Wild magazine TruePDF autumn 2019

12 184 Letters 8 The Wild Parks Challenge Sightseeing coast to coast 10 Pitch your tent at Ithala Why Doornkraal is pure bliss 12 48 hours in Rocherpan Adventure for the whole family

TM MEMBERS ONLY CARD MAGAZINE

explore | conserve | enjoy

BESTCORPORATE

TOMORROW’S HEROES

Maxxx adventure

in a Cape forest

GROOTVADERSBOSCH

West Coast National Park: Cottages from R1 191 for two,

R1 615 for four

www.sanparks.org

Reservations (012) 428 9111E-mail reservations@sanparks.org

12 18

4 Letters

8 The Wild Parks Challenge

Sightseeing coast to coast

10 Pitch your tent at Ithala

Why Doornkraal is pure bliss

12 48 hours in Rocherpan

Adventure for the whole family

16 Goukamma retreat

Find peace in Buffalo Valley

18 Table Mountain Wash Houses

Escape from the city

67 Trip planner

Sunset drives to seek out

DESTINATIONS

20 Five parks to visit in 2019

Wildlife? Tick Dramatic landscapes? Tick Fascinating history? Tick Add these lesser- known gems to your list

50 Kruger wilderness trails

The essential guide to finding the one that is right for you

60 Into the woods

Discover enchanting trails and magical hideaways in Grootvadersbosch

PEOPLE IN PARKS

40 Women in the wild

Meet the female guides making their mark

72 Skukuza through the lens

Young photographers on show

in new safari lodge

Augrabies Falls

National Park Golden Gate Highlands National Park

44 Lifestyles of Addo lions

The lionesses that go it alone

68 Namaqua census

Inside an aerial survey

80 Outsourcing parenthood

The firefinches that raise

another bird’s chick

84 Pride of De Kaap

Look for their red blooms

On the cover: Sylvester, Addo’s superstar Read about his new life on www.wildcard.co.za.

021 483 0190

reservation.alert@capenature.co.za

Book online: www.capenature.co.za

Terms and conditions apply.

Standard daily conservation fees apply.

Free access for Wild Card members.

Whether you are a nature enthusiast or an adrenaline adventurist, a wildlife spotter or a bird watcher

or just need to relax and immerse in the great outdoors there’s a nature reserve for you.

Cederberg Wilderness Area

MBONISENI DLAMINI Msinsi Resorts

ANN REILLY Swazi Big Game Parks

HEIN GROBLER Wild Card

WILD CARD ENQUIRIES

Riaan Vermeulen | riaan@tipafrica.co.za

DESIGNER Leon Kriel

TEXT EDITOR Marion Boddy-Evans

PROOFREADER Margy Beves-Gibson

DIGITAL JOURNALIST Gaynor Siljeur

CONTENT DIRECTOR Igna Schneider

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Joan Kruger

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Petro du Toit

MISSING COPIES/CHANGE ADDRESS

subs@tipafrica.co.za

Wild® magazine and Wild Card® are registered trademarks of SANParks

Opinions expressed in this magazine do not reflect those of the Wild Card

or any of the Wild Card programme partners Every effort has been made

to ensure accuracy, but Wild magazine cannot be held liable for inadvertent

mistakes Prices correct at the time of going to print Letters may be

shortened for clarity.

Emma Bryce, Julienne du Toit, Calvin Fisher, Albert and

Marietjie Froneman, Nell Hofmeyr, Hlengiwe Magagula,

Jacques Marais, Eric Nathan, Harriet Nimmo, Mitch

Reardon, Karin Schermbrucker, Janine Stephen, Lesley

Stones, Ron Swilling, Dianne Tipping-Woods, Morgan

Trimble, Albie Venter, Henk Venter

PHOTOGRAPHY & ART

Romi Boom, Stephen Cunliffe, Albert and Marietjie

Froneman, Joe James, Kelly Lodewyks, Hlengiwe

Magagula, Hellen Mthatshwa, Eric Nathan, Lucky

Ndzobela, Thulani Nghonyama, Tyrone Ping, Scott

Ramsay, Joël Roerig, Daleen Roodt, Peter Ryan, Karin

Schermbrucker, Ron Swilling, Barry Tanner, Warwick

Tarboton, Dianne Tipping-Woods, Morgan Trimble, Albie

Venter, Henk Venter, Gerhard Vosloo

FROM THE EDITOR

WILD CARD PARTNERS

Relaxing in Ithala Nature Reserve

national parks The essence of these lesser-known gems has been captured by our five contributors, in singular style I’d be hard-pressed to choose a favourite as each park has inimitable appeal and will satisfy your wilderness cravings

Staying with the theme of five (yes, you guessed what’s forever at the back of our minds), we visited five other hot spots, hand-picked for their wide-ranging appeal Buffalo Valley in Goukamma Nature Reserve will seduce you with its riverside timber cabins At Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve, you’ll discover a Lord of the Rings fantasy and return with your mountain bike Rocherpan is a pristine eco-reserve on the rugged West Coast where children of all ages will take pleasure in the multifaceted waterworld Table Mountain’s Wash Houses is one of the Mother City’s best-kept secrets, you’ll wonder why you’ve never checked in before My own personal treat was to camp at Doornkraal in the remote but absolutely gorgeous Ithala Nature Reserve in KZN.When we were first alerted to millennial Tyrone Ping’s crazy five-year quest, we immediately thought: how cool! And yes, how wild is that! “Chasing chameleons” (page 32) is the theme of a mind-boggling

conservation feature Turn to page 20 for travel suggestions for Wild

Card parks where you can get out of your vehicle to look for specific

slow foot species It is our responsibility to conserve them since 80 per cent of our species are endemic

From the timid to the gregarious: the social life of lions is not always what it seems (page 44) Sure, they are the only truly social cats in the world, they like each other’s company and depend on it At least in Kruger they do, so why not in Addo?

Do write to us at wilded@tipafrica.co.za about your Wild Card travels

and adventures Your stories are our lifeblood

Have fun!

