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A Google Earth map of the Rim of Africa Conservation Mega Trail, Stage One, 120km from Pakhuis Pass in the northern Cederberg to the Koue Bokkeveld mountains follows:

Continue reading Rim of Africa Google Earth track

Here are the photos from the Rim of Africa Conservation Mega Trail. It was an epic.

Continue reading Rim of Africa photos

Tomorrow I leave on what I expect will be one great adventure - the Rim of Africa Conservation Mega Trail. This will be Stage 1 from the Northern Cederberg to the mountains somewhere around Ceres - 11 days of wilderness walking. As the blurb says - “a walk of no ordinary proportion”.

The vision of the Rim of Africa is to create a mega-distance trail on a par with the best the world has to offer. Mega-distance trails in Europe and the USA play an important role in giving access to time in wilderness while stimulating a walking culture.

The Rim of Africa stretches from the greater Cederberg wilderness area on the Cape’s West Coast to the Outeniqua Mountains in the Garden Route, traversing more than 650km of mountain paths. The route takes in the Cederberg, Skurweberg, Hexrivier, Keeromberg, Langeberg and the Outeniqua representing a flagship hiking product of international significance, attracting hikers from around the world. There is potential to link the Rim of Africa to the Outeniqua Trail and on to the Eden to Addo Hike for Biodiversity creating an extended trail of 1200km ending at Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape.

I’m looking forward to getting “lost” in the wilderness, communing with Nature.

A few weeks ago, after the fires that charred the mountains in the Jonkershoek valley,

Caracal. Source: Wikipedia

I was cycling to work through the Jan Marais Nature Reserve which is located near the centre of town. As I rounded a corner I was stunned to see a beautiful big caracal standing in the path. He calmly trotted around a bend, watched me for a moment, and then disappeared into the fynbos.

Obviously, there was a lack of prey in the mountains and the resourceful cat had quietly slunk through the urban area to feed on the guinea fowl, squirrels, hares and buck that live in the reserve.

Now, I have been on a lot of wildlife safaris, but I have never seen a caracal in the wild. And here I see one in my backyard, in town… Nearly fell off my bike.

I have kept the sighting quiet because I know how people can react. Caracals have been terribly persecuted by farmers over the centuries. I did, however, notify Cape Nature, the local nature conservation agency. I haven’t seen it since, but I am happy to know that it is somewhere out there.

Five k’s from my home in Stellenbosch is the rugged Jonkershoek Nature Reserve. The area boasts the highest rainfall in the Western Cape, and two major rivers rise at the valley head: the Berg and the Eerste rivers. Continue reading Jonkershoek hiking

Mumbo Island is one of the great places in Africa. Imagine a tropical island surrounded by warm, clear water and freshwater, tropical fish. Continue reading Kayaking on Lake Malawi at Mumbo Island

The IPCC’s technical paper on Climate Change and Water (pdf), published in June, features some dire numbers for South Africa’s premier national park, the Kruger National Park. Should the global mean temperature exceed 1990 levels by 2.5 to 3 ^oC, then 66% of its animal species may be lost. Similary, the Cape’s fynbos biome, a biodiversity hotspot, large tracts of which were recently declared a World Heritage Site, is projected to shrink by up to 61%. It is almost beyond my ability to imagine destruction of biodiversity on such a scale in places that I know well and are part of who I am.

Continue reading Kruger Park and climate change

April 2008
An essential element of our Eastern Cape road-trip in April was to spend time in the Baviaanskloof again. The kloof was probably the most memorable section of the 400+km Eden to Addo mega-hike that I had done in 2006. We tackled it from east to west this time, only to discover that jeep tracks that were easy to walk were quite another matter for my high-clearance, 4×2 bakkie (don’t try it in a car!). The mega-reserve section up Combrink Pass across the Pisgoedvlakte plateau down to Rooihoek is only about 45km, but it took 2.5 hours. Granted, that included numerous stops to take in the breathtaking views. Continue reading A Baviaanskloof Journey

The Cape of Good Hope Trail starts at the main gate to the Cape Point section of the Table Mountain National Park, and ends there 33.5km and two days later. Continue reading Cape of Good Hope Trail

On most weekends, Deon and I paddle and sail this coast, spending countless enjoyable hours.

Continue reading Sea kayaking in the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve

Kraal Bay is one of my favourite places on the planet. Since first windsurfing there in about 1984, I have been back time and again to enjoy its beauty, stay on the houseboat, kayak and windsurf. Continue reading Windsurfing at Kraal Bay

Walking on a wilderness trail is the only way to feel the pulse of the African “bush”. That is what I believe anyway. I have experienced my fair share of the African safari concept: vehicle-based photographic safaris, game drives and stays in high-end and exotic game lodges, and even canoe safaris down the wild Lower Zambezi. But none of this compares to following a game trail on foot: listening for a warning call, watching the reactions of the tracker, sniffing the breeze, or simply existing in your immediate sphere. Nothing compares - except perhaps for the canoe safari. Continue reading The thing about African wilderness trails

Limpopo National Park, Mozambique: September 2007

Circles in the Bush

(With apologies to Dalene Matthee…)

Machampane Wilderness Camp shares the western bank of the Machampane River with tall fever trees at a pool called Xisivene - which apparently means “deep pool”.

The wilderness trail experience that runs out of the camp is similarly structured to the iconic trails that operate in the Kruger National Park across the border. Machampane’s accommodation is a tad more luxurious though - large walk-in tents on stilts with en suite bathrooms. Continue reading Machampane Wilderness Trail

A 153km walking safari following the courses of the Tsavo and Galana rivers through Tsavo National Park, Kenya: June 2007 Continue reading Impressions of The Great Walk in Tsavo

With Clarissa, a fellow mega-hiker, and Patrick I once more headed for Helderberg’s Dome. This autumn Saturday was hot and windless. On previous occasions over the years I have not climbed all the way to the top of The Dome and I was determined do it this time. But then perhaps I was younger and fitter because although it was only about 12.5 km x 1160m it felt a lot tougher than I remembered… Continue reading Helderberg hike

Plettenberg Bay: 17 & 19 December 2006: The Robberg peninsula is a nature reserve and marine protected area at the southern extremity of Plettenberg Bay,

Continue reading Sea kayaking and hiking around Robberg

After the Eden to Addo Mega-Hike, the participants were asked to reflect on the concept of “corridors”, as Eden to Addo is a conservation corridor initiative. Here is my effort… Continue reading Reflections on corridors

400kms, 17 days, 6 mountain ranges, many rivers, numerous veld types: 11 - 27 August 2006

The first time I saw the phrase “Eden to Addo” it spoke to me. Then when I saw it juxtaposed with “mega-hike” the synapses fired in my brain. The concept was so evocative I had to go. Continue reading Eden to Addo Mega-Hike 2006

28-29 April 2006: Deon and I decided to paddle on the Gamkaspoort Dam near Prince Albert. Great fun - but we later found out you actually require permission from the waterfiskaal to do this… Continue reading Kayaking in the Karoo

December 2005: Marion and I drove in at Pafuri, stayed at Pafuri Camp and then drove all the way from north to south to exit at Malelane, enjoying Rhino Walking Safaris - one of our favourite safari products - along the way… Continue reading A Kruger safari