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Here’s a worthy project – the MAPA Project. It intends mapping more than a thousand of Africa’s protected areas on Google Earth in the interests of biodiversity conservation. The first Google Earth layer has just appeared and can be downloaded from the Google Earth Outreach Showcase. MAPA is driven by March Turnbull, an environmental journalist, [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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…

Eastern Kruger Park: 13 to 16 July 2003
The Sweni is one of the most sought-after wilderness trails in Kruger, primarily because of the likelihood of running into the Sweni lions. According to James, the trails ranger, Sweni has the highest concentration of lion per sq km in Africa (i.e. the world). So when I got [...]

Eastern Kruger Park: 3 to 6 July 2002
Metsi-Metsi trails camp – it apparently means “water water” in Sotho – is located 6 km from the Mozambique border in rhyolite bushveld on the eastern aspect of N’wamuriwa mountain.

Southern Kruger Park: 25 to 28 March 2001
Once again Marion and I were privileged to participate in a wilderness trail (FAQ), this time the Napi Trail midway between Pretoriuskop and Skukuza. Napi was the newest of Kruger’s seven wilderness trails and its location at the confluence of the Napi and Mbiyamiti rivers was surely one [...]

Many people from all over the globe email me about what to expect on a “wilderness trail” in the context of Kruger National Park (note that in this context I am not referring to a wilderness hike in a wilderness area such as Cederberg). So here’s a collection of responses to these questions. I am [...]

Southern Kruger Park: 1 to 4 March 2000
The “wilderness trail” is a concept unique to Africa in that it has evolved to imply a walk in the company of a game ranger or conservation officer, usually armed, through big game country. Aspects of [...]

Northern Kruger Park: July 1999
The Nyalaland was our first Kruger wilderness trail (FAQ). It’s one of the less popular trails in Kruger, but it has a special place in our hearts. Some low-res photos follow…