December 2021 - January 2022

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Your journey starts here...

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Behind The Scenes
What’s your tally? Off the top of my head, I can think of 13 incidents, ranging from getting stuck on a muddy road in the Kruger Park for two hours, surrounded by elephants, to filling a diesel car with petrol in Bitterfontein. Scariest incident? In
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Sun, Sea, And Good Tidings
Friends of mine recently hiked one of the six legs of the Kruger Trail. Each leg is roughly 100km in length – an unsupported, week-long walk through a truly primitive wilderness. It’s just you and your companions, surrounded by wild animals, making y
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Go!
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF (WEG & GO): PIERRE STEYN editor@gomag.co.za DEPUTY EDITOR: ESMA MARNEWICK TRAVEL EDITOR: TOAST COETZER FOOD EDITOR: JOHANÉ NEILSON COPY EDITORS: MARIJCKE DODDS, MARTINETTE LOUW CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: JON MINSTER JOURNALISTS: SOPHI
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WRITE TO US & WIN!
Willie wins a set of Zartek ZA-748 two-way radios with car antenna kits, worth R3 128. The ZA-748 is small yet powerful and comes preprogrammed with 16 channels. Its range is about 600 m indoors and 6 km outdoors, and its battery life is about 35 hou
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Speak To Us
Send your letters to editor@gomag.co.za – include your name, surname and where you live. Please also include a photo if you have one (at least 2 MB in size). We reserve the right to edit and shorten letters, and use your photos elsewhere in the magaz
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Letters
I photographed this leopard at the Bedinkt waterhole, north of Nossob in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. It was September 2021. My wife Lize was looking for birds in the trees and I was also scanning the branches when a movement caught my eye – a f
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Q&A
RIAAN HAMMOND from Hartenbos writes: I saw this herd of elephants in the Kruger Park recently. One of the elephants had a gaping wound on her forehead – what might have caused it? Wildlife expert LD VAN ESSEN says: It’s difficult to give a definitiv
go1 min readDiet & Nutrition
Check This
Hans Knoesen operates a camel farm at Koppieskraal Pan, deep in the Kalahari near the tiny town of Rietfontein. About 20 camel cows are milked daily. And where does the milk go? Most of it is freeze-dried and sold in powdered form to Somali immigrant
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Go Glamping In Grootvadersbosch
Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve – in the foothills of the Langeberg in the Western Cape – has set up five new luxury safari tents, each with a view of forest and mountains. On sunny days you can roll up the canvas walls and feel as though you’re trul
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Rooting For Trees In The Mother City
De Waal Park in Oranjezicht is beloved by Capetonians for the natural oasis it provides in an otherwise bustling city. Part of its attraction lies in the 630 trees planted over the years, many of which are indigenous additions donated by the Friends
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Through The Eye Of A Snake
Although snakes have good eyesight, their eyes are most adept at detecting movement. Hence the old warning: Stand perfectly still when you encounter a snake. It’s good advice. Even better advice is backing off as quickly as possible! Once you’re 5 m
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Night Watch
Early on Saturday 4 December 2021, the new moon will slot in precisely between the earth and the sun, causing a partial solar eclipse for us in South Africa. In contrast to a lunar eclipse, which can be seen from anywhere where the moon is up, a tota
go1 min readRegional & Ethnic
Veldskoen Padstal, De Doorns
Veldskoen Padstal in De Doorns is one of those farm stalls that has thrown away the training wheels and embraced “institution”status. If you’re heading into the Karoo from the Worcester side, or if you’re coming from the other direction after many ho
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Othmane Zolati
Have you always loved adventure? As the only boy born to a conservative Moroccan family with three sisters, I was pretty shy growing up. This changed at the age of 12 when my friends and I rode through a forest near our home town of El Jadida. We onl
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In Vellies We Trust
