A courtyard fountain seen through an archway in South Africa's Waterford Wine Estate.

The journal: Wild Places

Outdoors & Activities13 October 2026
Under Dust and Stars: A Four-Day Horse Trail Through the Klein Karoo
Riding, for the lucky cohort that call the saddle home, leaves you feeling boundless. Free. Usually, that magical feeling is over far too quickly as the city rushes back in. That was until I did a four-day horse trail through the semi-arid Southern African region known as Klein Karoo. Eight eager, horse-loving riders congregated in De Rust for a mind-altering adventure called Stof en sterre (Dust…
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Stays & Dining12 September 2024
Outstanding Uitsig: An Unforgettable Weekend in a Cederberg Cottage
It was with a heavy heart that I said, "I need this." It came after two deep losses in less than a week. The first was my uncle, Nic Wolpe, who died on 24 August 2024 following a battle with stage four brain cancer. The second was on 30 August when The first horse I ever bonded with was put down. I didn't get to say goodbye to either. Nic's funeral was set for 5 September, the day before we were…
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Destinations18 December 2022
A Kruger Adventure: 24 hours at Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp
Our last full day in the Kruger, we arose early, packed the car once more and said goodbye to Satara Rest Camp shortly after the gates opened. We were heading south, to Berg-en-Dal, one of the park's newer rest camps. We'd planned out the route the night before, deciding to stop at Tshokwane picnic spot, Sukusa and Afsaal Trader's Rest - another picnic spot. Depending on how our timing went, we'd…
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Destinations17 December 2022
A Kruger Adventure: Satara Rest Camp
We drove through Orpen gate and into the Kruger at lunchtime, our eyes immediately darting from the ground, into the tall grass and up into the tops of the trees, trying to perceive the minutest of movements. Quite quickly, we were greeted by a lone elephant near the side of the road, lazily enjoying a late lunch. Eager to find our rest camp, Satara, we drove at a reasonable pace - surely missing…
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Destinations16 December 2022
A Kruger Adventure: A Guide to Graskop’s Blyde River Canyon
Like any great adventure, our time exploring Blyde River Canyon was filled with a few surprises and bumps along the way. After months of somewhat careful planning, we landed at the small, single-terminal Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport shortly after 12 and were immediately charmed by the rugged countryside and thatched-roof airport. Within a few minutes we’d collected our luggage and were…
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Destinations24 October 2020
Magoebaskloof: A Weekend Among the Tree Giants
Growing up, my travel bucket list included far-off places like India, Spain, Scotland and Australia. But as I’ve got older, my gaze has turned inward and I’ve found myself longing to explore the wonderland that is Africa. It was with a certain amount of shame that I would tell people that I hadn’t explored much outside of Cape Town. I’d been to Johannesburg a handful of times and I’d been to the…
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Outdoors & Activities20 October 2020
Hike to Paarl Rock
There are few things that make you pause quite like a view that stretches out before you without end. I love finding them, those views that seem to go impossibly on and on. It’s one of my favourite parts of going on any adventure and why I love being a passenger more than I like being a driver. Which is why I was excited to finally venture to Paarl Rock and hike up to its famous viewing point.…
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Outdoors & Activities1 August 2020
Mont Rochelle’s Uitkyk Trail
Making the most of a sunny winters day, three friends and I met up for what I thought was a gentle hike along Mont Rochelle’s Uitkyk trail on Saturday 18 July 2020. Equipped with face masks, snacks and our cameras, we paid the R50 entrance fee and set off just after 10am. The first few hundred metres wind their way towards what was my first challenge: an even more winding and steep path up to…
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Stays & Dining1 May 2020
Travel Memory: Encountering the Giants of the Garden Route
Every summer holiday for the last five years, I venture down the Cape’s breathtaking Garden Route to Knysna where my boyfriend’s family live. In the summer of 2017/2018, I got the idea from his grandmother to spend a few extra days and drive to Addo Elephant National Park, home to over six hundred elephants, and so my planning began. The first issue was finding a place to stay. While Addo has…
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