South Africa – Destination for Authentic Travelling

Long gone were the times where holiday goers just wanted to sit on the beach and get a tan.  Nowadays holiday goers want adventure and fun.  They want to really get a feel for the land they are visiting and do activities that the area provides.  In short, today’s travellers want authenticity.  Authentic travelling means that whatever it is that you are experiencing – it must not be false or copied.  Travellers want to experience the real thing.  It must represent and reflect the true nature of what it is being experienced.

In South Africa, one can definitely experience authentic travelling.  Rarely will you visit one country where its landscapes differ so widely as in South Africa?  Having nine provinces – each with its own unique attractions and landscapes makes it a rich country of different cultural and outdoor experiences.

From the Western Cape, the most well-known of all the provinces, to the Limpopo – South Africa has something to offer for adventures with different tastes.  You can keep yourself busy with whale watching, shark diving, mountain biking and much more in the Western Cape.  Visiting the Winelands can be a different experience for each person.  It can range from a soulful experience to an adventure – depending on the quantity of wine consumed of course.

Other adventure sports in South Africa include bungee jumping, white water rafting, sky-diving, rope adventures, canopy tours, 4X4, quad biking, abseiling, and a variety of water sports.  Thrill seekers to more mild adventures will find something to suit their needs.  Famous adventure hiking trails include the Otters trail, Hoerikwaggo Tented Classic and Rim of Africa (Western Cape), Drakensberg Grand Traverse (Kwa-Zulu Natal) and the Wild Coast Hike (Eastern Cape).

We would love to hear what you’re the best adventure has been in South Africa or what you would still like to do!

Sources

http://www.sa_venue.co.za

http://www.getaway.co.za

Time for self-reflection

The time for self-reflection has once again arrived.  Where one stands still long enough to ask important questions and more importantly, to answer those important questions.

Self-reflection is a way to dig deeper into your feelings and to find out why you were doing something specific.  Most importantly, self-reflection must guide us to new paths for the coming year.

“A man must find time for himself. Time is what we spend our lives with. If we are not careful we find others spending it for us. . . . It is necessary now and then for a man to go away by himself and experience loneliness; to sit on a rock in the forest and to ask of himself, ‘Who am I, and where have I been, and where am I going?’ . . . If one is not careful, one allows diversions to take up one’s time—the stuff of life.”
― Carl Sandburg

Remembering the past

This year has been both an exciting year and a difficult year for everyone at Wag n Bietjie Lodge.  It is with sadness that we remember the serious accident of the owner of Wag ‘n Bietjie Lodge in May 2016 that left him seriously injured and hospitalized for weeks.  We are grateful to report that Wiaan has made a remarkable recovery that reflects the fighting spirit of his nature.  Emotions also ran high in May 2016 after a rhino poaching incident on the farm.

Functions and trends

Wag n Bietjie Lodge also experienced some great times with the hosting of the VIP Wintershoek Auction function at the lodge, as well as other functions.  Guests from all over the world visited the lodge.  This coming year Wag n Bietjie Lodge would like to follow the food and wine trends for 2017, so please watch this space!

New Years wishes

As the New Year approaches us with hopes anew, from everyone here at Wag n Bietjie Lodge, we wish you and your family a wonderful year ahead. Happy New Year!

The Famous Robben Island Heritage Site

Robben Island is most famous for the prison that Nelson Mandela spent 18 years in during the Apartheids Era.  Today it is a UNESCO world heritage site.

The Island is located in Table Bay, some 6km west of Bloubergstrand.  It has been used as a prison and a place where people were isolated, banished and exiled to for nearly 400 years. It was also used as a post office, a grazing ground, a mental hospital and an outpost.

The origin of Robben Island

Initially, the island was inhabited by a variety of wild life, including birds, penguins, seals and tortoises. Its name “robben” is derived from the Dutch, meaning a seal. It also had a plentiful supply of fresh water available from a number of springs. Batolomeu Dias, the Portuguese explorer, ‘discovered’ the island in 1488 when he anchored his ship in Table Bay.