W I L D L ET T E R S

Connect with us at www.wildcard.co.za | wilded@tipafrica.co.za | PO Box 13022, Woodstock, 7915

Leslie Clemence wins Ravus Vent Low shoes (R899) from HI-TEC These crossover shoes

will keep you cool and confident on any trail The Multi-Directional Traction (MDT) outsole provides grip for walking both up and downhill while the compression-moulded EVA midsole ensures supreme comfort

Send us your letter for the chance to win

FINDING LOVE ON KALANDERKLOOF HIKE

My family and I drove from Port Elizabeth to Nature’s Valley and parked

our car at the start of the Kalanderkloof Hike We walked through a

beautiful indigenous forest and then started our ascent to the lookout

Multifocal glasses made me feel so insecure at times that I was on all

fours climbing up the steepest parts of the hill But I continued, knowing

how beautiful the view from the top is Along the way there were

but-terflies, spiders, snakes, lizards and flowers There were times I stopped

to just admire the view, to take photos, or to catch my breath

The trip down was far gentler and, during the descent, I told my

daughter how it was on this hike that my husband and I fell in love nearly

30 years ago We caught up with my husband and other daughter a little

later where they had stopped to chat to the baboons and wait for us

Time with family is precious Today, together, we savoured Africa

Leslie Clemence

WINNING

LETTER

A DOZEN IN ONE BUSH

I am a 75-year-old birder with 750 plus on my list and now find it

difficult to see new ones Precisely a year ago I bought Steve

Wood-hall’s book and started photographing butterflies I have now

photo-graphed 102 species On our last visit to Kruger, about 5 km from

Shingwedzi Camp, my wife and I took the S52 road to Redrocks We

crossed the dry riverbed and I noticed a shrub-like bush (Vernonia)

that was attracting large numbers of butterflies as if there were no

other flowering plants in the vicinity: topaz tip, small orange tip,

common orange tip, African common white, African veined white,

brown-veined white, broad-bordered grass yellow, zebra white,

yel-low pansy, mountain sandman and small orange acraea I took as

many photos as possible of these orange butterflies and only back

home discovered on my computer that two of the photos were in

fact of the Acraea machequena – the image of the latter has

subse-quently been submitted to LepiMAP, the Virtual Museum.

Tom Drinkwater

riverbed, which is our preferred place

Shortly before midnight we were awakened by monkeys screaming,

an antelope’s alarm call as it slammed into the fence by our tent and some yelps As we unzipped the tent we heard excited hyenas, emitting all sorts of vocalisations By torchlight we saw a wild dog and in the ditch next to the fence about 10 hyenas tearing at something and running off with pieces of it Two more wild dogs ran off The action, with the sound

of crunching bones, lasted about 10 minutes We figured the wild dogs had chased the antelope to the fence and made the kill The hyenas were quick to pick up on the kill and steal the prize, sadly for the dogs.

We quickly realised how lucky we were to experience such an event right on our doorstep It was the best present my husband could have

wished for Having our Wild Card is the perfect excuse to uncover

Kru-ger’s surprises We have never been disappointed.

Gabriela Benavides

MOUNTAIN ZEBRA’S LIONS

On our morning drive we came across lions in

the process of mating right in the road near

camp Keeping a safe and respectful distance,

we took photos with the car windows down

Along came one of the park’s officials with

passengers in an open game drive vehicle He

told us how fast a lion can strike and said we

should close our windows, then drove up to

and stopped about two metres from the male

lion in the road Afterwards in the camp his

explanation was that he wanted to put

pres-sure on them so he could pass and that they

were familiar with his bakkie How can such a

person be trusted to take visitors on a nature

experience trip and let them understand how

to respect animals in the wild?

Frans Booysen

Fayroush Ludick, regional communications

manager, responds: As the park has only one

game drive vehicle and one field guide on

duty at a time, the staff member in question

needed to return to camp to prepare for the

next guided activity Our guides are all

well-versed in the temperaments of more ‘special’

animals like lion and cheetah, and he was

comfortable in the knowledge he could pass

without incident

We apologise if that came across as reckless

to the guest We do, however, at all times advise

guests in vehicles in close proximity to these

animals to take all precautions necessary to

ensure their safety

WHERE TO NEXT?

My daughter has been reading your magazine for weeks but she can’t seem to decide which park to visit first Her name is Florence and she is 20 months old She has visited West Coast National Park many times as my parents live in Langebaan On our last visit, she was fascinated watching the flamingoes from the bird hide She has also been to Silvermine a few times We’re hoping to visit Anysberg on our first family road trip Thanks for a great magazine which has provided hours of entertainment.

Nicky Preston

CONSTANT TRAVEL COMPANION Before our marriage, my wife, Anita, often told of her fond memories of Tankwa and the Cederberg mountains It was therefore only fitting that

I asked her hand and heart in marriage during a week-long visit to the Cederberg Wilderness Area and Tankwa Karoo National Park And so began our biggest adventure During our honeymoon we made extensive

use of our Wild Card, with visits to Goukamma Nature Reserve (Mvubu

Lodge was an absolute treat), Gamkaskloof (Die Hel) and, of course, a return to Tankwa Karoo National Park Our first New Year’s celebration was spent at Nature’s Valley in Garden Route National Park and for our first anniversary we visited West Coast National Park.

We have many memories of Boulders Beach, Limietberg Nature Reserve, Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve, Grootvadersbosch, Addo Ele phant National Park, and our recent visit to Richtersveld and Kgala- gadi transfrontier parks The milestones in our relationship are celebrated

with a constant travel companion: our Wild Card Long may it continue.

Jacques Wilkinson

Most marvellous photographs

We read every word in these brilliant magazines.

– Graham Attwood

Where did you go with your Wild Card?

Send us a picture of your card in the parks and you could win free renewal

of your membership Email your pic to competition@tipafrica.co.za (subject line: Card) For rules, visit www.wildcard co.za/category/competitions.

Claire Fordred wins with this picture taken on the way to the Kruger

National Park’s Numbi Gate.

FANS OF TZENDZE

This is just a quick note to express our joy and satisfaction with our recent visit to the Kruger National Park There are so many horror stories about ‘how things are falling apart’, but

it has been our experience over the years that Kruger is working Now more than ever.

