Table of contents for June 2017 in go!

Well done, Johan! I recently spent some time in southern Namibia with my family. On our way to Tsauchab River Camp near Sesriem, we came across a gemsbok entangled in a fence. I love animals – as do my sisters Magdaleen (15) and Corlia (12) – and we couldn’t merely abandon the antelope to its fate. I grabbed a pair of pliers from the back of the bakkie and approached slowly. I cut the wires that had ensnared the front legs of the antelope and after about three minutes it was free. But it didn’t bolt. It stood there for a while, just looking at me. I like to think it was the gemsbok’s way of saying thank you. My mother Cornelia took the photos. JOHAN JANSEN (18), Melkbosstrand WRITE…

See a mini moon The orbit of the moon around the earth is quite a complex affair. It’s elliptical, with the earth slightly off-centre. The gravitational pull of the sun also affects the movement of the moon. This year, the moon will be closest to earth on 26 May (357 209 km) and furthest on 19 December (406 604 km) – a difference of about 50 000 km. These points both correlate with the new moon (25 May and 18 December respectively) – a period during which the moon is invisible to us on earth. Coincidentally, the time when the moon is second closest and second furthest to earth coincides with full moon. This year’s super moon will occur on 3 December, 16 hours before the moon reaches its second…

Knysna wasn’t always a holiday town. Far from it. People arrived from all over in search of riches, and frontier life was tough. Woodcutters spent months in the forest chopping down yellowwood trees, gold miners scraped South Africa’s first goldfield clean, only to realise that their fortunes lay north of the Vaal River, and hunters killed elephants for ivory with reckless abandon. A sawmill was built on Thesen Island and cargo ships braved the dangerous passage between The Heads. A railway line was laid between the forest and the town, and later extended across the lagoon and on to George. These days it’s a different story. The miners have long since Rondebos departed and even the woodcutters have shut up shop now that the forests have been declared protected areas.…

By now we know people in the platteland like making plans, making things and learning new skills. Because in the platteland you may have fresh air and sunshine and great people, but not all the conveniences of the city. It’s no surprise that the workshops in 2015 and 2016 were so popular. This year we’re doing it again. And it’s two old acquaintances who’ll be showing you the ropes once more. In Hartbeespoort and Paarl, Annelien Pienaar (below left) will be teaching readers how to make mozzarella and feta, as well as labneh, a yoghurt cheese, while at the same time launching her first cookbook, Boerekos met ’n Twist. And in Bloemfontein, Marcelle Botha (below right) takes her bread-making course of last year up a few notches: This time she’ll…

Bring yourself and your friends for a camping weekend of whale watching and unwinding. You’ll stay in a luxury tent and we’ll take care of everything. You can look forward to great-tasting breakfasts and dinners, exclusive excursions in and around Hermanus, as well as all the fun and activities that form part of the popular Whale Festival itself. WHEN? 28 September – 1 October 2017 (Minimum stay three nights: 28, 29 and 30 September.) HOW MUCH? R1 250 per adult per night sharing; R1 650 per adult per night single supplement (minimum two nights). Kids under 10 pay half-price. Check-in time is at 2 pm, checkout is at 10 am. WHAT DOES THE RATE INCLUDE? · Accommodation in a luxury tent (with an en suite outdoor shower and a chemical flush…

Every time I hear a tune by the American country musician Don Gibson, I’m transported back to 1962 and my first holiday in the Kruger Park. I was in matric that year and I’d met my first love in the park, a farm girl from the town of Koppies in the Free State. My family lived in Bloemfontein at the time. On our way home from the park, we stayed with my aunt Issie Pretorius in Vanderbijlpark. She had a few Gibson records and the song “I can’t stop loving you” spoke deeply to my teenage heart! My family, my father’s two brothers and all my cousins had spent the July school holidays at Skukuza. My father’s eldest brother, Hennie du Toit, was a prankster and he’d brought a rubber…

This leaf is alive! Q KARIEN HOUGHTON from Kimberley writes: My husband Ashley thought this insect was a leaf and picked it up to throw away. He got a fright when the “leaf” moved in his hand! What is it? A Entomologist DUNCAN MACFADYEN says: This is a leaf-footed bug. It has a wide distribution, with a preference for grassland and bushveld biomes, and it’s more common than you think. The bug’s fantastic camouflage skills mean that it’s often overlooked. It literally disappears if it moves into a pile of leaves. Dressed for the ball Q DAWIE VAN HEERDEN from Centurion writes: I saw this colourful moth outside my house – do you know what it is? A Entomologist DUNCAN MACFADYEN says: This is a leaden pearl – a beautiful…

