Innehållsförteckning för September 2016 från go!

Occasional carnivore? QTOBIE OOSTHUIZEN from Pretoria writes: I recently spent four days at Grootkolk Wilderness Camp in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, where I saw a sociable weaver catch and eat a gecko on two occasions. Aren’t sociable weavers seedeaters? A Ornithologist ADRIAN CRAIG says: Sociable weavers do indeed eat seeds, but given the opportunity they’d rather feed on insects. In fact, young birds are mainly fed insects. Like most weaver species, they will also prey on other small animals like geckos and lizards. Two-faced butterfly? Q JOHN HARTMANN from Pretoria writes: This butterfly appears to have two heads. There seems to be another head at the end of its hind wings. The false head even has two big eyes and feelers. Is this to fool predators? A Entomologist DUNCAN MACFADYEN…

Shark Rock Pier, Port Elizabeth Don’t go straight back to your hotel room or guesthouse after dining out at one of the restaurants along PE’s beachfront promenade. Rather take a romantic stroll down Shark Rock Pier, a 137 m-long structure completed in 1990 to protect the beach from erosion. Hobie Beach wouldn’t exist without the pier. It’s particularly captivating at sunset, when the lights from the ships in the bay flicker on the water. The pier is well lit and patrolled by security guards for your safety. Where? Between Hobie Beach and Humewood Beach. More info: Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism 041 582 2575; nmbt.co.za – Cyril Klopper DID YOU KNOW? Bamboozled by bumblebees Want to be the expert on your next wildflower tour? Tell your group that bumblebees…

The easiest way to understand the concept of migration is to look at the annual summer arrival of birds in southern Africa from their European breeding grounds. Like clockwork, these birds arrive in the same regions at the same time each year. Sometimes the odd bird gets blown off course and lands in an unpredicted area. These birds are called vagrants and are totally random. Predictability defines a migrant. Mammals, fish, insects and a host of other animals make annual migrations in search of resources. The ephemeral nature of Botswana’s water system is conducive to migration. The most obvious migration is the zebra migration during summer – the largest of its kind in southern Africa. The zebras move to the pans from all over as they fill up with rainwater.…

TOUR INFO When? 19 – 29 April 2017; 28 June – 8 July 2017; 6 – 16 August 2017; 15 – 25 September 2017 How long? 11 days/10 nights Departure point: Nata, Botswana End point: Kasane, Botswana Accommodation: Formal Rates: R22 450 per adult; single supplement additional 30 %. THE RATE INCLUDES • A professional tour leader and an experienced field guide • Three meals a day • All park fees • All accommodation • Bedding and towels • Two-way radios WHAT TO BRING • A vehicle – a 4x2 with high ground clearance will do (fuel and border fees are for your own account) • Drinks and snacks • Camping chairs • Your passport • Personal things THE TOUR IN A NUTSHELL Day 1: We meet at Nata Lodge and enjoy sunset at the famous Makgadikgadi Pans.…

How does it work? The tour begins and ends at Oranje Guest Farm near Clarens, where you park your vehicle. When you’re not riding in Lesotho you’ll be driven in one of Dryland Ride’s 4x4 bakkies. The tour is led by a qualified guide, with a sweep vehicle at all times and a bike mechanic at hand if your derailleur goes wonky. How fit do I need to be? Riding in Lesotho is not for beginners. The hills are steep so you need to be confident on your bike. You don’t need to be Cape Epic fit, but gravel-road training is advised. If you do get tired along the way, there’s always the option to load your bike and drive in one of the bakkies. Tour dates: 16 – 21…

Komatipoort is exactly what its name implies: a gateway to the Kruger Park (the Crocodile Bridge gate is 8 km to the north) and Mozambique (the Lebombo border post is 5 km east). If Swaziland is your destination, the Mananga border post is about 70 km south. Because of its location, Komatipoort is a convenient overnight stop. You can wake up early and beat the border traffic or be the first through the gates into the Kruger. It’s good to know there are places to rest your head even if you hadn’t planned to stay over – if there’s traffic on the N4 and the Kruger gate closes, or if the sun is setting and you don’t want to drive in Mozambique at night. Komatipoort still feels like a small…

