Tag Archives: view sites

Summer Trek – Stony Point & Agulhas, 21 December 2024

A terribly wet and windy morning saw us heading westwards, to the ever popular African Penguin colony at Stony Point Nature Reserve in Betty’s Bay.

Stony Point Nature Reserve, Betty’s Bay

Kelp Gull (photo by Joubert)

African Penguins (photo by Joubert)

African Penguin (photo by Joubert)

Hartlaub’s Gull

African Penguin chick

White-breasted Cormorant

African Penguin

Kelp Gull

African Penguins

Cape Cormorant chicks begging for food (photo by Joubert)

African Penguins

African Penguin chick moulting

Cape Cormorant

African Black Oystercatcher

African Penguins on the boardwalk at Betty’s Bay

Cape Cormorant chicks

Crowned Cormorant

Cape Cormorant feeding chick

Cape Fur Seal tearing a drowned cormorant chick apart

Kelp Gull flying away with a piece of cormorant chick

Crowned Cormorant

Dassie or Rock Hyrax

Kelp Gull feasting on a dead cormorant chick

Egyptian Goose

Later, after a hearty lunch in the hamlet of Baardskeerdersbos, we headed to the Agulhas National Park and Africa’s southernmost point (enjoying it in much better weather than we had at the start of the day!).

Agulhas National Park

Agulhas Lighthouse

Cape Girdled Lizard

White-fronted Plover

Wreck of the Meishu Maru looking ever worse for wear

Summer Trek – Bontebok National Park, 19 December 2024

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We spent most of the morning exploring the Bontebok National Park, which is located just about half-an-hour away from where we’re staying at Aloe Canyons. Bontebok is a very special little reserve of which we are very fond and as always she delivered very nicely indeed!

Entrance to Bontebok National Park

Speckled Pigeon

Red Hartebeest

Pin-tailed Whydah

Fiscal Flycatcher

Bontebok National Park scenery

Fynbos blooms

Bontebok

Common Waxbill

Raggedy Common Meadow White butterfly (photo by Joubert)

Spotted Thick-knee

Neddicky

Fynbos bloom

African Stonechat

Black Harrier

Red Hartebeest

Fynbos blooms

Breede River in the Bontebok National Park

Bontebok

Southern Rock Agama

Snaps on Tour: A Stingy Elephant

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Last month, while following the course of the Mphongolo River north of Shingwedzi in the Kruger National Park on our morning drive, we came across this amusing scene at the Mavatsani waterhole, just south of the turnoff to Sirheni Bushveld Camp. The day was already quite hot and a herd of elephants, a couple of buffaloes, some baboons, nyalas and warthogs were milling around the muddy water. An elephant cow claimed a hole from which clear water was seeping but had her hands – or is that head, trunk and front leg? – full with a youngster trying to muscle his way in on her treasure. The calf protested with loud screams when she tried to shove him away but he did not give an inch and, her gentle nature obviously winning over her frustration, the cow eventually let him through to quench his thirst from her well.

Mavatsani Waterhole between Sirheni and Shingwedzi in the Kruger National Park

Elephant cow bullying a youngster at the waterhole

I am a fully accredited and legally registered tour guide (with all the necessary insurance, professional drivers license and first aid certification) – don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like me to arrange a guided tour of beautiful South Africa and all her natural wonders, like the Kruger National Park, for you as well, or even just to assist with your holiday reservations for our national parks and nature reserves throughout the country.

Snaps on Tour: Waiting and Watching at Transport Dam

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In October 2024 I had the immense pleasure of hosting long-time blogging friend John Steiner (of Journeys with Johnbo), his wife Lynn, John’s niece Patricia Broesder and her husband Gary on a tour of Cape Town and the Kruger National Park. In Kruger we were joined by colleagues Hannes Rossouw and Irving Knight, both experts in their respective fields.

One morning we headed out from Skukuza in Irving’s open safari vehicle towards the areas west of the Kruger Park‘s biggest tourist node, and after a few hours arrived at the Transport Dam, an expansive man-made waterhole well frequented by a myriad of birds and animals. At first, all appeared calm in and around the dam with heavy clouds in the sky. A few hippos and nile crocodiles were bobbing in the water, some antelope and warthog were milling around on the banks, a fish eagle was flying overhead, a grey heron stood near us on a rock and in the distance a spotted hyena looked lazily out over the lake.

Hippos in Transport Dam

Crocodile in Transport Dam

Waterbuck, impala and warthog mingling on the banks of Transport Dam

A Fish Eagle flying over Transport Dam

Grey Heron on the bank of Transport Dam

Spotted Hyena lying down at Transport Dam

But as so often happens, patience is wonderfully rewarded in nature. The peace was suddenly shattered by thrashing in the water, coming from both sides of where we were parked! To our right, a massive crocodile was ripping a blue wildebeest carcass to shreds and on the other side a smaller crocodile was doing the same to an impala carcass! They were soon joined by other crocodiles trying to muscle in on the action.

Crocodile feasting on a wildebeest carcass in Transport Dam

Crocodile feast

Crocodile feasting on a wildebeest carcass in Transport Dam

Crocodile feasting on a wildebeest carcass in Transport Dam – Hadedas take flight!