We spent four nights in our beloved Tsendze and also travelled to the surrounding camps Everywhere we went we were met with friendly smiles, excellent service and a clean park and camps The shops are well stocked with goods you need and really want to buy The restaurants have all had a big revamp and the results are delectable In the park the roads are well maintained

The real delight, of course, is Tsendze and as with all our previous visits, it held us spell- bound Please don’t ever think of modernising

it, and please keep Rodgers Hobyane, the camp manager, there for ever

Rita van den Heever

ENTER THE CHALLENGE

PARKS

CHALLENGE

THE

Make 2019 the year to tick more wild places off your list

Draw inspiration from Viv and Ray Ruiter whose Wild Card

took them to no fewer than seven Wild properties in a year

Go Wild!

Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, in a safari tent

in the unfenced Mpila Camp.

To the coast for a visit to Bird Island

Nature Reserve

Addo Elephant National Park, with a lucky sighting, from the underground hide, of hyena and black-backed jackal on a kudu kill.

Kruger for almost a fortnight.

West Coast National Park, with the most beautiful annual flowers

Kgalagadi, five nights at Twee Rivieren and Kalahari Tented Camp

Wilderness Section of Garden Route tional Park in a log cabin facing the river

Seventh heaven for campers is a pitch just like Doornkraal

in Ithala Game Reserve It’s hard to beat its wilderness setting, not to mention chilled sundowners by a river pool

after a day’s game viewing By Romi Boom

ALIVE

THE HILLS ARE

LEGGY MODEL

Giraffe are the

poster animal for

Ithala, seemingly

happy to pose for

www.wildcard.co.za AUTUMN 2019 WILD 11

poses among acacia thickets,

silhou-etted against the craggy heights of

the Ngotshe mountains The giraffe is one

of dozens we encounter just after

day-break, having left Doornkraal campsite

with permission to take the Dlabe 4x4

high-clearance management road

Giraffe feature in such abundance it’s

not surprising they are the namesake and

icon for Ithala Game Reserve Like

spec-tres they emerge from the thornveld of

northern KwaZulu-Natal The youngsters

are extremely curious and often approach

the object of their interest for a closer

look If they stand in the road and the

sighting is uninterrupted by vegetation,

photo opportunities are outstanding

Even so, one of my fondest memories

of Ithala is the bronze reflection of first

light on kudu horns in the tall grassland

The common thatch grass is home to

large populations of unperturbed plains

game and we are amply rewarded when

we get up early to drive the loops

For-tunately so, because it takes real

com-mitment to tear yourself away from the

charms of peaceful Doornkraal, a small,

rustic camp with accommodation for up

to 20 people

The campsite is situated alongside one

of several tributaries of the Pongola that

run through the reserve, amid dense

thickets of riverine scrub overlooking

pools of water Allow about 40 minutes for the 17-kilometre drive from the main resort at Ntshondwe Caravans are not allowed, making the unfenced camp-site a retreat for rooftop tents Walking about camp at night demands caution, though the prospect of elephant, leopard and other game entering camp adds im-mensely to its wilderness appeal

When we first arrive, impala graze outside the thatched kitchen enclosure, advancing in their own good time to the open-air ablutions featuring a blissful hot bush shower and flush toilets Swim-ming is permitted in the river and soon

we make our way down to the pools with chilled sundowners

Although Ithala is a relatively small park, visitors will appreciate its extreme diversity of vegetation and geographic features Masses of red coral trees make

a splash at Ntshondwe resort, while where rolling hills, valleys and forested kloofs represent the best of Zululand

else-Go slow, open your windows and adhere

to the speed limit of 20 km/h Often found squashed on the roads in Ithala

is the Natal hinged tortoise, considered Rare in the South African Red Data Book So please look out for those pre-cious baby tortoises while you enjoy the rugged beauty and rich colours of some

of the oldest geological rock formations

in the world /

Ithala is five hours from Durban and six hours from Gauteng.

TRIP PLANNER

Accommodation

Doornkraal campsite from R160 a person

a night Ntshondwe resort from R1 360 a night for two people

in a chalet, breakfast included Mhlangeni, Thalu and Mbizo bush camps from R1 470 a night for three people.

Doornkraal is an intimate campsite set in the midst of riverine scrub and sicklebush.

HOT

SPOT

We are a family of surfers, all

ocean-loving, wave-chasing water babies On a trip up the West Coast to the never-ending left-hand point break of Elands Bay, we stumbled upon a little gem about 30 kilometres south

of Elands and 160 kilometres north of Cape Town The region is renowned for the quaint fishing villages that have dotted the coastline for generations, establishing their own unique culture, along with countless unspoilt beaches amid a carpet of wildflow-ers in the spring In among this is a coastal nature reserve, a birder’s paradise and a window onto the wild ecosystem of the West Coast Rocherpan Nature Reserve is one of CapeNature’s best-kept secrets

It is a perfect ecosystem for birds, home to the rare and endangered black oystercatcher, kelp gull and Cape shoveller The combina-tion of land, vlei and sea provides ample breeding and feeding habitats for a variety of birds A total of 183 species have been re-corded, of which about 70 are waterbirds Our young ones were transfixed by the elegant necks and long pink legs of the lesser flamingoes which dominate stretches of the seasonal vlei right in front of eight eco-friendly cabins A thousand shades of pink make for the most magnificent sunsets from your balcony Three bird hides are ideally situated for those who want to spend hours

at a time behind their binoculars, immersed

There’s nowhere better to enjoy the rugged charm of the West Coast than in a hidden gem on Route 27

Summer or winter, the pristine combination of beach, vlei and land is a hive

of animal and bird life

By Karin Schermbrucker

HOT SPOT

From top to bottom:

Flamingoes strut their stuff on the pan; the eco-cabins touch the environment lightly;

a tortoise wanders between the reserve’s wildflowers.

in bird books and ticking off lists while

absorbing nature’s orchestra in full

sym-phony An added and unsuspected

bo-nus was the new saline swimming pool,

a great way to spend a warm afternoon

after hours of activity

Summer or winter, the stretch of

beach which runs parallel to the reserve

is a hive of animal and bird life On the

three-kilometre beach hike offered by

the reserve, we were fortunate to watch

a seal pup make its way along the beach

towards the dunes, observed by a duo of

oystercatchers and accompanied by the

chatter of sand plovers

The children couldn’t get enough of

the untouched dunes which line the

beach These are ideal for a game of hide

and seek When their energy was all but

exhausted, tea and a fresh banana loaf

at the lookout point offered welcome

respite after the day’s activities From

the highest point of the reserve we were

treated to the magnificent performance

and gigantic splash of a southern right

whale Watching this giant of the deep

on its migratory path, we were

remind-ed of nature’s magnificence and just how

very small we are

We will return again to this hidden

gem of Route 27, where the icy

tur-quoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean

en-velop kilometre after pristine kilometre

of shells and sand The untouched

magic is a moving reminder that we are

which line the beach

are ideal for a game of

hide and seek.