What was your favourite TV show as a child? I was born in Pretoria and grew up in Joburg and Port Elizabeth. As a child I loved Die Swart Kat and classic 1980s’animations like BraveStarr, He-Man and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. How did you end up in TV? I studied photography at NMMU and got involved with video work as a student to earn beer money. I ended up preferring moving images and made film the subject of my master’s degree. What did you enjoy most about Weg Agterpaaie? The first and second series are so different, with different nuances. The Namibian landscapes in the first series were very moving, and I enjoyed the people of the Karoo in the second series. The Karoo is its people, and that’s what…

Go to a star party! The Bloemfontein branch of the Astronomical Society of Southern Africa (ASSA) is hosting their annual stargazing weekend. Bring your own gear – telescope, binoculars, camera – and make the most of the clear conditions in the cold, dry Free State. Don’t forget the sherry! Amateur astronomers are welcome. When? 23 – 25 June Where? On the farm Gansvlei, about 10 km south of Brandfort Cost: Registration R100 per person. Dorm accommodation R100 per person (bring your own bedding); camping R80 per person. A kitchen with all the necessary cooking gear and cutlery will be available. Info & bookings: assabfn@ gmail.com  (Shaun Staats) Kruger birdwatching with an expert Punda Maria in the far north of the Kruger is one of the best…

Visa? South Africans don’t need one to visit Tanzania. What does it cost? Park fee US$70,80 per adult per day (R971); US$23,60 (R324) per child aged 5 – 16. Vehicle fee US$47,20 (R647) per day. Camping at a public campsite costs US$35,40 per person (R485,50). Facilities are basic and you must be self-sufficient with regard to food and drinking water. All the above prices include VAT, which you can’t claim back when you exit the country. (Some officials will tell you that you can, but this isn’t true.) How do I pay? You can pay using your credit card at the entrance gate. We made no prior reservations. What are the roads like? You can drive along tar roads all the way from South Africa to Ngorongoro, the conservation area…

With the Easter holidays behind us, there’s a good chance your auxiliary battery needs some maintenance. Permanent damage might even be happening to your battery as you read this! But don’t fret, there’s still time to save your battery and prolong its life. Here’s what you need to do… A lot can be said about battery life and how it relates to recharge rates. In the interests of simplicity, here’s the gist of it: A deeply discharged battery must be given enough time to recuperate. There’s a popular misconception that a battery can rapidly recharge in a short space of time. This is simply not true for most batteries. Unfortunately, very few battery manufacturers and fitment shops convey this message, and overland travellers are paying the price. Using a popular…

LANDMETERSKOP, NEAR STANFORD Landmeterskop is the kind of place that makes you question the merits of suburbia. Owners Theuns and Val Steenkamp originally hail from KZN and they purchased the land in 2011 so Theuns could live his dream of farming full-time and Val could pursue tourism interests. It’s a match made in heaven. Val’s self-catering accommodation is spotless and thoughtfully appointed, and Theuns’s farm runs like a well-oiled New Holland tractor. Children are welcome and given extra-special treatment. Every morning and evening, they can feed lambs, piglets, ducks and alpacas, and they can collect eggs for breakfast. There are tractor rides on offer and literally acres of space to run around and ride bikes. The swimming dam is so clear you can see the bottom four metres down and…

The Sunshine Coast doesn’t just refer to the weather, it’s also a good description of the warmth of the people who call this part of South Africa home. During my time in Port Alfred, visiting restaurants and bars, scuba-diving shops and game reserves, people seemed genuinely interested to meet me and hear what I had to say. Something that sadly isn’t the case in so many other towns and cities… Port Alfred is an Eastern Cape Frontier town and a treasure trove of history. Under every façade, behind every beer, you’ll find a story. The town was founded in 1821 when the first ship sailed into the mouth of the Kowie River, although the potential port qualities of the estuary had already been identified some 300 years previously, when Bartolomeu…

Don’t be fooled by all the greenery – this isn’t a rugby field or a golf course, it’s the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park! Most visitors to the park prefer the autumn or spring months. Winter in the Kalahari can be freezing – literally – and in summer, temperatures regularly rise above 40° C. That said, summer is definitely the most scenic time. It’s the rainy season, after all, and the rain brings life. The iconic red dunes are blanketed in green and wildflowers dot the grassy plains. It’s also the season of spectacular thunderstorms. Late one afternoon in February, clouds gathered above this herd of springbok grazing in the Auob riverbed near Mata-Mata. PICTURE DOLF ELS…