The meeting to establish a church wasn’t well attended (apparently due to a drought) and the minister wasn’t guaranteed a salary should he take the job, but the people of Upington wanted a church. In 1893, the town’s Dutch Reformed church, now called the Moedergemeente, was given the green light. At first, the congregation gathered in a “noodkerk” – a building on an erf donated to the church. This building later became the church hall and then a school. It was even used as a jail during the Anglo-Boer War. In 1904, the congregation began raising funds to build a new church in Schröder Street, Upington’s main road. Construction only began seven years later: The corner stone was laid in 1911. All the building material had to be transported from…

The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir cultivars originate from the Burgundy region of France, and both are steeped in history. These cultivars are also the cornerstones of Haute Cabrière’s wine culture. Estate founder Achim von Arnim pioneered a Chardonnay Pinot Noir blend more than 20 years ago. Since then, the cellar masters at Haute Cabrière have been recognised as experts in the art of blending. Chardonnay contributes elegance, and Pinot Noir contributes intensity and richness of flavour. Combined in the right proportions, they create an exciting taste experience with an abundance of zesty fruit like white peach and lychee, and a delectable full-mouth feel. Haute Cabrière Chardonnay Pinot Noir pairs well with fish, chicken and Mediterranean cuisine. Try the recipe below. Mediterranean prawn skewers Thread kebab skewers with deveined, butterflied prawns,…

1 Darling Wildflower Show Three veld types are found in and around Darling (sandveld, strandveld and renosterveld), which leads to an unrivalled variety of flora – nearly 10 % of all the species of the Cape Floral Kingdom. Visit the exhibitions at the Darling Golf Club or buy indigenous plants for your garden. There are a number of flower reserves around town where you can see wildflowers in bloom. While you’re in town, also take a turn past the Duckitt orchid nursery on the Oude Post farm ( duckittnurseries.com ). When? 16 – 18 September Tickets: R50 per adult, R30 per child. Free for children under 13. Available at quicket.co.za More info: 072 178 5744; darlingwildflowers.co.za 2 Clanwilliam Wildflower Show If you’re looking…

September is eclipse season There are two eclipse “seasons” a year, but unfortunately the eclipses that occurred in March this year weren’t visible in South Africa. On 1 September, however, a partial solar eclipse will be visible from certain parts of South Africa. There will also be a lunar eclipse on 16 September, but it will be very subtle. The further north you are on 1 September, the bigger the bite out of the sun will be. From Joburg, half of the sun will disappear; from Cape Town only 26 %. (See above for the times.) Be safe and use eclipse glasses to protect your eyes while viewing the eclipse. Number 14 or higher arc welding goggles will also do the trick. The eclipse will be most impressive in Central…

Why did you participate in writing this book? There’s no recent book about the Limpopo available. It’s an important river, made famous by Rudyard Kipling’s description: “the great, grey, green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever trees”. I first saw the river in 1957 while flying over it in a Dakota, heading for Vic Falls. In 1966 I finally stood on its banks at Pont Drift, and during the 1960s I worked as a ranger in the Tuli Block. Half a century later and I still feel connected to the Limpopo. I’m not the same man I was when I first saw it, but it’s still the same river. The challenge for myself and co-authors Peter Norton and Michael Gardner was to tell the story of the river…

All the books tell you to put Baby down to sleep “drowsy but awake”, but this advice is scientifically invalid. Sorry, Planet Earth. I’m the guy who sits in the parking area with his car idling for an hour, just so his two precious children can have a nap in air-conditioned comfort. I don’t do it because I enjoy polluting the atmosphere or burning unnecessary fuel; I do it because it’s the only way I can get the little terrors to sleep. My wife Jess and I have tried everything. All the books tell you to put Baby down to sleep “drowsy but awake”, but this advice is scientifically invalid. What kind of baby voluntarily closes its eyes and goes to sleep? During the day? Certainly not ours. We’ve bought…