1 A picnic overlooking the

Atlantic Ocean is just the thing for hungry tummies

2 Exploring the dunes that

run parallel to the reserve

3 The eco-cabins make the

most of the outdoors with

a large deck and sliding

doors 4 Young nature

lov-ers will find plenty to keep them entertained.

Rocherpan lies 2,5 hours north of Cape Town.

TRIP PLANNER

Accommodation Four

eco-cabins each have a double bed and a futon for children Off-peak rate R850 a night for one or two people, peak rate R1 190, R170 an extra child A further four cab- ins sleep up to five people

in two bedrooms peak rate R990 a night for the first two people, R195 an extra person; R1 770 for entire cabin in peak season.

Off-Activities Hiking,

moun-tain biking, birding, ming, whale watching, angling, picnicking

swim-Conservation fees Day

access R50 an adult, R30

a child Overnight R40 an

adult, R20 a child Wild

Card members free

Bookings CapeNature

Central Reservations 021-483-0190, www capenature.co.za

AUTUMN 2019 WILD 15

Conserve Explore Experience.

The prime spot is the large deck with a view that fills the heart.

Above from left to right: Wildflowers bloom in abundance around the lodges; exploring the Gou­

kamma River by canoe; the golden beach stretches for more than five kilometres Below: The

deck of River Lodge is an idyllic spot to relax and drink in the surrounds.

On Golden Pond The lodges at Buffalo Valley are the perfect hideout for

romance, friends and family They overlook river, forest and

vlei, all tinged in shimmering hues By Ron Swilling

In 2017, fire swept through this lush

part of the world Now birdsong fills

my room before I open my eyes and

take in the vegetated sand dunes, the

grasslands, the gentle Goukamma River

and the coastal forest which envelops the

well-designed wooden cabin It’s a cosy

‘home away from home’ that you don’t

want to leave And, if you do, you look

for-ward to returning

Buffalo Valley is a place to pencil into

diaries year after year Lying between

Sedgefield and Knysna on the Garden

Route, which is well known for the soft

beauty of its forest, sea and golden rivers,

the 175 hectare Buffalo Valley section of

Goukamma Nature Reserve was added

two years ago under a stewardship

agree-ment with the neighbouring landowner It

introduced three stylish timber lodges and

a piece of riverfront property to the 2 500

hectare estuarine reserve that adjoins the

holiday town of Buffels Bay River Lodge,

our retreat, has two bedrooms with a loft in

each for children, separated by the

kitchen-cum-dining room, plus a lounge with a

ceramic fireplace, a colourful assortment of

loungers and a row of good books

The coastal forest and river complement

the refreshing burst of sea air, the

crash-ing Indian Ocean and the opportunity for

strolls on long golden beaches, only three

kilometres away Two trails have reopened

since the fire Although the vegetation

has regenerated with a flourish of grass

and small green bushes, and is awash with delicate blooms, work is still being carried out on some sections, planned to gradually reopen over the next year

Field ranger Melissa Hasley points out some of the plants that have re-emerged,

including the sour fig Carpobrotus edulis

with its juicy fruit, which inspired the river and reserve’s Khoisan name ‘ghaukum’ or Goukamma Melissa tells us how vervet monkeys, bushbuck and birds are return-ing after the fire as the land cloaks itself in green once more

We take a drive to Groenvlei, 16 metres to the west and also part of Gou-kamma Nature Reserve, to wander to the vlei, past towering candlewood and Cape saffron trees, for the Cape Clawless Otter Trail Later, we balance it out with a brisk hike through the coastal thicket at Buffels Bay, before hiring canoes to leisurely explore the river below our cabin As we climb aboard, we’re all giggles, trying to remember the basics of paddling We push out into the meandering river, thankful for its still, soothing waters

kilo-When we return to River Lodge, the ternoon sunshine is flooding the deck and the surroundings with gold A pair of fish eagles call from upriver, birdsong erupts in happy bursts from the forest We carry out chairs, hats, books, binoculars and snacks, willing the day to continue forever In the guest book, an apt description: “A little bit

af-of perfect.” /

INSIDE TRACK

TRIP PLANNER

Getting there From the N2, look out for the Buffels Bay/

Goukamma signboard between Knysna and Sedgefield

Accommodation The Buffalo Valley lodges comprise River

Lodge, Forest Lodge and Vlei Lodge These well­equipped,

self­catering timber lodges, sleeping four to five people, are

suitable for family outings, friendly get­togethers and romantic

interludes Prices range from R850 a night off­peak to R1 700 in

peak season for one to four people, R170 an extra person

Conservation fees Day access R50 an adult, R30 a child Over­

night R40 an adult, R20 a child, Wild Card members free.

Bookings CapeNature 021­483­0190, www.capenature.co.za

Goukamma Nature Reserve and MPA is

20 km from Knysna

Conserve Explore Experience.

1 Kelly and Drew enjoy a forest walk mere minutes from the Cape Town city centre 2 The view from Signal Hill back towards

the Platteklip Wash Houses 3 Taking pictures of the burbling mountain stream that runs past the historic buildings 4 A board­

walk leads from the Wash Houses some distance up the mountain Hikers who continue along the path will come out near the cableway station on Tafelberg Road.

