Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2020 i go!

My family and I visited the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in January 2020 and we stayed at Twee Rivieren. We saw leopards, lions and cheetahs – we were even lucky enough to experience a Kalahari thunderstorm. During a morning drive on the Lower Dune Road, we came across this brown hyena. It was carrying a piece of eland carcass. We saw many of these carcasses during our stay and asked a park ranger about it: Apparently, eland leave the Botswana side of the park to look for grazing and water in the Twee Rivieren area, where it’s generally less dry. They sometimes overdo it and drink far too much water, which can lead to their death. The scavengers of the park dine on the carcasses. ANNAMIEN SMITH, Krugersdorp GENEVIEVE MAASDORP from…

This month Venus plays her own April Fool’s trick on us, pretending to be the eighth “sister” as she moves through the Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters. The highlight is on 3 April (pictured above) where Venus – currently the evening star in the west – is struggling to disguise herself among the much fainter Pleiades. Because this phenomenon is so striking, there is much star lore surrounding Venus and the Pleiades, especially within African traditions. Reminiscent of the scene in The Lion King where Rafiki thrusts baby Simba towards the heavens in his outstretched arms, Khoisan women also lifted their children towards the Pleiades when the cluster appeared in the east. The Pleiades were considered benevolent; older children were also encouraged to stretch their hands…

If you ask a Villiersdorp local where to go for something to eat, chances are good that he or she will recommend Kelkiewyn Café. Situated on the outskirts of town as you drive out on the R43 towards Worcester, “Kelkie” as the locals call it, is idyllic in every way. On a summer’s day you can choose a table under the trees beside the Elands River and enjoy the cheerful sounds of the gurgling stream while the kids explore its banks and run around on the lawn. Their milkshakes are a treat (R38) – passing the test of “just drinkable through a straw, but almost needs a spoon”. They serve a wide variety of café fare, like chicken-mayo tramezzini (R92), burgers (from R92), pizzas (from R64), chicken schnitzel (R79), quiche…

An old flame – let’s call her Jane – asked me once whether I’d been to the Kruger Park. She’s from the Lowveld and we were visiting her family on a farm near Barberton. I’m from the West Coast and grew up in flat, fynbos country – the wildest thing I’d seen at that point was a red-legged ostrich chasing his mate next to the Velddrif Road. So no, I hadn’t been to the Kruger. Early the next morning, we loaded backpacks, a tent and a cooler box into her dad’s beige single-cab Hilux. It was a typical farm bakkie with dents all over, sponge peeking out of the seats, a dust layer on the instrument panel, broken aircon, the kind of long gear lever that leads to arthritis in…

Golden fields ripple in every direction, a carpet of wheat shimmering in the breeze. Every now and then, the monotony is broken by a town, a farmhouse or a patchy yard guarded by a scrum of sheep. I’m standing on Piekenierskloof Pass, the rocky full stop that marks the northern boundary of the Swartland. From this lofty vantage point, looking south, I’m struck by the scale of the region. Dusk is settling over the landscape as I trace my route in the lengthening shadows, following roads from town to town. I can see all the places where I sat with farmers, flower shop owners, bakers and winemakers, on my quest to find an answer to a seemingly simple question: What is the Swartland? Malmesbury local Jolene Janse van Rensburg is…

The most watched and shared videos on the Internet often involve animals. Why? Because they’re hilarious! Animals have a unique ability to melt human hearts, especially when they’re up to no good. The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards tap into the power of humour by celebrating the less serious side of the animal kingdom. In doing so, they hope to promote a powerful conservation message. The 2019 competition attracted more than 4 000 entries from 68 different countries. Of the 40 finalists, Sarah Skinner from the UK walked away with the overall prize for a photo of two lions called, “Grab life by the…!” A cub is pictured lunging for an adult male’s… – well, you’ll have to visit comedywildlifephoto.com to see! We’ve chosen some of our other favourites from among…

