June/July 2024

go

Your journey starts here...

go2 min read
Regrets, I've Had A Few
DON'T MISS OUR NEXT ISSUE! The August/September magazine will be on sale at your retailer from 26 July 2024. I can't sing “My Way” like Frank Sinatra did, but I also don't have many regrets. Too few to mention. Actually, I'll mention one: I should ha
go2 min read
Behind The Scenes
While attending a press junket for the opening of a new exhibition at De Hoop Nature Reserve (p 129), freelance writer Biénne Huisman jumped onto a lead and ended up having a chat with Glenda Kemp… Growing up around CapeTown, did De Hoop feature in y
go1 min read
Go!
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF (WEG & GO): PIERRE STEYN [email protected] DEPUTY EDITOR: ESMA MARNEWICK TRAVEL EDITOR: TOAST COETZER FOOD EDITOR: JOHANÉ NEILSON COPY EDITORS: MARIJCKE DODDS, MARTINETTE LOUW CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: JON MINSTER JOURNALISTS: SOPHIA VAN
go6 min read
Letters
Where have you been? What have you seen? Write to [email protected] WINNING LETTER Rhino celebration post When I was in the Kruger Park recently, I watched these four white rhinos basking in the early morning sun. What a privilege. They looked so be
go2 min read
Q& A
Every month our experts answer your questions about birds, bugs and beasts. Send your photos and queries to [email protected] DENISCHKA UYS from Durbanville writes: I found this spider in our garden. It sat in the same place for a few days and there
go1 min read
Check This
On paper, Goegap is one of the smaller nature reserves in South Africa, but it doesn't feel that way. When you're hiking through these unique landscapes outside Springbok, where Namaqualand and Bushmanland come together, you'll feel very far away fro
go5 min read
A Day On The Road
I tap a quick double-hoot to my friends, who swiftly disappear behind their large, black gate. I reverse out of their yard and swing the nose of my Subaru down the street. Auckland Park is still dark. I follow the directions on my phone, which leads
go6 min read
Books And Music
by Rupert Watson, Struik Nature R300 in bookstores “Baobab trees are living monuments, the oldest natural things in Africa, outlasting every plant and animal around them. These trees have evolved formidable resilience in order to survive in some of t
go1 min read
More Land For Conservation
Namaqua, Karoo, Agulhas and Mokala national parks all just got bigger. Thanks to efforts by the National Parks Trust of South Africa (NPTSA) and WWF South Africa, 202km² of new land has been acquired by SANParks for conservation. Namaqua has expanded
go1 min read
A New War Memorial For Capetown
Cape Town's Company's Garden will soon have an important new memorial. Construction work on the Cape Town Labour Corps Memorial (CTLCM) is officially underway. The memorial will honour, by name, more than 1700 Black South African servicemen who died
go1 min read
Snow Patrol
Sutherland is on a high plateau in the Northern Cape and routinely records the coldest temperatures in South Africa. Pack your warmest clothes (and socks!) and make a weekend of it. If the snow stays away and the skies are clear, at least you'll have
go1 min read
Night Watch
ANTARES 17 July 2024 An“occultation”is when one celestial body passes in front of another. The most obvious example is a solar eclipse seen from earth, when the moon passes in front of the sun. The moon passes in front of other stars too, though not
go1 min read
Five Minutes With Sinethemba Mekuto
What does your job involve? I manage a nursery where we grow trees that the Cape parrot needs to thrive in its environment. We propagate and tend to young saplings – lemonwoods, Cape chestnuts and white stinkwoods, to name a few – until they're ready
go2 min read
LEOPARD LOUNGE The Silent Horror Of Snares
In the last few issues, we've explored several fascinating topics about leopards: why they're important, how they communicate, what they eat and how we study them, to name a few. Unfortunately, the list wouldn't be complete unless we also looked at t
go11 min read
The Island At The End Of The Earth
Some people believe in love at first sight, but when it comes to St Helena Island, that's not always the case. This volcanic outcrop in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean is barely 16km long and 8km wide. “It is not an attractive place, I should have d
go11 min read
Long Live The Hibiscus Coast
It's February on the KZN South Coast and I'm here to see what the area between Port Shepstone and Port Edward has to offer. There's very little traffic and few people on the beach – I find parking without any trouble. I'm grateful it's the quiet seas
go10 min read
Burchell And The Country Of The Bushmen
Karoopoort to Leeufontein: 390 km Burchell: 58 days Willem: 4 days It's February 2024 and I'm standing on the same patch of Karoo where William Burchell stood in September 1811. I look around and see what he saw. A rock amphitheatre closes around me