It remains a magical and refreshing thing, that feeling of being

a tourist in the city where you grew up We indulged in a family escape

our kids will never forget By Calvin Fisher

The well-shaded terrace has a braai and picnic tables.

Being a Capetonian means

constantly living in the literal shadow of Table Mountain As adults, my fiancée and I get our kicks out of this on the odd occasion by

wheeling out our trusty mountain bikes

or donning our running shoes and head­

ing for the inclines As for the rest of my

clan, the three boisterous lads who live

where I choose to live, the mountain con­

stantly evades them, even more so since

we moved to the northern suburbs Still it

fills their bedroom windows despite being

some great distance away On this par­

ticular weekend we remedied this

Enter the Platteklip Wash Houses

Tucked into the slopes of Table Mountain,

the buildings were utilised in the 19th

century by Cape Town’s washer women

The complex has been restored to full

health, looking every bit as at home here

as the trees surrounding it It holds 24

people at its full capacity but on this warm

Saturday afternoon in Cape Town, it had

to contend with just us few

A family of five bristling with excite­

ment, having made the journey in a

comfy SUV brimming with snacks, braai­

vleis and a tall muscadel for the adults It

would get cold at night, we were cautioned

Being a self­catering unit bedding was

included, so we thankfully didn’t need

to unfurl massive blankets from our car,

just the aforementioned items, cereal and

board games for the long night ahead

Once settled into our two double­storey

units, we were ready to explore One of

the most striking features of the interior is

the stone wall of the kitchen and the clever

use of light We especially loved the Afro­

centric light fixture in the kitchen

We didn’t get too far before discovering the terrace outside our rooms, complete with picnic tables, a braai place and a pair

of wooden hammocks Each of us quickly took up our positions with myself on fire duty, Kelly setting up snacks and drinks, Zeke, my eldest, putting out the board games while the littlest of us, Jamie and Drew, put the hammocks through a stress test with rampant frolicking Ninety min­

utes or so later we were huddled around

a game of dominoes at the picnic table, heated on the outside by the embers of our dying coals, and from the inside by braaivleis and hot chocolate Our sur­

roundings comprised curious squirrels and the sounds of nature, including a babbling brook only metres from us We’d

go exploring in the morning on a short nature walk up to Deer Park after a de­

served night indoors The chill had come and we were ready to turn in for the night

Picnic on Signal Hill

After a good night’s rest, the cereal bowls were washed and packed away, our car was fully loaded once more and our legs duly stretched thanks to an enchanting amble through the woods It was decided that before returning to normality, we would end our weekend on a high note

Specifically Signal Hill, where, armed with

a picnic basket charged with brunch we could survey not only the N1 highway that would take us home, but from this unique vantage point the entirety of the city, and indeed the wash houses where

we had come from in the distance It re­

mains a magical and refreshing thing, that feeling of being a tourist in the city where you grew up Whether you’re eight years old or 40 /

Accommodation Units in the Platteklip Wash Houses

sleep four From R994 a night for one or two people, R485 an extra adult, R243 an extra child

Hiking A trail leads from the Wash Houses to Tafelberg Road,

where you can either take the cablecar to the top of Table Moun­

tain or get there on your own steam up Platteklip Gorge

Contact SANParks Central Reservations 012­428­9111

www.sanparks.org

Table Mountain National Park adjoins the city of Cape Town.

The dramatic

land-scape of Augrabies

Falls National Park

is laid bare in front

of Oranjekom Gorge

Cottage.

www.wildcard.co.za AUTUMN 2019 WILD 21

Our most popular parks deserve all the love they get but these five fascinating sites, all undersung, are well worth the trip.

Augrabies Falls National Park | Golden Gate Highlands National Park Camdeboo National Park | Mapungubwe National Park | Mokala National Park

ZERO TO

HERO

RUDOLPH DE GIRARDIER

ready for life on a grand scale

Here, huge slabs of granite have been carved by mighty forces and an

eternity of time Their imposing presence

ushers in the Orange River that rushes

through the rocky passage, brawling

and protesting at the narrowness of the

channel, before it plummets into the river

below with a loud sigh of relief, to

con-tinue on its way

Agamas scurry over rocks and dassies

sunbathe, blissfully unaware of, or

ignor-ing, the drama unfolding around them

Strolling along the boardwalks to gain

better views of this dramatic water

cel-ebration is a must, especially when the

water is high and exuberantly sprays

into the air sharing its joy with visitors

It seems to be shouting to the world: “It’s

good to be alive!” And it’s infectious

With a friendly contingent of wildlife,

this arid Kalahari park is the perfect

terrain for a jog, cycle or walk Or you

can join a guided night drive to spot

aardwolf, bat-eared foxes, African wild

cat and, if lucky, the elusive leopard

At the end of the day or in the early morning, take a short walk past the campsite on the three-kilometre Gorge Trail to an arrowhead of rock that juts out over the gorge like the back of a pre-historic reptile, providing breathtaking scenery The river flows far below as it meanders through the rocky cliff faces

Swallows circle and delicate grasses blow peacefully in the breeze

The more energetic can walk the kilometre Dassie Nature Trail or sign up for the 36-kilometre Klipspringer Trail, three days of exploring the arid surround-ings and absorbing the energy of this otherworldly part of the world

five-A leisurely drive through the Kalahari landscape leads past Moon Rock, shed-ding its granite skin like a large onion, and to Ararat, Oranjekom and Echo Corner to salute the river from further downstream Overnighting at Oranjekom Gorge Cottage, you have the prime view all to yourself, your private home on the rocky edge

www.wildcard.co.za AUTUMN 2019 WILD 23

Trip planner

Getting there Augrabies Falls National Park is 120 km from Upington.

Accommodation Chalets from R1 050 a night for one or two people, family

cottages from R1 968 for four Camping R263 a night for the first two people, R89 an extra adult, R45 an extra child, maximum six.

Conservation fees R53 an adult, R27 a child, Wild Card members free.