Before 1652 most visiting ships to Table Bay preferred to land on Robben Island to replenish their supplies of fresh water and meat. As a result, it also became a major point for the exchange of mail.  Letters from an outgoing ship would then be left underneath an inscribed stone for collection and delivery by a home-going vessel. The Dutch also began to use the island as a grazing station for sheep and cattle. There were also plenty of seals, tortoises, and penguins for hunting.

Robben Island as a convict station

However, the potential of the island as a convict station did not go unnoticed.  In about 1671 the Dutch began to use it for their convicted criminals.  It was only a matter of time before this courtesy was extended to political prisoners and other “undesirables” banished to the Cape.

Robben Island as a hospital for the ‘mentally ill’

In 1845 the island had become a home for the Colony’s unwanted and unloved and those deemed to be ‘mentally ill’.  In those days the ‘mentally ill’ could include the homeless, alcoholics and people who were too sick or old to work.  This establishment was only closed down in 1931.

After 1931 all the ‘patients’ were sent to hospitals in the Cape and the island began to be used as a military outpost before WW II. Guns were stored there and the government built roads, a power station, a new water supply, and houses.  In 1961 it started being used as a prison again. Robben Island became a symbol of the strength of the human spirit, when the political prisoners were released.

A World Heritage Site

Robben Island was declared a World Heritage Site because the buildings on the island are a reminder of its history.  The same buildings also show the power of the human spirit, freedom and the victory of democracy over oppression.

Source:

http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/robben-island

The Lesser Kestrel of the Karoo

Each year thousands of Lesser Kestrels (Falco naumanni) migrate to Southern Africa, and the Karoo, during the summer months.  This article gives a brief overview of the description, behaviour and conservation status of these small falcons.  Lesser Kestrels come from the North (Russia, Siberia and Kazakhstan) and seek the warmth of Southern Africa when their breeding season is over.

Description and behaviour

The lesser kestrel can be described as small, with long pointed wings and a long tail marked with a black band at the end. They are inconspicuous raptors, not much larger than rock pigeons.   Males and females are distinguishable by colouring.  The females have buff, spotted markings, whilst their belly is pale.  The males have blue-grey feathers on the crown, rump, neck and tail and chestnut-coloured body feathers. Both males and females have white undersides to their wings, with black tips. The eye ring is bright yellow and the feet are yellow to orange.

Travelling in loose flocks of hundreds of birds, this sociable species will also roost together in trees, but migrate singly or in flocks of less than 50, at altitudes of around 2,000 metres. Once they arrive safely in South Africa, the kestrels moult all their feathers in symmetry, set by set. You’ll find them under the trees where they roost, worn to a nub after the long flight from the north.  These kestrels are quite apt at hunting and dives almost silently from a perch or from mid-air and pounces on prey with their claws, before swiftly killing its prey with a bite to the back of the head.

Conservation of the Lesser Kestrel

The decline of Lesser Kestrel was first brought to the attention of the raptor world in the early 1990s. Information available showed a decline of around 46% since the 1950s in their breeding grounds and of around 25% in their wintering areas.  The main cause of the decline of seemed to be habitat loss and degradation as a result of agricultural intensification, afforestation and urbanisation.  The breeding sites of the lesser kestrels are unfortunately not protected by law.  Research and management of the species and its habitat have been carried out in several countries.  Interventions mostly focussed on the construction of artificial nests, and research into factors limiting the kestrel’s survival and habitat management.

References

https://www.ewt.org.za/BOP/migratingkestrel.html

http://www.arkive.org/lesser-kestrel/falco-naumanni/

Lesser Kestrels of the Karoo

 

Tsessebe’s are Africa’s odd-looking, but fast moving antelope

Tsessebe’s are known to be rather odd looking and they are also considered to be the fastest antelope in Africa.

