Category:

Best 10 things to do in Addo Elephant National Park

11/9/2024

Elephants drinking, Addo Elephant National Park

By Roxanne Reid
Addo Elephant National Park, about 70km from Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, is a feast of wildlife, including the Big Seven: elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard and rhino in the main game area, plus sharks and whales in the Marine Protected Area. And don’t forget history and hiking. There’s so much to do in this amazingly diverse park that it’s hard to choose. Here’s my pick of the best 10 things to do at Addo.

10 Comments

15 things to do in Graaff-Reinet in the Karoo

10/4/2024

10 Comments

By Roxanne Reid
If you love history and old buildings, you’ll love Graaff-Reinet in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. The town has more than 220 listed heritage sites, so there’s lots of history to be explored. If you love nature, you’re in luck too, given that the town is surrounded by 195 square kilometres of national park. Here’s my pick of things to do in Graaff-Reinet in the Karoo.

10 Comments

White Lion Lodge at Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, Little Karoo

18/10/2023

8 Comments

White Lion Lodge, Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, Little Karoo

By Roxanne Reid
We timed our visit to White Lion Lodge at Sanbona Wildlife Reserve perfectly. Although some years this Karoo reserve in South Africa has little rain, by the end of September this year it had had lots, spawning a fiesta of colourful flowers among the green bushes. Small wonder, then, that one of our nature drives from the lodge focused on plants and flowers, while the second showed us some of the reserve’s big game.

8 Comments

Brilliant birding in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

13/9/2023

2 Comments

Birding in the Okavango Delta, Botswana: little bee-eaters

By Roxanne Reid
‘There!’ His voice is a loud whisper intense with excitement. We follow his pointed finger, peering intently through the tree branches. Nothing. He starts to explain and we trace the trunk of the tree, the branch jutting out ... and then suddenly there’s a flash of brown wings and it’s gone again. We’re birding in the Okavango Delta, Botswana, and this is something special.

2 Comments

Guide to the Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area, Eastern Cape

12/7/2023

8 Comments

Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area, Eastern Cape

By Roxanne Reid
I’ve heard it described as a fusion of the Sani and Bloukrans passes, with a smidge of Tsitsikamma beauty thrown in for good measure. I’m talking about the Baviaanskloof Wilderness Area, which is tucked away in the southwestern corner of South Africa’s Eastern Cape, somewhere between the Karoo midlands and the Gamtoos Valley.

8 Comments

The raw power of lions: on safari in the Linyanti, Botswana

24/5/2023

8 Comments

By Roxanne Reid
On our first afternoon game drive from DumaTau Camp in the Linyanti, Botswana, we saw wild dogs and a leopard. We were beyond chuffed. We teased our guide that he’d never equal or better that on our next drive. But nature had other ideas, showing us the raw power of lions.

8 Comments

Fast Cats on Red Sands: a must-read for Kalahari lovers

19/4/2023

4 Comments

By Roxanne Reid
If you love wildlife and the Kalahari in general and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in particular, you’ll really love reading the recently published book Fast Cats on Red Sands: The lives of Kalahari Cheetahs and their researchers by Gus and Margie Mills. Read on to find out why.

4 Comments

Tankwa Karoo National Park: everything you need to know

25/1/2023

20 Comments

Tankwa Karoo National Park: Elandsberg wilderness camp

By Roxanne Reid
There’s a matchless sense of place here in the Tankwa Karoo. If wide open spaces, big skies and silence appeal to you, you’ll love the Tankwa Karoo National Park. Although the peace and serenity you can find at the cottages and campsites may lull you into lethargy, there’s plenty to do and see. Here’s everything you need to know, from things to do and accommodation to roads and tips for making the most of your experience.

20 Comments

15 things to do in Clarens in the Free State

11/1/2023

49 Comments

Things to do in Clarens in the Free State - bookshop

By Roxanne Reid
The eastern part of South Africa’s Free State province, lying along the Maluti mountains, is a place for all seasons. Enjoy afternoon thundershowers in summer and see it transformed into a snowy wonderland in winter. In autumn, trees and grasses form a mosaic of red and copper. Here’s my pick of 15 things to do in Clarens.

49 Comments

Marakele National Park: everything you need to know

9/11/2022

20 Comments

Marakele National Park: Tlopi Tented Camp

By Roxanne Reid
Huddling among rocky peaks and valleys in the heart of Limpopo’s Waterberg mountains, Marakele is a place of wild beauty and a refuge for large game species. It’s also home to one of the world’s largest breeding colonies of Cape vultures, some 300 other bird species and more than 700 plant species. Here’s everything you need to know about Marakele National Park.

20 Comments