Crocodile feasting on an impala carcass in Transport Dam

Crocodiles feasting on a wildebeest carcass in Transport Dam

Waterbuck bull looking into the water with some suspicion!

Immediately, the hyena was up and running from side to side trying to see if it could get a cut if the meat, pieces of which were now flying all over the show, while the fish eagle dropped from the sky with the same aim.

Hyena frantically trying to get a bite of the action

Hyena frantically trying to get a bite of the action – zebras fleeing!

Hyena frantically trying to get a bite of the action

Fish Eagle dropping in for a bite

The grey heron had a different reaction, regurgitating its latest meal before flying off, only to circle around, land in the same spot and then pecking at its discarded fish meal but opting rather to wash out its mouth with a drink from the dam…

Grey Heron regurgitating its latest meal

Grey Heron trying a piece of the regurgitated fish

…but not liking it at all

Going down to the water to wash out its mouth

Soon after the last scraps of the carcasses disappeared down the throats of the crocodiles, however, relative calm returned to the dam. A baby hippo ventured onto dry land for a walk about and a herd of blue wildebeest risked moving in for a drink. Anyone arriving then would’ve no clue about the dramas we’d just witnessed!

Baby Hippo

Blue Wildebeest herd drinking from the Transport Dam

Snaps on Tour: At the top of Table Mountain

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Earlier in October I had the immense pleasure of hosting long-time blogging friend John Steiner (of Journeys with Johnbo), his wife Lynn, John’s niece Patricia Broesder and her husband Gary on a tour of Cape Town and the Kruger National Park.

The iconic Table Mountain looms large over the city of Cape Town, rising to over 1km (more than 3,500ft) above sea level. Millions of people from all over the world visit the mountain annually, traversing it along the well planned network of pathways (always hike in groups!) or using the aerial cableway to get to the flat topped buttress in cable cars with rotating floors, which is the option we went with for our afternoon visit. While we were fortunate that the mountain was not covered in a table cloth of clouds the weather turned rather sour while we were waiting to ascend and it was rather chilly and windy when we got to the top, curtailing our exploration somewhat.

Table Mountain cableway

Looking down on Cape Town from atop Table Mountain – Robben Island in the distance

Looking down on Cape Town from atop Table Mountain

Looking down on Cape Town from atop Table Mountain – Robben Island in the distance

Viewsites atop Table Mountain

Snaps on Tour: Spring at Kirstenbosch

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You cannot visit Cape Town and not spend some time at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, considered one of the top gardens in the world. And can there be a better time of the year than the Spring season to visit a garden of this stature!? We spent several hours enjoying the grounds before having a delicious lunch at the Moyo restaurant.

The Kirstenbosch Conservatory houses plants native to dries parts of the country

Spotted Eagle Owl

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens

Kirstenbosch Spring Annuals Display

Common Dotted Border

Kirstenbosch Spring Annuals Display

Sour Fig in flower

Painted lady

Kirstenbosch Spring Annuals Display

Egyptian Goose in the Gazanias

Vygies in bloom

Bronze Mannikin

Cape Canary

Coral Tree flower

The Boomslang Treetop Walkway

Snaps on Tour: The most beautiful Cape in the world

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Earlier in October I had the immense pleasure of hosting long-time blogging friend John Steiner (of Journeys with Johnbo), his wife Lynn, John’s niece Patricia and her husband Gary on a tour of Cape Town and the Kruger National Park.

On our first day together I spent quite a bit of time with the Steiners and Broesders exploring every corner of the Cape of Good Hope section of the Table Mountain National Park. We took the funicular up to the lighthouse at Cape Point, had lunch at the Two Oceans Restaurant, and took in all the scenic sights and interesting wildlife from the excellent road network.

Scenery at the Cape of Good Hope

The lighthouse at Cape Point

Four-striped Grass Mouse

Bladder Grasshopper

Ostrich on the beach at the Cape of Good Hope

Cape Fur Seals

Scenery at the Cape of Good Hope

Ostriches on the beach at the Cape of Good Hope

Hadedas

African Oystercatcher

Scenery at the Cape of Good Hope

Kelp Gull

Scenery at the Cape of Good Hope

Da Gama cross

Bontebok ewe and lamb

Bontebok at the Cape of Good Hope

Scenery at the Cape of Good Hope

Touring Kruger Park – 4 & 5 October 2024

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Hannes, Irving and I are still having a wonderful time with our guests here at Satara in the Kruger National Park – so much so that I totally forgot to post a blog update last night, so today’s covers 2 days!

We spent most of yesterday exploring the area between Satara and Tshokwane, and today between Satara and Letaba. Over the two days we’ve seen all of the famed “Big 5” as well as many other interesting animals, birds and plants.

Lilac-breasted Roller

Baby Elephant

Kudu Calf

Tawny Eagle

Spotted Hyena

Big old elephant bull between Satara and Olifants in the Kruger National Park

Ground Hornbill snacking

Touring Cape Town – 2 October 2024

Touring Cape Town – 1 October 2024

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I am currently touring some of South Africa’s most beautiful spots with someone who has been a great friend of DeWetsWild for many years, and what a privilege it is! We’re currently on the Cape Peninsula where we’ve based ourselves at the Quayside Hotel in Simon’s Town and today made excursions to the Boulders Penguin Colony and the Cape of Good Hope.