Thanks for the memories My husband Johan and I have previously done a photography tour with go! and Mpafa in Botswana; this time we visited Lesotho. It was a wonderful experience and the pro photographer on tour, Willem van der Berg, was a star. He was friendly to a fault and helped our group from early in the morning until long after sunset. Best of all, he was always pleasant and treated the older crowd with patience and respect, ensuring a lovely, relaxed atmosphere. ALMA HOON, Bela-Bela Want to improve your photography and have an amazing holiday? Visit mpafa.com  for more details. Die Hel stole my heart We recently camped in Gamkaskloof in the Swartberg. While there, we hiked the 6,3 km Grootkloof Trail, which made me fall…

The Berbers are the original inhabitants of North Africa and they’ve travelled the dunelands of the Sahara for centuries using camels. Photographer Eric Nathan was documenting Berber culture in Morocco and found himself on top of one such camel near the village of Merzouga, close to the border with Algeria in the east of the country. The village is near Erg Chebbi, a 50 km long and 5 km wide sea of dunes, some of which rise to hundreds of metres. “A camel is a novel form of transport that takes a little getting used to,” says Eric. “Especially the mounting and dismounting part! But it sure beats traipsing through the soft, baking hot sand on foot.”…

All predators, including owls, are at the top of the food chain and require a healthy habitat: sufficient plants to support a herbivore population, which in turn provides food for the predators. Should something go wrong anywhere in this chain, the predators at the top are usually the ones to disappear. We’re always inundated with bad news about the environment, but humans can have a positive impact, too. Suburban gardens with planted trees and shrubs create an almost tropical forest habitat, while concrete buildings provide great shelter and nesting sites for numerous bird species. Spotted eagle-owls are one of the most common suburban birds of prey, found right across South Africa from the dry western parts to the damp eastern parts. In the wilderness, they breed on cliff ledges or…

My good friend JP, a psychologist from Grahamstown, called me one night. “A colleague and I have decided to do the Alexandria Trail again. We’ll be a group of five. Do you want to join us? But…” Before he could finish his sentence, I agreed. The two-day, 36km Alexandria Hiking Trail in the Woody Cape section of Addo Elephant National Park is a favourite of mine. I’ve done it before and I’m always keen to do it again. However, JP was insistent that I understand what I was getting myself into. “But…” he began again. “It will be a silent hike.” That’s right. The plan was to hike for two days without saying a word. Not to ourselves or anyone else. In fact, all communication would be off-limits, even eye…

FRANCOIS DU PLESSIS @francois.duplessis Nikon D7000 Nikon 300 mm lens FRANCOIS WRITES: I photographed these Retz’s helmet-shrikes at Drotsky’s Cabins on the banks of the Okavango River near Shakawe in Botswana. These birds are conspicuous when they’re in the area. They’re usually seen in groups of about five during the breeding season in summer; during winter they form bigger groups. They like to sit in high branches and flit from one perch to the next, which makes them hard to photograph. In this instance, one helmet-shrike flew down to the dead branch in the picture, which was against a nice green background. As luck would have it, three others followed. Any photographer’s dream! My advice to wildlife photographers starting out is to persevere. Animals and birds are curious creatures and…

1 Find adventure If you enjoy paddling, boating and horse riding, your first port of call will be Outdoor Focus. Here’s what they offer: Hire a kayak. You can explore the marina on your own or create your own guided trail according to your skill level. There are 21 km and 11 km trails where you can paddle up to Mansfield Game Reserve and stay the night. Prices range from R30 for a junior per hour, to R350 for a double kayak for six hours. Ride a horse on the beach. Beginners and experienced riders are welcome. The standard ride is along the beach from near the mouth of the Bushman’s River to Kwaai Hoek, but there’s also a seven-day trail along more beaches and through coastal farmland and game…

Graze by the River Owner and chef Nick Howard believes in delicious meals made using ethically sourced ingredients. All of his fruit and veg are organic and either grown by him or on another local farm. His meat is also from local free-range suppliers. He even roasts his own coffee! The restaurant is on the banks of the Kowie River and it has a nice garden area at the back. The bistro-style menu is expansive, with options like steak-and-Guinness pie, and fresh mussels prepared in a French style. We can recommend the linefish of the day (about R130). Where? 38 Van der Riet Street Contact: 046 624 8095; search for “Graze by the River” on Facebook Lily Restaurant at MyPond Hotel This boutique hotel is on the banks of the…