Table of contents for January 2015 in go!

After the Amarula In November last year, I spent a night in the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in Swaziland. Early the following morning I took this photo of a group of warthogs that had spent the night around the fire – obviously seeking the warmth provided by the huge, smouldering logs. The campfire was right next to the restaurant, where our group enjoyed a great breakfast. When I showed the pic to my dad, a big fan of the Asterix comics, he said, “Well done, Obelix. Don’t eat them all at once!” MICHAEL DENIS, Cape Town WINNING LETTER Michael wins a pair of Wolverine Black Ledge hiking shoes worth more than R1 000! The Black Ledge has a full-grain leather upper with a moisture-managing mesh lining and compression-moulded EVA inner- and…

The rate includes What to bring Tour details When and how long? From 20 – 31 July 2015; 12 days, 11 nights Departure point? Plumtree Border Post, Zimbabwe End point? Victoria Falls Accommodation? Mostly in lodges, plus two nights on a houseboat on Lake Kariba. Do I need a 4x4? Preferably, although a 4x2 with good ground clearance and a diff lock will suffice. How much does it cost? R23 950 per adult; single supplement additional 30 %. What to expect DAY 1: We meet at Plumtree Border Post between Botswana and Zimbabwe. From here it is an hour to our lodge where we’ll spend the next two nights. DAY 2: We are joined by a specialist…

Matopos magic Megan Loftie-Eaton Canon EOS 7D Canon 18 – 135 mm lens MEGAN WRITES: The Matobo National Park near Bulawayo in Zimbabwe is one of my favourite places in the world. The view from Rhodes’s grave on this warm, rainy day was something else. My shutter speed was 1/500 second, aperture f7.1 and ISO 500. TOAST SAYS: This shot is very pleasing to the eye. At an epic viewpoint like this, you tend to aim your lens at the horizon to fit the whole view in the frame. But often the most beautiful part of the landscape is at your feet. Megan noticed the yellow and orange lichen on the rocks, which makes the landscape look like Namaqualand in flower season. She zoomed out to the widest limit of…

Clanwilliam is one of the oldest towns in South Africa, with a history going back more than 200 years. The settlement was first known as Jan Disselvlei, after an 18th-century botanist who lived in the Boskloof Valley nearby. It became Clanwilliam in 1814, when Sir John Cradock, then governor of the Cape Colony, renamed the town in honour of his father-in-law the Earl of Clanwilliam. Today the town is home to several unofficial national treasures, including the Rooibos Tea Control Board and the Strassbergers velskoen factory. The Clanwilliam Dam on the Olifants River has its roots in the early 19th century, when farming in the district began in earnest. A survey of the area was conducted to ascertain the possibility of an irrigation scheme. The idea was revisited in 1907,…

Earlier this year I walked along the Wild Coast with my friend Henrico Muller. We started in Port Edward and hiked 160km to Hole-in-the-Wall over the course of 18 days. We took it slow, as we weren’t in a hurry. We carried all our supplies in our backpacks, including a tent and enough food for a week. On the fourth night we camped at Sikombe Mouth. Henrico caught a fish for dinner and we cooked it over a fire. I could see that it was going to be a pearl of an evening. There wasn’t a cloud above and the moon set early, leaving the sky ablaze with stars. To get this photo, I woke Henrico up at 3:30am when the brightest part of the Milky Way was low on…

Supertubes, Jeffreys Bay Jeffreys Bay, or J-Bay, is said to have some of the best waves on the planet. And Supertubes is where you’ll find the best of the best. Surfing competitions are held here annually and surfers and spectators travel from all over the world to say: “I was there.” But you needn’t be a surfer to enjoy Supertubes. Drive to the parking lot at the end of Pepper Street. Sit on one of the benches with a flask of coffee and watch those waves roll in. If you’re early, you might see pods of dolphins riding the waves with the surfers. After your coffee, stroll along the beach and pick up some shells so you can still listen to the “sea” once you’re back home. Now you’re ready…

Daylight astronomy People often wonder whether it’s possible to see the stars by day. It is, but you need to know where to look. After the Sun and the Moon, Venus is the brightest object in the sky. It’s currently the evening star, but it’s bright enough to see with the naked eye in broad daylight. On the morning of 22 January, Venus will be about 7 degrees from the sickle moon – if you stretch out your arm, that’s a bit more than three fingers. Use the graphic above to orientate yourself: Note the position of the sun and the direction the sickle moon is facing. If you’ve got a pair of binoculars lying around, grab them. It will be much easier to find Venus. Just be very careful…