Until fairly recently, if you wore vellies, you were either a farmer or David Kramer. Some dictionaries still describe the velskoen as “a home-made shoe; a farmer’s shoe (with a low heel)”. It was a workhorse, not much more. Side story: People on far
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Books
Australian author Tony Park weaves another thrilling tale set on local shores, this time basing the action in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve next to the Kruger Park. When young girls and a tourist disappear from the reserve and adjacent land, captain San
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The Old Man And The Kloof
It’s a Monday morning in April and I’m with Gustav Nortjé (81) on the stoep of his turquoise house in the Baviaanskloof. It’s overcast: The clouds are heavy but seem reluctant to release their burden. In the front garden, a wind tugs on the branches
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Wake Up On The Wild Coast
Ah, the Wild Coast, where green hills tumble into the ocean, where the rivers have hidden waterfalls, where the beaches are deserted… The landscape, punctuated by cattle and rondavels, hasn’t changed much over the last few decades. It’s the heartland
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Whimsical West Coast escapes
I once spoke to an artist, Marlouw Walters, who’d lived on the West Coast for most of her life. She told me that she moved away because the sea, wind and sand had become too much for her. Barely a year passed after our conversation, and she had alrea
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In Other Words
“A visit to the Cape Columbine Nature Reserve is a must. The lighthouse is beautiful.” “My love for Dwarskersbos began in the late 1950s, when my family would camp here during the holidays. The beaches are ideal for swimming – beautiful, clean and s
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Namaqua Flower Camps, Namaqua National Park
Your day begins with a flask of boiling water dropped off outside your tent at 7 am. After reluctantly leaving your cosy bed (complete with an electric blanket) to retrieve it, you zip open the flap and take in the world outside. It’s glorious. Fresh
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Send Us Your Best Travel And Nature Photos!
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 g
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Take Your Pic
GERRIE WRITES: We live in a retirement village about 10 km outside Rustenburg, at the foot of the Magaliesberg. Some pearl-spotted owlets made a nest in a tree on the premises, and I watched them breed. I wanted to show a friend the nest when this ow
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Take The Winning Photo
This canvas bag has sturdy sides and a soft inner to protect your valuable gear. The compartments are adjustable to fit your camera and lenses. Product available at winkel.weg.co.za ■
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The Understory
Underwater Photographer of the Year (UPY) is an annual competition that celebrates life beneath our oceans, lakes and rivers. From humble beginnings in 1965, the UK-based competition has grown and grown. In 2021, 4 500 photographs were entered by mor
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Thanks Santa!
When you buy something from this weaving mill in the Little Karoo, you’re supporting a community where employment is scarce. You can even go onto their website and find out more about the specific weaver who made the creation you just bought. There’s
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Mr Popularity
The way people react to the car you’re driving speaks volumes. Take the brand-new Volkswagen Golf GTI, for example. It’s the Tiguan’s hot-hatch cousin and in the week that I drove a test model, I was almost forced off the road as petrolheads swarmed
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Game-rich northern Botswana!
Our northern Botswana tour begins at the community-based Khama Rhino Sanctuary in central Botswana, where we spend our first night before moving on to the spectacular Kubu Island, a granite rock outcrop on the Makgadikgadi Pans, for a night under the
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Have Yourself A Merry Feast!
Serves 4 Preparation time 20 minutes Cooking time 20 minutes • 1 ciabatta loaf• 4 tablespoons olive oil• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped• 1 medium-sized red onion, chopped• 1 tablespoon tomato paste• 3 big tomatoes, in small pieces• 1 red chilli, choppe
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BITOU VALLEY ECO CAMP Stay, Play And Ride!
