The wind whips at my moustache and tries to wind it around my ears as I soar high above the Langkloof. It feels like I can reach out and touch the beams of golden sunlight pouring over the peaks of the Outeniqua Mountains and onto the quilted wheat fields in the valley below. Morné Jonker nudges the nose of his microlight sideways and points to something, but the engine drowns out his voice.
I’m lost in thought anyway. From up here, I can see that Fiela Komoetie was right: No three-year-old could cross the mountains north of Knysna and make it into the Langkloof on his own. If only the magistrate could have gone up with Morné, he would have agreed, but then Dalene Matthee’s book Fiela’s Child would have been much shorter and we would have missed out on a wonderful story.
I’m visiting Morné’s guest farm Louvain, about 64km west of Uniondale, with John van den Berg – owner of Bhejane Adventures. We’re on a scouting trip to work out a new tour that follows in the footsteps of the characters in Dalene Matthee’s forest novels. If you enjoy South African literature, you’ve probably read Fiela’s Child, Circles in a Forest and The Mulberry Forest. I read them in high school and to this day, I can’t help thinking of Knysna as the place where Saul Barnard crossed paths with Oupoot the elephant, where Benjamin Komoetie was sent to live with a different family, and where Silas Miggel met the silkworm farmers.
This story is from the June/July 2021 edition of go! - South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June/July 2021 edition of go! - South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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