The sun sings its quiet, persistent song and the heat rises from the earth under your feet. You squint. A mirage wobbles and takes shape. What is that? It’s grey, black and white; unmistakably a gemsbok. Yes, a gemsbok on Sossusvlei! This is one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. Around you the red dunes of the Namib stack up as high as city buildings. You walk on the rock-hard, pavement-like surface of the dried-out vlei. Imagine if unusual rain thrust a flood all the way down here from inland. Water! Here! It happens. Now you walk to nearby Dead Vlei, cresting a low dune or two. Dead Vlei is the home of Namibia’s most famous postcard photograph: dark skeletons of camel thorn trees against the orange dunes,…

Every city needs a green place, a place to pause and reflect or to picnic and play. In Cape Town, that place is Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. The 36 ha garden is one of the city’s premier attractions. Manicured lawns fade into indigenous forest higher up the mountain, connected by footpaths and hiking trails. Birdlife is prolific, lizards bask in the sun, tortoises roam and insects live out their microscopic lives. It’s a wonderful place for photography. Now in its third year, the Kirstenbosch Photographic Competition celebrates the beauty and diversity of the garden, and of the Cape Floral Kingdom of which it’s an integral part. The competition ran from July 2015 to March 2016. Andre Diener won the overall prize – a Canon 5D Mark III camera worth R35…

STOP HERE 1 An important landmark We did this route from south to north, but you can also do it the other way around. Coming from Durban on the N3, take exit 107 to Howick North and Tweedie, turn left at the intersection with the R107 and then right at the T-junction, onto the R103 (the Midlands Meander road). An important moment in South African history took place about 3 km from the highway: Nelson Mandela was arrested next to the railway line on 5 August 1962. To commemorate the event, an installation by Marco Cianfanelli and Jeremy Rose has been erected at the Mandela Capture Site, featuring about 50 steel columns planted together like a stand of trees. From the road it doesn’t look like much, but view the…

WINNING LETTER There’s an impala in my lap! Tuesday 7 June started like any other day in the Kruger Park. My husband Andries and I went on a game drive with our son Danie, his wife Rina and their daughter Liyah (1). On the S82 near Lower Sabie, we saw a cheetah lying in the middle of the road. We switched off the engine and rolled down the windows. After about 10 minutes the cheetah got up and walked into the veld, keeping parallel with the road. We followed her slowly. Suddenly a young impala ram darted out of the bush. The cheetah stiffened, ready to pounce… Liyah started to babble in the back seat. The impala heard the strange sound, stopped, and looked in her direction. At that moment…

Last chance to sail to St Helena The passenger and freight ship RMS St Helena will still sail from Cape Town to St Helena until 1 July 2017. The new airport on this remote island was set to open for commercial flights in May 2016, bringing an end to the St Helena’s reign, but due to strong winds during test flights the opening has been pushed back by a few months. If you want to experience the romance of ship travel, book your tickets now! Cost: From R16 000 per person return; rms-st-helena.com Video: Watch an aeroplane battling strong winds on St Helena during a test flight: bbc.com/news/ uk-36490496…

1 – 3 SEPTEMBER Williston Winter Festival Watch 100 riel dancers do their thing or learn how to riel dance yourself – you might win the amateur competition! The food stalls will sell Karoo favourites and the flea-market stalls will offer a variety of handmade products. Cost: Weekend ticket R300 per person; day ticket R20 per adult, R10 per child. Contact: 079 580 2510; face book.com/willistonwinterfees 3 SEPTEMBER Baleia Wines MTB event, Riversdale Choose from a 20 km, 40 km or 88 km race, depending on how hectic you want your workout to be. Non-riders can have lunch at La Bella Restaurant – there will be a jumping castle for the kids. Entry fee: From R80 for the 20 km race. More info: baleiawines.com ;…

