Sunlight oozes onto the blunt spikes of the knob-thorn trunk above me. Nearby, red-billed wood-hoopoes wriggle their long bills into the nooks and crannies of a jackal-berry tree in search of snacks. A crested barbet looks on silently, its ruffled feathers giving it the appearance of having had a rough night out. On the ground in the leaf litter, a handful of arrow-marked babblers are scratching around.
With coffee in hand, I walk a few steps away from my tent so that I can feel the sun against my face. It’s early winter and one of the most pleasant times of the year to be in Botswana. The nights are cool enough to justify actually sleeping inside your sleeping bag, but the days are warm – shorts and T-shirt weather.
I’ve visited the Okavango Panhandle many times before and I’ve always loved its understated, laid-back pace. It is a very long way to travel from South Africa, but the Panhandle clicks easily into a wider itinerary that can include Maun, Chobe and the Zambezi Region in neighbouring Namibia.
This time, I’ve spent almost a week here, meeting everyone from strawberry farmers to a Bible translator. Let me introduce you…
From D’Kar, with love
On a good map you might spot a place called D’Kar – somewhere in the Kalahari between Ghanzi and Sehithwa. Leaving behind a beautiful farm in the Bronkhorstspruit district, D’Kar is where Dirk and Pollie Jerling ended up in 1967.
I’m chatting to their daughter, Willemien le Roux, at Askiesbos, a small lodge and camp south of Shakawe.
“My father saw an advertisement in our church newspaper for the position of a farm manager at a missionary farm in Botswana,” Willemien says.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April/May 2023 من go! - South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April/May 2023 من go! - South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
The wilder shore
The final leg of a 30-day trek across East Africa sees lan Tyrer and the Africa - Wild & Untamed crew explore both shores of Lake Malawi. Get ready for an overloaded ferry, a croc attack and being surrounded by elephants...
A river runs through it
Sabie is onthe Drakensberg escaromentialongMpumalanga’s famous Panorama Route. Want a weekend away surrounded by forests and waterfalls? Here's wnat you need to know.
TAKE A HIKE
Harkerville's mini Otter
Sweet & juicy!
This issue's recipes all include lush seasonal fruit like nectarines, plums and apricots. Enjoy!
Big mountain magic
On a clear day, as you approach the Cathedral Peak Hotel, it happens involuntarily: You start to grin. You'll be standing up there soon, gazing over this valley, and the scuttling of ground-level life will seem irrelevant. Join us on a five-day adventure into the heart of the high Drakensberg
Your next weekend away
A self-catering house in the Tankwa, a campsite next to the Orange River, a guest farm near the Drakensberg... Toast Coetzer travelled a lot last year: Here are six of his favourite places to stay if you're planning a road trip or weekend escape.
A life through binoculars
If the name Hugh Chittenden sounds familiar, it's probably because you see it every time you use your Roberts Bird Guide he's one of the co-authors. He lives in Mtunzini on the KZN coast and birding is as much part of his day as a cup of coffee.
Wanderlust in the park
All great cities have great parks, writes Dara Kell: spaces where you can exhale and slough off the stress and grime of urban life.
The Kalahari remembers
The Kalahari is a place of magic and heartache, where drought is an ever-present threat. Drive a loop from Upington to the Kuruman River and discover soulful landscapes, brilliant skies and resilient people who never give up.
Take a Hike
Hug a baobab in the Bushveld