go6 min read
Take Your Pic
[email protected] Canon EOS R7 Sigma 150–600mm lens DENISE WRITES: This southern double-collared sunbird is a regular visitor to our garden in Worcester, but it's just too fast for me to photograph. I've taken more than a hundred photos and it'
go2 min read
New Gear
What do we have here? Canon is systematically expanding its EOS R series (mirrorless cameras). There's now a good range of models at various price points. Their latest release, the EOS R8, falls somewhere in the middle because it offers some of the b
go3 min read
Walk The Line
South African Photographer of the Year is a relatively new competition, started in 2021 by wildlife photographer William Steel with an aim to celebrate the diverse landscapes, wildlife and cultures that define South Africa and the broader African con
go7 min read
A Perfect Pot
Serves 4 Preparation time 50 minutes Cooking time 1 hour • 1 tablespoon each oil and butter • 200g bacon, sliced into pieces • 4 each chicken drumsticks and thighs • 2 tablespoons cake flour • salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste • 8 shallots or
go4 min read
Heat In, Cold Out
A puffer jacket is a fantastic invention. It's light and warm and it packs away small in your backpack. But what if you get caught far away from shelter in a heavy downpour? If those down feathers get wet, you're in a world of trouble… Most puffers a
go2 min read
Rolling Out The Big Guns
There was a time when you could add a caveat when discussing a new Chinese car: “Not bad but remember where it's built. ”That time has gone, and that caveat deserves to disappear too, much the same way “Jap scrap” or “Korean junk” did decades ago. If
go3 min read
Take A Hike
Marloth Nature Reserve is behind Swellendam, up against the so-called “Clock Peaks” of the Langeberg that tower over the town. The four summits range in altitude from 1100m to 1450m. Legend has it, transport riders hauling yellowwood from George to C
go2 min read
Stay Here
There's a white-pink gravel road that turns north off the N1 opposite the historical village of Matjiesfontein. Less than a kilometre from the tarmac, it feels like you've left the world behind. Ahead of you are the plains of the Great Karoo and a sk
go4 min read
Time Out In Dullies
It's a bright Saturday morning in late summer. From my table at Baker Boys Coffee Café, I look out over the village green. There's a group of people running around it. I can tell they're not your average weekend warriors – these are lean, fit people.
go6 min read
8 Things To Do
Established in 1997, the Dullstroom Bird of Prey and Rehabilitation Centre aims to create awareness about the plight of birds of prey, and also dispel myths that lead to fears and mistreatment. Birds that can be rehabilitated are released back into t
go2 min read
With My Own Eyes
One morning, just after 6am, our big group was split between two game viewers and we set off on a drive with guides and trackers. About an hour into the drive, our guide received notification over the radio that a pride of nine lions had just taken d
go1 min read
Win!
Send your series of photos and a short description of the sighting to [email protected] could win a Thule Subterra PowerShuttle bag! The Thule Subterra PowerShuttle bag is perfect for people who travel with a lot of tech. It's a sturdy carrier ma
go3 min read
Kick Plastic Into Touch!
Look around. Within seconds you'll be able to identify hundreds of things made of plastic. It's everywhere! Plastic can be shaped in many different ways and that's why it's used to make everything from toothbrushes and lunchboxes to medical equipment
go1 min read
The 7 Icons
These plastic products can only be used once. When recycled, PET can be turned into polyester to make carpets, pillows and duvets. Milk bottles, ice-cream containers, buckets and toys are made from this plastic. Once recycled, it's used for garden fu
go2 min read
Birds
What did you panic-buy in that last week before the Covid lockdown in 2020? Wine? Chocolate? Toilet paper? Not me. I bought mealworms. Lots and lots of wiggly little beetle larvae. Seeing that I couldn't go birding, I would bring the birds to me! Ove
go10 min read
Gallivanting In The Galápagos!
Hanlie rises through the sapphire water with a huge green turtle by her side. They break the surface together and gulp for air, looking straight into each other's eyes… But hang on, let's backtrack a bit. As we made our way north through Ecuador in o
go1 min read
Crossword Puzzle
SOLUTION ON PAGE 104 VILLIERS STEYN; RONEL STEYN; MARCHELLE VAN ZYL ■
go3 min read
LETTER FROM De Hoop
A bird of prey hangs suspended over the vlei and the sing-song of cicadas permeates the heat. My cellphone is clammy, pressed against my ear. On the other end, Glenda Kemp laughs joyfully. Butterflies flit in my stomach – I mean, Glenda Kemp, the apa

go

More Issues From go