Innehållsförteckning för Aug/Sept 2025 från go!

Every month our experts answer your questions about birds, bugs and beasts. Send your photos and queries to editor@gomag.co.za Not a watermelon fan? MARIETJIE ACKERMANN from Centurion writes: We holidayed in Sedgefield in January 2025. We were surprised to see several sunbird species in the garden. One day we put out a piece of watermelon peel to see what would happen. This amethyst sunbird flew over, but didn't eat it. It rather caught an insect in the grass. Can you tell us more about the sunbird's diet? Bird expert LUKAS NIEMAND says: Sunbirds mainly feed on nectar, but they will also eat fruit and small invertebrates like insects and spiders. They have excellent eyesight, with tetrachromatic vision – this means they can see a wider variety of colours than humans.…

Walking Wild: Hiking the length of Kruger National Park by José A Neves, HPH Publishing R395 in bookstores Neves is part of an elite club: Not only is he one of a small number of people to have finished all six legs of the Kruger Trail, he's also written a book about the experience! The Kruger Trail traces the length of our famous national park, from Crooks' Corner in the north to Malelane in the south. The total hiking distance is 650km and you return to the park two times a year to do the trail in sections. Two armed guides always accompany the groups. Essentially, you get to do what other visitors only dream about: walk among the animals and sleep wild in the veld. Neve's memoir offers a…

These pages belong to you! Send your favourite photos to Toast Coetzer and he might discuss them here. E-mail three of your best shots to takeyourpic@gomag.co.za JENS GOUWS Canon EOS 1200D Canon 18 – 55 mm lens JENS WRITES: I'm 16 years old and I live on a farm near Jan Kempdorp in the Northern Cape. I took this photo in a cluster of bulrushes – I call it the robber forest because there are always plenty of robber flies there, like this one. I don't have a macro lens, but I discovered that you can make your own by reverse-mounting an 18 – 55 mm lens on your camera (turning the lens the wrong way around, in other words). You need a special adaptor to do this. I also…

Creamy steak-and-mushroom pie Serves 6 Preparation time 1 hour Cooking time 3 hours You need 250g bacon or pancetta slices, chopped 3 tablespoons olive oil 800g beef cubes (preferably chuck) 1/3 cup flour 1 teaspoon braai spices salt, to taste 1 onion, finely chopped 400g portabellini mushrooms, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1½ cups beef stock, hot  2 potatoes, in small cubes 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ½ cup cream 400g puffpastry, thawed 1 beaten egg Here's how Remove the bacon but retain the oil. Dust the beef cubes with flour and season with the braai spices and salt (if the spices don't contain salt). Fry the meat in batches until browned. Set the fried meat and remaining flour aside. Add the garlic and…

FIRST ASCENT MERINO WOOL BASE LAYER Just like a hearty Bolognese sauce – which starts with a base of diced onion, carrot and celery – your base layers (think of them as supercharged undies) will determine if you're a happy camper or a stressed hiker. Since this is the first contact point between your skin and your clothing, it's best to go for a natural material like bamboo or merino wool. This 100% merino base layer from local company First Ascent is not only soft on the skin, but it wicks moisture instead of retaining it like a cotton T-shirt; and it allows your skin to breathe. It's naturally odour resistant and available in ladies' and men's sizes. There's only one colour – dusty brown. R1 299 firstascent.co.za K-WAY BAMBOO…

HAVE YOU SEEN SOMETHING AMAZING? Send your series of photos and a short description of the sighting to toast@gomag.co.za. You could win a Thule Subterra PowerShuttle bag! The Thule Subterra PowerShuttle bag is ideal for people who travel with a lot of tech. It's a sturdy carrier made from durable materials and is perfectly sized (21 x 7 x 14,5cm) to organise everything from cables, earphones and adaptors to power banks and compact external hard drives. There's also an easily accessible pass-through slot that allows you to charge your device in the exterior slip pocket from a power bank inside the bag. With the Subterra PowerShuttle, you'll never have to search for a single cord again! For more information about this and other great gear for your active lifestyle, visit…

Seeing a nightjar in the road is great fun. For many years, birdwatchers were convinced that the only way to identify these elusive birds was to look at the white markings on their wings and tail, only visible when you hold the bird in your hands. But blinding a nightjar and grabbing hold of it is not really the answer. Back when I worked at the Transvaal Museum (now the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History), I studied hundreds of nightjar specimens. And I noticed some patterns… Let's take a closer look at this one. It doesn't have the small head and rufous wings of a female pennant-winged nightjar. It's also not a plain granite-grey colour like a freckled nightjar (and the habitat it's in doesn't look rocky). A swamp…