1 NOVEMBER – 31 JANUARY The Benediction of Shade II, Gauteng Did you know that there are around 6 million trees in Joburg? This exhibition, featuring artists like Willem Boshoff and William Kentridge, celebrates Egoli’s urban forest. Where? David Krut Projects, Parkwood More info: 011 447 0627; ame@davidkrut.com 2– 3 JANUARY Forgotten Route Train Tour to Matjiesfontein, Western Cape This two-day tour starts in Cape Town and retraces the steps of 1800s diamond miners, first to Rawsonville and then to Matjiesfontein. Day two involves a stop at an Anglo-Boer War fort in Montagu before a scenic drive back to the Mother City. Rates: R1 475 per person plus R250 single supplement (includes everything except lunch and drinks). More info: 021 462 8011; info@traintokaroo.co.za 24, 31 JANUARY…

A horse stands in front of the sheriff’s office, nibbling on a tuft of grass. The door is open but there’s nobody inside – just a chair, a dusty table and a saddle in the corner. There’s a wooden crate on the porch with TNT painted on the side in big red letters, and a corral opposite guarded by the skull of a longhorn steer. Beyond the corral, a hangman’s noose sways in the breeze. Yes, it’s quiet in the town of Lion Mountain Creek. In the distance I can see five gravestones under a bluegum tree, where Billy the Kid, Belle Star, Fester More and two unknown men have been laid to rest. A poster on the wall of the jail catches my eye: “Wanted dead or alive. Murder,…

READER STORY GAVIN RAUBENHEIMER Occupation: Professional mountain guide Home town: Hilton A notice scrawled on the wall in the pub at the top of Sani Pass reads, “Lesotho is not for sissies”. The scrawler was probably referring to the icy winters, rutted roads, sparsely populated valleys and the high price of beer. But the same could be said about mountain biking in this small, wild kingdom. Since the time of the great southern continent of Gondwanaland, a thick crust of basalt that covers much of Lesotho has been eroding. One small patch, not much bigger than a netball court, has eroded a little slower and stands slightly higher than anywhere else in the area. In 1951, a group of mountaineers led by legendary Natal climber Des Watkins trudged to the…

1 Take fewer photos Less is more this year. With a digital camera in your hand, it’s easy to shoot a hundred photos in a minute. You get lazy, thinking there’s sure to be one decent shot among all the clutter. This year, take fewer photos and put more thought into the ones you do take. Photography is about capturing what you see. Nobody else can translate your vision in exactly the same way. Think before you press the shutter. Do you have the right settings? Is this the critical moment to take the photo? Just asking yourself these questions will keep your hard drive free of pictures you’ll never look at again. If you put in the effort from the start, you don’t have to spend hours in front…

Ask any dachshund: Ground clearance is important if you want to get where you’re going without losing all your chest hair. The Subaru XV – with a ground clearance of 22 cm – rarely has this problem. This, coupled with Subaru’s nimble all-wheel drive and its reputation for reliability, makes the XV a vehicle to consider. Subaru has built its reputation on two types of cars. For the Vin Diesel speed freaks there’s the WRX STI, and on the other end of the spectrum there are popular but conservative family models like the Forester and the Outback. The XV lands somewhere in the middle. It’s a stocky hatchback with tough-guy mags, but it’s still an SUV, designed to cruise the open road in comfort and safety. Impressions on the open…

Suikerbossie Guest Farm, Citrusdal On this farm in the southern foothills of the Cederberg, you’ll have everything you need for an epic weekend of camping and hiking: green lawns, shade and clean ablution facilities. Each of the 11 camping stands has its own reed lapa and braai drum. One even has a kitchen, although there’s no electricity. Sit back and watch the mountains turn orange, pink and purple as the sun sets. Things to do: Suikerbossie is a fruit farm, but only 30 of the 1 400 hectares have orchards. The rest is yours to explore. Drive a 4x4 trail, hike, ride your mountain bike, stand under a waterfall, look at rock art… Or just relax on the stoep at the farmstead and enjoy home-made roosterkoek and vetkoek. You can…

After four months and thousands of entries, we’ve got a winner! Peter Hartwell from Sandton won this bielie of a bakkie in our popular Toyota Hilux competition when he subscribed digitally to go! Peter picked up his new 3.0 D-4D Raider DC 4x4 worth R470 000 at Rivionia Toyota, where Gugu Mthombeni from Toyota South Africa and Craig Nicholson, Media24 national sales director, presented him with the keys. “I love my bakkie. What a wonderful prize! Thanks so much,” Peter said. Now he and his family can visit all the beautiful spots they read about in go! every month. It’s easy to subscribe – to print or digital. Simply visit go-southernafrica.com/subscribe…