YZERVARK BISTRO & BAR, YZERFONTEIN Yzervark, get it? This restaurant is named after a porcupine, and the West Coast holiday town about 5 km further down the R315. It’s in an L-shaped 60-year-old shed – one side is the restaurant and the other side is a pub. In summer you can sit on the long stoep with a craft beer or gin; in winter a fire will be crackling inside. Paintings of flowers, farm scenes and fishing boats by local artists decorate the walls of the restaurant and there are shelves with old teacups and other antiques that will remind you of your grandma’s house. They serve a variety of dishes including ribs with chips (R105), French salad (R75), fish and chips (R85) and pizza. While you wait for your…

Where? Pilgrim’s Rest is on the Panorama Route in Mpumalanga, about 350 km north-east of Joburg and Pretoria via the N4 and the R540. Cash is king. Take cash for the museum entry fees and craft stalls. There’s no ATM in town, but you can swipe for cash at The Vine Restaurant & Johnny’s Pub. STAY HERE Mona Cottage  This historically decorated tin house has four bedrooms (two single beds in each), one bathroom, a kitchen and a dining area. Book in advance. Rates: From R165 per person depending on the number of people. 076 680 3996 Royal Hotel  The Royal Hotel doesn’t need an introduction: It remains one of the main attractions in town, especially for tour groups travelling along the Panorama Route. The hotel is well known for…

KILI AND MOUNT KENYA, SOME 60 YEARS AGO I AN LOCKHART from Fish Hoek writes: I was a young man of 22 when my friend David Blaxall and I decided to climb Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro (5 895 m), during our annual leave in 1956. At that stage I was living in Kericho, Kenya, and working as an assistant manager on a tea plantation. When we stopped at the Namanga border post between Kenya and Tanzania, I noticed a huge cloud in the spot where I thought Kilimanjaro should be. Dave looked at it and said, “That’s no cloud, that’s the snow-covered peak!” We had booked our climb via the Marangu Hotel in Tanzania, for the princely sum of £20 and we’d arranged for a guide and two porters to…

Have you ever been to Egg Rock outside Cradock in the Eastern Cape? It’s a curious rock formation, about 10 m tall and weighing an estimated 480 tonnes, resting neatly on the slope of a hill. The rock is easy to reach. Follow the R61 towards Tarkastad. On the outskirts of Cradock, look for a sign on the left that reads, “Egg Rock 4 km”. A gravel road will take you past the airstrip to the rock. Entrance is free, but go in a vehicle with high ground clearance just to be safe.…

Get away! Q SONYA OLIVIER from Pretoria writes: I recently camped in Ruah Park near Dinokeng, where I photographed this caterpillar. When I sat down near it, it lifted two tufts of hair to warn me off. What is it? A Entomologist DUNCAN MACFADYEN says: This is a lappet moth caterpillar. The larvae are grey and almost feathery. They have to remain as camouflaged as possible since they regularly fall prey to parasitic wasps. Only a small percentage survives. Sometimes when bothered, they will raise their bodies in defence – not that that would really help them much! The caterpillars are often overlooked and they never appear to feed. Instead, they just seem to sluggishly sit there. They feed on acacia, mahogany and fruit trees and occur in bushveld and…

Famed British naturalist David Attenborough is starring in his own movie titled David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet, which premiers on 16 April 2020 in London. The 93-year-old reflects on the most defining moments of his career as a naturalist and speaks of the distressing changes he has observed in the natural world over the course of his lifetime. As somebody who has visited each of our planet’s seven continents and witnessed more of the natural world than you and I combined, Attenborough is arguably better placed than anyone to offer what is being called his “witness statement” for earth. This documentary is not one to miss. South Africans can begin looking out for it on Netflix in May.…