Bookings SANParks Central Reservations 012-428-9111, www.sanparks.org

Listed as vulnerable, this subspecies of mountain zebra thrives in arid conditions and precipitous terrain In the 20 years from 1996, the Augrabies population increased from just eight individuals to 208

Keep your eyes open for agile

klip-springer perfectly balanced on rockfaces,

Hartmann’s mountain zebra in the

west-ern section of the park and the celebrated

iridescent blue-and-orange Augrabies flat

lizard Platysaurus broadleyi, and

rumi-nate on the epic geological journey of the

1300-million-year-old rock Augrabies

is an arid playground for all those with a

propensity for wonder – Ron Swilling

| PRIZE SIGHTING |

Hartmann’s mountain zebra

A leisurely drive through

the Kalahari landscape

leads past Moon Rock,

shedding its granite skin

like a large onion.

The sculpted roof of Cathedral Cave glows golden in the Free State sunshine.

Surely the most elegant

of all South Africa’s parks.

Getting there Golden Gate Highlands National Park is 3,5 hours’ drive from

Johannesburg, Durban and Bloemfontein.

Accommodation Rondavels from R984 a night for one or two people Hotel

rooms from R1 377 a night Camping from R248 a night for the first two ple, R89 an extra adult, R45 a child, maximum six.

peo-Conservation fees R53 an adult, R27 a child, Wild Card members free.

Bookings SANParks Central Reservations 012-428-9111, www.sanparks.org

R712 that unwinds between Clarens and Harrismith, noses pointed to a family event in Pieter-

maritzburg It was day two on the road

and we were bone tired, yet this wasn’t

the reason for slowing to a crawl A slab

of mighty mountain stretched skywards

above us, gleaming golden as skin in

honeyed pre-storm light Its sides were

smooth and rippled, like scoops of

ice-cream, tops dipped in dolomite It was,

quite simply, too beautiful to pass by

without due reverence

The road had entered the entrance to Golden Gate Highlands National Park a

couple of kilometres back, but this was

our first sight of the remarkable sandstone

buttresses that inspired the park’s name It

was high summer, and the cliffs and folds

were skirted in glorious grasses,

undulat-ing like belly dancers in the wind

The mountains steal the show but it’s actually the only grassland national

park in the country and protects some

60 species, including the tasty red grass

so overgrazed elsewhere Those in the

know can identify gum grass (a sticky

variant once made into an ointment and

smeared on bull’s testicles to promote

fertility), spiky spear grass (the enemy of

any hiker clad in shorts) and, higher up,

broom grass (good for weaving hats)

There are various antelope in the park but no dangerous game to interrupt pro-gress on its many pretty trails These range from hour-long rambles to the tough 28-kilometre Ribbok Trail Drives include the 4,2-kilometre Oribi Loop, which takes you past a vulture feeding spot With a lot

of luck, the whoosh of air through giant wingspans will herald the arrival of a seri-ously endangered Cape or bearded vulture

Be warned, it doesn’t happen on demand

The soaring beauty of the area is tremely accessible Those who like their views of the Brandwag Buttress to come without raising a sweat need only open the curtains at the hotel There is also a range of rondavels, camping and cottages

ex-in more secluded areas Visitors can mune with the landscape on gentle horse-back rides, book a medicinal plant trail with a traditional healer or take a guided walk to mysterious Cathedral Cave, hid-den beyond a pool of icy water

com-It’s a travesty to zoom through this, surely the most elegant of all South Af-rica’s parks That first time, we looked

at each other and veered off to explore another sweeping vista In the distance,

a line of hefty eland, dewlaps flapping, broke into a trot We’d have to be late

Getting there Camdeboo National Park surrounds the town of Graaff-Reinet.

Accommodation Safari tents from R702 a night for two people Camping

from R253 a night for the first two people, R89 an extra adult, R45 a child.

Conservation fees R43 an adult, R22 a child, Wild Card members free.

Bookings SANParks Central Reservations 012-428-9111, www.sanparks.org

entirely surrounded by a national park is Graaff-Reinet It comes complete with venerable gabled buildings,

a wedding cake of a church, a legendary

grapevine, water furrows, museums,

de-lightful little shops and restaurants

The defining view in the park is up at

the Valley of Desolation, a high cupped

hollow atop a jagged mountain, rimmed

with towering pillars of jointed ironstone

that glow in the late afternoon To the

left, the bulky head and shoulders of

Spandaukop, and in the far background

stretch the Camdeboo Plains

Visitors chatter as they arrive but often

fall into meditative silence, sitting on the

flat rocks along the viewpoint edges

Kes-trels, southern boubous and red-winged

starlings fly among the columns of this

natural rock cathedral Every now and

then, a dassie or a red-tailed Smith’s rock

rabbit may reveal itself

“To me, the true magic of Graaff-Reinet

is that you can drive out for five minutes

in any direction and be within the park,

seeing wildlife,” said Buks Marais,

cur-rent chairman of Granaat, also known as

Friends of the Camdeboo National Park

“Just out of town you might spot a herd of

20 eland Go to Nqweba Dam at the end

of the day to witness 600 or more animals coming down to drink It’s such a lovely place There is peace and tranquillity here.”

The park lends itself to day excursions simply because access is so easy, but there

is also a campsite and a small tented camp There are three hiking trails of varying sizes, mountain-bike routes and 4x4 trails At 19 500 hectares, peri-urban Camdeboo is compact, but the diversity

of ecosystems sets it apart It encompasses high dolerite hills, mountain scrubland, grasslands, succulent thickets There are

220 recorded bird species, 336 plant cies and 43 mammal species

spe-On a night drive, the semi-desert environment lends itself to sightings of insectivorous nocturnal beasts such as bat-eared foxes, and even aardwolves and aardvarks By day, you’re likely to see kudu, springbok, klipspringer, Cape mountain zebra, blesbok and black wilde-beest There is also a herd of buffalo that inhabit the apron veld near the dam, pre-ferring to stay in thickly vegetated areas

One of the most striking spectacles is that

of antelope and zebra walking down the mountains at sundown, long-legged in the silky dust, seeming to float above the purple flowering mesembs or coral aloes

– Julienne du Toit

Culture at

the core

Camdeboo National Park,

EASTERN CAPE Black wildebeest or white-tailed gnuPRIZE SIGHTING

Visitors chatter as they arrive but often fall into meditative silence, sitting on the flat rocks along the viewpoint edges.