At more than 3 000 m above sea level, the air is different. It’s cold and thin and it doesn’t add much oxygen to your blood. I’ve barely started pedalling and I’m already light-headed. We’re on a gravel road on an alpine plateau somewhere near Afriski. The plants next to the road are scrubby and oily – built to survive under snow – and the wind has teeth. I’ve never worn so many clothes while cycling. The road meanders along a watercourse that looks partially frozen, like my fingers. My eyes water and my nasal passages burn with cold. I look around at my fellow riders, but their facial expressions are unreadable beneath Buff balaclavas and mirrored Oakleys. Then we turn a corner and everything changes. The plateau falls away…

TOUR DATES  16 - 21 March 2017 23 - 28 March 2017 RATES  R14 450 per person sharing R18 785 single supplement R7 225 per child under 12 Day 1: The tour starts at a guest farm near Clarens in the Eastern Free State, a half-day drive from Joburg or Durban. You’ll leave your vehicle there - safe parking is available. If you’re flying in, a shuttle is available from OR Tambo. At the farm, you’ll meet the other cyclists and the guides, who will talk you through the itinerary over a delicious meal and a glass of wine. Day 2: You’ll be transferred in one of Dryland Ride’s 4x4 bakkies to the top of Moteng Pass in Lesotho, more than 3 000 m above sea level. From there, you’ll…

They’ve taken you on memorable journeys in words and pictures, now you can see your favourite travel writers on TV. Watch the brand-new series Weg Agterpaaie on Via (channel 147 on DStv) and you can go on a tour of Southern Namibia with Toast Coetzer and Erns Grundling. Why Southern Namibia? “It’s the most accessible region for South Africans to visit,” says Toast. “It has everything that makes Namibia so special: open plains, deserts that speak to you, people who change your perspective on life, and a wilderness that can’t be expressed in words.” In May 2016, Toast and Erns joined a camera crew from Red Pepper Pictures, and a drone that would later earn the nickname Spikkels, for a 6 020 km journey that lasted 31 days. Their travels…

READER STORY ALMARIÉ JANSEN VAN RENSBURG Home town: Port Elizabeth Occupation: Occupational therapist If you enjoy hiking, you’ll know about the Camino de Santiago: the name given to any number of European pilgrimage trails that end at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in north-western Spain. There are a few popular routes, beginning in Spain and further afield in France and even Italy, but I chose to walk the last section of a quieter route called the Camino Portugués, from the city of Porto in Portugal to the cathedral in Spain. The trail hugs the coast in some places; other times it turns inland. Walking 240 km in nine days would be quite a challenge – my daily distances would range from 12 km to 32 km – but I’m…

FOR CAR CAMPING CAPACITY: 3 adults PACKED WEIGHT: 4 kg CEILING HEIGHT: 132 cm COLEMAN SUNDOME 3 This cheap and cheerful “festival tent” has a lot going for it. It’s made of decent materials considering the price (good zips, thick flysheet); it holds its shape well and it’s extremely easy to put up. One issue is that the flysheet only goes halfway down the tent, which compromises its performance in the rain, especially if the rain is falling sideways… The tiny flysheet also means there’s no vestibule to stash your boots. Still, it’s perfectly adequate for a fair-weather night or two away from home. R700 at Shoprite CAPACITY: 2 adults PACKED WEIGHT: 2,65 kg CEILING HEIGHT: 95 cm CAPE UNION TWO-PERSON POP-UP A pop-up tent follows the same design principle…

The self-catering cottages at Phillipskop are in a fynbos garden: When you open your curtains in the morning, white-eyes and sunbirds greet you from the proteas beneath your window. One thing a weekend cottage must have is a nice stoep. At Phillipskop you get two! The front deck of each cottage overlooks a sea of fynbos and the hills of the Overberg; from the braai on the back patio you can see the Klein River Mountains and Phillipskop peak. Each open-plan cottage sleeps six people in three rooms and there’s a fireplace for chilly nights. Rates: From R1 200 per night for four people, plus R200 per additional adult and R100 per additional child. Things to do: Hike an easy 3,5 km circular trail to a waterfall with the kids.…