Peter Zitha, head guide at Berg-en-Dal rest camp in the Kruger Park, told us a leopard family roams between the Malelane gate and the Matjulu Bridge on the H3 – a female called Tatiana and her cubs Nala and Mzimo. The cubs' father, Maximus, is also sometimes around. One morning, we left Berg-en-Dal at 4.30 am and found Nala near the bridge. She sat in front of a bush right next to the road, only a metre away. There were no other vehicles around – we had her all to ourselves! Want to take your own leopard photo? The 2025 go! Kruger guide (R145) is packed with tips on where to find these big cats and how to have the best holiday in the park. Look for it on shelf…

What's the best thing about living in Durban? It has a bit of everything. There are beaches, coastal forests and food that's not only tasty but has a rich history, like bunny chow. Durban is also close to iSimangaliso Wetland Park and the Drakensberg. Hot tip: Durban is best in winter. The ocean is still warm, the sunrises are beautiful and it hardly ever rains. After you've watched the sunrise on the beach, head to Humble Coffee on Windermere Road for a good breakfast that caters to most diets. You're obviously into hiking – which other day hikes can you recommend in and around Durbs? The trail to Mackintosh Falls in Giba Gorge MTB Park is challenging and fun. I also enjoy Umdloti Beach and the Sibaya reserve's forest trails.…

Our national bird is struggling in the Overberg The status of the blue crane was recently changed from near threatened to vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Their numbers are dwindling in the Overberg, where the biggest local concentration of this species is found. There are several reasons: higher temperatures caused by climate change, as well as disturbances like powerlines. (Eskom is working on making the lines more visible.) Blue cranes mostly occur in wheatfields and are often killed by poisons used to deter geese and rodents from damaging the crops. This all leads to breeding pairs producing fewer chicks and a decline in the population. If you see an injured or dead blue crane, report it to support@bluecrane.org.za or 066 289 5988 BLUE SWALLOW FINDS A…

WHY? We publish a selection of reader pictures in every issue. Don't be shy, haul out those shots you've been hoarding on your computer and send them to us! We like just about anything: wildlife, landscapes, portraits, holiday snaps or bugs in your garden. HOW? Send your photos to takeyourpic@gomag.co.za Submit only your three best shots each month. Don't send files bigger than 4MB – if we need a bigger version, we'll ask for it. Give the name, surname, home town and contact number of the photographer. Also include info about where and how the shot was taken, and what equipment was used. If you manipulated your photo in any way, tell us what you did. No AI illustrations, please! THE FINE PRINT We reserve the right to use your photos…

Ford has the Tourneo Custom, Kia has the Carnival, Hyundai has the Staria and Volkswagen will soon launch its T7 Transporter – all lifestyle vehicles based on commercial platforms. Not only do these vans offer loads of space, seating and practical configurations to accommodate things like bicycles, surfboards and extra bags, but the new ones handle like cars and have all the modern conveniences you need. The ultimate van is the luxurious Mercedes-Benz V-Class, but it costs an eye-watering R2,3 million. Which is why the new Vito Select, at a million bucks less with the same premium badge, makes so much sense. It's available in two models: The Mixto (R1 264 200) with five seats and a massive 4.1-cubic metre load bay that will swallow your mountain bike and all…

If you're looking for a day escape an hour and a half from the concrete jungle of Joburg, Castle Gorge in the Magaliesberg is the ticket. Full of rocky buttresses and views that echo the Cederberg in the Western Cape, Castle Gorge is an apt name. There are two trails that lead to the gorge – the so-called“front door”from the south, and the “back door”from the north. My hiking buddy Saudah and I are doing the northern route, which starts at the Maretlwane Wilderness School near the town of Mooinooi. With snacks in our bags and cameras in our hands, we set off. The first stretch is along a jeep track to the main trailhead at a campsite where a small waterfall offers hikers the perfect post-hike cooldown. We turn…

Horse ride up the mountain or float down the river Khotso Lodge and Horse Trails offers horse rides (beginners are welcome) from one hour to full-day excursions; their 2,5-hour sunset ride is a favourite. You can also join Steve on a two- or three-day horseback adventure to the remote Thamathu Lodge in Lesotho, travelling via Bushman's Nek and Sehlabathebe National Park to Thamathu village at 2 400 m above sea level. Hikers can also reach the lodge on foot. For river fun, try tubing down the Umzimkhulu past Balam River Deck – Khotso's coffee shop on the banks. Accommodation includes a riverside campsite, self-catering rondavels (each sleeps five), a 22-sleeper log cabin, and a backpacker lodge with dorms and en suite rooms. Where? 11 km north-west of Underberg on the…