The Garden Route is already one of South Africa’s best holiday spots. Now, with hundreds of kilometres of pristine trails for hiking and cycling, it is becoming an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. For adventure-seekers and lovers of fresh air, the Bito
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Stay Here
The Kruger Park is a wonderful place, but sometimes it feels like you’re paying a lot for what is a fairly basic rondavel. You’re surrounded by wild animals, so you try to justify the price… Well, at Jackalberry Ridge you have a great place to stay,
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Put Simon’s Town On Your Radar
It’s the middle of the week and there are no tourists in Jubilee Square to throw a few coins into his guitar case, but that doesn’t stop Machawe Ndlovu. His solo echoes out over the waterfront, past yachts bobbing in the swell and past the statue of
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Take A Hike
Do you remember learning about a trapezium at school? It’s like a rectangle crossed with a triangle: the top and bottom sides are parallel; the left and right sides aren’t. That’s what the elevation profile of the Oudebosch-Harold Porter hike looks l
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Back In The Day
CHRISTIE FOURIE from Brackenfell writes: In the winter of 1992, six other students and I from the Dagbreek men’s residence in Stellenbosch left Cape Town on a trip to what was then the Eastern Transvaal. Our destination? The Kruger Park! We were trav
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Sharks Are Jawsome!
The whale shark is not only the biggest shark, but also the biggest fish in the sea! (What about whales? Remember, even though whales live in the sea, they’re not fish – they’re mammals.) A whale shark has a big, flat mouth that can open up to 1,5 m
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Sharp Senses
Lateral line – This row of sensitive cells can detect when the water pressure around the shark changes. This helps the shark feel when another fish is nearby, and in which direction the sea currents are moving. Sight – A shark’s eyes are on the side
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Did You Know?
Some beaches have shark spotters who look for dangerous sharks in the water. The spotters use different flags to warn swimmers and surfers of potential danger. Here is what these flags mean: Green: The water is clear and there are no sharks in sight
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Win This Book!
Answer this easy question and stand a chance to win a copy of A Pocket Guide to Sharks of the World. Does a pyjama shark have spots or stripes? SMS SHARK and your answer to 35695 (R1,50 per SMS; free SMSes don’t apply). Closing date: 10 January 202
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Differences Between Sharks And Other Fish
• Most fish species have a skeleton made of bone, like ours. But a shark’s skeleton consists of cartilage (like your nose and ears). It can bend more and is lighter than bone, which helps the shark move faster through the water. • Most fish have a sw
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With My Own Eyes
In September 2017, I went on a week-long holiday to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park with my friend Warrick Davey. One morning, we drove up the Nossob River road for a while, then turned back towards Twee Rivieren. Warrick was driving and I was in th
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Simon Smith, Durban
“I’ve only been to the Kgalagadi once, but I’m dying to go back. I would recommend the park to anyone because it offers such a diverse array of flora and fauna. The desert is alive with everything from insects and mice to snakes, raptors and bigger m
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Ld Van Essen, Wildlife Expert
“The behaviour Simon observed is called interspecific competition, in other words, the competition between individuals of different species – often for territory or resources. This is not to be confused with intraspecific competition, which is the co
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Pondering The Promised Land
The ship was called Beryl. I boarded, along with 10 truck drivers, and we left Turkey for the Israeli port city of Haifa. I was on my own for this part of the trip – Marie had flown to South Africa for a quick business trip; she’d be joining me in a
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Fast Facts
These prices are from 2018 and are meant to provide a rough idea of what the Gurneys spent on their trip. Prices would have gone up since then. Haifa Hostel: R1 600 per night for two people. Falafel: R120 per pita (at HaZkenim). Entrance to Hangin
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How To Find A Bird In A Forest
Plop! A big raindrop hits my forehead. But what did I expect? If you throw your head back and stare at the canopy in a downpour, you’re asking for it. It has been raining for two days straight. The forest floor has been taken over by streams and fat
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LETTER FROM Kleinmond
I like winter. The colder and wetter it is, the deeper I huddle into my cocoon of warm beverages, broody Brontë novels and Harry Potter reruns. And in any case, since the “big C” struck and social activities wound down, my hermit party of one hasn’t
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Africa At Its Best
I was driving in the Skukuza region of the Kruger Park when I noticed a few cars parked on the side of the road. One of the people explained that they’d seen a leopard in a Cape ash tree, but all I could see was the tail hanging down through the foli

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