# How wild is that!

www.wildcard.co.za

The park’s

view-points offer vistas

over vast plains

and craggy rock

pillars.

site of Mapungubwe Hill, our guide asks us not to stray off the footpath The land, where a kingdom

flourished from AD900 to AD1290, is still

largely unexcavated, and who knows how

many more clues are yet to be uncovered

The artefacts unearthed since this ‘lost’

kingdom was rediscovered in 1933 prove

that its people were skilled in mining,

melting and crafting gold They were a

trading nation, too, with finds of glass

beads and pottery originating from China,

India and Arabia confirming they had

established links with the Far East

The hill has long since returned to its

natural state, the 5 000 or so huts which

once filled the plains have vanished and

the wind blows across flat-topped

Mapu-ngubwe Hill with no royals in residence

to feel its cooling breeze I try to imagine

how the site must have looked in its

hey-day, and it’s good to hear the park ers hope to add some 3D exhibits to help visualise the scene

manag-Mapungubwe sits on the border where South Africa meets Zimbabwe and Bo-tswana, and where the Limpopo and Shashe rivers meet Wooden platforms on top of an escarpment at the confluence give you great views over the floodplain

Guided tours to the hilltop are held three times a day and it’s a relatively easy climb thanks to sturdy wooden steps firmly attached to the rock face From the top

I survey the plains below, studded with majestic baobabs

There are no records to show why the empire crumbled and little physical evi-dence to my untrained eye But archaeol-ogists uncovered 22 graves on the hilltop, including three that held people buried

in a sitting position wearing gold lery and surrounded by clay pots filled

jewel-www.wildcard.co.za AUTUMN 2019 WILD 29

Trip planner

Getting there Mapungubwe National Park borders Botswana and Zimbabwe,

some six hours’ drive from Gauteng.

Accommodation Cottages R1 418 a night for one or two people Forest tents

R1 327 a night for two people Camping R333 a night for the first two people, R89 an extra adult, R45 a child, maximum six.

Conservation fees R55 an adult, R28 a child, Wild Card members free

Bookings SANParks Central Reservations 012-428-9111, www.sanparks.org

with beads The finds are now displayed

in a multi-domed Interpretation Centre,

thoughtfully built of bricks, stones and

sticks to blend into the scenery A video

explains the history of the site and I look

into the cabinets and marvel at the sheer

volume of tiny, delicate beads found in

the graves

Mapungubwe’s most famous treasure is

the Golden Rhino, a delicate work of

beat-en gold pinned to a woodbeat-en frame by tiny golden nails The original is still housed

in the museum at Pretoria University, with a replica on show at Mapungubwe

All the finds were taken to Pretoria when excavations began in 1933, but many were returned in 2011 when the Interpretation

Centre was created – Lesley Stones

PRIZE SIGHTING

17 bat species Wahlberg’s epauletted fruit bat

Once you leave the thorn veld and rocky outcrops behind en route to Lilydale Rest Camp, the landscape changes completely.

BIG SKY CENTRAL

Getting there Mokala National Park is about 80 km from Kimberley.

Accommodation Bungalows from R898 a night for one or two people

Private campsites R459 a night for the first two people, R152 an extra adult, R76 an extra child, maximum six Haak-en-Steek bungalow R1 453 for four.

Conservation fees R45 an adult, R23 a child, Wild Card members free.

Bookings SANParks Central Reservations 012-428-9111, www.sanparks.org

of koppieveld and camelthorn trees situated less than an hour from Kimberley ‘Mokala’ is the Setswana

word for camelthorn and it is a place of

nat-ural splendour, where wildlife encounters

with a range of endangered game species

are virtually guaranteed

My favourite Mokala memory has to be

spending a night at the hide-away

Haak-and-Steek campsite, set next to a waterhole

in a remote section of the park, utterly

removed from it all I had the whole family

with me: Beth, Robs and Grace, ranging

from four to 14 years at the time, and of

course my wife, Karyn, because one needs a

voice of reason when you’re in the bush

This is especially true when you’re in

dangerous game country with a nearly

teenage son on a mission to explore his

sur-roundings The camping area at

Haak-and-Steek is fortunately quite open with loads

of opportunities to engage an inquisitive

mind, especially if you have a magnifying

glass and some binoculars

We booked a guided walk with Henry

van Wyk, Mokala’s resident birding guru,

and this really helped entertain the kids

For a couple of hours, we strolled among

the ancient camelthorns, some of them up

to 400 years old, in search of his personal

favourites, those pesky LBJs

“I am especially fond of them,” Henry

told us as we meandered amid contorted trees while he pointed out some of the typical endemic savanna species War-blers, cisticolas, honey guides and fly-catchers may have impressed us adults, but the wow moment for the kids was without a doubt spotting a crimson-breasted shrike

There are loads of other Mokala ries, too In many ways, it is a ‘park of two parts’ as once you leave the thorn veld and rocky outcrops behind en route to Lilydale Rest Camp, set on the tranquil Riet River, the landscape changes completely You cruise through grassland plains until you approach the craggy valley carved by the water course, with mirror-smooth pools glinting amid whispering reed beds

memo-The Riet is a fresh-water angler’s delight, with deep pools, swirling eddies and rush-ing rapids where small- and large-mouth yellows lie in wait for prey Lilydale rates

as a dream destination for fly-fishers keen

to hook one of these fighting fish before releasing them back into the water Birding along the banks is superb as well, with wag-tails, warblers, reed cormorants and black-headed heron patrolling the banks

Our chalet overlooked the river and the sunset on Mokala’s plains Overhead, a lone hamerkop sickle-winged its way down to-wards the pools, now glistening liquid gold

in the last rays – Jacques Marais /

A quest to photograph all the

chameleon species in South Africa uncovered a conservation conundrum.