The red-billed oxpecker is found in the savannah and woodland regions of the northern provinces of South Africa, as well as in Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Eswatini. It breeds in cavities in tree trunks but will also build its nest in rock crevices. A red-billed oxpecker lays two to five eggs at a time. The female and male take turns to sit on the nest. The chicks hatch after about 13 days. Birds of the same flock help to raise and protect each other's chicks. What do red-billed oxpeckers eat? Uhm, isn't it obvious? Oxen! (Jokes…) These birds eat the parasites that occur on all kinds of animals – parasites like fleas, ticks and mites. It uses its claws to hold on to the host animal's fur and…

I got out to survey the scene. There was no other option but to dig out the wheels of our rented Dacia. Our Dacia Duster was stuck down to its chassis on a black sand beach. And… a volcano was erupting! Clouds of smoke, a few kilometres away, rose above the skyline. It was September 2024 and Iceland was experiencing a period of intense volcanic activity as molten lava spilled from cracks in the earth's crust near the town of Grindavík. We weren't trying to see the eruption – this was our first day of exploring secret surf breaks along the desolate Icelandic shoreline. But our current situation was, shall we say, less than ideal… I looked at my son, Robert (19). Predictably, he was looking at his phone. “Uhm……

Where have you been? What have you seen? Write to editor@gomag.co.za WINNING LETTER A bear necessity I attended a conference in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, in May 2023. Few people consider Estonia as a travel destination, but it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Not only does it have a rich cultural heritage, with a mix of European and Russian influences, but it also offers so much in terms of natural scenery. I've always wanted to see a bear in the wild and I grabbed my opportunity in Estonia – I hired a car and explored Lahemaa National Park. Lahemaa is a biosphere with small villages, old-growth forests and a scenic coastline. There are old German manor houses like Palmse and Sagadi in the park, but…

The exciting world of flat geckos Southern Africa is home to nearly 145 gecko species, but not all of them like to hang out on your stoep. Some of these species are only found in remote places. Herpetologists get very excited when they come across a species that hasn't been seen in a while. The Blyde River flat gecko (A. rondavelica, pictured top) of the Afroedura genus (of which there are 34 members) was first discovered by herpetologist Niels Jacobsen, when two of these geckos were found on a cliff face high above the Blyde River Canyon in 1991. It was never observed since! Now, 34 years later, a survey by a research team has produced further proof of the gecko's existence. This is great news, as it was accepted…

Imeet Leanne Dryburgh outside the White Rabbit – a pub in the town of Fisherhaven – and we drive together in her Kombi. She's barely changed into second gear when we encounter the first wild horses: a group of seven grazing on kikuyu next to a suburban road. “That's the palomino herd,” Leanne says. “Some people think they're not related to the other wild horses because of the butternut colour. But it's actually a recessive gene… like a king cheetah or a white lion.” We stop the car a respectful distance away from them and continue on foot. The horses soon disappear into the bush. “That's exactly what I want,” Leanne says. “The moment they become habituated to humans, that's when the problems start. As I always say, ‘admire from…

The neglected and undervalued art of doing very little is easily resuscitated at Kapteinskloof Guest House. There's no cellphone signal and the Wi-Fi is atrocious, so we (me, my wife and our three daughters) were forced to find new – or should I say old? – ways to entertain ourselves. We picked lemons from the trees in the huge garden and made lemonade. (If we'd come a month later, it would have been orange juice.) We watched bokmakieries hopping around in the hydrangeas. We fed horses overripe guavas. And we played Scrabble on an old set with wooden tiles. We also spent a lot of time gazing at the view (mountains by day; Milky Way by night) from the perfectly located wood-fired hot tub. (The kids also braved the cold…

It's more than 40˚C and the humidity folds around us like a wet towel. My wife Ronél and I are with a guide and two French twenty-somethings and we're somewhere in a rainforest on the island of Borneo, all of us wearing bright yellow hard hats. Our destination is Gomantong Cave. Gomantong is considered one of the world'stop birding destinations and has been on my wish list for ages. The mouth of the cave is nothing impressive, except for a young scarlet-rumped trogon standing guard. But once you step into the darkness, it's like entering a cathedral. It feels like sacred ground – for millennia, this cave has been home to the biggest colonies of three very special swift species. A tsunami of sound overwhelms us. It's so loud you…

JOIN US! On this epic adventure, we will explore parts of Namibia and Zambia where few of us have ever been, including Nkasa Rupara on the Linyanti River, and Mudumu and Bwabwata (Horseshoe Bend) national parks. Zambian highlights include a visit to Sioma Ngwezi National Park, the country's third largest reserve. We start our journey in Kongola in Namibia and will spend the next couple of days exploring the Zambezi Region, with its parks and abundant wildlife. Then it's on to Zambia. We will enter Sioma Ngwezi National Park via a small border post. Barotseland in western Zambia is still undeveloped and our first night in the country is at a rustic but beautiful campsite close to the Kwando River – the border between Zambia and Angola. This area is…