Appearance

Tsessebe’s (Damaliscus Lunatus) are usually not recognised as one of the most attractive antelope in the wild.  This is mostly due to its forequarters being higher than their hind.  They come from the same families as the Hartebeest and the Wildebeest, that same these same characteristics.  Bulls are slightly larger than the cows, weighing approximately 140kg, to the cows 120kgs.  Both the bulls and the cow’s growths horn, although the bull’s horns are heavier.  Tsessebes horns are typically shaped in a “half-moon”.  It has a dark face, with a slight purplish sheen over its shoulders and a red-brown coat.

Behavior

“Tsessebe are social animals and their basic group structure consists of small breeding groups, each comprising of six to ten cows with their offspring. Bachelor groups and territorial bull herds may sometimes number up to 30 strong. This is especially noticeable near water and favourable gazing. Breeding herds, that consists of cows, are not restricted to a specific territory. In areas where tsessebe occurs in higher densities, bulls establish typical ‘lek’ system territories. Young bulls form bachelor groups at the age of one year as they are pushed out of herds.” (http://www.krugerpark.co.za)

 

General facts

In general, Tsessebe’s are found in small herds in medium-length grass and they also prefer fresh growth and green grass stalks. In places where it has been recently burned, Tsessebe’s will often find the new grass springing up.  These antelope usually give birth during September up to November months to single calves, after a gestation period of seven months.    Tsessebes can run up to 60km/h, but they have, in addition, they have a peculiar habit of stopping to see how far away the perceived predator is.  Lastly, Tsessebes can live approximately 15 years in the wild and up to 20 years in captivity.

References:

http://home.intekom.com/ecotravel/african-wildlife/animals/mammals/facts-about/tsessebes.htm

http://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_tsessebe.html

http://www.southafrica.net/za/en/articles/entry/article-southafrica.net-tsessebe

 

 

The Black Wildebeest and its Lesson to Conservation

The black wildebeest has been classified as vulnerable in the past. Its increased numbers have taught us a valuable lesson in conservation.

The black wildebeest

The black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou) is also called the white-tailed gnu, because of its distinctive white tail and dark chocolate brown body.  The blue wildebeest does not have this distinctive white tail.

“The gnu (pronounced “g-new” or simply “new”) is a member of the antelope family, although its heavy build and disproportionately large forequarters make it look more bovine. Gnus can reach 8 feet (2.4 meters) in length, stand 4.5 feet (1.4 meters) tall at the shoulders and weigh up to 600 pounds (272 kilogrammes). Both males and females grow horns.” (http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/)

Black wildebeest can live for up to 20 years, with only one calf a year.  They occur in South Africa and one usually sees a herd of between 11 and 50 animals in a group.  These groups consist out of two separate groups of females and young in one group. And another group consisting out of bachelors.  “The antics of the territorial bulls during breeding season have earned them the name clowns of the savanna. (www.outofafrica).

Although wildebeest are herbivores, it is quite a favourite on other predators menu, including crocodiles, lions, hyenas, leopards and cheetahs.  While the black wildebeest is quite a common sight, it hasn’t always been like this.

Lesson to Conservation

The black wildebeest was once seen as a pest and almost became extinct.  One could almost reason that this would not have been the case if people were aware of their declining numbers sooner.  This illustrates the importance of collecting information on all types of wildlife on a consistent basis.  More species could become vulnerable due to environmental changes that may threaten natural habitats.  Conservation is therefore not only about focussing on species that are nearly extinct or vulnerable but collecting information on all species in a consistent way.  This could, in turn, lead to people and organisations noticing declining numbers sooner and as a result, put the necessary steps in place to keep species from extinction.

Appreciating wildlife

The cheetah can reach a top speed of up to 100km/h and is, therefore, the fastest animal on earth.  Its conservation status is currently classified as vulnerable due to the loss of its habitat.  Interestingly enough, a cheetah uses their tails to steer them where they want to go.  If a cheetah is content, it tends to make the same purring sound as a house cat.