How did you become a farmer? I grew up on a beef farm near Estcourt in KwaZulu-Natal, but I followed a different path from my folks when I decided to study Management Accounting at Stellenbosch University. I moved to London in 2000 to work as a stockbroker for Goldman Sachs and I bought into the rat race for four years, but my mentality shifted when I read a book called The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. It talks about the profound effect our food choices have on the environment. After learning about a farmer called Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms in the USA, I knew that I also wanted to farm using regenerative principles – to help redefine food production in my home country. I moved back to South Africa…

THE CLASSIC THREE Platteklip Gorge Don’t let the name fool you – this climb is anything but plat (flat). Although it’s the safest route to the top of Table Mountain – straight up the northern face – many hikers have run into trouble, usually because of the lack of shade. Hike early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the sun. The first 300 m section ascends through fynbos along a stream, to a junction with the contour path. Follow the contour path to the left for about 100 m, to where the Platteklip Trail goes up on the right. From here, the zigzag route to the top is clearly visible. There is no shade for the next 500 m. Don’t rest in the sun – rather…

JO-ANNE DUFFETT Canon EOS 70D Tokina 11 – 16 mm lens JO-ANNE WRITES: We took a road trip from Cape Town to Durban to visit family. I wanted a photo of the Whalebone Pier at Umhlanga, but I was distracted by these rocks instead and decided I should return at sunrise. I couldn’t convince anyone to join me at 4.30 am so I went alone – fortunately there were a few other photographers and runners about. I used a graduated neutral density filter to cut out some of the sunlight, since my exposure was 10 seconds at ISO 100. My lens aperture was f9.5 and yes, I took a soaking from a stray wave… TOAST SAYS: Subtlety can be a landscape photographer’s most powerful tool. The slower you work, the…

EVERYDAY WINNER If you want a versatile mix of durability and performance – socks that can be used in any weather or season – the Bridgedale Midweight Endurance Socks are a good buy. The mix of natural and synthetic fibres offers fast moisture management; a snug, elastic fit; and less friction. R180 at Cape Union Mart STAY COOL If you want lightweight, ventilated performance for running, training or anything that raises your heart rate, get these Falke Ultralight Hidden Socks. Made from a blend of synthetic fibres like Drynamix, Elastane, and Polyamide – with mesh panels – they wick moisture fast and help keep your feet cool. R80 at Cape Union Mart HIKING TOUGH Made with natural mohair and merino fibres, the Cape Mohair Xtreme Hiking Socks offer excellent insulation,…

bit.ly/Pistolshrimp Sea turtles have a built-in GPS. Well, kind of. They sense the earth’s magnetic fields and use them to navigate. This is how a female turtle finds her way back to the beach where she hatched, to lay her own eggs there. The pistol shrimp “shoots” its prey with a stun gun. This critter is about the size of your pinkie finger, but it’s very dangerous if you’re also a shrimp. It has one enlarged claw and when it closes the claw with a snap, it creates a powerful wave of bubbles that stuns other animals in the vicinity. The stunned animal can’t swim away and is easy prey for the pistol shrimp. DID YOU KNOW? A jellyfish has no clue what it’s doing. Because it doesn’t have a…

Die Hel is heavenly! Gamkaskloof has always fascinated me. A place nicknamed “Die Hel” must be unbearably hot and hostile, right? In January 2020, my husband Albert and I drove the Swartberg and Elands passes to visit the kloof. There had been a fire in the area and many of the CapeNature campsites had been damaged. Annetjie Joubert from Fontein Guest Farm offered us the option of camping under one of her trees. The next morning, we pulled on our hiking boots and walked along a dirt road to see some of the restored houses in the kloof. Later in the afternoon we swam in the Koningsgat rock pool and on the way back we saw two beautiful kudus. Moments later five young kudu calves ran across the road! Gamkaskloof…

The Karoo National Park – at the foot of the Nuweveld Mountains near Beaufort West – might be less illustrious than the Kruger or Tsitsikamma, but it’s a magnificent slice of wilderness nonetheless. Many people use the park as a stopover destination between Gauteng and the Cape, but it’s worth spending a few extra days if you have time. Drive one of the 4x4 eco-trails, walk the informative Fossil Trail or ride your mountain bike on the Sylvester Single Track inside the rest camp, named after one of the park’s lions who had a knack for escaping… Later, at sunset, let that deep Karoo silence settle over you.…