By Morgan Trimble

ACTUAL SIZE: 35 cm

AUTUMN 2019 WILD 33

FIND THEM HERE

Kruger National Park and Imfolozi Park Flap-necked chameleon

Hluhluwe-(Chamaeleo dilepis) Search the rest

camps at night or keep your eyes peeled on a night drive

Chameleons have eyes that

work independently to give a near-360-degree view, a bal-listic tongue clocking speeds

of 20 km/h, sets of fused fingers and toes

for a tight grip, a prehensile tail, and

spe-cialised skin cells that create dynamic

co-lourations Yet many of these charmingly

elusive creatures evade attention from

nature lovers

“It’s hard not to love the little things,”

said lifelong reptile enthusiast Tyrone

Ping, who started photographing reptiles

in the field in his mid-20s and soon

no-ticed there weren’t a lot of photographs of

chameleons He’d trawl the internet and

find the common ones but a lot of species

were extremely poorly represented

When he discovered just a single online

photo of the endangered Elandsberg dwarf

chameleon, he set a challenge for himself,

to find and photograph all of South Africa’s

chameleons to share online

Remember-ing his boyhood fascination with reptiles,

Tyrone said, “I thought it would be so cool

for younger people to actually see

photo-graphs of our chameleon species.”

Tyrone’s challenge was no small feat

South Africa is home to 19 species of

cha-meleons including 17 dwarf chacha-meleons

(genus Bradypodion) and two typical

chameleons (genus Chamaeleo) Many

species occupy extremely limited ranges in

tiny pockets of habitat Besides that,

cha-meleons employ crafty techniques to stay

hidden They have a legendary knack for

camouflage and their slow, jerking

move-ments help them disappear amid

wind-ruffled foliage

“No ‘normal’ person had seen them all,”

said Tyrone, who works in digital

market-ing “Even professional herpetologists

sometimes hadn’t seen the more rare ones.”

The hardest part was figuring out where

to search for each species and working out

the logistics “As a student, I had time but

no money When I started working, I had money but no time,” joked Tyrone After five years of scouring literature, collecting expert tips, crowdsourcing sightings from social media and criss-crossing the country to search for species, Tyrone finally succeeded His last quarry was a hard-earned picture of the Qudeni dwarf chameleon from the Nkandla Forest

in KwaZulu-Natal

But Tyrone might need to revisit his chameleon quest soon There are several new species on the horizon according to Krystal Tolley, chameleon expert at the South African National Biodiversity In-stitute: “We have about four that we will describe in the next year, and we are still gathering data on two or three others.” Herpetologists have known about them for some time but it takes years of research

in genetics and morphology to understand which truly represent new species and to describe them scientifically

While the two ‘typical’ chameleon cies in South Africa, the flap-necked and Namaqua, also occur beyond our borders, the 17 ‘dwarf’ chameleons and the handful

spe-of yet-to-be-described species are ics With a rich concentration of endemic chameleons comes a serious conserva-tion responsibility The IUCN’s Red List designates 10 of the 17 described dwarf chameleons as endangered, vulnerable or near threatened

endem-The biggest challenge? Habitat loss endem-The tiny distributional ranges of many species, especially those that don’t overlap with conservation areas, put them at risk Krys-tal explained: “About half of South Africa’s chameleons are considered well protected

by our protected area network, with much

of the protection under provincial serves About one-quarter are considered poorly protected and most of these are in

FIND THEM HERE

Monks Cowl Nature Reserve and Golden Gate National Park

Drakensberg Dwarf Chameleon (B dracomontanum) Search the long grass growing next to the roads

Kamberg Nature Reserve

Emerald Dwarf Chameleon (not yet formally described)

Look in the reedbeds along rivers and dams.

Garden Route National Park

Knysna Dwarf Chameleon (B damaranum)

They’re easier to find in the summer months

In winter, they hide in leaf litter

to escape the cold.

chameleon (B gutturale)

Look in dry, scrubby trees.

West Coast National Park

Western dwarf chameleon

(B occidentale) Search the

restio vegetation at viewpoints.

Table Mountain National Park Cape dwarf chameleon (B pumilum) Comb

the bush, especially restios, on the lower slopes where it’s less windy.

Swartberg Nature Reserve

Swartberg dwarf chameleon

(B atromontanum) Look in

fine-leaved bushes in the montane fynbos, particularly among restios and daisies.

Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve Bradypodion sp

(not yet formally described) At night, search small

branches of forest trees overhanging the paths.

AUTUMN 2019 WILD 37

CONSERVATION

the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.”

Illegal collection from the wild for the

pet trade poses another threat “Don’t buy

a chameleon,” pleaded Tyrone “And if you

find a chameleon crossing a road, the worst

thing you can do is take it home thinking it

can live nicely among the rose bushes.” It’s

unlikely to survive but if it does, you risk

contaminating the gene pool or creating an

alien population

“Chameleons are delicate animals If

you handle them in an incorrect way, you can break their ribs quite easily They also get very stressed,” said Tyrone If you must help a chameleon safely cross a road, Tyrone advised letting it crawl onto your open palm and depositing it gently in the nearest bush

Tyrone’s next challenge is completing a book about his chameleon quest “It actual-

ly feels more difficult than finding the meleons in the first place!” he confessed /

Search at night with a strong torch when

chameleons are asleep The colouration

of their relaxed bodies reflects pale white

in the torchlight They stand out once you

know what to look for

Search branch tips Chameleons often

crawl right to the end of a branch If a

predator, such as a snake, approaches, the

shaking branch cues the chameleon to

drop to the ground to escape

Consult the Chameleons of Southern

Africa guidebook to get a feel for their

favoured habitat “Think about their

little feet and what size branches they’ll

be on They’ll be in a nice tree with lots

of fine little branches,” suggests reptile

enthusiast Tyrone Ping.

It’s much more difficult to find chameleons during the day Sometimes they use a path

to move between bushes, so keep an eye

on the trail when hiking.

It’s easier to find chameleons in the summer In the cold, they venture into the thicker sections of the bush.

To snap the perfect chameleon photo,

“never touch or mess around with them”, advises Tyrone A stressed chameleon will lose its natural colouration, turn dark, hiss and even try to bite “When I find a sleeping chameleon, I gently blow on the animal They wake up, open their eyes, I snap the picture and leave.”

TIPS FOR A CHAMELEON HUNT

Reptile and amphibian enthusiast You’ll hear this term

on internet forums and among reptile hobbyists.