 years old, a national monument and a testament to Bain’s road-building skills. It winds through 23.8 km and the bulk of it traverses the Swartberg Nature Reserve, linking... 
by Ralph Pina | Oct 29, 2021 | hiking, Jonkershoek Nature Reserve
After 34 years of living and working in Stellenbosch, not to mention 4 years as students here, we are preparing to move to the Kogelberg coast for the next phase of our lives. Although I don’t have any notion of deliberately taking leave of familiar peaks and... 
by Ralph Pina | Aug 16, 2020 | hiking, Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve
Hepic Trail for short. The Hepic is a private hiking trail that follows the route of the original Epic cycle trail above the railway line that snakes out of the Helderberg bowl. It is located north-east of the Gantouw Pass below Hanskop. Access has to be arranged... 
by Ralph Pina | Jun 13, 2020 | Haweqwa Nature Reserve, hiking, Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve
While languishing in level 4 lockdown, we had been planning our escapes to the great outdoors where mega-social distancing is possible, and even desirable. Undeniably, outdoor exercise, fresh air and sunlight boost your immune system (along with other factors such as... 
by Ralph Pina | Jun 11, 2020 | Jonkershoek Nature Reserve
Nobody said I couldn’t fly the drone past Botmaskop while in lockdown, so here’s a short clip of a virtual...
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