Adrenaline junkies will be thrilled to know that Mossel Bay now boasts the longest over-ocean zipline in the world – you can fly for 1 100 m across the bay, reaching up to 90 km/h! When the ocean is a bit rough, it’s not uncommon for riders to zipline through the spray of a breaking wave… The zipline is open daily but is weather-dependent. Where? 6 Point Road Cost: R450 per person. Contact: 068 022 9183; book online mosselbayzipline.co.za…

The only way out is down. Once you’ve started inching down the (in)famous Van Zyl’s Pass, there’s no turning around. When you reach the bottom, the road eases and you’re suddenly on the flat, grassy Marienfluss. The stress of negotiating the pass gives way to bliss. This feels more like a holiday. You follow in the tracks of your tour leader, and stop where he stops. You take a photo at Rooidrom, the red diesel drum that has marked a major crossroads in this wilderness for decades. This is the Kaokoveld, and coming here is a commitment. You have left the easy world behind – no petrol stations, no fast-food joints, no cellphone signal. The only easy road here is the C43, which, if you’re coming from the south, takes…

Since I was four or five years old, I’ve been going on hiking trips to the Drakensberg with my parents Gene and Poppie. Climbing mountains is in my blood! After I matriculated in Nelspruit (now Mbombela), I worked as a waiter for a few months to save up to climb Kilimanjaro – the highest peak in Africa. It was such a great experience that I started to dream of climbing other high mountains. It took another two decades, but eventually I got my chance to tackle Aconcagua in Argentina. At 6 960 m in altitude, it’s the second highest of the so-called Seven Summits – the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. It’s said that if you can climb Aconcagua with ease, you should be able to handle…

As a young motoring writer, fuelled by high-octane, I couldn’t wrap my head around the decision of my boss at the time to trade his Audi RS4 for a Lexus RX. To me, he’d gone from a thunderous bahnstorming V8 sedan with all-wheel-drive and done a complete 180 in favour of a bulky SUV that was of all things, a hybrid. His children had grown up – he didn’t need to ferry them from soccer practice to music lessons. I knew he was an avid golfer – maybe the RX could carry his gear more easily, or the guys at Royal Cape were not only competing against each other’s handicap, but their ecofriendly credentials? Unbeknown to me at the time, Lexus was a pioneer in the luxury SUV game, and…

DE VOLKSHUIJS, BREDASDORP The Overberg is diverse – you get everything from coastal vistas and vineyards to canola fields and even the odd ostrich farm. With so much variety, it’s difficult to decide on just one holiday destination. The beauty of staying in Bredasdorp is that you don’t have to! Its central location allows you to reach Africa’s southernmost point at L’Agulhas, and you’re also only 20 to 40 minutes from De Hoop Nature Reserve, Arniston and Black Oystercatcher Wines near Elim. Bredasdorp itself is a bustling agricultural town, but De Volkshuijs is tucked away on a quiet residential street. It consists of two converted labourer’s cottages, dubbed Sakkie and Saartjie, which were built in 1780 and 1850 respectively. They were both declared national monuments in 1978, and history lovers…

Using QR codes to teach people about the past seems surprisingly modern for a historical gold mining town from the 1800s. Then again, this village was the second town in South Africa to receive electricity – even before London, some locals claim. The QR code signs were placed on noteworthy buildings in November 2019, allowing history buffs to scan their way through town with their phones, learning about each building and its various occupants over the years. The project was spearheaded by René Reinders, with support from the Mpumalanga Department of Culture, Sport and Recreation. René is the wife of Johnny Reinders – the town’s legendary restaurateur and publican – and she’s also involved in the upkeep of the various museums in Pilgrim’s Rest. “All of the historical information was…