Roxanne Reid's Blog, page 13

Voices of Botswana: the jovial host

By Roxanne Reid
When you arrive on the main deck of DumaTau Camp in Botswana’s Linyanti, you’ll be blown away by the fresh, neutral-toned spaces and the sweeping views over a lagoon. The next thing you’ll notice is a skinny man peering at you from behind thick glasses, a broad grin on his face. He’s the front of house supervisor affectionately known as Mr B. His full name is Bodule Motlhanka and he comes from Central Botswana. He began his journey with Wilderness Safaris in 2007 at Mombo C...

!Khwa ttu: learn about the San near Yzerfontein

By Roxanne Reid
The San have inhabited Africa for thousands of years but modern ‘civilisation’ hasn’t treated them kindly. Now there’s a Fair Trade Tourism project that trains them in tourism and restores their cultural heritage. Visit !Khwa ttu to learn about the San near Yzerfonteinand have some fun on the West Coast, just an hour’s drive from Cape Town. Photo exhibition in the gallery
A Namibian San family sits outside their grass hut, dad in a Vote Swapo T-shirt, squatting in a way that...

8 Paternoster restaurants worth visiting

By Roxanne Reid
You’ve spent the day exploring the Cape Columbine Nature Reserve and lighthouse, walking on the beach at Paternoster on the West Coast and kayaking in the sea. Now your stomach is growling. Luckily, there’s no way you’re going to go hungry in Paternoster, with its 14 restaurants offering everything from pizzas and burgers to seafood and fine dining. Here are 8 Paternoster restaurants worth visiting. Remember that most Paternoster restaurants are closed one or two days a wee...

12 things to do in and around Riebeek Kasteel

By Roxanne Reid
The history of Riebeek Kasteel in the Swartland goes back a long, long way, as stone-age tools and KhoiSan art found in the mountains around it show. But today it’s a much-loved weekend getaway for Capetonians. ‘We’ve realised tourism is the way forward for the Swartland,’ says local history aficionado Chris Murphy. Here’s my pick of 12 things to do in and around Riebeek Kasteel. 1. Wine tasting The original wine cellar at Kloovenburg is now a tasting room where...

Cape Columbine Nature Reserve & lighthouse, Paternoster

By Roxanne Reid
When you visit Paternoster on the West Coast, one of the highlights is the Cape Columbine Nature Reserve & lighthouse about 5km away along a gravel road. The nature reserve is especially pretty when carpeted with spring flowers and there’s something hugely romantic about lighthouses and their keepers. The Cape Columbine lighthouse owes its name to the British wooden ship Columbine, which was wrecked in 1829 a kilometre or two north of Castle Rock, where the lighthouse stand...

3 West Coast farm stalls on the R27

By Roxanne Reid
Any adventure from Cape Town to the West Coast will take you along the R27, which runs through Milnerton and Tableview before reaching open countryside on the way to coastal villages like Yzerfontein, Langebaan and Paternoster. Along the way you’ll discover a few places to stop to rest, eat or play. Here are 3 West Coast farm stalls on the R27. This is the West Coast Way, where you’ll find scenic views of the Atlantic Ocean, culture and heritage, fynbos and spring flowers,...

Discover wildlife and plants of Chobe, Botswana

By Roxanne Reid
We were just two people dreading being swamped and squished by two large groups. Imagine our joy when we discovered they’d kept the groups together and given us our own safari vehicle, just the two of us with a guide to discover wildlife and plants of Chobe, Botswana. That’s what happened to us at Chobe Marina Lodge in Kasane. Ten minutes later, at the Sedudu entrance gate into Chobe National Park, about 15 safari vehicles jostled to enter at opening time. This early mornin...

Voices of Botswana: honey badger vs black mamba

By Roxanne Reid
The honey badger, also known as a ratel, is a relatively small animal. It weighs only about 12kg but has long claws curved like knives, powerful jaws for crushing, and a giant-sized attitude. I’ve seen documentaries in which it stands its ground against much bigger animals like lions and leopards, or is bitten by a puff adder without long-term effect. So imagine what it would be like to watch a stand-off between the fearsome honey badger and one of the most dangerous snakes...

Paternoster: fishing boats, beaches and crayfish

By Roxanne Reid
Paternoster is one of the oldest fishing towns along the West Coast, a place of whitewashed houses, fishing boats, beaches and crayfish. Visitors come here for the tang of sea air, the sound of breakers, and the romance of long walks on the beach. You'll find Paternoster on the West Coast Way’s Foodie Route – and I’ll write about its food in another post. But there’s more to it than that. The name means ‘our Father’ and it’s rumoured to derive from the prayers of shipwrecke...

Voices of Botswana: the female guide

By Roxanne Reid
Gobe Motshidisi is part of Chobe Game Lodge’s team of 16 women who are professional guides. Some people also refer to them as the Chobe Angels. How did her journey begin and what’s it like to be female in a male-dominated profession? Gobe was born in Francistown and raised in Letlhakane, a small town in central Botswana. As a little girl she always wanted to work with animals, but thought the only way to do this was to be part of the Department of Wildlife. And that seemed...