How to be safe around elephants

It was twilight and not a good time to be out on foot with predators lurking around. The next moment we were shocked to a standstill! A big elephant bull was standing a few meters from us, clearly annoyed with our intrusion. It is difficult to say who got the biggest fright, us or our armed guide!

This incident happened a few years ago when we went for a guided walk in Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park.  Then, if it wasn’t for the flooded river crossing, we would have been back at camp well before dark.

In many game areas in Southern Africa the camps are unfenced, which means that elephant can visit at any time. We had an elephant visiting our site while we were pitching our tent and also at night whilst sitting around the fire. Continue reading How to be safe around elephants

Finding the roots of Tracks4Africa

By Johann Groenewald (co-owner of Tracks4Africa)

People often wonder how Tracks4Africa started out.   Today’s company with twenty-odd employees and product representation all over the world started out as a simple quest for information.  I asked founder, Wouter Brand, to take me on a trip to see where it all began.  The mode of transport would be Wouter’s only manner of travel these days – motorbikes and the destination would be nowhere specific, other than the remote Namibian landscape.

The bikes with Brandberg in the distance.
Our destination was remote Namibia.

Around the year 2000, GPS equipment became available for the recreational user and a few technically minded travellers quickly seized the opportunity to better orientate themselves to their surroundings.  Wouter recalls a trip to Namibia around that time with friends in  Kaokoland, which is a very remote part of Namibia and where getting lost is easy.  Knowing where you are is only part of the navigation story; knowing where to go is also vitally important. Continue reading Finding the roots of Tracks4Africa

Spice up your trip to the Cape Winelands

The Cape Winelands area is renowned the world over, not only for the outstanding wines produced there, but also for its exceptional beauty. If you ever happen to be in the Paarl area, one place that will spice up your trip is Spice Route, a mere 40 minute’s drive from Cape Town.

Tasting wine under the old oak tree...
Tasting wine under the old oak tree…

Spice Route not only offers breathtaking views over the vineyards, Simonsberg Mountain and even Table Mountain on a clear day, but also a sensory feast for the palate. Owner Charles Back had in mind a one-stop gastronomical destination for local and international tourists when he bought Seidelberg wine farm and started developing Spice Route in 2012. Continue reading Spice up your trip to the Cape Winelands