Our requirements for an anniversary weekend are simple. Quiet, secluded, remote, beautiful and surrounded by nature but not too far from Cape Town. Opportunities for easy hikes, swimming, hot tubs and photography. We found Gecko Rock through Bookings.com and it ticked the boxes. It is a 2.5 to 3 hour drive from Cape Town with some dirt roads at the end, which is even better. Our choice, the Rhebokvlakte Cabin, was undoubtably the most secluded and private of the many optio

Perched on the lip of an enormous dune in the iconic Namib-Naukluft National Park looking down an almost vertical 100 metre drop you start to doubt the sanity of the decisions that led you to this point. You are behind the wheel of a growling 4x4 with the responsibility of getting the 4 occupants to the bottom of the abyss and your palms are sweating while there is a slight trembling in your legs. The radio crackles and you get the go ahead to start the descent. You think ba

The views looking down on to False Bay from the mountains above Strand/Somerset West/Stellenbosch When we bought our first 4x4 back in 2012 we were so excited to do a 4x4 driving course with our Nissan Xtrail.  Our hopes of going on holiday to destinations for 4x4 users only were dented when we realized our clearance was nothing like the other cars on the course and there was no Low Range. We still had fun learning about the technical theory of 4x4 vehicles and the capabiliti

KGALAGADI TRANSFRONTIER PARK 2025 I have been crocheting for many many years making toys and blankets. Majority of our holidays is us driving for hours to get to our destinations, so I keep myself busy crocheting, usually a blanket, so I don't have to concentrate too much on it while I am the back seat driver for my hubby. Recently I have been making blankets for family members having milestone birthdays, like 60 and 80 years old. My latest blanket I made was a C2C for my br

While we were staying at Rhino Safari Camp in 2018 on the shores of the Kariba dam, the family and I went fishing for the Kariba tiger fish.  We are not a fishing family, but we thought it was an activity we would never have a chance to do again. I decided I would fish for the bait, bream, and let everyone else go for the tigers. Majority of the tigers were released due to their sizes. I’m still not sure how but I landed up with a fishing line to catch tigers in my hands. If

Back in 2019 when we bought our first Toyota Fortuner 4x4 we were given a 4x4 course with our purchase. Timothy and I had loads of laughs as we maneuvered around the course. We had been on a similar course a few years back when we purchased our first XTrail and in many ways that was a more difficult challenge this one. We had also been thrown in the deep end on the Namibian dunes back in 2018 where, with the help of the instructors and using their 4x4 vehicle, we tackled tow

The first glimpse of the sea, the anticipation as you headed down to the beach for the first time with the salty ocean air in your nose and the sand between your toes. 

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Astro photography and Star trails in particular, are one of the most challenging assignments. I have tried on numerous occasions with mixed success. Whenever we are away in areas with low light pollution, especially on nice evenings, I bring out the tripod, the shutter release and my torch. Preferably pre plan where you are going to setup and ensure there is an interesting foreground and a clear view of the night sky. In 2022 I tried to capture the view of a distant lightnin

Painting with light in Zimbabwe

We discovered this by accident on the beach at Le Victoria in Mauritius in 2013. After supper on a typically warm night in December 2013 we went for a walk on the beach with our cameras. Remembering the fun we had painting baobabs at Victoria Falls in 2011, we started looking for ways to use slow shutter speeds to create unusual effects. We splashed water and threw sand in the air before Tristan started filling an empty coconut with water and tossing it into the air with int

The van started slowing as we rounded a blind corner and we all knew what that meant. We had been expecting this for some time already so it was no surprise. Except perhaps to our driver who muttered to himself as he processed the incoming data. We had run out of fuel 30 kms from the Kariba Marina on a blind corner in a wild National Park on the narrow, dangerous and busy highway between Harare and the copper mines of Zambia. "What do we do now" I asked helplessly. When

Surfed and turfed. I have fond memories from childhood holidays in KwaZulu Natal. Of Ice creams and sand castles on the hot brown sand before braving the waves on a blow up raft/lilo. Now, 30 years later on our first morning in Umhlanga, I confidently take Tristan by the hand for some body surfing in the strong, warm Durban surf. KwaZulu Natal is very much “between the flags” swimming and it is of particular importance at Umhlanga where dangerous black rock reefs run diagona

Tiger fishing No horizon Kingfisher sun cream

“Dad lets go fishing” Fishing. I have dangled a hook in all kinds of water, salt, fresh, running and still, from land and from boat but have yet to “fish”. My definition of which is to actually catch one. Of all fishing torture Fly fishing is the cruellest. How much slack line is required? Too much and it wraps around your feet, too little and the fly doesn’t reach the water. When does the rhythmic artistry of the cast become a frenzied staccato swatting, with the hook flyin