It’s kloofing season! Daredevils, charge your GoPros – the Suicide Gorge Trail in the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve is open again until April for the summer season. After an 8,4 km downhill hike, the trail drops off into a series of adrenaline-spiking cliff jumps into water, the highest being 14 m. There’s swimming involved, so come prepared with a dry pack and a change of clothes in the car. The 17 km hike takes a good nine hours to complete, so get going early. For safety reasons, no children under 12 are allowed and a permit (R275 per person; R40 conservation fee) is required. If you’re less adventurous, try the Riviersonderend Trail (about 14 km there and back), which as fewer waterfalls. Contact: 021 483 0190; reservation.alert@capenature.co.za The barn swallows…

Vespetti Restaurant, Port Nolloth If you’re looking for a bite to eat on your way north to the /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, this restaurant in Port Nolloth is a good bet, especially if you’ve already had your fill of seafood during your travels up the West Coast. The menu features Italian staples like pizza and pasta, plus meat dishes like steak and chops. Prices range from R60 – R120 for a main course. A bit like Port Nolloth itself, the food is basic but tasty, and the portions are generous. The restaurant doesn’t have a liquor licence so dig out your own bottle from the ammo box and clink a toast as the sun sets over the Atlantic Ocean across the street. Where? Kusweg, Port Nolloth. You can’t miss it. Contact:…

I boast about lions. And elephants. And buffalo, rhinos and leopards. Given the opportunity, I even boast about giraffe and kudu. Let me explain. For four months I taught English in the Himalayan region of India, with fellow volunteers from the UK and New Zealand. I was the only South African. I alone dictated what my fellow foreigners, and the locals, learnt about my lovely homeland. It turned out that all of us visitors felt similarly. In a flurry of national pride, our orientation week took on the tone of a local bazaar, except that instead of curios, we hawked our countries: the excitement of a snow-capped Harrods at Christmas or the magic of Rotorua at New Year. And when those with alluring neighbours couldn’t limit themselves to home (“Well…

South Africa’s roads are filled with beautiful cars, but the new Mitsubishi Pajero still catches the eye. Few people know their cars like car guards do – it’s their job, after all. As I pull into the parking area at the Aardklop Festival in Potchefstroom, the car guard immediately sidles up to ask: “Is this the new model?” He whistles as he studies the Pajero. The Pajero has many fans who love its dependable nature. It’s a tough vehicle designed for African conditions, that doesn’t compromise on style or comfort. It’s a vehicle for the whole family, for the drive to work, for a camping weekend – for everything. Great on tar For two days I steer the Pajero through the straight, tree-lined streets of Potchefstroom. The driving position is…

Last month we showcased some of the best images from previous instalments of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition; this month it’s time for the 2014 winners to take centre stage. The 50th instalment of the competition delivered the goods yet again, with jaw-dropping images from a frozen forest in Poland to the boiling edge of a volcano in Hawaii and everywhere in between. If you’re in Cape Town, make sure to take a turn past the Iziko South African Museum ( iziko.org.za) – the exhibition opened on 5 December 2014. Or visit the website ( nhm.ac.uk/wpy) for a glorious gallery featuring all the winners and finalists. Feast your eyes on our five favourites from the 2014 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Sossusvlei sandstorm Dana Allan, USA Photographic…

1 Summerstrand Boardwalk, Port Elizabeth At any given moment in Port Elizabeth, there will be people on the beach: swimming in the sea, relaxing on the sand or strolling on one of several footpaths. Triathlon athletes decked out in the latest gear dodge old tannies walking their dogs. Life in the windy city revolves around the beach. This boardwalk starts about 500 m from the Something Good Roadhouse. Park here and walk towards Hobie Beach. Things will quieten down as you leave Hobie behind. You’ll see waves roll into a large rock pool, lonely lifeguard stations (cue Baywatch flashbacks), an observation tower that looks like a small lighthouse, and razor-sharp reefs at low tide. Usually surfers come here early in the hopes of catching a few waves before work. After…

A bright blue dune buggy roars past with two boys inside. Fishing rods stick out like the antennae of a cricket and there’s an old bait box on the back. One boy waves in greeting: “Howzit!” It’s great, actually. Because I’m in Stilbaai and the weather is warm and I feel like I’m six years old again, with a Surf Joy ice cream in my hand and a playful Staffie at my feet in the shallows of the Goukou River. I remember my family holidays in Stilbaai vividly – we stayed right here, in the rondavels on the riverbank. Stilbaai looked a bit different then. The development on the western bank was only in its early stages and we had to drive to Riversdale for groceries. Now there’s a small…