Roxanne Reid's Blog, page 33

Canopy Tour will open near Cape Town in April (video)

By Roxanne Reid
If you’ve done the Canopy Tour at Tsitsikamma in the Eastern Cape and Karkloof in the KZN Midlands - and loved them, as I have - you’ll be thrilled to know that a Canopy Tour will open near Cape Town in April. About time too. The new tour is in the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve near Elgin, just an hour from Cape Town. Canopy Tours have partnered with Cape Nature to take you into the fynbos in a previously inaccessible part of the reserve.

There are already canopy tours...

Canopy Tour will open near Cape Town in April

By Roxanne Reid
If you’ve done the Canopy Tour at Tsitsikamma in the Eastern Cape and Karkloof in the KZN Midlands - and loved them, as I have - you’ll be thrilled to know that a Canopy Tour will open near Cape Town in April. About time too. The new tour is in the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve near Elgin, just an hour from Cape Town. Canopy Tours have partnered with Cape Nature to take you into the fynbos in a previously inaccessible part of the reserve.

There are already canopy tours...

Tredici in Swellendam: a taste of Europe

By Roxanne Reid
The N2 between Cape Town and the Garden Route is the unlikely venue for a great new place to stop for breakfast, lunch, or treats to take away as padkos. Even the architecture of Tredici in Swellendam give you a taste of Europe. We noticed it just below the highway as we swept past on a road trip some months ago, so this time we planned to stop and investigate further. Hubby is a lover of Wimpy bacon-and-egg breakfasts, which he only gets on a road trip. I’m not. Insisting...

Where to stay in Sutherland in the Karoo

By Roxanne Reid
Sutherland in the Karoo is well known as a destination for lovers of stars and snow. Of course there are lots of other things to do there that have nothing to do with either (see8 things to do and see in Sutherland).But where to stay in Sutherlandwhile you explore? On a recent visit, we lucked out. When you’re using the internet to choose somewhere to stay, it’s pretty much a hit-and-miss affair. Sure, there are some photos to give you a sense of the place, but photos can o...

East Head Café in Knysna and why you have to visit

By Roxanne Reid
Gorgeous views of The Knysna Heads – check.
Consistently good food – check.
Friendly, efficient service – check.
I’m talking about the East Head Café in Knysna and why you have to visit. And no, it's not just because TripAdvisor ranks it number 1 of 84 restaurants in Knysna. One of the best ways of knowing a good place to eat is to watch where the locals go. During the Christmas rush in Knysna along the Garden Route, the locals may well prefer to give tourist hot spots like...

New natural history guide to the Kalahari

By Roxanne Reid
There isn't anyone more qualified to write a field guide to the animals, plants, climate and landscape of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Parkthan Gus and Margie Mills, who have lived and worked there for 18 years. So when they produce a new natural history guide to the Kalahari, the book is sure to get a lot of attention. Already known for their book Hyena Nights & Kalahari Days about their 12-year study of hyenas of the Kalahari, the couple also completed a six-year research...

Mating Kgalagadi lions

By Roxanne Reid
There’s something pornographic about lions making whoopee. They do it so often and are so focused that they don’t give a fig who’s watching, man or beast. And so it is with mating Kgalagadi lions. On a recent trip to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Parkwe found a mating pair at Marie’s Loop near Nossob camp one afternoon. Being the wildlife voyeurs that we are, we watched them mate seven times – twice in the bush, then four times in the middle of the road, and once more in the...

Go on a sound safari with Nature SoundMap

By Roxanne Reid
Anyone who loves exploring in nature will tell you that much of the pleasure comes from what you hear – from the cry of an African fish eagle to the clicking of barking geckos at the entrance of their Kalahari burrows at dusk. That’s why to go on a sound safari with Nature SoundMap is such a brilliant idea. I love it–and you will too. Launched in the first week of January 2014, it's an interactive way of exploring the natural sounds of our world. More than 50 professional natur...

5 travel resolutions for 2014

By Roxanne Reid
I don’t know about you, but I’m not a huge believer in making New Year’s resolutions I know I’ll break before the New Year’s bubbly and balloons have gone flat. Eat less chocolate? Ain’t gonna happen. Go on a round-the-world cruise? I don’t have the budget for that so it’s a dream, not an achievable resolution. But I can make small resolutions about how I plan to travel. Here are my 5 travel resolutions for 2014. 1. As a travel writer I'm often too focused on getting all th...

Elephant tramples car in Kruger Park: video reveals all

Remember the elephant that was put down in Kruger just before New Year after it trampled a tourist's car? Well, News24hasreported on shock new video footage showing that the driver of the vehicle took anunnecessary risk, failing to react appropriately to clear signals from the elephant that they should back off. Watch the videohere and see what you think.

The occupants of the vehicle, Sarah Brooks and Jans de Klerk, were admitted to hospital after the elephant overturned their vehicle...